Betting on a Duke
(2026)(The fourth book in the Widows of Mayfair series)
A novel by Christine Donovan
She expected to marry one gentleman but found herself sold to another.
Lady Clarice Dawson has been in love with Samuel Radcliff for as long as she can remember. He is the second son of the Duke of Stanton, and she intends to marry him when she turns eighteen. It has always been the plan—a love match since birth, a fairytale in the making. That is, until she wakes up in a living nightmare, with her father talking nonsense, acting irrationally and cruelly, and she finds herself being sold to the highest bidder to settle her father’s debts.
Samuel Radcliff has his entire life planned: marry Clarice Dawson, have a nursery full of children, and raise thoroughbred horses in the country. But life can be cruel. The love of his life marries someone else, and then his family dies, leaving him alone to navigate his new life as the Duke of Stanton.
Seven years pass, and Samuel Radcliff owns two thoroughbred horses that will be racing in the upcoming season. But his two closest friends worry he is neglecting his duties to the dukedom and persuade him to spend time in London searching for a wealthy bride. He agrees but desires only to return to the safety of his horses. That is, until he sees someone from his past. Clarice.
After being a widow for two years, Clarice has decided it’s time to enter the London social scene and look for a husband. To her utter shock and surprise, the first gentleman she makes eye contact with is Samuel Radcliff. She finds herself tumbling back seven years to the last time they saw each other—the day she thought their engagement would be announced—and they pick up where they left off as old feelings resurface.
But her father believes he still has control over her life, and his dislike of Samuel’s dead father fuels his revenge to see that neither Samuel nor his daughter finds happiness. Can Clarice and Samuel find their fairytale ending . . . or not?
.
Tropes you'll love:
Lady Clarice Dawson has been in love with Samuel Radcliff for as long as she can remember. He is the second son of the Duke of Stanton, and she intends to marry him when she turns eighteen. It has always been the plan—a love match since birth, a fairytale in the making. That is, until she wakes up in a living nightmare, with her father talking nonsense, acting irrationally and cruelly, and she finds herself being sold to the highest bidder to settle her father’s debts.
Samuel Radcliff has his entire life planned: marry Clarice Dawson, have a nursery full of children, and raise thoroughbred horses in the country. But life can be cruel. The love of his life marries someone else, and then his family dies, leaving him alone to navigate his new life as the Duke of Stanton.
Seven years pass, and Samuel Radcliff owns two thoroughbred horses that will be racing in the upcoming season. But his two closest friends worry he is neglecting his duties to the dukedom and persuade him to spend time in London searching for a wealthy bride. He agrees but desires only to return to the safety of his horses. That is, until he sees someone from his past. Clarice.
After being a widow for two years, Clarice has decided it’s time to enter the London social scene and look for a husband. To her utter shock and surprise, the first gentleman she makes eye contact with is Samuel Radcliff. She finds herself tumbling back seven years to the last time they saw each other—the day she thought their engagement would be announced—and they pick up where they left off as old feelings resurface.
But her father believes he still has control over her life, and his dislike of Samuel’s dead father fuels his revenge to see that neither Samuel nor his daughter finds happiness. Can Clarice and Samuel find their fairytale ending . . . or not?
.
Tropes you'll love:
- Second chance love
Damaged hero
Heroine is a widow
Secret baby
Thoroughbred racing
Danger from a family member
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Widows of Mayfair
Book 1: Loving an Earl
Book 2: Pursuing A Duke
Book 3: Marrying a Marquess
Genre: Historical Romance