A Gentleman in Waiting
(2025)(The second book in the Hearts Tempered by Time series)
A novel by Heidi H Jex
A Gentleman in WaitingShe was never meant to be his.
In a world governed by rank and expectation, Marianne’s future is arranged before her heart is ever consulted. Betrothed to a duke she neither loves nor trusts, she prepares for a life shaped by duty alone.
Until everything changes.
A sudden duel leaves her intended dead—and Marianne without position, protection, or certainty of what comes next.
It is not the duke who steps forward.
It is Collins—his quieter, steadier brother.
Now a reluctant duke, Collins must take up a title he never sought and restore order to a life marked by grief and scandal. He has long kept his feelings hidden, bound by loyalty, restraint, and the knowledge that Marianne was never his to claim.
Until now.
As they begin the careful work of rebuilding—he his estate, she her future—something deeper takes root between them. Not a love born of passion or ambition, but one shaped by patience, trust, and quiet understanding.
Yet the past lingers, and society does not easily forget.
To choose one another will require more than affection—it will demand courage.
And the willingness to believe that something gentle, and enduring, might rise from what was nearly lost.
Genre: Historical Romance
In a world governed by rank and expectation, Marianne’s future is arranged before her heart is ever consulted. Betrothed to a duke she neither loves nor trusts, she prepares for a life shaped by duty alone.
Until everything changes.
A sudden duel leaves her intended dead—and Marianne without position, protection, or certainty of what comes next.
It is not the duke who steps forward.
It is Collins—his quieter, steadier brother.
Now a reluctant duke, Collins must take up a title he never sought and restore order to a life marked by grief and scandal. He has long kept his feelings hidden, bound by loyalty, restraint, and the knowledge that Marianne was never his to claim.
Until now.
As they begin the careful work of rebuilding—he his estate, she her future—something deeper takes root between them. Not a love born of passion or ambition, but one shaped by patience, trust, and quiet understanding.
Yet the past lingers, and society does not easily forget.
To choose one another will require more than affection—it will demand courage.
And the willingness to believe that something gentle, and enduring, might rise from what was nearly lost.
Genre: Historical Romance
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