"She never agreed to be his.
He never intended to let her be anyone else's."
Lucy Fairbourne came to London with one modest ambition: to remain unnoticed. After a charming, calculating gentleman made her the subject of a whispered joke, she has learned that attention is a currency she cannot afford, and she has folded herself small enough to escape it. Quiet, clever, and quietly proud, Lucy expects nothing from the powerful men who fill the ballrooms, least of all kindness.
Godfrey Sotherton, the Duke of Wycliffe, is called the coldest man in London, and he has never troubled to correct the impression. Burdened with a title he did not want and a reputation he did nothing to soften, he watches society with weary contempt and notices far more than he ever lets on. When he finds Lucy hiding from the same ball he is hiding from, he sees at once what the ton has missed. And when a scheming rival springs a trap designed to ruin her, arranging witnesses at a darkened door, Godfrey does the one thing no one expects. He announces, before the whispers can even form, that she is to be the Duchess of Wycliffe.
What begins as a duke's cold act of protection becomes something neither of them planned to want.
He offers her a bargain no woman of her station could refuse and no woman of her pride can quite forgive: his name and his protection, separate lives, and a clause that will set her free with a fortune of her own the moment she wishes to be gone. Lucy, who learned long ago that a powerful man's regard always comes with a price, does not know what to do with a husband who asks nothing of her, who keeps every cold promise he makes, and who cannot bring himself to admit that the freedom he built into their marriage is the last thing he now wants her to use.
Because in a world ruled by whispers and appearances, love is rarely safe, and choosing it may cost them both the careful armor that kept them standing.
She never wanted a duke’s protection. He never expected to become the man she could no longer live without.
A slow-burn Regency romance about a guarded duke, a quietly strong heroine, and a marriage born from scandal that slowly turns into something neither of them can control.
Perfect for readers who love protective heroes, independent heroines, marriage of convenience, simmering chemistry, and emotionally intense romance.
No cheating. No cliffhangers. Just a deeply satisfying happily ever after.
Now available to read free with Kindle Unlimited!
Genre: Historical Romance
He never intended to let her be anyone else's."
Lucy Fairbourne came to London with one modest ambition: to remain unnoticed. After a charming, calculating gentleman made her the subject of a whispered joke, she has learned that attention is a currency she cannot afford, and she has folded herself small enough to escape it. Quiet, clever, and quietly proud, Lucy expects nothing from the powerful men who fill the ballrooms, least of all kindness.
Godfrey Sotherton, the Duke of Wycliffe, is called the coldest man in London, and he has never troubled to correct the impression. Burdened with a title he did not want and a reputation he did nothing to soften, he watches society with weary contempt and notices far more than he ever lets on. When he finds Lucy hiding from the same ball he is hiding from, he sees at once what the ton has missed. And when a scheming rival springs a trap designed to ruin her, arranging witnesses at a darkened door, Godfrey does the one thing no one expects. He announces, before the whispers can even form, that she is to be the Duchess of Wycliffe.
What begins as a duke's cold act of protection becomes something neither of them planned to want.
He offers her a bargain no woman of her station could refuse and no woman of her pride can quite forgive: his name and his protection, separate lives, and a clause that will set her free with a fortune of her own the moment she wishes to be gone. Lucy, who learned long ago that a powerful man's regard always comes with a price, does not know what to do with a husband who asks nothing of her, who keeps every cold promise he makes, and who cannot bring himself to admit that the freedom he built into their marriage is the last thing he now wants her to use.
Because in a world ruled by whispers and appearances, love is rarely safe, and choosing it may cost them both the careful armor that kept them standing.
She never wanted a duke’s protection. He never expected to become the man she could no longer live without.
A slow-burn Regency romance about a guarded duke, a quietly strong heroine, and a marriage born from scandal that slowly turns into something neither of them can control.
Perfect for readers who love protective heroes, independent heroines, marriage of convenience, simmering chemistry, and emotionally intense romance.
No cheating. No cliffhangers. Just a deeply satisfying happily ever after.
Now available to read free with Kindle Unlimited!
Genre: Historical Romance
Used availability for Amanda Stones's The Relentless Duke