Least Likely To Marry A Duke
A marriage of inconvenience For the buttoned-up Duke! Bound by convention, William Calthorpe, Duke of Aylsham is in search of a suitable bride to help raise his half-siblings. Despite his methodical approach to finding such a lady, he stumbles – quite literally – into free-thinking and rebellious bishop’s daughter Verity Wingate. And when they find themselves stranded overnight on a tiny island, compromising them completely, he knows exactly what he must do…
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A marriage of inconvenience
For the buttoned-up duke!
Bound by convention, William Calthorpe, Duke of Aylsham, is in search of a suitable bride to help raise his half siblings. Despite his methodical approach to finding such a lady, he stumbles—quite literally—into freethinking and rebellious bishop’s daughter Verity Wingate. And when they find themselves stranded overnight on a tiny island, compromising them completely, he knows exactly what he must do...
LOUISE ALLEN loves immersing herself in history. She finds landscapes and places evoke the past powerfully. Venice, Burgundy and the Greek islands are favourite destinations. Louise lives on the Norfolk coast and spends her spare time gardening, researching family history or travelling in search of inspiration. Visit her at louiseallenregency.co.uk, @LouiseRegency and janeaustenslondon.com.
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ISBN: 978-1-474-08886-2
LEAST LIKELY TO MARRY A DUKE
© 2019 Melanie Hilton
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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To Chris, Dickie, Robbie and Darren,
who built me my wonderful library and study.
Contents
Great Staning, Dorset—May 1st, 1814
William Xavier Cosmo de Whitham Calthorpe, Fourth Duke of Aylsham—William to his recently deceased grandfather, Will in his own head and Your Grace to the rest of the world—strode up the gentle slope of the far boundary of his new home and relaxed into the calming certainty that all was as it should be.
There was the slight matter of the turmoil he had left behind in the house, but he would do battle with that later, when he returned for breakfast. Patience and the application of benevolent discipline was all that was required. A lot of patience.
Now he was doing what any responsible landowner did first thing in the morning—he was walking his estate, learning its strengths and weaknesses and needs so that he could be a good landlord. He was the Duke now and he knew his duty, whether it was to the undisciplined brood of half-siblings who were currently making domestic life hideous or the hundreds of tenants and the numerous estates that were now his responsibility.
Oulton Castle, twenty miles away, was the true seat of the Dukes of Aylsham, but although, naturally, it was in a state of perfect repair and management, it was completely unsuitable for the large and lively family he had just acquired. This manor, Stane Hall, had been in the hands of excellent tenants for years, but with its improved drainage, its unoccupied Dower House and its complete absence of lethal moat, towering medieval walls and displays of ancient weaponry it was a far safer home for now. He could only be thankful that the tenant had been ready to retire to Worthing and had needed no persuasion to leave.
