TESSA DARE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty historical romances. Her books have won numerous accolades, including Romance Writers of Americaâs prestigious RITA® award (twice) and the RT Book Reviews Seal of Excellence. Booklist magazine named her one of the ânew stars of historical romance,â and her books have been contracted for translation in more than a dozen languages.
A librarian by training and a booklover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, their two children, and a trio of cosmic kittens.
Castles Ever After Romancing the Duke Say Yes to the Marquess When a Scot Ties the Knot Do You Want to Start a Scandal?
Spindle Cove A Night to Surrender Once Upon a Winterâs Eve (novella) A Week to be Wicked A Lady by Midnight Beauty and the Blacksmith (novella) Any Duchess Will Do Lord Dashwood Missed Out (novella)
Stud Club Trilogy One Dance with a Duke Twice Tempted by a Rogue Three Nights with a Scoundrel
The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy Goddess of the Hunt Surrender of a Siren A Lady of Persuasion The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr Wright (novella)
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-0-008-28039-0
THE DUCHESS DEAL
© 2017 Eve Ortega
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Version: 2018-06-28
I grew up a PK (âpreacherâs kidâ). Emma, the heroine of this book, is a vicarâs daughter. I want to make clear that Emmaâs father is nothing like my own. My father was â and is â loving, patient, supportive, and understanding. Thanks, Dad. This bookâs for you. Please donât read chapters 7, 9, 11, 17, 19, 21 or 28.
Emma Gladstone had learned a few hard lessons by the age of two-and-twenty.
Charming princes werenât always what they seemed. Shining armor went out of fashion with the Crusades. And if fairy godmothers existed, hers was running several years late.
Most of the time, a girl needed to rescue herself.
This afternoon was one of those times.
Ashbury House loomed before her, taking up one full side of the fashionable Mayfair square. Elegant. Enormous.
Terrifying.
She swallowed hard. She could do this. Once, sheâd walked to London alone in the bitter heart of winter. Sheâd refused to succumb to despair or starvation. Sheâd found work and made a new life for herself in Town. Now, six years later, sheâd swallow every needle in Madame Bissetteâs dressmaking shop before sheâd go crawling back to her father.
Compared to all that, what was knocking on the door of a duke?
Why, nothing. Nothing at all. All she had to do was square her shoulders, charge through the wrought-iron gates, march up those granite stepsâreally, there were only a hundred or soâand ring the bell on that immense, richly carved door.