The Duke's Secret Heir
'This, madam, changes everything.'Years ago, in the Egyptian desert, Ellen Tatham fell wildly in love and exchanged vows with Max Colnebrooke. But, when made to believe Max could not be trusted, she fled…Now, Max is back in England to take up the reins as Duke of Rossenhall. And when he spies Ellen at a ball, the sparks are hard to contain! Little does Max know, though, that Ellen has a secret… And soon, he must learn to embrace an unexpected heir, and an unexpected – and disconcertingly defiant – duchess!
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‘This, madam, changes everything.’
Years ago, in the Egyptian desert, Ellen Tatham fell wildly in love and exchanged vows with Max Colnebrooke. But, when made to believe Max could not be trusted, she fled...
Now, Max is back in England to take up the reins as Duke of Rossenhall. And when he spies Ellen at a ball, the sparks are hard to contain! Little does Max know, though, that Ellen has a secret... And soon, he must learn to embrace an unexpected heir, and an unexpected—and disconcertingly defiant—duchess!
‘Mama! Mama!’
Max stopped and looked back to see a small golden-haired boy standing halfway down the stairs. Ellen gave a little cry and rushed to catch the child in her arms. The child laid his head on her shoulder but for a moment looked directly at Max—a long, unblinking stare before his eyelids drooped. He was already asleep as Ellen handed him to the nursemaid.
‘Take him back to bed, Hannah. And this time please make sure the door is properly closed.’
Max’s brain was working frantically. When he had first seen the boy on the stairs he had been forcibly reminded of the portrait hanging in the drawing room at Rossenhall—the one of Hugo and himself as children. When he had been barely four years old. Then he had seen the child’s eyes, green as emeralds, and suspicion had hardened into certainty. He stared at Ellen as she turned and made her way back down the stairs towards him and his simmering anger turned again to ice-cold fury.
He forced out his next words through gritted teeth.
‘This, madam, changes everything.’
When I finished writing The Infamous Arrandales there was one character who just wouldn’t go away. Little Ellen Tatham, the spirited young heiress who appeared in the books, was quite adamant that she wanted her own story.
So that is how The Duke’s Secret Heir came about. We have moved on several years, and Ellen is now in her mid-twenties. She is enjoying life as a rich and independent young woman when she meets Major Max Colnebrooke. The setting, on the banks of the Nile, is perfect for romance, so is it any wonder that Ellen falls head over heels in love with the dashing major?
Unfortunately the course of true love does not run smoothly for our lovers, but Ellen is not one to sit and pine, and she makes a new life for herself in the north of England—quite a contrast with the Egyptian desert—content to be the diamond of Harrogate society. Until one day she comes face to face with Max again. Only now he is the Duke of Rossenhall.
After four years, can our lovers put the pain and misunderstandings of the past behind them and find true happiness?
I do hope you enjoy Ellen and Max’s journey, and if you would like to share your thoughts on the story with me then do feel free to contact me on my website, www.sarahmallory.com, or on Twitter @SarahMRomance.
SARAH MALLORY was born in the West Country and now lives on the beautiful Yorkshire moors. She has been writing for more than three decades—mainly historical romances set in the Georgian and Regency period. She has won several awards for her writing, including the Romantic Novelists’ Association RoNA Rose Award for The Dangerous Lord Darrington and for Beneath the Major’s Scars.
Books by Sarah Mallory
Mills & Boon Historical Romance
and Mills & Boon Historical Undone! eBook
The Infamous Arrandales
The Chaperon’s Seduction
Temptation of a Governess Return of the Runaway The Outcast’s Redemption
Brides of Waterloo
A Lady for Lord Randall
The Notorious Coale Brothers
Beneath the Major’s Scars
Behind the Rake’s Wicked Wager The Tantalizing Miss Coale (Undone!)
Stand-Alone Novels
The Dangerous Lord Darrington
Bought for Revenge The Scarlet Gown Never Trust a Rebel The Duke’s Secret Heir
Visit the Author Profile page
at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.
For lovers everywhere
Contents
High Harrogate was in a state of excitement. A most illustrious visitor was expected to grace the ball at the Granby that evening. True, the rumours had not been confirmed, but the visitor was an old friend of a regular patron, so everyone was in high hopes. To add to the excitement, it was known that the golden widow had returned from London. Some might wonder why such a rich and attractive young widow as Mrs Ellen Furnell did not choose to make her home in the capital, where she would doubtless be one of the top society hostesses, but admirers such as old General Dingwall were only too happy that she did not and declared gallantly that London’s loss was High Harrogate’s gain.
The lady in question was currently at her desk in her house on Paradise Row, looking through the correspondence that had accumulated during her absence. Ellen had only yesterday returned from her annual stay in London. To be accurate, she had hired a house just outside the capital, in Kensington, where she resided very quietly, no invitations, no callers. However, from there she might walk into town if she wished, or go to the theatre or museums. And it was convenient for visiting the fashionable modistes and warehouses she patronised to replenish her wardrobe.
