I Married the Duke (30 page)
F
rothy skirts of snow white silk glittering with tiny diamonds and cascading down the long train spilled over the arms of the chair upon which the Duchess of Lycombe perched in her dressing chamber. A diamond tiara sparkled in her hair falling like spun copper about her shoulders and the puffed cap sleeves of her wedding gown.
Her sisters sat across from her. On the table between them a lone object glimmered gold and crimson.
“I do not expect it of either of you.” Arabella’s gaze darted back and forth between them, radiant joy in her eyes. “I have all I wish—your well-being and Luc’s.” She placed her palm on her belly. “And I will do what I can now to search for our parents.”
“But you don’t really believe guineas will suffice to make that search successful,” Eleanor said. “One of us must wed a prince.”
“Now you believe in the Gypsy fortune too?” Laughter lit Ravenna’s dark eyes.
“I have never not believed in it,” Eleanor said. “I am merely skeptical that any one man can be the answer to anything.”
“Faith is not like scholarship, Ellie. You either believe or you don’t.”
“Like you don’t.”
Ravenna stroked her dog’s brow. “I believe in friendship. And I am perfectly content to leave happily-ever-afters to princesses like Bella.”
“You needn’t adopt my quest.” Arabella took up the ring and carried it to her dressing table, to a box of gold and enamel. She nestled the ring in the velvet within. “But if either of you do, you can find it here.”
A knock came on the dressing room door. The Duke of Lycombe entered, resplendent in wedding finery, the black kerchief across his brow dashing and a bit dangerous. Arabella’s heart danced. He was wonderful and he was hers.
She tried not to smile too foolishly. But he already knew she was weak for him. Always. Forever. His gaze upon her shone with confidence.
“Wife,” he said, conveying in the single word his pleasure and affection.
“Husband,” she said, as deeply happy as he.
“Our guests expect us downstairs.” He bowed to Ravenna and Eleanor. “You too, ladies.”
Eleanor offered him a soft smile and left the room. Ravenna went onto her tiptoes, pecked him on the cheek, and skipped out after Beast.
He extended his hand to Arabella. “Duchess?”
She reached for him and he drew her into his arms. He bent to nuzzle behind her ear as she slipped her palms over his shoulders.
“Luc?”
“Mm?”
“Now that I am truly your duchess, what will you call me?”
He brought his lips to hers. “My love.”
Serious debate rages today over the terminology used for the people often known as Gypsies, more properly referred to as Romani. And for good reason: words have power. Derogatory names for any group or individual can divide and destroy if used intentionally or in ignorance. For this book I have chosen to use the terms common to the places and period in which my story is set. The English of the early nineteenth century typically referred to Romani as Gypsies.
For their generosity in sharing their expertise, I thank Dr. Marie-Claude Dubois, Professor Leslie Moch, Dr. Christine E. Lee, Professor Molly A. Warsh (for her timely intervention concerning pearls, which provides you, gentle reader, with an example of how an insane author can write one descriptive line—“lips satiny as [fill in blank] pearls”—and subsequently spend days researching the appropriate descriptor), and Samantha Kane. Thanks also to Carol Strickland and the ladies of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers BiaW group for inspiration and fun, and to The Chambermaids: Anne Alexander, Nita Eyster, Carrie Gwaltney, and Christy Krupa.
Fulsome thanks go to Marcia Abercrombie, Georgie Brophy, Mary Brophy Marcus, and Marquita Valentine for their thoughtful reading and recommendations. Big thanks and hugs also to Kieran Kramer, Caroline Linden, Sarah MacLean, Miranda Neville, and Maya Rodale, without whose affection and wisdom I would have been bereft while writing this book. Myron Lawrence and Georgann Brophy came to my aid more times than I can count, and for their infinite patience and understanding I am deeply grateful.
Special double thanks to Georgie Brophy, Nita Eyster, and Miranda Neville who rescued me at the last minute, and to Laurie LaBean for saving me and this book.
Many say I am blessed by the cover gods, but I know who should really get the credit. I offer a hearty
Huzzah!
to the art department at Avon for yet another beautiful cover.
My agent, Kimberly Whalen, deserves thanks for every book I publish not to mention for my continued sanity. To my editor, Lucia Macro, whose direction on this story was both spot-on and offered with compassion and unflagging confidence in this humble author, I send up a mighty thanks.
For my husband for his loving support, and for my wonderful son and my sweet Idaho, who every day help me feel the joy and adventure of love that makes it possible for me to write stories, I thank heaven.
Don’t miss the next two books in
by KATHARINE ASHE
Available from
AVON BOOKS
Summer 2014 and Winter 2015!
With the publication of her debut novel in 2010, K
ATHARINE
A
SHE
earned a spot among the American Library Association’s “New Stars of Historical Romance.” In 2011 she won the coveted Reviewers’ Choice Award, and Amazon named
How to Be a Proper Lady
among the ten Best Romances of 2012.
Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast with her beloved husband, son, dog, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European history, she has made her home in California, Italy, France, and the northern U.S.
Please visit her at PO Box 51702, Durham, NC 27717-1702 or www.katharineashe.com.
Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Praise for the Work of Katharine Ashe
HOW TO BE A PROPER LADY
Amazon Top 10 Best Book of 2012
HOW A LADY WEDS A ROGUE
“The characters are textured, deep and believable. The writing is strong and lyrical, easily supporting agile, polished dialogue . . . an intriguing, engaging plot and healthy doses of both humor and emotion . . . a delightful Regency jaunt.”
Kirkus Reviews
Recommended by
Woman’s World Magazine
WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY
“Lushly intense romance . . . radiant prose.”
Library Journal
(*Starred Review*)
“Sensationally intelligent writing, and a true, weak-in-the-knees love story.”
Barnes & Noble “Heart to Heart”
Recommended Read!
IN THE ARMS OF A MARQUESS
“Every woman who ever dreamed of having a titled lord at her feet will love this novel.”
Eloisa James,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Another gem of a love story. . . . Immersive and lush. . . . Ashe is that rare author who chooses to risk unexpected elements within an established genre, and whose skill and magic with the pen lift her tales above the rest.”
Fresh Fiction
CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD
Reviewers’ Choice Award 2011
“Best Historical Romantic Adventure”
SWEPT AWAY BY A KISS
Nominee Reviewers’ Choice Award 2010
“Best First Historical Romance”
“
Swept Away by a Kiss
is a breathtaking romance filled with sensuality and driven by a brisk and thrilling plot.”
Lisa Kleypas,
New York Times
#1 bestselling author
“A sensual journey told by a master storyteller.”
Sandra Hill,
New York Times
bestselling author
“This unforgettable tale will dazzle you with its memorable characters, fascinating plot, and sizzling tension.”
Sabrina Jeffries,
New York Times
bestselling author
A LADY’S WISH
“Quite simply, I adored it.”
Joyfully Reviewed
KATHARINE ASHE
Booklist’s 2010 “New Star of Historical Romance”
Publishers Weekly and Amazon.com Bestselling Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
I MARRIED THE DUKE
. Copyright © 2013 by Katharine Brophy Dubois. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition SEPTEMBER 2013 ISBN: 9780062229823
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-222981-6
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1