Cinderella and the Duke

Miss Julia Beaumont has exactly one night to find herself a husband . . . The Weatherford Ball is the last chance Julia Beaumont has to escape the clutches of her horrid stepmother. Any potential husband will do-rich, poor, even a reasonably well-groomed walrus. But all of Julia's matrimonial chances are completely obliterated . . . thanks to the actions of an infuriating and utterly rakish duke. Gregory Carter, Duke of Ashworth, would never risk his cherished bachelorhood by flirting with marriage-starved debutantes. But one look at the luscious and refreshingly clever Julia, and he simply can't resist a stolen kiss-scandal be damned. Then just as things start getting deliciously interesting, the lady flees . . . leaving only a slipper behind. And it must have been one dandy of a kiss. Because now Julia has proposed to him. After all, the lady needs a husband, and this roguish duke will certainly do. It's simply a matter of making him the perfect scandalous offer . . . Contains mature themes.

Governess Miss Viola Winslow is quite familiar with the rules of society, and her place in it. Still, it hasn’t stopped her from being horribly in love with the Duke of Huntington for years. But while the duke knows little of her foolish passions, the same cannot be said of Viola’s charge—a precocious fourteen-year-old obsessed with her governess’s secret romance. As a confirmed bachelor with no interest in marriage, the Duke of Huntington prefers his estate at Moorcliff Castle to the hustle, bustle, and utter nonsense of London society. He’s far more content with a glass of excellent whiskey and the calm of the country. Until his peace is shattered by the enchanting Miss Viola, and her injured young charge. Unable to travel or leave, Miss Viola has no choice but to remain at Moorcliff—where avoiding the duke is all but impossible. Somewhere between late night run-ins and a fake date in the most unlikely of places, their chemistry stops feeling one-sided. But when he discovers the secret she’s been hiding all along, there’s nothing that will save them from scandal.