One Season with the Duke by Addy du Lac

Author:Addy du Lac
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Romances; Victorian Historical Romance; Regency Historical Romance; Women's Historical Fiction; Historical British Fiction; Historical Fiction; Genre Fiction; Entangled publishing; Amara; new romance book; popular romance book; single title romance; stand alone romance book; 2023 Romance book; books with a Happy ending; HEA; Beach Reads; New Beach Reach 2023; Books like Bridgerton; Bridgerton type book; Sexy Historical books; Sexy Regency book; Regency book with Sex; Historical book with sex; Bridgerton; duke; duke romance; regency romance; London; Victorian; steamy romance; steamy victorian romance; interracial romance; multicultural; multicultural romance; hoghlaners; highlander romance; blackmail; friends to lovers; friends ot lovers romance; over coming odds; overcoming odds romance; romantic books; Addy DuLac; One Season With the Duke by Addy DuLac; One Season With the Duke
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2023-05-24T00:00:00+00:00

It was dusk by the time they returned to the manor.

As they walked up the stairs, a woman cleared her throat. Looking up, they saw his mother watching them with barely contained annoyance.

“There you both are,” she huffed.

“Did you need us?” Finn asked.

“There’s a good bit of work that still needs doing, but it seems I am the only one of a mind to tend to it.”

“How exactly have we abandoned you to a life of toil and drudgery?” Finn asked, his tone drier than week-old bread.

“People were looking for you. You could have at least mentioned that you’d be gone for the rest of the day.”

“Are these people who work for me?”

The Dowager glared at him but said nothing more. Hettie wasn’t sure what to make of the exchange so far. He was always cheeky, but this was bordering on insolence, something she had never truly witnessed from him toward an elder before. Even Kincaid had received more consideration.

“I take it that you have come to a decision regarding our little conversation earlier?”

“I have.”

“And?” He raised an expectant eyebrow, but his tone was dangerously calm.

“I will heed you. For your own sake. With your daily frolics who knows what would come of this place.”

“Very kind of you,” he replied, tugging Hettie along as he walked past his mother.

“Will you both be at dinner?” Lady Aoife called after them.

“Aye,” he replied.

Hettie waited until they were in their room before turning to him. “What was she talking about? What conversation?”

“It’s nothing,” he said, moving to walk around her. “Ah, lovely.” He eyed the two steaming copper hip baths awaiting them with obvious glee. The scent of lavender and rose mingled in the air. It was inviting, but the scene she had witnessed was cause for concern.

She turned, cutting him off just as he reached the baths and folded her arms, waiting for him to answer. “Finn.”

He gave her an impatient look before rolling his eyes in acquiescence. “I told her to choose whether she still wanted to live here or not,” he replied, shrugging off his jacket.

Hettie stared in shock. “You didn’t.”

“I certainly did. Being part of this household means serving regardless of your feelings toward that service or the person you are rendering it to.”

“I know, but—”

“There is not one person here whose presence is more important than yours. If she is not up to the task her position demands, then she has her own estate she can retreat to in Inverness.”

Hettie watched him with narrowed eyes, trying to determine if he was truly that ruthless. He loved making her believe nonsense as a joke. “You little devil. You knew she wouldn’t leave.”

“Did I?” he asked, slipping off his waistcoat and shirt and walking past her to his closet.

“Finn, I cannot believe you issued that sort of ultimatum to her in all seriousness.”

“Why not?”

“It would be too unkind. She is your mother, after all, this is her family home.”

“It is no more her home than yours. You are my wife. The Duchess of Montrose.

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