Can the duke convince the one young lady who doesn't want to marry that he's perfect for her?
Miss Emma Bainbridge is in danger of being labeled a bluestocking much to her mother's horror. With her love of reading and outspoken opinions, her views on marriage are not hard to predict. The last thing she wants is to give up what little independence she enjoys to the whims and demands of a husband. She'd rather be a spinster.
William Davies, the Duke of Richmond, met Miss Bainbridge when he escorted her and her sisters to the British Museum. He was intrigued with her intelligence and zest for learning. She's a stunning beauty and would make a perfect duchess. But there's a big problem, Miss Bainbridge does not want to marry anyone, not even a duke. Somehow he must convince her that she's the perfect woman for him. Will she finally relent and let him ignite the passion lingering just below the surface?
Amazon buy link:
https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Bluestocking-Age-Innocence-Book-ebook/dp/B0B3Z2K7MR
Excerpt:
“Thank you for escorting us to the museum, Your Grace,” Emma said as Richmond handed her down from the carriage.
“It was my pleasure. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I know my sister did,” he said, holding her hand a moment longer than necessary before handing Ava down.
Just then, Akers opened the door to the townhouse, and Emma was grateful for the butler’s promptness.
“Good day, Your Grace,” Emma said with a quick curtsey, then ran up the stairs and into the foyer without a backward glance. Tea was over, but her mother would still be in the parlor, and Emma hoped to slip past without being noticed and grilled on the outing. She’d started up the stairs when she heard her mother call to her from the parlor.
“Emma, is that you?”
“I’ll see you later, miss,” Ava said as she continued up the stairs.
Emma rolled her eyes but knew she had no choice but to answer her mother, so she handed her bonnet and gloves off to Akers before walking into the parlor. “Mama, do you wish for something?”
“Not at all. I merely wanted to hear about your outing with the duke.”
“It wasn’t an outing with the duke. He merely escorted Lady Charlotte and me," Emma said.
“My darling girl, I do believe the duke is showing an interest in you.”
Emma sighed. “Mama, trust me, he’s not. I went to the museum with my friend, and since her aunt wasn’t in London yet, the duke stepped in to chaperone us. That’s all there was to the outing. Nothing more.”
“Did he ask to see you again?”
“No, Mama. If that’s all, I’d like to go to my bedchamber now and rest before dinner.”
Lavinia nodded, and Emma wasted no time exiting the parlor and running up the stairs. Her heart was pounding by the time she reached the solitude of her bedchamber. Why did her mother have to push the idea that the Duke of Richmond was interested in her? She’d been wrong when she pushed Violet toward him, and now she was trying the same matchmaking scheme on her. Mama would be severely disappointed when she realized the duke had no interest in her whatsoever.
Why would he want a bluestocking like her when he could have any woman in Society as his future duchess? He was wealthy, handsome, and a duke—the perfect combination for a nobleman. Many young women aspired to become a duchess, and Richmond would have no lack of candidates for the position.
Emma had been hoping for a lovely leisurely summer and fall without her mother pushing suitors her way, but that peace seemed in jeopardy now. Violet had successfully married a viscount; why couldn’t her mother be satisfied with that for a few months?
Emma already had enough of her mother’s matchmaking schemes, and Lavinia hadn’t even started in earnest yet.
She hoped Edgerton would take the family back to the country soon. She was tired of London and couldn't wait to breathe the fresh country air again. Perhaps then, her mother would stop pushing suitors at her for a few blessed months so she could enjoy the leisure of the country. She planned to ask Edgerton about the summer plans after dinner.
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