Winning the Duke

by Jenn Langston

  Braiden cleared his throat. “I already know Baron Erose ordered the carriage to be attacked and to have me killed, but I don’t understand how Tabitha died.”

  “Well, the highwaymen killed Lord Rhodes, believing him to be you. When they went to collect the duchess to bring her back to Erose, she fought so profoundly, they didn’t believe the pay for delivering her to be worth the trouble.”

  Braiden closed his eyes. She must have been frightened. He hurt for her, as he had never wished for her to suffer.

  “How do you know all this?” Braiden asked in a thick voice.

  “Erose left London before he could finish exacting his revenge. I suspect your return to Donetic spurred his decision. We found one man left who decided to talk with the right incentive.”

  “Thank you. We can finally let this go and let the dead rest.”

  Mr. Spinner nodded, then allowed Danvers to lead him out.

  Braiden sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. What would he tell Lady Lorrian? She couldn’t know her daughter’s jealous lover killed her. Nor could she know of Tabitha’s last moments.

  The squeaking of the wheelchair made him open his eyes and release the bad thoughts. He had apologized to Grace profusely for the last days. She’d forgiven him easily, which he didn’t deserve.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked once Sally left them, shutting the door behind her. “Your solicitor gave me such a guilty look, I thought he might cry.”

  Rounding the desk, Braiden walked to the sofa and took a seat across from Grace, turning her chair to face him.

  “Everyone was worried about you. And I suppose we all feel guilty as well.”

  “Guilty? Why?”

  Running a hand through his hair, he kept the terror he felt during her absence bottled up, although it threatened to escape. He wanted to hold her to him and never let go.

  “Mr. Spinner had the information about the baron. They could’ve put him away before he attacked you. And I—”

  She placed her hand over his lips. “Don’t. You did nothing wrong.”

  Allowing her love to flow over him, he kissed her fingers and then removed her hand. “I must. Had I not accused you, had I not left you alone, none of this would’ve happened. I can never apologize enough.”

  “And I’m growing weary of listening to your apologies. Let me ask you this, would you have allowed your mother to take me into the garden?”

  He cringed. “Yes.”

  “Would you ever have expected her to hand me over to someone who could harm me?”

  “No.” He shook his head vehemently. If he had any clue of what his mother had been capable of, he never would have allowed her near Grace.

  “Then by your own word, you are absolved from any wrongdoing. Therefore, have no need to apologize or carry any guilt.”

  Despite the belief that he could have done something, he smiled at her. “Grace, I don’t deserve you.”

  She laughed as he pulled her into his arms. “You have always had a strange view of yourself, but it doesn’t matter. I love you anyway.”

  “I love you too.” His voice emerged gruff as his love for her clawed his throat.

  Taking a deep breath of her warm, clean scent, he savored this moment. When their lips met, he infused every bit of desire, every bit of himself into that kiss. She belonged to him, and he would keep her safe. Forever.

  Epilogue

  Grace lowered the paper and stared at Rebecca in shock. “How did this make it in The Unscandal Sheet?”

  “I don’t know, but when I saw it, I knew I had to show you.”

  In its typical form, the sheet detailed the speculations that Braiden had killed Tabitha. Although it hadn’t been a full scandal, many people had believed it. However, beneath the claim, a small paragraph described how Baron Erose had arranged the murder of Viscount Rhodes as well as Tabitha due to his jealousy.

  Luckily no hint of Tabitha’s lovers or the baron’s true intentions had been revealed. Whoever wrote this knew enough, but not all. Or at least had the good sense to not reveal everything. The gratitude she felt for this person overwhelmed her.

  “Thank you for showing this to me. It’s so nice to see someone use their talents to aid the unfortunate ones attached to scandals.”

  “I enjoy seeing it as well. These stories give me hope for the future. Some of the whispered words paint a truly heinous picture of our society. The proof that a number of those stories hold no truth is heartening.”

  A sparkle shimmered in Rebecca’s eyes. Grace wondered at it. Had the hero who began The Unscandal Sheet captured Rebecca’s heart? Did she know the author? Or had she fallen in love with the idea of him? Grace was burning to ask her friend the questions.

  “What are you two lovely ladies in here chatting about?” Braiden asked as he entered the room.

  It had been months since the incident at Donetic, but seeing delight on Braiden’s face when he looked at her filled her with happiness. In the past when she’d envisioned her life, she never expected to feel this wonderful.

  Rebecca gave her a wink as she stood. “I was just getting ready to leave. I believe Grace can fill you in.”

  After obtaining promises to see each other soon, Grace watched her friend leave before turning to her husband. Warmth centered in her stomach to see the look of blatant desire on his face. She licked her lips. That look would never become tiresome.

  Nerves suddenly engulfed her. What he would think of her secret. Clearing her throat, she decided to wait until he saw The Unscandal Sheet.

  “Rebecca brought over some interesting literature for us to see.” She handed him the newssheet.

  He was quiet as he scanned the contents, then he folded it and put it in his pocket. “It’s over then. Lady Lorrian will be satisfied, and we have no reason to even think of the baron again.”

  Nodding, she stood up and approached her husband. The sheet had removed some of his happiness, and she wanted to see if she could get it back.

  “That’s not the only news I have, but this hasn’t come out in print as of yet.”

  “Then I shall have to read it from your lovely lips.” As if to emphasize his words, he dipped down and pressed his mouth against hers. Getting lost in his kiss was always easy, but not now. What she had to say took precedence.

  Pulling back, she looked into his eyes. “I have to say thank you.”

  His brows knitted together. “For what?”

  “For giving me a child.”

  Braiden’s eyes widened, and then he laughed as he spun her around in a circle.

  As his lips crushed hers in a feverish kiss, she knew everything would be perfect. She had finally obtained everything she could ever want from life.

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Winning the Duke. From Book One of the Perfect Series, I fell in love with Grace’s character and knew she needed a story as well. Although not as reckless as her sister, her spirit is undeniable.

  Which leads me to Braiden. Not all marriages turn out as planned, and he knew that truth firsthand. Because of this, I felt he deserved some happiness of his own. Grace was the perfect person for him because she embodied everything he was missing from life.

  One of my favorite things in this book was pulling Grace’s more wild side out. Although she would deny it, she is more like Brianna than she would like to think.

  As always, I love hearing from my readers through fan mail or reviews. I look forward to hearing from you.

  Read below for a taste of the last companion novel to the Perfect Series, Redeeming the Earl.

  Happy Reading!

  Jenn

  Redeeming the Earl

  Chapter 1

  Rebecca Doutree’s borrowed breeches were falling down again. She
let out a very unladylike curse. Tugging on them too much would only prove they did not belong to her. As daughter of Viscount Burford and a respected member of Society, she shouldn’t be on this dingy street across from a tavern. However, the knowledge didn’t stop her.

  Trying to play her part and act like a grubby boy, she wiped her hand against her dry nose, then against her breeches in an attempt to make it look like she was cleaning off her hand instead of righting her clothing. Honestly, she didn’t understand how men wore these things all day. Not only were they itchy, but they rubbed her in the wrong places. The thought alone brought heat to her cheeks. Her mother would be scandalized.

  When she arrived at the agreed-upon location, Rebecca leaned against the wall and waited for the man who’d summoned her to arrive. The sound of male laughter emerging from the tavern made each minute agonizing. Would they realize she was a lady? Nerves high, she swallowed as she lowered her hat to cover her face better. She hated having to do this.

  She cursed her brother, not for the first time that night. Alexander should be the one out here, not her. When he came up with this idea, he’d agreed to be the one to take care of all the face-to-face meetings. However, today he decided getting under some girl’s skirts was more important.

  “You can’t possibly be the one I’m to meet.” The deep male voice startled her and forced her attention to him. “Move on, boy.”

  Rebecca could only stand there and stare. Although she knew exactly who he was, she’d never seen him this close. Dark blond hair framed a perfect face that was as handsome as it was pretty. His height measured more than hers, although she towered over many men of her acquaintance.

  “Boy?”

  Swallowing, she calmed herself as she dropped her gaze from his soft brown eyes to his chest. Her heart thundered in her chest. Secretly she’d hoped the Earl of Dunmore would seek her out for help, but she hadn’t believed he would. The reality both excited and scared her.

  “My lord.” She dropped her voice as low as she could and tried to remind herself to speak like a young boy. “Did you make the ad in the paper?”

  “Yes.” He rocked back on his heels. “You are not exactly what I expected to find. I assume you represent someone.”

  She nodded. For years she’d trained herself to hold her tongue around people she wasn’t acquainted with. Breaking the habit wasn’t easy. Alex owed her for this.

  “Do you intend to tell me what I need to do to hire your employer, or am I to guess?” Impatience showed through his words.

  Clearing her throat, she tried to recall what she should ask. “What are the names and the scandal?” She wished she had a pen and paper, but Alex had been clear to her how she should act.

  The Earl crossed his arms. “How can I be sure your employer publishes The Unscandal Sheet and not the gossip column?”

  What did Alex do to handle these people? She’d been revealing the truth about notorious scandals in her publication for almost two years, but she’d never been on this side before.

  She shrugged, trying to appear as if she didn’t care. “I can leave.”

  Turning to go, she froze when he gripped her upper arm. A moment of fear touched her. Was she in danger? Would he kill her now? The menacing warmth of his hand didn’t leave as he spun her back around.

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested.” He released her and clasped his hands behind his back. “This scandal revolves around me. I’m Charles Edwards, Earl of Dunmore. I’ve been married four times, and have buried all four wives in the span of five years.”

  Considering she, and most of London, already knew this, she didn’t react. When she’d heard he had returned to town, she’d done as much research as she could. Unfortunately, her search didn’t turn up much beyond that he was looking for a fifth wife.

  “So, they say you killed them? Did you?”

  His eyes narrowed as he seemed to grow before her eyes. “Do not question me, boy.”

  She shrank back.

  Seemingly unconcerned, he continued. “I’ve come to have your little newssheet proclaim my innocence, not be questioned like a convict.”

  Biting down on her fear, she squared her shoulders. She couldn’t let him intimidate her. “My employer needs the whole story. Tell me, or this conversation is over.”

  “People die. Some sooner than others,” he responded in an emotionless tone.

  “I’ll take that as ‘No. I didn’t kill them.’ Now, do you have anything more to say?”

  “As the Season is about to begin, I’m in a hurry to have this matter put behind me. When can I expect the story to be printed?”

  “It doesn’t work like that. My employer will need to do his research. Once done, you will have your story out in the paper.”

  The Earl let out a long breath. “I don’t have time for that. Just tell me how much money it will take to get this matter settled soon.”

  She jerked her head back. Money? Did he honestly believe she printed falsehoods for money? The Unscandal Sheet was the truth. She’d gone to great lengths in order to make sure of that.

  “I’m sorry, my lord. No money is exchanged for lies. My employer is only interested in the truth.”

  “Then why this charade of arranging these meetings? Can’t your employer unearth scandals on his own? Again, I’m questioning his purpose.”

  Irritated that he continually doubted her word, as well as tired of his attitude, she stretched to her full height and looked up at him, directly in the eyes.

  “You can continue to question. Without me standing here.” With that, she turned and walked away from him.

  He didn’t stop her or make any indication of wanting to reconsider his decision. As she took the roundabout way to her father’s townhouse, she couldn’t stop shaking. Nor could she stop thinking about the Earl.

  The fact he sought out her services made her believe he was innocent of the rumors about him. But then why didn’t he stop her? Could his intention simply have been for the paper to publish false information to clear his name? She wanted to know.

  As she sat in the drawing room the following day, she decided she would seek out the truth of the scandal regardless if the Earl wanted her to or not. After all, that was how she began the sheet. Unfortunately, she had found quite a few of the whispers and scandals were true.

  “Good afternoon, dear sister,” Alex cheerily said as he swept in the room and lounged upon a chair.

  Ignoring his greeting, Rebecca stuck her nose in the air. She wasn’t pleased with him right now. “How was your night? Was it worth it?”

  “Not in the least,” he lamented, seemingly oblivious to her anger. “I’d heard the girl had a lot of potential, but she just laid there like a dead fish.”

  Rebecca wasn’t surprised by her brother’s comment. At twenty, he and his older twin, Andrew, never knew when to keep their conquests a secret. And she, being at the spinsterly age of twenty-three, knew exactly what happened between a man and a woman, although she hadn’t experienced it.

  “What did you expect her to do? Chase you about the room?”

  He winked. “That would have been more exciting, but I don’t need all that. Simply some indication she was still alive.”

  “Perhaps your lack of skill had, in fact, killed her.”

  Without taking the bait, he put his hands behind his head. “Why don’t you tell me about your night? Did the meeting go well?”

  Turning her face away from him, she trained her eyes on the door. “I would tell you, but I have just decided I am no longer speaking to you.”

  “Why not?” he demanded.

  “I needed you last night, but you chose a fish over me. Honestly, I’m glad she didn’t move. It serves you right.”

  “That’s unfair. How can you expect me to change my plans every ti
me someone leaves a letter requesting a meeting?”

  “Because it was your idea to advertise, and people rarely contact us.” As her anger increased, so did her voice. For any ordinary person, that wouldn’t be a problem, but the normal level of her voice emerged shrill. It had taken her years to teach herself to speak in a lower tone, however, a little irritation cast all training aside.

  “There’s no reason to scream at me. I’ll make it up to you. Just tell me what you learned.”

  She took a deep breath and tried to calm her anger. Truthfully, Alex had been invaluable, and she had no desire to go back to taking all the tasks on herself.

  “The Earl of Dunmore met with me last night.”

  The color draining from her brother’s face gave her some satisfaction. Perhaps next time he wouldn’t put her second to his own pleasure.

  “Did he hurt you? Or try anything? I’m so sorry. It should have been me.” His eyes roamed over her as if he expected an outward sign to present itself.

  Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. As you see, I’m perfectly fine. I just . . . didn’t handle it well.”

  “How so?”

  “I believe he’s changed his mind about The Unscandal Sheet.”

  Alex dropped back in his chair. “Thank God. Let’s put this behind us and forget about the Earl. We don’t want him as a client anyway.”