The Duke Buys a Bride
Page 23
He didn’t question it. He simply counted himself a very lucky man . . . and wore them at every opportunity as it served to incite his wife’s desires.
“Who is coming?” he asked, nodding to the missive she clutched in her hand.
“Your sister! Clara! She is coming. She’s finally coming. She always said she would like to visit and now it seems she is. Oh!” Alyse glanced down at the letter again, her bright eyes dancing with delight. “We haven’t seen her in years. She is a woman grown now, can you imagine it?”
They had not seen Clara and the rest of his family since their one trip to London a few years ago. He’d wanted his family to meet Alyse. He himself had wanted to see them, too. Of course, he missed his sisters and wanted to set things right and make peace with Ela and Colin who now had their hands full with their children. Marcus was too contented with his life to hold any grudges.
Following that trip, he had been happy to return to Kilmarkie House with Alyse permanently. His life was here now away from the noise and bustle of Town and he would not have it any other way.
He frowned as he digested the news his wife happily imparted. “I must confess some confusion. The last letter from Ela said they were busy planning Clara’s wedding.”
Alyse looked back down to the missive in her hands, her eyes scanning its words. “Apparently not. Apparently . . . the wedding is off.” Now it seemed it was her turn to frown. He watched her face as she continued reading from the parchment in her hands.
“What is it?” he prompted.
“Oh dear . . . oh, dear, dear . . .”
The tiny hairs on the back of his nape prickled in foreboding. “Yes?” he pressed.
She met his gaze. “It appears there’s, um . . . a bit of a scandal.”
The Rogue Files
Don’t miss the rest of Sophie Jordan’s Rogue Files romances!
Available now from Avon Books!
The Scandal of It All
It takes two to make a scandal . . .
What kind of woman ventures into London’s most notorious pleasure club? An outsider like Graciela, the Duchess of Autenberry, snubbed time and time again by society because of her Spanish roots. Ela longs to take a lover for a single, wild night, and within the walls of Sodom there are gentlemen to suit every forbidden taste. If only she were not so drawn to the smoldering Lord Strickland . . . a dangerous man who sees beyond her mask, and could ruin her reputation with a mere whisper.
Lord Strickland never permitted himself to fantasize about the sultry, off-limits lady, but then he never expected to find Ela in a place so wicked, looking for what he’s more than too happy to give. She may not be to the ton’s taste, but she suits him perfectly. First, however, he must convince her to trust in this dangerous desire—and in the promise of forever unleashed by one wild, scandalous night.
While the Duke Was Sleeping
Sometimes the man of your dreams . . .
Shop girl Poppy Fairchurch knows it’s pointless fantasizing about the Duke of Autenberry. Still, dreams can’t hurt anyone . . . unlike the carriage Poppy spies bearing down upon the unsuspecting duke. After she pulls him to safety, the duke lapses into a coma and Poppy is mistaken for his fiancée. But one person isn’t fooled: his arrogant and much too handsome half-brother, Struan Mackenzie. Soon Poppy isn’t sure what she wants more . . . the fantasy of her duke or the reality of one smoldering Scot who challenges her at every turn.
. . . is not who you think.
An illegitimate second son, Struan may have built an empire and established himself as one of the wealthiest men in Britain, but he knows he will always be an outsider among the ton. Just like he knows the infuriating Poppy is a liar. There’s no way the haughty Duke of Autenberry would deign to wed a working-class girl. It doesn’t matter how charming she is. Or tempting. Or how much Struan wants her for himself.
About the Author
SOPHIE JORDAN grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of more than twenty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with anything that has a happily ever after. You can visit her online at www.sophiejordan.net.
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By Sophie Jordan
The Rogue Files Series
The Duke Buys a Bride
The Scandal of It All
While the Duke Was Sleeping
The Devil’s Rock Series
Beautiful Lawman
Fury on Fire
Hell Breaks Loose
All Chained Up
Historical Romances
All the Ways to Ruin a Rogue
A Good Debutante’s Guide to Ruin
How to Lose a Bride in One Night
Lessons from a Scandalous Bride
Wicked in Your Arms
Wicked Nights With a Lover
In Scandal They Wed
Sins of a Wicked Duke
Surrender to Me
One Night With You
Too Wicked to Tame
Once Upon a Wedding Night
Copyright
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.
the duke buys a bride. Copyright © 2018 by Sharie Kohler. 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition AUGUST 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-246365-4
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-246364-7
Cover design by Patricia Barrow
Cover illustration by Jon Paul Ferrara
Cover photograph by Media Photo LLC
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HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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