“There’s more?”

“There is. The last part references yesterday when you asked me if I trusted you to take care of me.”

She laughed, so light and giddy. “When we were compatriots in a game of patient and physic.”

“Exactly. Now, I suggest we play the game of duke and duchess.” His mirth blended with awe, changing his features. “I suggest we play it for a lifetime.”

She could hardly contain the elation swelling inside her. “Is that how your letter ends?”

He kissed her hands and his voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “It ends with ‘I love you with all my heart, Nathan.’”

“It’s a perfect letter.”

“It’s salacious. Hardly proper as marriage proposals go.”

Joy flared inside her. The duke was adorably well-mannered.

She bent over and kissed his hands. Her teeth grazed one of his fingertips and gave him the tiniest bite. “Salacious letters are the best kind. I expect a lifetime of them.”

He eyed her hungrily. “You shall.”

And that was how the Duke and Duchess of Richland enjoyed a lifetime of love…one letter at a time.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


About the Author: Gina Conkle writes Viking and Georgian romance. She grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, Gina loves books more than beaches and stone castles more than sand castles. Now she lives in Michigan with her favorite alpha male, Brian, and their two sons where she occasionally gardens and cooks.


She invites you to connect with her:

Ginaconkle.com

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ALSO BY GINA CONKLE


For Georgian Romance

The Midnight Meetings series

Meet the Earl at Midnight

The Lady Meets Her Match

The Lord Meets His Lady

Meet a Rogue at Midnight

Meet My Love at Midnight


For Viking Romance

The Norse Series

Norse Jewel

To Find a Viking Treasure

To Steal a Viking Bride


The Forgotten Sons series

Kept by the Viking

Her Viking Warrior

The Viking’s Oath (coming winter, 2020)




HER PERFECT DUKE



JUNE


ELLA QUINN






DEDICATION


To my granddaughters Vivienne and Josephine. May you always find love and friendship. And to my husband for sticking by me and my life changes.




ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


Thank you to Anna Harrington for putting the project together and patiently keeping all of us headed in the same direction. She has been amazing. Thanks also to my editor Ali McGraw for catching all my typos and helping make this a better book. And thank you to my readers. Without you none of this is worth it. You are all amazing!




PREFACE


Still suffering over the loss of his wife and child, Giles, Duke of Kendal sees Lady Thalia Trevor at a market and is instantly smitten. There is only one problem. She is already betrothed to another man. Will she defy her powerful father to marry him?




CHAPTER 1




Somerset Castle, May 1819

His Grace, The Duke of Berwick-Upon-Tweed

Tweed Manor


My dear Duke,

It has come to my attention that you have six grown daughters, but no son to carry on your title. My daughter Lady Thalia Trevor has reached the age of eighteen. I will offer her to you as your wife in exchange for the strip of land you own in Eastern Northumberland that marches along my land.

Lady Thalia has been raised to be an obedient lady, yet she has been educated as befits a duchess.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding my proposal.


Yr. Servant,

Somerset


Berwick-upon-Tweed, May 1819

My dear Lady Hawksworth,

Allow me to commend you on your prescience. Your father-in-law wrote to me concerning Lady Thalia, offering her to me in marriage. After giving the matter much serious thought, and unless you have an objection, I shall propose that Lady Thalia be allowed to visit along with her mother for one month, beginning in mid-June. I believe I have the perfect suitor for her.


Yr. Servant,

Berwick


My dear Berwick,

Lady Thalia will be visiting my mother-in-law’s family in Lincolnshire near the town of Wintering during June. Their lands are across the Humber from Hull’s estate. Hawksworth and I will be joining them toward the middle of that month.


Yours in friendship,

M. Hawksworth


My dear Lady Hawksworth,

I shall adjust my plans accordingly.


Yr. Servant,

Berwick


Dear Duke,

Before I commit to a second marriage, I must meet your daughter and come to know her. My first marriage was extremely satisfactory. My wife and I had much in common and a great affection for each other. Would it be possible for Lady Thalia and the duchess, and naturally you too if you wish, to join me in Berwick for the month of July?


Yr. Servant

Berwick


Dear Duke,

I will make arrangements for my daughter and duchess to visit you in July. In the meantime, I suggest we discuss the settlement agreements.


Yr. servant,

Somerset


Somerset Castle, late May 1819.

“MY LADY,” Lady Thalia Trevor’s maid said as she entered her parlor, “your mother has sent word that you are to go immediately to the duke’s study.”

This was it then. Thalia had known it was coming, and she should not be nervous, but she was. Rising from the window seat, she glanced at her sister Laia, Duchess of Bolton. Their other sister, Euphrosyne was not allowed to visit, nor did she wish to. “Am I presentable?”

“Yes.” Laia grimaced. “Not that he will notice. Remember what I said. Smile gratefully and do not in any way betray that you do not agree with his decision.”

“I do remember what happened to Euphrosyne.”

Her other older sister had been kept literally a prisoner in the castle after the duke had rejected the perfectly eligible Marquis of Markville as her husband, only because Markville did not have any property the duke wanted.

Due to an elaborate scheme involving their sister-in-law Meg Hawksworth, Euphrosyne and Markville were finally able to wed. For at least three months after she ran away with Markville, their father had guards following Thalia.

Yet, for her, however, it was almost pleasant. With her two older sisters gone, she had few people with whom to walk, go horseback riding, or converse and had decided to make do with the guards. The duke, however, eventually decided that she had no plans to flee the castle, and recalled the guards.

Thalia walked quickly to her father’s study on the other side of the castle. Her father’s butler opened the door and announced her—because, naturally, her father would not know who she was or remember that he had summoned her. She made herself stroll into the room as if she had no worries and performed her best curtsey.

Glancing up from his papers, he motioned to one of the heavy leather chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.” She quickly took the one to this right. Laia had told Talia about being made to wait, but apparently their father was in a hurry today. “I am in the process of arranging a marriage between you and the Duke of Berwick-upon-Tweed. You will travel with your mother to her family’s home, and from there journey to Berwick-upon-Tweed in July.” He lowered his bushy white brows. “I trust that you will make yourself agreeable to the duke, and he will decide to accept you.”

Thalia had kept her eyes lowered and was glad that he couldn’t see her anger. Both her older sisters had discovered, much to their dismay, that the duke wished to arrange their marriages only to acquire property for the dukedom. She crossed two of her fingers, hiding the gesture in her lightly clasped hands. “Yes, Father. I will not disappoint you.”

“Good girl.” He went back to the documents on his desk.

Assuming she had been dismissed, Thalia rose and quietly left the room. Now it was time to pray that somehow, somewhere, she would meet the gentleman she was meant to love and marry, before her father discovered that she had no intention of wedding the man he had selected.


Lincolnshire, June 1819

GILES, Duke of Kendal, strolled around the Midsummer’s fair in Wintering, a small market town in Lincolnshire. His friend, mentor, and one-time guardian, the Duke of Berwick-upon-Tweed, had suggested Kendal take advantage of being a guest of the Duke and Duchess of Hull. The town was famous, at least in this small area of England, for its Midsummer’s night fair. Berwick had even gone so far as to suggest that Kendal might find something that would interest him, or perhaps it was someone that would interest him. If it was a someone, he hoped it was a soothsayer or fortune teller. Thus far in his life, he had not made the best of decisions. Or rather, he had accepted the decisions that had been made for him.

Except for Lillian. She had been the light of his life.

He gave himself an inner shake. There was no point in continually asking if he could have done anything differently. She was gone, and that was that. Or so Berwick had told Kendal more than once.

Determinedly, he turned his focus on the fair. The purpose this year—aside from local craftsmen and women making a bit more money and celebrating the longest day of the year—was to raise the funds necessary to provide a new roof for the church. Why did churches always require new roofs?