From the publisher...
"Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, is in need of a duchess. However, restoring the dukedom—left in ruins by his father—to its former glory demands all his time, with little room for sentiment. He places an advert encouraging the single ladies of the ton to write why they should be the one chosen, and leaves it to his efficient secretary to select his future wife.
If there exists a more unpleasant task in the world than deciding who is to marry the man you love, Penelope Pettypeace certainly can’t imagine what it might be. Still, she is determined to find the perfect bride for her clueless, yet ruthlessly charming employer.
But when an anonymous note threatens to reveal truths best hidden, Kingsland has no choice but to confront the danger with Penelope at his side. Beguiled by the strong-willed, courageous beauty, he realizes he’s willing to risk everything, including his heart, to keep her safe within his arms. Could it be the duchess he’s hunting for has been in front of him all along?
Kathryn must marry a titled gentleman to get the cottage that she adores. Unfortunately the man she loves, doesn't have a title. But since he doesn't seem to share her feelings, she allows herself to gain the attention of a duke.
Griffith lost all standing with Society when his father was found guilty of treason. His life is now in a more dangerous part of the city. But when Kathryn comes back into his life, he is not ready to give her up again.
Can these two find their way back to one another?
Althea lost everything when her father was accused of treason. Now living in the rookeries and waiting tables, she is no longer living the life she did as the daughter of a duke. When she is approached by a man she only knows by sight with a proposition, she turns him down flat without hearing what the proposition is...there is only one kind of proposition men give women of her current station and it isn't one that she wants to consider.
Benedict knows that Althea doesn't belong where she is the first time them met. He decides to give her the opportunity to get out of the situation she finds herself in, but it is not the proposition she thinks it is. He wants her to tutor the woman he watches over, so that they can move on to more proper positions and make a better life for themselves.
When Althea turned down Benedict's offer without even hearing what it was, he never imagined he would see her again. But she shows up, hears his offer and accepts, but with conditions of her own. She wants him to teach her how to seduce a man. She wants to be in control of her future and sees this as the way out. What neither counted on was the temptation this would be on both of them. Can this attraction turn into something much more permanent?
