An
Inconvenient Duke
by Anna Harrington
Publication Date: 2/25/2020
About the Book:
All's fair in war…and
in love…
Marcus Braddock, former general and newly appointed Duke of
Hampton, is back from war. Now, not only is he surrounded by the utterly
unbearable ton, he's mourning the death of his beloved sister, Elise. Marcus
believes his sister's death wasn't an accident, and he's determined to learn
the truth—starting with Danielle Williams, his sister's beautiful best friend.
Danielle is keeping deadly secrets of her own. She has dedicated her life to a charity that helps abused women—the same charity Elise was working for the night she died. When Danielle's work puts her life in danger, Marcus comes to her rescue. But Danielle may not be the one in need of rescuing…
Danielle is keeping deadly secrets of her own. She has dedicated her life to a charity that helps abused women—the same charity Elise was working for the night she died. When Danielle's work puts her life in danger, Marcus comes to her rescue. But Danielle may not be the one in need of rescuing…
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Read an Excerpt:
Marcus twirled Dani through a circle so
unexpectedly that she glanced up at him, startled by the movement.
“Elise was too good of a horsewoman to be
thrown from her mare. Certainly not on a morning trot through the park.
Especially when the groom said she didn’t go out on horseback at all that
morning.” His gaze fixed on hers with a hardness that told her he’d brook no
dissembling. “So let’s start over with the truth, shall we?”
“I did tell you the truth! I told you
everything that the guards…” As her voice faded, the confusion on her beautiful
face melted into anguish.
Her reaction pierced him. She certainly
wasn’t pretending the emotions behind that. Not even an actress at the Theatre
Royal would have been good enough to fake such raw pain and sorrow.
Fresh guilt assaulted him. Good God, did she
truly not know? Had it never occurred to her that Elise’s death hadn’t happened
at all the way she’d claimed?
He searched her face for answers. “You
didn’t know that she’d left Charlton Place at night, alone, to meet a man?”
“No. Or I would have stopped her.”
Looking at her now, hearing the resolve in
her voice, that he very much believed. “And John Porter?”
“I don’t know who he is.”
A bitter taste rose on his tongue. “Was he
her lover?”
“No! Elise would never…”
Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced away in
embarrassment. Danielle might have blossomed into a woman while he’d been away,
but her reluctance to put to words that his sister had taken a lover assured
him that she was still innocent. He had no idea why he should care, but he
thanked God that some things hadn’t changed.
“Why else would a widow meet up alone with a
man at night?”
“Not for that.” Irritation sparked in her eyes that he would assume that of
his sister. Despite himself, a warmth blossomed in his chest at her defense of
Elise’s reputation. “Not her.”
His fingers tightened around hers as he
continued to waltz her around the room. “Are you certain she wasn’t planning to
elope?”
She gaped at him, thunderstruck. “What on
earth makes you think that?”
“In his note, Porter wrote that everything
was set for their vanishing that night.”
She blanched and missed a step. If his arms
weren’t around her, she would have stumbled again. She rasped out hoarsely as
she hurried back into step with him, “A vanishing?”
The way she repeated that, her haunted
expression—Good God. Instantly, his blood froze. “You know more
than you’re telling.”
She gave a fierce shake of her head. “I
didn’t know about any of this!”
“Did she die on the way to meet him or
coming back?” His gaze narrowed, watching her closely as he dared to finally
put voice to his fears. “Or did he murder her?”
She gasped, the strangled sound so pained
that he flinched. “Murder?” The word came as
barely any sound at all on her lips, and she began to tremble, so hard that she
nearly shuddered in his arms. “Oh, God…Elise…”
“So I’ll ask again.” He twirled her through
a tight circle, one meant to keep her off-balance. “Who is John Porter?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did he mean by their vanishing?”
She fiercely shook her head. “I don’t—”
“And Scepter?”
At that, she halted right there in his arms,
smack in the middle of the dance floor, bringing him to a stop with her. For
one fleeting heartbeat, he saw fear grip her face, the same fear he’d seen on
every man under his command the first time they’d charged into battle.
Then it was gone, and in its place came
anger.
“How dare you?” Outrage filled her voice. “This is why you asked me to waltz? Not as an old friend of the family, not
even to commiserate together in our grief—this dance was nothing but the battle
strategy of a war-hardened general, to keep me from fleeing while you interrogated
me!”
“My sister was murdered, and I’m damned well
going to find out why.” His own anger flared in response, yet he was aware of
the crowded dance floor around them and kept his face carefully inscrutable.
“John Porter warned Elise to stay away from Scepter.” He searched her face for
answers. “Tell me what you know about them. What is it? Where can I find the
people running it?”
“I don’t know.” The icy look she gave him
was one of absolute obstinacy. “And for your sake, General,” she said, her eyes
practically glowing, “I wouldn’t tell you even if I did.”
He clenched his jaw. “I need to know what
you’re hiding about—”
“Stop!” she ordered hoarsely, pushing
herself free of his arms. “Please. Just stop.”
As the other couples continued to dance on
around them, the attention of the room fell upon them, and everyone craned
their necks to see what was wrong. But Marcus didn’t care that whispers went up
at the scene they were making or that Claudia now stood in the doorway,
watching them curiously. Danielle Williams knew more than she was admitting.
Far more. He wouldn’t stop pressing until he had the entire truth and brought
to justice the man responsible.
The waltz ended, and the last notes died
with a flourish. When she stepped back, he had no choice except to let her go.
But this conversation was far from over.
Aware of the attention of the crowd still
upon them and clearly wanting to lessen the spectacle they were making of
themselves, she held out her hand and dropped into a curtsy as if nothing were
wrong.
“Your sister was a good woman who dedicated
her life to helping those in need,” she said between deep inhalations as she
gathered herself enough to put a smile onto her face for the crowd around them.
“Keep that memory, and let the rest go. I beg you.”
He took her hand and bowed over it,
attempting to appear as if they were simply finishing the waltz. He murmured
against her fingers, “I have no intention of letting this go.”
***
Excerpted from An Inconvenient Duke by Anna Harrington. © 2020 by Anna Harrington. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of
Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Anna Harrington is an award-winning author of Regency romance. Anna was nominated for a RITA in 2017 and won the 2016 Maggie Award for Best Historical Romance. The Secret Life of Scoundrels. A lover of all things chocolate and coffee, when she’s not hard at work writing her next book or planning her next series, Anna loves to fly airplanes, go ballroom dancing, or tend her roses. She is an English professor in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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