Liz Tyner - The Wallflower Duchess

No other woman will do for the determined duke...

To Lily Hightower, Edge is still the adventurous boy she grew up with, even though he’s now become the formidable Duke of Edgeworth. So when he doesn’t propose to her sister as everyone expects, shy Lily marches right up to him to ask why...

Wallflower Lily is amazed to learn that she is the duke’s true choice. She’s hiding a secret that, if he found out, could threaten everything. But Lily is the duchess of his dreams—and Edge is determined to make her his!

Edge had botched the first proposal terribly. But he wasn’t going to botch the first kiss.

He moved Lily slightly, turning her so he could savour every second and give her a feeling she would cherish.

‘This is how it starts,’ she said, whispering, shaking her head, turning away. ‘It’s not safe.’

‘One kiss,’ he said, knowing it was likely the biggest lie of his life.

‘No.’

But she didn’t push him away. She didn’t move to her feet—she just sat and leaned closer against him.

‘Half a dozen, then.’ He didn’t smile, again letting her hair brush his face. ‘Twenty. And that’s my final offer.’

Author Note

When the Duke of Edgeworth first appeared in The Notorious Countess, and felt irritated by his brother’s choice of an adventurous wife, I wanted Edge to have his own chance for love. Only Lily Hightower would do for him. No one would be better for him than the reserved woman he’d known since childhood.

Writing Lily’s story gave me a chance explore the path of having been friends with someone from such an early age that you can’t remember first meeting him, and knowing he is right for you and yet not quite being able to get beyond the barriers inside and around you.

That path of discovery is what I planned for both Lily and Edgeworth—because when romance enters the picture, no matter how long you have known someone, you can realise you hardly knew them at all.

Lily and Edgeworth are characters of my heart, and I hope you enjoy their journey as well.

The Wallflower Duchess

Liz Tyner

www.millsandboon.co.uk

LIZ TYNER lives with her husband on an Oklahoma acreage she imagines is similar to the ones in the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are . Her lifestyle is a blend of old and new, and is sometimes comparable to the way people lived long ago. Liz is a member of various writing groups, and has been writing since childhood. For more about her visit liztyner.com.

Books by Liz Tyner

Mills & Boon Historical Romance

The Governess Tales

The Runaway Governess

English Rogues and Grecian Goddesses

Safe in the Earl’s Arms

A Captain and a Rogue

Forbidden to the Duke

Stand-Alone Novels

The Notorious Countess

The Wallflower Duchess

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.uk.

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Dedicated to my cousins.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Author Note

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

The future Duke of Edgeworth stretched his chin, and felt the nick he’d made on his first attempt with shaving. When he’d told his father how he received the cut, he’d been told never to touch the razor again. But some day he’d be Edgeworth—and no one would dare tell him what to do.

His parents’ voices blended into the background as he worked with the mathematics. He liked mathematics and he liked that his parents singled him out when preparing him for his future.

His father sat at the other desk, and his mother read over his shoulder, but then returned to her sewing stand.

The Duke’s voice broke into the quiet. ‘The younger Miss Hightower?’

‘She’s a lovely little girl.’ His mother nestled into her chair, picked up her sewing and studied it.

‘Not the older one,’ his father added. ‘She scowls.’

‘The older one is Lily.’ His mother returned to her embroidery, grumbling at a stitch as she picked it loose with her needle. ‘And she’s not scowling. She’s figuring things out.’

‘That girl is quite well mannered, but not a duchess,’ the Duke said.

‘She is too serious.’ His mother never looked up from her threads, needle again moving in and out through the fabric. ‘But I’m sure she’ll grow into a beauty. The least attractive babies make the most beautiful people, and frankly, I’d never seen such an ugly baby as Lily was. Her eyes were huge and her little arms so scrawny. Reminded me of a starved mouse. But she’s more human looking now and one can do wonders with cosmetics.’

The Duke tapped his fingertips together. ‘With her father living next door, it would be easy to keep up with the young one’s upbringing. But I’m not sure... Their mother is such a...’

‘But that doesn’t mean the children will be. The small one is an obedient girl. Did exactly as her older sister instructed.’

‘Obedient.’ His father nodded and Edge had looked up in time to see the wink his father gave his mother. ‘I’ve never heard you say a duke needs an obedient wife.’

‘Oh, most certainly,’ she’d added, turning to leave the room. ‘Sad your mother didn’t tell you that.’

His father chuckled, patted the papers on the desk and said, ‘It’s settled, then.’ He looked at his son. ‘What do you think about the younger Miss Hightower?’

‘She’s a baby.’ Lord Lionel continued with his sums. ‘Babies can’t marry.’

‘She’ll grow,’ his father said. ‘If we choose while she’s young, we can see that she is educated and trained just as a duchess should be. Just as you want her to be. Once I inform her father that you’re interested in her, he’ll be certain she is raised exactly as she should be. The man understands the value of society even if he has only half a boot in it.’

Lionel shrugged. Perhaps he would wed Miss Hightower some day, but not the little one. After all, only old people married. They were twenty-five at least. Perhaps thirty. Yes, at thirty he could ask the older Miss Hightower to wed, because by then he’d be too old for it to matter.

And he didn’t think she looked like a mouse, but even if she did, it was fine with him.

Last Wednesday, he’d been studying in the gardens when Miss Lily had called out to him and she’d curtsied. No one had ever done that before and he had nodded to her, just as his father did when people curtsied to him. Then she’d asked him to play dolls. He’d said no, even though it sounded better than studying. Then she’d called him Lord Booby-head. The governess had walked out and reprimanded her and Miss Lily had scrambled to her house.