Madeline Martin - How To Tempt A Duke

A lady’s lessons...

...in temptation!

When her almost fiancé proposes to someone else, Lady Eleanor is suddenly the talk of the ton ! With her family in financial dire straits, Eleanor must marry before the end of the Season. Secret lessons with Charles, the dashing, infuriating—and devastatingly charming—Duke of Somersville, should help Eleanor shake off her shameful Ice Queen moniker. But how can she tempt a prospective husband when it’s the duke who ignites her desire?

MADELINE MARTINis a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of historical romance novels filled with twists and turns, steamy romance, empowered heroines and the men who are strong enough to love them. She lives a glitter-filled life in Jacksonville, Florida, with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions) and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr Awesome. Find out more about Madeline at her website: MadelineMartin.com.

How to Tempt a Duke

is Madeline Martin’s gripping debut

for Mills & Boon Historical!

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

How to Tempt a Duke

Madeline Martin

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08963-0

HOW TO TEMPT A DUKE

© 2019 Madeline Martin

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, 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 hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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To Tracy.

Thank you for your guidance, your encouragement

and your friendship—you helped make this

incredible dream come true for me.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

As reported in the Lady Observer , from the evening of April the fifth, 1814, the below on-dits —following a very detailed account of lobster patties, chilled oysters and a decadent lemon syllabub.

What is a sumptuous affair without a bit of scandal?

It all began when a certain Belle of the Season danced not only a second set with a blue-eyed earl with whom we are all acquainted, but a third. As if that were not enough for the rapacious attendees to feast upon, the Earl then took the lady’s face in his hands and kissed her.

Mercy me!

Following this salacious display of affection came their official announcement of engagement, which produced a collective look of relief from the attendees. And disappointment from some, I’d wager, as there are always those who love a taste of scandal to season their tongues.

Suffice it to say the entire scene was quite riveting. Some might even say romantic.

And perhaps this Lady Observer might agree, were it not for the other person in this tale who warrants consideration. After all, before the Belle of the Season emerged in mid-March and blossomed with the enviable beauty of a summer bloom, there was another who caught the cerulean gaze of the Earl.

There was no mention of an engagement, this is true, but all believed there would be in time. Including the lady, no doubt.

While one cannot blame the Belle of the Season, to whom the burgeoning relationship was unknown, neither can one blame love, which strikes fast and without warning.

Regardless of where the blame lies, the tale has not ended happily for a lady who masks it so well she’s earned the unfortunate moniker of Ice Queen.

She has watched the entire heartbreaking scene unfold before her dry eyes with a composure tightly reined, as if she were bored. While this only perpetuates rumors of her cold nature, one cannot help but wonder at her ability to maintain such stoicism after everything she’s been through in recent years.

If her heart is truly ice, as some claim, it stands to reason that it would shatter more easily when broken...

In other observations, Lady Norrick’s gown was quite the thing. So many beads adorned her dress she had to keep sitting to alleviate its pressing weight...