He'd forgotten how London rumors traveled faster than bullets. He hadn't even been in Town but a few weeks. There could be no further hesitation, no turning back.įrom his library desk, Ashbury heard an unfamiliar ringing sound. She closed her ears to the frantic pounding of her heart. With a whimper, she turned away from the gate and circled the square for the tenth time, shaking out her bare arms under her cloak.Įmma stopped her pacing, faced the gate, and drew a deep breath. I may not even have a home tomorrow if you don't let me in. I'm here to see the mysterious, reclusive Duke of Ashbury.

All she had to do was square her shoulders, charge through the wrought-iron gates, march up those granite steps-really, there were only a hundred or so-and ring the bell on that immense, richly carved door. Now, six years later, she'd swallow every needle in Madame Bissette's dressmaking shop before she'd go crawling back to her father.Ĭompared to all that, what was knocking on the door of a duke? She'd found work and made a new life for herself in Town. She'd refused to succumb to despair or starvation. Once, she'd walked to London alone in the bitter heart of winter. Most of the time, a girl needed to rescue herself.Īshbury House loomed before her, taking up one full side of the fashionable Mayfair square. And if fairy godmothers existed, hers was running several years late. Shining armor went out of fashion with the Crusades. Please don't read chapters 7, 9, 11, 17, 19, 21, or 28.Įmma Gladstone had learned a few hard lessons by the age of two-and-twenty.Ĭharming princes weren't always what they seemed. My father was-and is-loving, patient, supportive, and understanding. I want to make clear that Emma's father is nothing like my own. Emma, the heroine of this book, is a vicar's daughter.

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare