Undercover Duke, стр. 1
Copyright © 2021 Sabrina Jeffries, LLC
Cover illustration © Jon Paul
Author photograph © Jessi Blakely for Tamara Lackey photography
The right of Sabrina Jeffries to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Published by arrangement with Zebra Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First published in this Ebook edition in 2021
by HEADLINE ETERNAL
An imprint of HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN 978 1 4722 6634 7
HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP
An Hachette UK Company
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50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.headlineeternal.com
www.headline.co.uk
www.hachette.co.uk
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Author
Praise for Sabrina Jeffries
Also by Sabrina Jeffries
About the Book
Dedication
Family Tree
LONDON SOCIETY TIMES
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
Epilogue
Don’t miss the dazzling novels in the Duke Dynasty series
Be seduced by the Sinful Suitors
Meet the Hellions of Halstead Hall
Find out more about Headline Eternal
About the Author
Sabrina Jeffries is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels and works of short fiction (some written under the pseudonyms Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas).
Whatever time not spent speaking to organizations around the country or writing in a coffee-fueled haze is spent traveling with her husband and adult autistic son or indulging in one of her passions – jigsaw puzzles, chocolate, and music.
With over 9 million books in print in more than 20 languages, the North Carolina author never regrets tossing aside a budding career in academics (she has a Ph.D. in English literature) for the sheer joy of writing fun fiction, and hopes that one day a book of hers will end up saving the world. She always dreams big.
For more information, visit her at www.sabrinajeffries.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SabrinaJeffriesAuthor or on Twitter @SabrinaJeffries.
Praise for Sabrina Jeffries, queen of the sexy regency romance:
‘The women she writes are spirited, intelligent, devilish, brave, independent and politically and culturally savvy. They are true heroines’ Bookpage
‘The chemistry is as intense in the bedroom as it is in the science lab in Jeffries’s intoxicating third Duke Dynasty Regency romance’ Publishers Weekly on Who Wants to Marry a Duke
‘Sparkling banter, unique hero and heroine, and intriguing mystery make it irresistible’ Austenprose on Who Wants to Marry a Duke (5 star review)
‘Best-selling Jeffries brilliantly launches her new Duke Dynasty series with another exemplary Regency-set historical brilliantly sourced from her seemingly endless authorial supply of fascinating characters and compelling storylines’ Booklist on Project Duchess
‘Master storyteller Jeffries is at the top of her game’ RT Book Reviews
‘Quick wit, lively repartee, and delicious sensuality drive the elaborate plot of this sinfully delightful addition to Jeffries’s latest series’ Library Journal (starred review)
By Sabrina Jeffries
Duke Dynasty
Project Duchess
The Bachelor
Who Wants To Marry A Duke
Undercover Duke
Sinful Suitors
The Art Of Sinning
The Study Of Seduction
The Danger Of Desire
The Pleasures Of Passion
The Secret Of Flirting
Hellions Of Halstead Hall
The Truth About Lord Stoneville
A Hellion In Her Bed
How To Woo A Reluctant Lady
To Wed A Wild Lord
A Lady Never Surrenders
About the Book
Love is intriguing. . .
Along with his half-siblings, Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage, is determined to solve the mysteries behind the suspicious deaths of their mother’s three husbands. His investigations bring him into dangerous proximity with the captivating Vanessa Pryde, but the duke, still haunted by a tragically lost love, is resolved to resist the attraction. Besides, lovely Miss Pryde seems utterly smitten with a roguish London playwright. . .
Vanessa’s theatrical flirtation is intended only to break through the duke’s business-like demeanour and guarded emotions, for it is Sheridan she truly has her sights, and her heart, set on. As the duke’s jealousy becomes evident, the two find themselves propelled into a scheme involving a pretend engagement, a secret inquiry – and a perhaps not-so-secret leap into true love. . .
To my late mom, I miss you
and wish you hadn’t gone so soon.
Thanks for all the years of looking out for us and Dad.
LONDON SOCIETY TIMES
THE LAST DUKE STANDING
Dear readers,
I, your esteemed correspondent, cannot believe it. Not only has that randy devil, the Duke of Thornstock, actually married, but he chose Miss Olivia Norley as his bride! And this, after she refused him most soundly years ago. He must have reformed because Yours Truly knows full well Miss Norley would never have married him otherwise.
This means that his half brother, Sheridan Wolfe, the Duke of Armitage, is the only one of the dowager duchess’s offspring not yet married. What a coup it will be for the young lady who snags him! Although the usual wagging tongues claim he must needs marry a fortune to shore up his estate, that will not matter to anyone with an eligible daughter. He’s a duke, after all, and a young, handsome one at that, which is particularly rare. I daresay he will not be left unwed for long.
How delicious it will be to watch him hunt for his bride. Armitage is discreet where Thornstock was not, and he’s more reclusive even than his other half brother, the Duke of Greycourt. So it will have to be a most intriguing lady to pierce his armor and seize the rare heart that surely beats beneath. We await the result with bated breath.
Chapter One
Armitage House, London
November 1809
“The Duke of Greycourt is here to see you, Your Grace.”
Sheridan Wolfe, the Duke of Armitage, looked up from the list of horses in the stables of his family seat, Armitage Hall, to find his butler in the doorway. “Show