James bowed to his audience. “I hereby present to you the most tempting, the most enticing cocoa in the entire world.” He plucked the red velvet cloth off the easel, revealing a hand-lettered advertisement.
“Duchess Cocoa,” Charlene read out loud. “Pure. Concentrated. Delicious.” The red letters scrolled over one of Lulu’s whimsical paintings of the Guildford castle ruins.
Flor and Lulu burst into loud clapping.
“What a lovely painting, Lulu,” Charlene said.
Her sister smiled. “I’ll never tire of painting that castle.”
“But James, you can’t call it Duchess,” Charlene scolded.
“Why not?”
“Because you may as well call it Scandalous Cocoa, or Disgraceful Cocoa, for all that people will buy it with even a hint of association with me.”
James laughed, an exquisite sound that she’d been hearing more and more. “I did consider both of those names, but I settled on Duchess. And anyone who wouldn’t buy it because of a name isn’t our preferred customer.”
Charlene glanced at him from under her lashes. He was always so sure of himself. It took her breath away.
Flor giggled. “What about Bonnet-less Cocoa?”
James chuckled. “I daresay little girls named Flor would buy that one.” He tugged at her braid. “But I’m staying with Duchess. The most daring, delectable name of all.”
His green eyes made Charlene a promise that just as soon as they were alone, he was going to show her how daring duchesses could truly be when properly encouraged. Her cheeks flushed with anticipation.
“Now run along, girls,” James said. “Charlene needs to taste my new formula, and if she pronounces it ready, I’ll make a pot for you.”
“Oh yes, please!” Lulu said. She took Flor’s hand, and the two of them skipped out of the room.
“We’ll be moving to London soon for you to take your seat in Parliament,” Charlene said. “Do you truly want to provoke them with this?” She gestured to the advertisement. “There will be gossip and rancor enough.”
“I’ll clothe you in scarlet and kiss you on the floor of Parliament if I so choose. They can’t dictate our lives.”
She couldn’t help grinning at that.
“You’re terrible,” she said without conviction. “I don’t care about myself . . . but Flor, Lulu, and . . . other reasons.”
She brought his hand to her belly. “This other reason.”
He stared into her eyes. “Really?”
“I’m not sure . . . but I think so—”
“Oh, Charlene.” He dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach. “My disgraceful duchess.”
Charlene ruffled his hair and held him close. The life they’d chosen would never be easy. But it was theirs. And they were happier than any two people had a right to be.
He kissed his way back up, stopping to sample her breasts before claiming her lips.
He tasted of cocoa, rich and spicy.
She would never have her fill.
About the Author
LENORA BELL grew up in a tiny town in Alaska with no streetlights, no movie theater, but a very large library.
A graduate of Portland State University’s MFA in Creative Writing program, she has lived and taught English on five continents. Lenora currently shares a cabin in Switzerland with her husband and two naughty tiger-striped kitties named Dorian Gray and Percy Shelley.
www.lenorabell.com
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By Lenora Bell
HOW THE DUKE WAS WON
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IF I ONLY HAD A DUKE
Copyright
HOW THE DUKE WAS WON. Copyright © 2016 by Lenora Bell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
EPub Edition MAY 2016 ISBN: 9780062397737
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062397720
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