May I Have This Duke?

The trouble with houseparties... Gerard Hammersley, Duke of Hardcastle, is dragooned by an old friend into attending a house party, though Hardcastle refuses to fall prey to the matchmakers who relish such gatherings. He recruits his nephew's prim, prickly governess, Miss Ellen MacHugh, to preserve him from being compromised by the conniving debutantes, and offers in exchange to deflect the drunken viscounts who plague Ellen. Is that they must end. Ellen agrees to Hardcastle's scheme for two reasons. First, she's been attracted to His Grace since the day she laid eyes on him, and knows that behind Hardcastle's lack of charm lies a ferociously loyal and faithful heart. Second, she's departing from Hardcastle's household at the conclusion of the house party, and two weeks safeguarding His Grace's bachelorhood is as much pleasure-and as much torment-as she can endure before she leaves him.