Her Stepmother Sent Her to the Duke as a Joke – He Offered Her a Chair Before He Said a Word

hands folded in her lap.

She was 24 years old, though her eyes, slate gray and deeply tired, belonged to a woman twice that age. Her cloak was wool, dark navy, and inadequate.

The damp had seeped through the shoulders hours ago. Beneath it, her gown was a faded gray muslin, mended three times at the hem.

It was not the gown of a woman calling upon a duke.continue reading …