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

”

“A performance?”

“Yes. She expected me to read this, fly into a rage, and turn you out into the storm. She expected you to walk back to town in the mud, ruined and humiliated.”

Norah swallowed hard. “She expected you to provide the punchline, your grace. I am merely the prop.”

The silence in the room stretched. The clock on the mantel ticked loudly. continue reading …