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

“It is a clumsy strategy,” he noted dryly. “She relies entirely on my supposed lack of control. If I do not throw you out into the rain, her entire narrative collapses.”

“You are famously uncooperative, your grace.”

Alistair’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it wasn’t a scowl either. “I am selectively cooperative, Miss Hawthorne. I merely continue reading …