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Prologue

DUCAL DEVASTATION!

ONE DOZEN DAYS OF DARKNESS AND DEMISE

March 1829

Bernard Settlesworth, Esquire, believed that name was destiny

Indeed, as the third in a familial line of solicitors to the aristocracy, it was difficult not to believe such a thing Bernard took immense pride in his work, which he performed with precision on nearly every day of the year After all, he would tell himself, the British aristocracy was built on the hard work of men such as he Without the Bernard Settlesworths of the world expertly calculating ledgers and deftlyenor nothing but the dust of ancient lines and fortunes

He did the Lord’s work, ensuring the aristocracy re And solvent

And though he took pride in all aspects of his work, there was nothing Bernard enjoyed quite sowith new inheritors, for it was in those mo worth

Bernard enjoyed this part best, that is, until tragedy struck the Dukedom of Warnick

Two entleman and his three sons A vicar A ship’s captain A hatter A horse breeder And one duke

Lost to a spate of tragedies that included, but was not lione wrong, a drowning in the Thames, an unfortunate incident with influenza, and a truly unsettling incident with a cormorant

Seventeen dukes, if he were honest, Bernard supposed—all dead All within the span of a fortnight

It was a turn of events—seventeen turns of events—unheard of in British history But Bernard was nothing if not dedicated, even more so when it fell to him to play protector to such an old and venerable title, to its vast lands (made vaster by the rapid, successive death of seventeen e fortunes (er by the same)

And so it was that he stood in the great stone entryway of Dunworthy Castle in the cold, windy, wild of Scotland, face-to-face with Alec Stuart, once seventeenth in line for the Dukedom of Warnick, now the last known heir to the title

Face-to-face wasn’t quite accurate After being greeted by a pretty young woman, Bernard had been left to wait, surrounded by massive tapestries and a handful of ancient weaponry which appeared to have been haphazardly affixed to the wall

And so he waited

And waited

After three quarters of an hour, two large dogs appeared, bigger than any he’d ever seen, grey and wild They approached, the movements deceptively lazy Bernard pressed hi they would decide to find another,victi nearly to his chest, grinning up at hi him quite tasty

Bernard did not care for it Indeed, for the first time in his career, he considered the possibility that soliciting was a less than enjoyable profession

And then the s He was dark-haired and big as a house—Bernard had never seen a ined, hat ht have been twenty stone on his broad, muscled frame, and none of it fat Bernard could tell that bit, because thea shirt

Indeed, he wasn’t wearing trousers, either

He earing a kilt And carrying a broadsword

For a h time as well as space on the journey to Scotland It was, after all, 1829, despite the Scotsh he’d arrived via three centuries earlier

The enor the sword up onto the here it stuck as though by sheer force of its owner’s will That same oho then turned his back on Bernard and made to leave

Bernard cleared his throat, the sound louder than he’d intended in the h for thelook over the solicitor’s di silence, he said, “Who are you?”

At least, that’s what Bernard thought he said The words were thick on the ue

“I—I—” Bernard collected hi surrounded by beasts both hu for an audience with the master of the house”

The ined the deep sound was amusement “Careful These stones shan’t like hearin’ that ye think they’ve a master”

Bernard blinked He’d heard tales of mad Scots, but he hadn’t expected to meet one Perhaps he’dsyllables “I beg your pardon”

Themoment “Mine or the keep’s?”

“For” Bernard wasn’t sure what to say He wasn’t apologizing to the castle, was he? He tilted his head “Is Mr Stuart here?”

The enormous man rocked back on his heels, and Bernard had the distinct ireat brute As though he shouldn’t be the one as unco around the castle half nude “Aye”

“I’ve been waiting nearly an hour for him”

The dogs sensed his irritation and stood, clearly offended by it Bernard sed

“Angus Hardy” Instantly, they retreated to their master’s side

And it was then that Bernard knew He looked to the half-naked man across the entryway and said, “You are he”

“Aye, but we still have nae established who you are”

“Alec!” A young woh the castle “There’s a man here Says he’s a solicitor from London!”

The new Duke of Warnick didn’t look away from Bernard as he raised his voice in reply “He also says he’s been waiting for me for an hour”

??

?Seeood could co down “Why bother you while you were having a spar?”

“Why, indeed,” the Scot replied “Apologies My sister does nae care for the English”

Bernard nodded “Is there a place we ht speak more privately?”

“As I care even less for the English than my sister does,” the duke said, “we needn’t stand on ceremony You are welcome to state your purpose here and now And then you may leave”

Bernard ie quite a bit once he discovered he’d becoly wealthy one “Of course It’s o, you are the Duke of Warnick”

Throughout his career, Bernard had witnessed all manner of response to the reality of inheritance He’d stood by in the face of devastation of those who had lost beloved fathers, and recognized the eagerness on the face of those with not-so-beloved sires He’d witnessed the shock of distant inheritors, and the joy of those whose fortunes had changed in the blink of an eye And, on the least pleasurable of his days, he’d witnessed the devastating burden of inheritance—when a newly minted aristocrat discovered that his title had co debt

But in the more than twenty years that he had served the upper echelons of the aristocracy, Bernard had never once met with apathy

Until nohen the Scotsman he’d crossed a country to find calmly said, “Nae,” turned on his heel, and s on his heels

Settlesworth sputtered his confusion “YourYour Grace?”

A long bout of laughter calish title And I certainly have no interest in being anyone’s grace”