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Chapter One

London, October, 1835

THE DOOR TO THE UPSTAIRS LIBRARY sla in its frao’s desk Fists slaainst the wood surface

“Damn it, Marshall I need you to fix this”

Despite that drao Marshall did not look up fro to bootsa path upon the carpet He wasn’t a servant; he refused to be treated as one

After a moment, his patience was rewarded “Fix it, please,” the Duke of Clermont muttered

Hugo raised his head An untutored observer would focus on the Duke of Clermont, apparently in full coold thread that it almost hurt the eyes This observer would dis spanning the spectrum from brown to browner

The co The duke was respectably bulky without running to fat; his patrician features were sharp and aristocratic He hadCo expression and sandy brown hair, the untutored observer would have concluded that the duke was in charge

The untutored observer, Hugo thought, was an idiot

Hugo set his pen down “I wasn’t aware there was anything in need of fixing” Except thewithin my purview, that is”

Clery nervousness He rubbed his nose in aelse It’s colanced out the , and his frown grew

The library in Clerround, and clai to see out thebut a Mayfair square Autureen leaves to brown and yellow A sed a wrought-iron bench, upon which a woman was seated Her face was occluded by a wide-brimmed bonnet decorated with a thin pink ribbon

Cler of his teeth

But his words were casual “So, if I refuse to pander to the duchess’s ridiculous de out, wouldn’t you?”

Hugo gave him a stern look “Don’t even consider it, Your Grace You knohat’s at stake”

The other man folded his arms in denial His Grace really didn’t understand the situation; that was the problem He was a duke, and dukes had no notion of econoo, Clermont’s vast estates would have collapsed years before under the weight of his debt As it was, the books barely balanced—and they only did that because of the e

“But she’s so una,” Clermont protested

“Yes, and a fine joke it will be to have your unentailed property repossessed Convince your duchess that she well and truly wishes you back in her life After that, you h all you wish, Your Grace”