Stealing the Duke

Stealing the Duke Marrying a Mabry, Book 1 Lexi Post © Copyright 2023 by Lexi Post Text by Lexi Post Cover by Kim Killion Designs Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. is an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc. P.O. Box 23 Moreno Valley, CA 92556 [email protected] Produced in the United States of America First Edition March 2023 Kindle Edition Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited. All Rights Reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If this book was purchased on an unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work. For subsidiary rights, contact Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. ARE YOU SIGNED UP FOR DRAGONBLADE’S BLOG? You’ll get the latest news and information on exclusive giveaways, exclusive excerpts, coming releases, sales, free books, cover reveals and more. Check out our complete list of authors, too! No spam, no junk. That’s a promise! Sign Up Here * Dearest Reader; Thank you for your support of a small press. At Dragonblade Publishing, we strive to bring you the highest quality Historical Romance from some of the best authors in the business. Without your support, there is no ‘us’, so we sincerely hope you adore these stories and find some new favorite authors along the way. Happy Reading! CEO, Dragonblade Publishing Additional Dragonblade books by Author Lexi Post Marrying a Mabry Series Stealing the Duke (Book 1) Painting the Earl (Book 2) Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Additional Dragonblade books by Author Lexi Post Acknowledgments Author’s Note Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Epilogue About the Author Acknowledgments For my overachieving husband, Bob Fabich, Sr., who earned straight As in high school and became the youngest fire chief ever in the state of New Hampshire. Our conversations are always lively and engaging. For my wonderful sister Paige Wood, who absolutely loves historical romance and helped me brainstorm the bones of this story. Your insight is priceless. I have to thank my critique partner, Marie Patrick, for keeping my toes to the fire and reading every 5,000 words as I got them finished, no matter how rough they were. A special thank you to Lexi’s Legends, who helped with so many of the names that I needed for this story. Specifically, thank you to Lisa Staebell-Fishback, Teresa Fordice, Rochelle Ireland, Rhonda Nygaard-Beck, Bette Read, Bonne Davis, Lynda Meschino Tang, Belinda Jackson Hercule, Kim Mangels, Rita Cassidy-Kern Clements, Amy Allen Hallmark, Ashley Myers Clark, Beth Waters Cotter, Laurie Cogburn, Valerie Hills. You ladies are why I write. I also want to thank my very knowledgeable editor, Amelia Hester, who kept my world on point, and Kathryn Le Veque for giving me the opportunity to share James and Joanna’s story. Author’s Note The Marrying a Mabry series was inspired by one of my favorite books, Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women, published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. This was an Chapter One London March 1816 Lady Joanna Mabry looked down the corridor to the left and the right before slipping into the Duke of Northwick’s library. He had to be the most