The Duke’s Vow

THE DUKE’S VOW A HISTORICAL REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL HANNA HAMILTON CONTENTS A Thank You Gift Before You Start Reading… Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Epilogue Extended Epilogue Extended Epilogue Preview: The Proud Duke Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Also by Hanna Hamilton About the Author A THANK YOU GIFT Thanks a lot for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me, because this is the best way to show me your love. As a Thank You gift I have written a full length novel for you called A True Lady. It’s only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get your free copy by tapping this link here. Once more, thanks a lot for your love and support. Hanna Hamilton BEFORE YOU START READING… Did you know that there’s a special place where you can chat with me and with thousands of like-minded bookworms all over the globe?! Join Cobalt Fairy’s facebook group of voracious readers and I guarantee you, you’d wish you had joined us sooner! Let’s connect, right NOW! Just click on the image above! ⇧ ABOUT THE BOOK “In the depths of my entrapment, you emerged as my savior” Duke Harry is bound by duty. Having spent his life focusing on military service and responsibilities, he finally had had enough. But when he witnesses Lady Alicia’s entrapment, he can’t help but offer his help… Lady Christianna, burdened by her family’s financial woes, has always shouldered their struggles. In the face of a loveless marriage, she accepts her fate without hesitation. However, when the charming duke presents her with a fake courtship, the chance to be rescued proves irresistible… Their plan takes shape, but the facade begins to crumble as genuine affection comes into play. Until a woman consumed by envy threatens their bond, placing their love on the precipice of uncertainty… CHAPTER 1 London March 1817 “… and speaking of love, this reporter has it on good authority that a certain Lady L. has done the unthinkable — joined the ranks of those running away to Gretna Green to obtain a Scottish Marriage. Her father, the Marquess of B., must be livid, especially since his new son-in-law is nothing but a commoner. What will happen when the young couple returns? Will Lady L. be cast out? Or will Lord B. accept his lovely son-in-law and overcome this scandal? Return soon to A Lady Most Intrigued to find out.” Lady Christianna Barrington placed the London Chronicle on her lap and looked at her sister, Lady Margaret, who’d been listening intently from the comfort of Christianna’s chaise lounge. “Isn’t this the most romantic thing you’ve ever read?” she said dreamily with a bright smile. “Romantic?” Margaret replied in a most incredulous tone. “It is a disaster for Lady Louisa, for that is who this gabster is writing about. She ran off to Gretna Green with Jonathan Brewster. She will be the talk of the town when she returns but not in a good way. That’s if she’s allowed to return home.” Christianna pursed her lips and tossed the paper toward the bed though it slid off the high mattress and spilled onto the floor. “Perdition,” she muttered and was about to get up when Clara, her maid, pulled her back gently. “Not so fast, Lady Christianna; I have the pin halfway in your hair. You’ll ruin an hour’s work.” Margaret got up with an exasperated sigh and picked the paper up. Instead of placing it on the bed, she re-read the article shaking her head as she did. “What a foolish girl.” “Must you be so negative, Maggie? I heard Jonathan Brewster is a bang-up cove. Besides, his father is a jeweler to the Prinny himself, and he stands to take over one day. They have more money than the King of Spain,” Christianna countered, unwilling to let this most romantic of stories be tainted by her sister’s pragmatism. “He could be a swell of the first stare, but it would not matter. There is no titled person among his relations, and Lady Louisa’s father is a marquess. She is ruined,” Maggie concluded, her blue eyes shining with certainty. Christianna wet her lips and sighed deeply as she examined her long, slender fingers. She’d spent some time tending to the rose garden along with her mother that afternoon and wanted to ensure she’d managed to remove all evidence of dirt. Moreover, they were to attend a most illustrious ball at the home of the Lord Chancellor himself, and she intended to look her best. “I think it is romantic, no matter what you say to spoil it. What is it to say that they cannot be together just because they are mismatched when it comes to their station in life? Lady Louisa is a loving soul and only wants a husband who understands her.” She thought back to her most recent conversation with the young lady. The two often kept company as they were each involved in the London Charitable Society — a society aimed to help poor orphans, a cause close to Christianna’s heart. They’d been planning the annual ball to raise funds for a much-needed orphanage for those children who lost their fathers in the war and their mothers to illness and disease. She hadn’t known about Lady Louisa’s entanglement with a commoner, but she would not have discouraged her. Not if it made her happy. In fact, she admired her friend’s bravery to risk it all for the man she loved. “Besides, who is to say she will suffer her