Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

Persuasions of a Duke's DaughterThe Duchess's Investigative SocietySamantha HoltHelstone Press Copyright © 2023 Samantha HoltAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Cover design by: Love BooksEdited by: Destiny ReeceProofed by: S Walsh Contents Title PageCopyrightChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenChapter NineteenChapter TwentyChapter Twenty-OneChapter Twenty-TwoChapter Twenty-ThreeEpilogueSecrets of a Duke’s DaughterChapter OneAbout The AuthorBooks In This Series Chapter OneShe should have known he’d come.The moment Lilly had received the news, she should have known.And been prepared.Instead, here she was, soaked to her skin, any remnants of curls long gone and plastered to her face and probably a little gray in color considering how cold the sudden torrent of rain had left her. She would not be so lucky as to look bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked after the sudden and short April shower.And here he was all devastating and handsome.The bastard.Lilly plucked a damp strand of hair from her face and shoved it behind her ear. How had he missed the sudden torrent of rain whilst she had suffered its full onslaught? Typical. Though she was willing to wager, even wet, the man would still be handsome.And devastating.Lord August Beresford strode across the field toward her, his coat billowing behind him. Ivy clasped the reins of the horse and took a step closer to her as, though Spirit could hide her from him or at the very least offer some sort of shield. Inexplicably, her heart quickened its pace, echoing his efficient and easy stride.Lilly supposed a man like the Marquis of Blackthorpe made many a pulse quicken. In fact, he probably had a multitude of physical effects on women. However, anyone who knew Lilly Musgrave, knew men did not make her heartbeat quicken.Until now it seemed.She tried to swallow past a dry throat and ignore the way his gaze fixated upon her. Really, she should swiftly mount Spirit and ride off. She had no need for this confrontation and even less desire to stand sopping wet in front of a man the scandal sheets claimed to be the most handsome man in all of England.Unfortunately, they were not wrong, and unfortunately her feet refused to cooperate with her desire to flee. After all, Lilly Musgrave never fled from anything. Her body and mind just simply did not know how to back down. Her competitive desire to win at all costs got her into a great many situations that could probably be avoided. Like this one right now.The closer he got, the more she realized the silly caricatures in the newspapers had done him little justice. The early morning sunlight streamed about him, highlighting broad shoulders emphasized by a black, slightly faded greatcoat.He was tall, something she didn’t need to be close to realize. After all, her one guilty pleasure in life was the scandal sheets and August Beresford made an appearance in them on a regular basis. She couldn’t deny there was something about how he’d been described that fascinated her. How must it be to be a man so blessed with wealth and good looks that one could simply breeze through life and do whatever one wished and go wherever one felt like?He removed his hat as he neared. Lilly couldn’t decide if her heart had picked up its pace so much that she simply could not differentiate between each beat, or if it ceased functioning all together.“They lied,” she murmured to herself.She pressed her lips together and forced herself to take in a long breath whilst she planted her feet firmly, her grip on her horse’s reins about the only thing preventing her from collapsing into a puddle.August Beresford stopped a few paces from her.The scandal sheets lied.He was not the most handsome man in all of England.His mouth curved in one corner as though something about her amused him. Golden sunlight glinted off his thick curls. A long, aristocratic nose led her gaze down to his chin, where a slight dimple sat as though God had decided the man needed at least one imperfection then got it entirely wrong, creating a point of utter fascination.Her attention did not linger there long, though. How could it when he looked at her with those ridiculous blue eyes? No one should have eyes that blue, much less a man. And in any other face, they might almost look childish except when countered with the strong planes of his face it was nothing short of devastating.He was most certainly not the most handsome man in all of England.Lilly felt fairly confident in her assertion that he was probably the most handsome man in the whole world.And all she had done so far was stare at him.“No.”He blinked and the amusement switched to puzzlement, one tawny brow lifting.“No?” he repeated.It was all she could summon.“No,” she repeated.No, she would not let herself be affected by something as superficial as good looks. No, she would not allow herself to stand here and gawp any longer. And no, she would not enter into negotiations with him.There was one reason and one reason alone a man like August Beresford would seek a woman like her out.He wanted something.“Just no?”Lilly nodded firmly. “You heard me.”“You have not even heard what I have to say yet.”“I do not need to. I know why you are here.”“My lady, I—”“If you will excuse me, I should be returning home.” She glanced him over as cooly as she could muster. “I’m sure your carriage is awaiting you somewhere.” She peered past him to see if she could spot the vehicle on the road that wound past her father’s estate. A man like Lord Blackthorpe