The Duke and the Matchmaker

THE DUKE AND THE MATCHMAKER A HISTORICAL REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL PATRICIA HAVERTON CONTENTS A Sweet Gift For You Are you an avid reader? Before You Start Reading… Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Interlude 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 Epilogue Extended Epilogue Preview: The Wild Duke of Wright Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Also by Patricia Haverton Loved this book? About the Author A SWEET GIFT FOR YOU Thank you for supporting my efforts. Having you beside me on this wonderful journey means everything to me. As a Thank You gift I have one of my full-length novels here for you. The Last Lady of Thornhill Manor is only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get your free copy by clicking this link here. Once more, thanks a lot for your love and support. Patricia Haverton ARE YOU AN AVID READER? If you loved this novel, click here to choose from a variety of books like this one by this author! Just click on the image above! ⇧ If this wasn’t your cup of tea, you can select another trope more to your liking here! ABOUT THE BOOK “Loving you is a mistake. The most wonderful mistake I ever made.” Marina is willing to do anything for her twin brother. Forsaking her own prospects to help him get closer to the lady he loves, she will even tolerate one of the most insufferable, snobbish dukes to achieve that goal. Duke Joseph may be a genius when it comes to business, but he cannot understand people. So when he finds himself engaged to wonderful Lady Florentia, a woman he has absolutely no chemistry with, he is at a loss. Until a fiery, pushy, and beautiful young lady approaches him with a most peculiar plan, that just might work! While they are playing Cupid, they fall victim to his charms themselves. Just as Marina is finally ready to admit her feelings for him, Joseph receives a threat: Marry Florentia or the whole ton will know your family’s deep dark secret! BEFORE YOU START READING… Marina, our protagonist and Matchmaker in this story, was a pretty wild child growing up. And just maybe, a little of it managed to stay with her through the years… If you want to know how, read below! Here is Marina’s Prequel Chapter which will help you understand and visualize the story inside my book better. Many of my readers requested it and that's why I am giving it away for free! I believe you will LOVE IT! It’s not mandatory to read it, but it will be really helpful if it's your first time with this book. Read the story of Marina’s Lecture here. Just click on the image above! ⇧ CHAPTER 1 Joseph Grove was flustered. He threw his shirt down onto the chaise next to his brother, Nathaniel, in a frustrated gesture. “What am I going to do with all this?” He gestured toward the morning finery laid out on the bed. Nathaniel crossed his arms, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “You’re getting ready for the Westminster ball. It’s as simple as that. You’re a lucky man, Joe. There will be plenty of eligible young ladies in attendance.” “Not to mention,” Joseph added wryly, “the courtship I’ve been roped into with Lady Florentia. I’ll be honest with you, none of us chose this arrangement.” His brother shrugged. “Yet, here you are.” Joseph scowled and shook his head. “Father made the agreement out of obligation. But if anyone in town got wind of this courtship, my life would be unbearable. They’d assume I’m on the lookout for a duchess.” Nathaniel laughed. “What’s the point of having money and social status if you can’t enjoy yourself? It’s about time you started paying attention to the marriageable ladies.” Joseph ignored his brother while angrily buttoning up his dress shirt. “I already have the perfect plan,” he muttered. “I’ll just show up to the ball and make the necessary pleasantries. I’m not going to stay for more than an hour. That way, no one will have time to start gossiping about me.” “Oh, yes?” Nathaniel took a step toward him. “And what about Lady Florentia? She’ll be expecting your attention.” “I‘ll give her what she’s due,” Joseph said, frowning. “But if I can manage it, I’d like to leave before she has the chance to ask too much of me.” Nathaniel shook his head, but his eyes were still twinkling with laughter. “Oh, Joe. You never fail to surprise me. What will you do, dear brother, when the wedding arrives? Perhaps it would be prudent to get to know the lady you are courting—spend some time with her.” Joseph scoffed at this and shook his head. “Perhaps my plan is rather bland and foolish. I see now that merely leaving quickly is by no means enough to deal with my predicament—though it can limit the consequences somewhat.” Nathaniel looked at his brother with slight trepidation, and Joseph could not help but smirk. They had grown up together, and still, Nathaniel had a tendency to underestimate him. To be honest, he quite enjoyed it. It allowed him to keep the element of surprise when he so wished, and provided him with endless entertainment. “What… is this plan, dear brother?” Nathaniel’s voice was rather anxious, and Joseph smirked. “If Lady Florentia sees me as a prospective future husband, or if her father does, which seems to be the case, the only possible, and logical, solution would be to convince them that I am far from it.” “How do you plan on doing that?” Joseph could only laugh at Nathaniel’s obvious exasperation. “It is simple, dearest brother. I will be rude, boorish