The Duke is Mightier than the Sword

The Duke is Mightier than the Sword Dukes in DangerBook 3 Emily E K Murdoch © Copyright 2023 by Emily E K Murdoch Text by Emily E K Murdoch Cover by Dar Albert 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 May 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. 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CEO, Dragonblade Publishing Additional Dragonblade books by Author Emily E K Murdoch Dukes in Danger Series Don’t Judge a Duke by His Cover (Book 1) Strike While the Duke is Hot (Book 2) The Duke is Mightier than the Sword (Book 3) A Duke in Time Saves Nine (Book 4) Twelve Days of Christmas Twelve Drummers Drumming Eleven Pipers Piping Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Gold Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves A Partridge in a Pear Tree The De Petras Saga The Misplaced Husband (Book 1) The Impoverished Dowry (Book 2) The Contrary Debutante (Book 3) The Determined Mistress (Book 4) The Convenient Engagement (Book 5) The Governess Bureau Series A Governess of Great Talents (Book 1) A Governess of Discretion (Book 2) A Governess of Many Languages (Book 3) A Governess of Prodigious Skill (Book 4) A Governess of Unusual Experience (Book 5) A Governess of Wise Years (Book 6) A Governess of No Fear (Novella) Never The Bride Series Always the Bridesmaid (Book 1) Always the Chaperone (Book 2) Always the Courtesan (Book 3) Always the Best Friend (Book 4) Always the Wallflower (Book 5) Always the Bluestocking (Book 6) Always the Rival (Book 7) Always the Matchmaker (Book 8) Always the Widow (Book 9) Always the Rebel (Book 10) Always the Mistress (Book 11) Always the Second Choice (Book 12) Always the Mistletoe (Novella) Always the Reverend (Novella) The Lyon’s Den Series Always the Lyon Tamer Pirates of Britannia Series Always the High Seas De Wolfe Pack: The Series Whirlwind with a Wolfe Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Additional Dragonblade books by Author Emily E K Murdoch 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 Epilogue Excerpt from A Duke in Time Saves Nine About Emily E K Murdoch Chapter One June 1, 1810 “Have a care, man!” Montague Lancaster, Duke of Caelfall, snarled. As expected, the doctor did not even flinch. He was accustomed to the snarls and gruffness he was subjected to, Montague thought darkly. He knew what to expect when attending to miserable men. Sighing heavily, he watched the doctor who was in turn carefully examining the wound on Montague’s leg. It should have healed by now, Montague was sure. He was no doctor, to be sure, but a leg simply did not take this long to heal. How long had it been now? Five months? Almost six? He groaned under his breath at the pain of holding his thigh at this uncomfortable angle. And that he had to be reduced to this! By a stray bullet, that had been all! “Yes, I can see the problem,” Doctor Walsingham said quietly. Montague glared, but managed to restrain his bitter tongue. It would do no good to antagonize the doctor. He had, after all, been far better than the quacks he’d found in London. Mercury? He’d sooner drink liquid gold from the sun than pour that poison down his throat! “Well?” snapped Montague, unable to hold it in any longer as the doctor leaned back. Pulling his breeches up, the duke continued. “What is the problem?” Doctor Walsingham blinked slowly, like an owl, and leaned back on the sofa. “It’s not healed properly.” Not healed— Montague was forced to physically bite his own tongue. The cheek of the man! Was this what he paid him for, hundreds of pounds by this point, merely to be told the leg that gave him agony, the wound quite clearly scalding red, the thigh which had never been the same again…was not healed? Prickles of irritation as searing hot as the injury itself crept across Montague’s