When the Duke Met His Match

WHEN THE DUKE MET HIS MATCH True love can conquer even the most daunting of duties… BRAZEN BELLES AND BASHFUL BEAUS BOOK BOOK 2 ELLA EDON CONTENTS Thank you Brazen Belles and Bashful Beaus Book About the book 1. Odette 2. Theophilus 3. Odette 4. Theophilus 5. Odette 6. Theophilus 7. Odette — 8. Theophilus 9. Odette 10. Theophilus 11. Odette 12. Theophilus 13. Odette 14. Theophilus 15. Odette 16. Theophilus 17. Odette 18. Theophilus 19. Odette 20. Odette 21. Theophilus 22. Odette 23. Theophilus 24. Odette 25. Theophilus 26. Odette 27. Theophilus 28. Odette 29. Theophilus 30. Odette 31. Theophilus 32. Odette 33. Theophilus 34. Odette 35. Theophilus 36. Odette 37. Odette 38. Theophilus 39. Odette 40. Odette 41. Theophilus 42. Odette 43. Theophilus 44. Odette Epilogue Extended Epilogue Afterword Brazen Belles and Bashful Beaus Book Do you want more Romance? The Duke’s Devious Desires Never miss a thing Thank you About the Author THANK YOU I want to thank you personally for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me. It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to share with you my passion for writing through my stories. As a FREE GIFT, I am giving you a link to my first novel. It has more than 150 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 It is called “The Duke's Darkest Desire”, and you can get it for FREE. Please note that this story is only available for YOU as a subscriber and hasn't been published anywhere else. Please click on the cover to download the book BRAZEN BELLES AND BASHFUL BEAUS BOOK Book#1 The Duke's Wager * * * Book#2 (this book) When the Duke Met His Match ABOUT THE BOOK Fate brought them together, duty will tear them apart… Theophilus Clough basked in the glory of his military triumphs until a cruel twist of fate left him with a title he never desired. Now burdened with the weight of his past mistakes, he must work tirelessly to make amends and regain the trust of his people. Yet, when he’s delegated to interrogate a stubborn French rebel named Odette Toussaint, he realizes that fate has a way of tempting even the most resolute of hearts… Odette has devoted her life to her countrymen. But her selfless determination is not without consequences. When she finds herself locked behind bars, branded as a traitor to the English crown, she will discover that there’s more to life than duty. As their paths converge, a forbidden passion flares to life. And with every touch, every stolen moment, they risk betraying the very causes they have sworn to serve. For when it comes to affairs of the heart and the country, there can only be room for one… True love can conquer even the most daunting of duties… Chapter One ODETTE Odette couldn’t shake the feeling she was being followed. It began the moment she stepped into the packed marketplace, bustling with merchants and their goods, along with those who perused their stands. Odette glanced over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd, not staying in one place for too long. She had to keep going or risk being caught. She dodged a cart full of flourishing cabbages, and the man pushing it gave her an irritated look. She gave him a sympathetic look, unable to offer an adequate apology for nearly knocking his merchandise over. Odette's heart clenched as she caught a glimpse of blue fabric embroidered with delicate silver accents and adorned with shimmering gold ornaments that sparkled in the sunlight. Despite the rapid pounding of her heart, she urged herself to breathe steadily and steeled her nerves. With a determined step, she continued moving forward. Pushing through the endless sea of people, Odette didn’t utter a single apology to any of them. There was no time, not while the English soldier was surely on her trail. No matter how she pivoted or diverted from her original path, she couldn’t seem to shake him. He’s a persistent one, she thought to herself as she swerved around a young woman with a child clung to her skirts, paying them no mind. With another look over her shoulder, Odette saw the soldier’s face—built hard like stone and stitched with determination. Quickening her steps, Odette planned to lose him one way or another. She moved between two stands and hid behind a group of particularly tall men. Her shoes scuffed against the cobblestone and took her as fast as possible without causing too much alarm. Hoping it had done the trick, Odette chanced another peek over her shoulder and gasped when the soldier advanced his pace too. He was much closer than she liked. Urgently, Odette focused only on getting away. Her vision narrowed as if she were peering through a tunnel, not looking at the faces of those she squeezed through. She couldn’t spare even a second of her time. Her pulse thundered in her ears, an alarm she could only hear. She wasn’t one to avoid all dangerous or compromising moments for her own sake, for grazing unlawful situations often gave her a thrill, yet that instance was more nerve-wracking than she bargained for. With a thick wad of money carefully wrapped and hidden beneath the fabric of her modest dress, Odette needed to be careful. She couldn’t be caught, not when others were depending on her to make it. Just a little farther, Odette reminded herself even as her lungs burned from forcing her unsteady legs onward. If they managed to catch her, Odette could only imagine the horrid things they would do with her—a financier to a group of French rebel countrymen, and a woman no less. Pictures of being captured for answers, sent away by ship to another continent and forever labeled a traitor, or even being strung up in the streets for all to see flashed in her mind, and Odette was determined to maintain her freedom. She needed to be careful.