Must Love Dukes

Miss Muriel Bell has a dim view of marriage. She’d much rather remain a spinster. Unfortunately, her stepmother, Lady Allred has other plans. Forced to attend a house party to appease her stepmother’s matchmaking, Muriel is contemplating how best to escape her fate when she meets a handsome gentleman eating meat pies at a coaching inn who happens to be on his way to the house party as well.

Hugh Lansing, Duke of Buxton is traveling to the Savorton estate for yet another house party. He’ll spend the entire affair inundated with matchmaking mamas as he has been the entire Season. As a duke, Hugh is fair game for every predatory young lady seeking to be a duchess. He’s dreading his arrival and drowning his sorrows in inadequate meat pies at an inn when he meets a most intriguing young lady who shares his opinion on marriage.
Muriel, upon her arrival to the house party, is greeted with an ancient suitor. Hugh is hunted by an entire pack of young ladies. The solution to both their unwelcome situations is to pretend a sudden attraction to each other. A courtship of sorts, one that will last the length of the house party and keep everyone else at arm’s length.

But one splendid, glorious kiss later, Buxton is no longer pretending.
And now he needs to convince Muriel that his feelings are real.