Despite The Duke – Kathleen Ayers

But never Caster. Clever Lord Damon. He’d found a way to put Mama in his debt. I find I dislike Roxboro’s uncle even more, though I admire his strategy. “Lady Falworth will be so pleased,” Lord Damon continued. “As will Violet and Rose. I do wish my May was here to celebrate the occasion with us, but I think,” a mournful look crossed his features. “She will be there, watching over us all.”

“I met her once, my lord.” Mama’s features were contorted in sympathy. “A lovely woman of great modesty. Well-regarded by everyone in London.” “Here, here, Uncle.” Roxboro lifted his glass. “To Aunt May.” “She spoiled you.” The side of Damon’s mouth lifted to a half-smile as he addressed Roxboro. “May was a rare gem. Impossible to replace.”

“You’re still young, uncle.” Roxboro sipped from his glass. “Indeed, my lord,” Papa intoned from the head of the table. “Given your aspirations, an astute woman versed in politics would be a great asset. I agree with the duke. I would never have gotten far without Lady Canterbell at my side.” Mama glowed. As if lit from within by the sun. She’d been complimented by Lord Damon and Papa, then given the immense opportunity of ingratiating herself with not only Lady Falmouth, but also Lady Caster, whose son she wanted for Mara.

She wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight. “The idea has merit, my lord,” Damon murmured. “Perhaps when the time is right, Lady Canterbell might introduce me to a lady who matches her own skill and capabilities. I would accept nothing less.” Those dark, calculating eyes lingered over Mara. Mama nearly melted into the table. Mara lowered her gaze, a tiny smile on her lips, a bit of color flooding her cheeks.

Ugh. Could no one else see what Roxboro’s uncle had just done?

© Copyright 2026 by Kathleen Ayers Text by Kathleen Ayers 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 March 2026 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. AI Statement: No AI or ghostwriting was used in the creation of this story, or any story, published by Dragonblade Publishing. All text, structure, content, ideas, and concept are 100% human generated solely by the author whose name appears on the cover.

It is prohibited to use this material, or any copyrighted material, for AI engine training. 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. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy.

If this book was purchased on an unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work. For subsidiary rights, contact Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

OceanofPDF.com ARE YOU SIGNED UP FOR DRAGONBLADE’S BLOG? You’ll get the latest news and information on exclusive giveaways, exclusive excerpts, coming releases, sales, free books, cover reveals and more. Check out our complete list of authors, too! No spam, no junk. That’s a promise! Sign Up Here * Dearest Reader; Thank you for your support of a small press. At Dragonblade Publishing, we strive to bring you the highest quality Historical Romance from some of the best authors in the business.

Without your support, there is no ‘us’, so we sincerely hope you adore these stories and find some new favorite authors along the way. Happy Reading!

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: e21be886b71d6b23
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 4,513,070 bytes (4.304 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 224
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 363.17 minutes
• Total Words: 72,634
• Total Characters: 417,692
• Average Words per Page: 324.26
• Average Characters per Page: 1864.7

Most Frequent Words

sophia (766), roxboro (521), alexander (357), lady (312), damon (270), one (262), lord (246), duke (189), grace (178), didn’t (163), said (161), like (157), mama (151), eyes (147), even (138), i’m (134), roxboro’s (128), she’d (127), never (126), well (125), he’d (123), canterbell (121), back (117), don’t (115), now (111), uncle (108), mara (106), hand (104), sophia’s (103), much (102), wasn’t (101), took (96), time (95), made (93), duchess (90), away (90), fingers (90), good (89), barstow (88), lips (86), great (86), given (84), carriage (84), head (83), though (82), came (81), brandy (81), london (79), far (77), hadn’t (76), along (75), another (74), way (74), mouth (74), make (74), see (74), yes (72), thought (72), wine (72), two (71), door (70), room (70), i’ve (70), papa (69), want (68), know (68), oakhurst (68), think (68), nothing (67), night (66), bit (66), every (65), look (65), still (63), something (63), daughter (62), little (61), rather (61), timmons (61), looked (59), sure (59), find (58), left (58), chapter (57), bed (56), glass (56), ball (54), i’ll (54), father (54), marriage (54), entire (53), butler (53), last (52), things (52), pillory (52), couldn’t (51), perhaps (51), say (51), young (51), words (51).

PDF Download