A Beauty for a Duke | Paperback

Beauty with brains meets a big, grumpy Beast just before Christmas. Only a third wheel and a long carriage ride are in their way...

The beauty of a barmaid, Sofie, has rejected every marriage offer she's ever received. To Sofie, marriage requires trust and true love. Equally important, she wants to be an independent woman, not someone's property. And a piece of that independence means attending a lecture where she can learn new ways to invest her money. Like a barmaid is going to find her way there though, especially during the Christmas season.

Enter Egan, a beast of a man. Gruff, gigantic, and a Scottish duke. As if he'll go unnoticed. So when he saves the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on, it's much to his chagrin that his best mate laid eyes on her first. He may be a beast, but he's a loyal one. Yet somehow he finds himself stuck with Sofie, and company, on a quest for knowledge.

Can he keep his friendship in tact and his kilt on, as he endures mistletoe kisses and beatific smiles amidst cinnamon swirls and cozy fires?

Read A Beauty for a Duke if you love the magic of Christmas.

A Beauty for a Duke is the first standalone novella in the steamy regency romance series: Dukes for Christmas Fairytales.

Book 1: A Beauty for a Duke
Book 2: An Ember for a Duke
Book 3: A Slumber for a Duke
Book 4: A Flurry for a Duke
Book 5: A Villain for a Duke


What readers are saying:

"A snow storm and a kiss under the mistletoe bring magic. VERY HOT!" ~ Amazon Reviewer

"This was such an enchanting romance...I loved how this ended as a beautiful fairytale should, happily ever after. I highly recommend reading! ~ Amazon Reviewer

"This is a delightful novella" ~ Amazon Reviewer

Chapter 1
1816, England
JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER. She had to finish just one more chapter. It could easily be done before–

“Sofie,” drawled her curvy, and heavy-bosomed friend, Fia. Since childhood the two had been inseparable. What more did they need than for their names to complete each other? Sofie and Fia together since six. Or was it five? It was all the same. They had so many shared memories together that if one forgot, the other was likely to remember. Though, if the truth were being told, and it usually was among the two of them, Fia was the one with the better memory for events. And Sofie was more dependable for remembering ideas. And making plans. Or, more accurately, roping the two of them into haphazardly constructed plans.

Which was exactly how the two had met. It was Sofie’s first time going out alone to buy bread for the day. Her father had finally allowed her that small amount of freedom, so she skipped all the way there. When she looked up into the eyes of a small girl about her size, she said, “I must have lost my coins skipping all the way here. Oh no! Papa will never trust me with money again.”

The little girl behind the counter replied, “I’ll help you find them. That’s what friends are for. Papa won’t mind, will you Papa?” She swiveled her bouncing crimson curls to her father, the baker, who was already nodding his head.

She darted out from behind the counter saying, “I’m Fia by the way.”

“I’m Sofie.”

Fia squealed, “Oh, that’s perfect! I always wanted my name to be Sofie, and now, together, we shall make the best of friends with the loveliest of names.”

Sofie grinned, “We’re friends?”

“Why not?”

She couldn’t agree more.

“Let’s go.” And the two girls had pranced off in search of treasure. Not only had they found the coins, but they had also swam with mermaids and fought dragons the entire way. Much to their surprise, they both returned home without a scratch. From that day on, not a day had passed without the two of them seeing each other. They knew all there was to know about the other.

So that’s why Fia could easily read Sofie’s mind as she stared at the book in front of her.

“I know you are probably convincing yourself that you can squeeze in one more chapter of reading, but really, I can’t serve the entire tavern by myself.”

Sofie was leaning over her open book, head down, breasts resting on the high table in the backroom of The Crowned Rose, owned by her father, Richard. She tucked a stray chestnut strand behind her ear.

Finally she glanced up to find Fia sliding her hand over her perfectly coiffed crimson hair and then flicking an invisible fleck from her bodice. How she always managed to look so put together and kept up, Sofie couldn’t be sure. Sofie was never unkempt, or…unput together, but she could certainly use a few extra pins at any given time.

“Alright, Fia, I’m coming. Just one more page.”

The eye that her friend gave her spoke almost as loudly as the din coming from the main room just beyond the door. It must be a full house. When had that happened? Last she checked, which could have been hours ago, half of the tables were open. She had even thought to attempt some Christmas decorating after she finished her chapter. Or entire book. Whichever came first.

“Alright, alright. Just let me finish this sentence.”

“I’ll wait.” Fia tapped her foot.

“Done,” Sofie placed her paper rose bookmark in between the pages and pushed the book into the large pocket in her frock. To be sure Sofie didn’t pull a fast one, Fia threaded her arm through Sofie’s, and coaxed her back to work.

Sofie entered the chaos, grateful for the work she had. Being in Derbyshire near the Duke of Somersby’s estate, despite its small size, the public house had the pleasure of serving many a patron from England and beyond.

Perhaps not now that Christmas was fast-approaching. Everyone would be tucked away in their warm homes, sidling up to fires and roasting treats. If not now, then at least within the next week. Which meant that within the next seven days, her friend Adeline, Lady’s maid to the Duchess of Somersby, would soon pay her and Fia a visit. She usually had a frock or two for each of them that were only a couple of years out of fashion. Fashion didn’t matter much to Sofie, though Fia might let a few complaints grumble out of her. They weren’t complaints so much as observations. Or so Fia always reminded her.

“Sofie, glad you could make an appearance,” her father’s eyes shone brightly at her. He was truly the most perfect father she could have ever asked for. Even after her mother had passed away, in spite of his grief, he had done his utmost to run the tavern and take care of Sofie the best way he knew how. In fact, there were several ways they honored her mother, Layla, including the placement of a few roses on the walls and in the guest rooms. The red rose was her mother’s favorite.

“I’m here for you, Papa.” Sofie patted her father’s hand and took notice of the extra wrinkles. He had been working a long time at his dream of running the tavern. She only wished he needn’t work quite so hard. The tavern was his life, but she wished it didn’t have to be his lifeline.

That’s why for the last few years she had convinced him to give her some of their profits to invest. And so far she had earned more money than she had lost. Of course, she had to do some wrangling with solicitors and her father any time she wanted to make any changes, but that little hindrance didn’t stop Sofie on her quest. It only precipitated more dreams of the day she could have her own bank account and her own full control of her money. As it so happened, this dream was one of the reasons she didn’t want to marry, despite having received several offers over the years. Also, every marriage proposal thus far had been prefaced with something akin to, “In light of your great beauty…etcetera etcetera, will you marry me?” She did not want to be someone’s trophy. Nor did she want to be anyone’s property. In the event she did marry, any authority she might have gained would then transfer over to her husband. And she did not want to have to ask her husband to sign off on every financial decision she made.

And equal to the point, she was more than the beauty men whispered (or spoke loudly) about. She prided herself (though not overly) on her intelligence. Having spent all her spare time, and some working hours, reading all that she could about investments, it was not a pride without foundation. Besides books, if there were any conversations about interest and profit that she could glean wisdom from, she took the time to serve those tables with extra care.

And there were a few patrons who would come in from time to time reliably with interest-full conversations. Lord Reginald was not one of those few, but if he was ever in attendance with the Colonel or any of his duke friends, Sofie served them well. And aside from a recent, but small, incident with Lord Reginald and his friend, the newest Duke of Beauford, every encounter so far had been well-received.

And so it was that if ever a new patron came in talking of investments, Sofie and Fia confirmed with their eyes who would take the table. Because if Sofie could invest and save enough money, she would not only help her father, but of course her best friend as well.

Now, if only she could find a way to attend the Railway Convention happening tomorrow…But that felt like more of a castle in the air dream than a simple castle in the air itself.

Besides the fact that the logistics were a nightmare, there was also the question of how her father would manage in her absence. How would she travel there? How would she gain entrance? Who would go with her? How would she pay for it?

No, it was not meant to be. Castles did not exist in the air. And tavern daughter’s did not attend annual Railway Conventions.