A Flurry for a Duke: Dukes for Christmas Fairytales, #4

By Eliana Piers

A threatening note. Secrets and lies. And Hope in the middle…

 

Lady Hope has seven brothers who are all away on extended honeymoons for Christmas. So when an old friend catches her reading an ominous letter, the last thing she wants is to be protected by him: her brother's best friend, a notorious rake. She'd rather be a spinster helping the world around her than just another useless, pretty trophy.

 

Independent Isaac, the Duke of Regium, refuses to accept care from anyone, especially his best friend's little sister. So when he finds out she's being threatened, he takes it upon himself to protect her from all danger. But when his bare body collides with hers, there might be a new danger at play.

 

Can Isaac lower his guard enough for Hope to care for him? Or will he stubbornly continue in his rakish ways?

 

Read A Flurry for a Duke if you love the magic of Christmas. It's a deliciously sweet and spicy easy read with witty banter and lovable characters.

 

A Flurry for a Duke is the fourth 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 Villan for a Duke

• Language: English
• Publisher: Self-Published
• Release date: May 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9781998281350

Eliana Piers

What makes people fall in love? Why do two people end up together? Every love story is unique, and I love love.

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A Flurry for a Duke is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. 

Copyright © 2024 by Eliana Piers

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact author.

Cover image © Eliana Piers

Cover design Copyright © 2024 Eliana Piers

All rights reserved.

ISBN E-Book ISBN 978-1-998281-35-0

To my brother,

For always protecting me.

And for giving me a few bucks to buy chocolate on a bad day.

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Stay Connected

Thank You

About the Author

Also By Eliana Piers

Chapter 1

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1816 England

LADY HOPE WAS THE most beautiful woman in England. It only added to her beauty that she didn’t care about such achievements. If one could even call it such, and she didn’t. Call beauty an achievement, that is. To be born a certain way was not a particularly noble success.

Mother, remind me why we’re having this Christmas house party when none of my brothers will be here?

Despite the fact that they’ve all decided to take extended honeymoons, I don’t need all seven sons as a reason to celebrate Christmas when I have one incredible daughter. Her mother gently pinched her cheek. You are the most beautiful, most precious person to me.

Now?

Always. Her mother winked. Mavis, the dowager Duchess of Whitewood, was like an old cake hoop. Solid. Sturdy. Determined. Unyielding and utterly unwilling to produce anything other than the shape of what she desired. Yet full of soft, delicious, cake. Just as the circle symbolized, she too was the embodiment of the cycle of life. She had found and appreciated a love match with her husband, and she unrelentingly wanted the same for her children.

Bright-eyed, she encouraged Hope, Look at the fruit of our labor.

Hope scanned the table before her. Menu notes. Was that three courses or seven? Soups, fish, beef, pies, and puddings. Scribbles on flowers and decor. Poinsettias. Holly. Apples. Dark emerald green damask fabrics, specially ordered for Christmas. Seating charts. And then of course, there were additional comments about each guest sprawled out over several sheets. Among the listed guests, a few caught her eye: Michael, The Duke of Tinsder, Lady Astrid and her brother Isaac, The Duke of Regium. It was mostly close family friends.

I didn’t do much of the planning. It was all you this time.

Her mother chuckled. Speaking of which. She waved her hand over the papers. Who shall we matchmake this time? The twinkle in her mother’s eyes was contagious.

Don’t you dare matchmake for me, Mama. You know I’ll see right through it.

I wouldn’t dare. Oh, she would dare. She was the one who would dare the quietest, the most dangerously. Hope knew it. Counted on it in fact. Had her blue eyes wide open on the lookout, just in case such a dare was executed.

Never mind you, my dear. You don’t have any trouble attracting men. Who would make a good match for Lady Astrid?

Not one to speak ill of anyone, Hope opted to wrinkle her nose.

All right. Let’s move on to a different guest. Mavis fluttered her fingers through the air in thought. What about her brother, Isaac?

Hope’s finger tapped lightly on her chin, as if to invite thought to the foreground. Isaac…the duke….he’s such a… There were many ways to describe the notorious rake. He was a libertine of the highest order. Ever a pleasure-seeker. A seducer that one should stay away from. At best he was a flirt who always made Hope chuckle. At worst he was a—

Sybarite?

Mother!

You can’t pretend to be shocked, Hope. The man is an infamous rake.

Not all rumors are true, Mother.

All the censure in the world won’t erase all the blondes I’ve seen hanging off that man’s arm over the years. I think it’s only getting worse, mind you. The man either has a type or he’s avoiding the one he wants.

If Hope had been paying close attention, she would have heard her mother murmur her next phrase, I’m betting on the latter.

But she didn’t hear, for she had a more pressing concern on her mind. If he’s such a rake, why did you invite him?

Oh, —Mavis slashed her hand through the air— he’s a family friend, my dear. He would never do anything to you or this family. He’s harmless. He knows us. He would do nothing here. Not under my roof.

Hope started to recount all the