The Duke and his Scoundrel: A Clean Medieval Romance

By Mary Flowers

Francois, Duke of Ellington has only ever wanted to live honorably, but the King had other plans.
When the Duke crossed the King one too many times, it was decided that his ultimate punishment would be to marry the most dishonorable woman at court; Natalie Portier.
This reluctant pair find that they have more in common than they realized, both being solitary souls who have been taken through the wringer by love.
Can they open up enough to learn to love again? Or will fate conspire to keep them solitary forever...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fable Charm
• Release date: Mar 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370566761

Book preview

The Duke and His

Scoundrel

Regency Romance

Mary Flowers

© Copyright 2018 by Mary Flowers - All rights reserved.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

The Duke and His Scoundrel

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

The Duke and His Scoundrel

Introduction

Francois, Duke of Ellington has only ever wanted to live honorably, but the King had other plans.

When the Duke crossed the King one too many times, it was decided that his ultimate punishment would be to marry the most dishonorable woman at court; Natalie Portier.

This reluctant pair find that they have more in common than they realized, both being solitary souls who have been taken through the wringer by love.

Can they open up enough to learn to love again? Or will fate conspire to keep them solitary forever…

Download a FREE Audiobook!

Thank you for purchasing this book. To show my appreciation, for a limited time I want to send you an audiobook for FREE directly to your inbox!



FURTHER-3D.png

Gain lifetime access to the Historical Deluxe newsletter today and gain access to the hottest new books from the best new authors.

*Get FREE Historical Romance Books for your kindle and other cool giveaways*

*Discover exclusive deals and discounts before anyone else*

*Be the first to know about hot new releases from your favorite authors*

Click the link below or write it into your browser to access all this now!

https://readersclub.leadpages.co/hdi/

Chapter One

Duke Francois Ellington blinked the sweat from his eyes and peered down the tiltyard at his opponent. Usually, this moment was his favorite; the second before the flag fell, when anticipation was in the air and his heart was in his throat. When everything went silent and became focused and clear. A surge would run through his whole body that was better than fine wine, better than making love to a beautiful maiden. He was born to joust.

But today, on this filthy hot day in June, when no gentleman in his right mind would be in full armor, he stared down his opponent and wished he were anywhere but here. How did he get into this mess again?

At the opposite end of the tiltyard, an overweight, clearly uncomfortable and slightly drunk man was being helped onto his horse by two squires. It had started with just one helper, trying to hoist him up, but he kept losing balance as he hooked his foot into the squire’s folded hands. Then the second one appeared and helped steady the jouster from behind, and by the third go, Francois was hoping they could all just give up and go home.

However, when yet another servant came to assist, the Duke’s opponent was finally hoisted up into his saddle, upon which the watching crowd began to cheer loudly. The drunken armored man at the other end raised both hands up to the crowd and they only brayed louder.

‘Let’s get this over with,’ Francois muttered under his breath.

He reached down to Barker, his own squire, who looked white as a ghost as he passed up the lance. Francois felt it slip naturally into in his hand as though it were an extension of his body. His shoulder and upper and lower arm sprang to life to nestle the familiar weight. He looked up then at his opponent, who surprisingly had managed to grip his lance also.

Francois heard Barker down beside him, ‘Don’t do it sir. It can only end badly. He’s the king.’

‘I know all that,’ the Duke shot back, ‘and that’s precisely why I must do it.’

A hush fell over the tiltyard and only the heavy breathing of the horses could be heard for a moment. Then the flag fell, and the Duke kicked into his steed, and they were away.

Exactly one month earlier, the Duke had arrived at court.

His lands were in the West of the country, stunning rolling green hills and lush forests, of which he was eternally proud. He loved it at home and would have happily stayed there for another summer, but the King had ordered him to court. And when the King demanded, you came.

Eight years prior King Edward II had sent Francois to be his special envoy in France, and in Paris he had stayed for what felt like a lifetime. Every year he had petitioned to the King to return to England and his beloved lands in the West. Every year the King had ordered him to stay, writing that the Duke’s presence at the French court was absolutely essential.

Francois had known for five years that his presence at the French court was not necessary at all.

Princess Isabella of France had married the king a week after the Duke was sent away. Marrying the princess, who was the only surviving daughter of the French King Philip IV, had assured Edward’s peace with France for the meantime. The Duke was not needed in Paris at all.

The King had sent him there because of Rebecca. So there Francois stayed.

Although he missed his home and his family, he did like Paris. Francois found he had an aptitude for the language and picked it up quickly. The French people, he had always been led to believe, were an arrogant and rude lot, but he suspected this was because the English never bothered to learn their language. Within a couple of months, Francois had been stumbling his way through tentative French phrases, which the locals found endearing. Coupled with his broad