The Dishevelled Duke: A Little Bit Cupid

By Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

FROM EXCITING AUTHORS OF GAY ROMANCE, CATHERINE CURZON AND ELEANOR HARKSTEAD

From the A Little Bit Cupid collection

Will a photographer be swept off his feet by a duke who's more dishevelled than dashing?

It's Valentine's Day and it's Billy last shift at The Chelsea Bunn. His photography career never took off, so it's time to leave London, parcel up the leftover heart-shaped cakes and head back home to Hampshire.

Rumpled Charlie and his two mischievous dogs are Billy's favourite customers, so when Charlie turns up at closing time with a mysterious wrapped gift and the offer of a whirlwind trip on the London Eye, Billy can't say no. But Charlie is keeping a secret that could turn Billy's world happily upside down.

As the snow falls over London and the big wheel grinds to a halt, Billy discovers that wishes aren't just for Christmas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Feb 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839430077

Catherine Curzon

Catherine Curzon is a royal historian who writes on all matters of 18th century. Her work has been featured on many platforms and Catherine has also spoken at various venues including the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and Dr Johnson’s House. Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Film and when not dodging the furies of the guillotine, writes fiction set deep in the underbelly of Georgian London. She lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill.

Book preview

Pride Publishing books by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

Single Books

An Actor’s Guide to Romance

A Late Summer Night’s Dream

The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble

The Captain’s Cornish Christmas

The Captain’s Flirty Fireworks

Captivating Captains

The Captain and the Cavalry Trooper

The Captain and the Cricketer

The Captain and the Theatrical

The Captain and the Best Man

The Captain and the Squire

Pride Publishing books by Catherine Curzon

Anthology

I Need a Hero: The Angel on the Northern Line

Pride Publishing books by Eleanor Harkstead

Single Books

The Low Road

A Little Bit Cupid

THE DISHEVELLED DUKE

CATHERINE CURZON & ELEANOR HARKSTEAD

The Dishevelled Duke

ISBN # 978-1-83943-007-7

©Copyright Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead 2020

Cover Art by Claire Siemaszkiewicz ©Copyright February 2020

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Will a photographer be swept off his feet by a duke who’s more dishevelled than dashing?

It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s Billy’s last shift at The Chelsea Bunn. His photography career never took off, so it’s time to leave London, parcel up the leftover heart-shaped cakes and head back home to Hampshire.

Rumpled Charlie and his two mischievous dogs are Billy’s favourite customers, so when Charlie turns up at closing time with a mysterious wrapped gift and the offer of a whirlwind trip on the London Eye, Billy can’t say no. But Charlie is keeping a secret that could turn Billy’s world happily upside down.

As the snow falls over London and the big wheel grinds to a halt, Billy discovers that wishes aren’t just for Christmas.

Dedication

CC – For RB, who is never, ever dishevelled.

EH – For Charlotte, who always enjoys a cake!

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Mr. Tumnus: C.S. Lewis

Cadillac: General Motors Company

Waterloo: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson

Morgan: Morgan Motor Company

Dr. Martens: Permira

Tube: London Underground

Tannoy: Tannoy Ltd.

Chapter One

All the champagne cupcakes had gone. Only a few slices of red velvet cake remained, sharing a plate with the last three heart-shaped cookies. Imogen had said that Billy could take them home with him. What a way to arrive. Ten years in London and Billy would appear on his parents’ doorstep with leftover Valentine’s Day cake and hundreds of unsold photographs.

At least I tried.

For the last time, Billy loaded the café’s dishwasher. In a couple of minutes he would turn the sign to closed for the last time, shut the blinds for the last time and leave The Chelsea Bunn forever. He would lug his case through the crowds, clamber onto a packed train and say goodbye to London.

But he wouldn’t say goodbye to Charlie-who-has-no-surname, who came in five times a week for a cup of tea and a bun for the two wolfhounds that dragged him around like slightly undersized donkeys. Charlie with the peppery hair and laughing eyes and the lines that crinkled around them when he smiled. And he smiled a lot.

Billy wouldn’t say goodbye to Charlie because for the last two weeks, his shifts had changed to fit around the shop’s new hours and he hadn’t seen him since. For the Bunn to be busy enough for extended hours was great, but it meant no more Charlie. Charlie didn’t come in late, it seemed, only for that mid-morning tea and cake.

Not having seen Charlie for a fortnight had made Billy realise how much he would miss the friends he had made in London. People from art school, and Imogen, who had given Billy enough shifts to eke out his life in London for just a few more months, even a