What The Duke Wants

By Emily Ward

Eleanor could have killed her brother. And she probably would have tried had she gotten half a chance. He was the type of man that always got himself in trouble. He had a problem with gambling. It wasn’t a secret, but it had finally gone too far. He had fallen in with a bad crowd. One that had the handsome Lord Francis. A man that made most girls swoon with delight. She was going to have to watch herself near him. He was a known charmer that knew his way around women. A heartbreaker and a rogue, even if his family had enough power and influence to allow his small indiscretions. She wished that she could say the same thing about herself, but she was bound by the rules of society no matter how she tried to buck them. But none of that mattered. The first thing that she had to do was save her brother. The rest of her problems would be dealt with later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eye Know Romance Publishing
• Release date: Dec 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005825355

Book preview

What The Duke Wants

A Steamy Suspenseful Regency Romance Story

By Emily Ward

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2020 Emily Ward

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 in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All pictures are held by commercial license and may not be duplicated by anyone without express permission.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. 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 it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Disclaimer/Acknowledgement/Miscellaneous

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. 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 it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 1:

Are you certain this is what you want to do? Lord Liam Francis cocked an eyebrow at the man he shared a billiard table with. Micah was known to make a few foolish calls. It was no secret, and why so many people invited Micah into their games. An easy hustle. Liam couldn’t help but smirk as he watched the man trying to figure out what shot to make. You’ve already lost quite a bit of money.

Micah closed his eyes for a brief moment. I can make the money back. The young man didn’t sound so sure.

Liam nodded, choosing to ignore how nervous his companion sounded. Make your move then. Billiards is your game after all. Liam kept his smirk. He was teasing the other man, ever so slightly. Maybe he

It is. It’s just an off night. Micah was blustering now, but he wasn’t doing a very good job at it.

Liam could tell that his victim didn’t believe that. The man knew that he had been outmatched, but was in a hole too deep to back out of now. A vague curiosity about how much money the man actually had access to crossed his mind, but he shook the thought out of his head, after all, it had been Micah’s choice to do this, and to keep going past what he could afford to lose. Liam decided to wait in silence, maybe a little bit of him felt sorry for the desperate man standing there. Going home with this kind of gambling debt to a lord didn’t end well for most people. A possible scandal was always frowned upon. And it wasn’t exactly a secret that Micah had some problems with gambling.

He watched the shot go wrong, missed as it skipped across the table. Liam forced the small twinge of guilt away from his mind as he lined up to finally win the game. After all, there wasn’t much to be done other than end it as quickly as possible at this point.

Micah sighed when it was all over then looked up. His face was drawn, lines of worry across it. I can beat you next time.

You don’t have the money to continue this. Liam shook his head. "Why don’t you pay me what you owe me and we can both move on with our lives.

Micah looked guilty. Liam couldn’t say he wasn’t expecting that. He knew the man didn’t have the kind of money he had just lost in these games of chance and skill. I’ll have to bring it to you.

How long is that going to be? The truth was that Liam couldn’t wait forever either; the establishment wanted a portion of every penny that he won by playing these games. It was the danger of having certain friends in these sorts of places. Which means if Liam let Micah leave without paying the money that he owed, Liam would be held responsible for that bill, and that wasn’t a thought he particularly relished.

It won’t be long. Micah made the promise, but he was clearly grasping.

Liam pursed his lips. You seem rather confident for a man that doesn’t have the money on him.

Micah looked down at the table. Just a minor setback. I’ve got the money to pay you, I simply need to go collect it. He didn’t look completely confident, but Liam was willing to play this role.

Another person walked up to them, looking over the table. A rather large brute of a man that looked anything other than someone from high society. It was very clear this man had been watching the match and looked down at Micah. You need to pay your debts.

Micah looked up and gulped. I can pay. I just don’t have it here. He was feeling for his money, but of course, it came up with much less than he owed. "I’ll have to go home and