A MOST UNLIKELY DUKE
Diamonds in the Rough #1
Sophie Barnes
Releasing June 27, 2017
Avon Books
After her
sister’s scandalous match, Lady Gabriella knows the ton’s eyes are on her. Agreeing
to tutor the brutish new duke can only lead to ruin. Although she tries to
control her irresistible attraction to Raphe, every day she spends with him
only deepens her realization that this may be the one man she cannot do
without. And as scandal threatens to envelope them both, she must decide if she
can risk everything for love with a most unlikely duke.
It was past
eleven o’clock in the evening by the time
Raphe
returned home, his knuckles tender and his body still sore from the fight. Glad
to get out of the cold, he closed the door on the rain that now poured from a
thunderous sky, shrugged out of his coat and hung it on a hook behind the door
just as his sister Amelia entered from an adjoining room that served as a small
parlor.
“Good
evenin’.” She yawned, leaning against the door frame. Squinting through the
darkness, Raphe echoed her salutation. “I thought ye would be asleep by now.”
Stepping
past her, he entered their tiny kitchen and snatched up the tinder box.
“I was,”
Amelia said, following him into the chilly room. A threadbare shawl was draped
across her shoulders, and as she pulled it tighter with pale and trembling
fingers, Raphe felt his heart lurch. This wasn’t right. His sister did not
deserve to live like this. None of them did. Pushing aside such fruitless
ponderings, he found a candle, struck a flint and held it to the wick until a
flame began to bloom, driving the darkness toward the walls where it struggled
against the light.
“If it
makes any difference, Juliette’s safely tucked into bed.” Amelia said,
referring to their younger sister, whose weaker disposition was a constant
cause for unease. When Raphe lifted the lid of a nearby pot and peered inside,
Amelia added, “I made soup for dinner.”
“Smells
delicious,” he dutifully told her.
“We both
know ‘ow untrue that is, bu’ I appreciate yer optimism.”
Meeting her
gaze, Raphe made a deliberate effort to smile. “Per’aps I can manage some meat
for us tomorrow.” It would certainly be a welcome change from the potatoes and
turnips they’d been eating for what seemed like forever. Christ, he was so
tired of having a sore belly all the time, and his sisters . . . they never
complained, but he knew they needed better nourishment than what they were
getting.
“That’d be
nice,” Amelia said. Her tone, however, suggested that she doubted his ability
to manage such a feat. Bothered by her lack of faith in him, he grabbed a chunk
of bread and tore off a large piece. “A chicken ought to be possible. If we
make it last a few days.”
Amelia
simply nodded. Grabbing a cup, she filled it with water and placed it before
him. “I miss the smell of a bustlin’ kitchen.”
The comment
threw him for a second. “Wha’?”
“Meat
roastin’ on the fire, bread bakin’ in the oven.” She shook her head wistfully.
“It’s funny. I
can’t
picture Mama, but I remember Cook—plump cheeks an’ a kind smile. I remember
bein’ ‘appy in the kitchen back ‘ome.”
The
sentimental thought made Raphe weary. He didn’t bother to point out that she’d
only been seven when they’d lost their parents and there’d been nothing left
for Raphe to do but turn his back on the house in which they’d spent the early
years of their childhoods and walk away, taking his siblings with him. He’d
been no more than eight years old and with a mighty burden weighing on his
shoulders. “I know this isn’t the sor’ of life that any of us ever imagined.”
Feeling his
temper begin to rise at the memory of what their parents had done to them all,
he added, “Hopefully, in time, things’ll get better.”
“I’m sure
ye’re right.” Could she possibly sound any more unconvinced?
He ate a
spoonful of soup, the bland flavor just a touch better than plain hot water.
Amelia took a step forward. “The reason I didn’t retire with Juliette earlier
is ’cause of this letter.” She waved a piece of paper in his direction. “It
arrived for ye today while ye were out.”
Frowning,
Raphe stared at her. “Do ye know who sent it?” He couldn’t even recall the last
time he’d received a letter. Nobody ever wrote to him or his sisters.
“The
sender’s name’s smudged. So’s the address. It’s a miracle it arrived here at
all.” Handing the letter to Raphe, she watched as he turned it over and studied
the penmanship. Sure enough, the only legible part of the address, which even
appeared to have been altered once or twice, was his name: Mister Raphael
Matthews.
Born in
Denmark, Sophie Barnes spent her youth traveling with her
parents to wonderful places all around the world. She's lived in five different
countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French,
Spanish, and Romanian. But, most impressive of all, she's been married to the
same man three times—in three different countries and in three different
dresses.
When
she's not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time
with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and,
of course, reading.
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