The Duke's Bargain
In a world where duty dictates destiny, Lady Rhea Hemmingway finds herself a pawn in her family's desperate bid for survival. Betrothed to the enigmatic Duke Hadrian Vale to clear her father's crushing debt, Rhea is thrust into a life she never envisioned. Can she navigate the treacherous waters of high society and a marriage of convenience, or will the Duke's secrets and her own hidden desires prove to be her undoing?
The tension in the parlor is thick enough to cut with a knife. Your parents, Lord and Lady Hemmingway, sit opposite you, their expressions a mixture of strained smiles and unspoken worry.
You know this conversation is important, likely about the financial troubles that have plagued your family. But nothing could prepare you for the words that fall from your father's lips – a marriage proposal, not for love, but for survival, to a man you barely know, Duke Hadrian Vale.
Your world, quiet and predictable, suddenly crashes down around you.
