When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses, 4)

When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses, 4)

The Duchess of Cosway yearns for a man she has never met . . . her husband. Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous men in every European court while waiting to meet her husband. She's determined to accept him, no matter how unattractive the duke turns out to be. When she finally lures Simeon Jermyn back to London, his dark handsomeness puts Isidore's worst fears to rest—until disaster strikes. The duke demands an annulment. Forsaking his adventuresome past, Simeon has returned to London ready to embrace the life of a proper duke, only to find that his supposed wife is too ravishing, too headstrong, and too sensual to be the docile duchess he has in mind. But Isidore will not give up her claim to the title—or him—without a fight. She will do whatever it takes to capture Simeon's heart, even if it means sacrificing her virtue. After all, a consummated marriage cannot be annulled. Yet in forcing Simeon into a delicious surrender, will Isidore risk not only her dignity—but her heart? *Starred Review* Eleven years after their wedding by proxy, Lady Isidore, Duchess of Cosway, finally meets her husband, Simeon Jermyn, Duke of Cosway. Simeon had left England for a life of adventure and travel in the Middle East and India. Now he has returned and intends to “claim” his wife. Isidore had hoped for a genuine marriage, but Simeon is nothing like what she expected. Not only does her surprisingly sexy husband have the audacity to comment on her lack of domestic skills but he seems more than willing to give Isidore an annulment if she wishes to end their marriage. But Isidore isn’t about to give up on her dreams of a life together, and she is willing to fight anyone, including Simeon, to see them fulfilled. James puts a clever spin on a classic romantic plot in the latest scintillating installment in her superbly entertaining Georgian-era Desperate Duchesses series, once again beguiling readers with wonderfully original characters, wickedly witty writing, and lusciously sexy romance. --John Charles The Duchess of Cosway yearns for a man she has never met . . . her husband. Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous men in every European court while waiting to meet her husband. She's determined to accept him, no matter how unattractive the duke turns out to be. When she finally lures Simeon Jermyn back to London, his dark handsomeness puts Isidore's worst fears to rest—until disaster strikes. The duke demands an annulment. Forsaking his adventuresome past, Simeon has returned to London ready to embrace the life of a proper duke, only to find that his supposed wife is too ravishing, too headstrong, and too sensual to be the docile duchess he has in mind. But Isidore will not give up her claim to the title—or him—without a fight. She will do whatever it takes to capture Simeon's heart, even if it means sacrificing her virtue. After all, a consummated marriage cannot be annulled. Yet in forcing Simeon into a delicious surrender, will Isidore risk not only her dignity—but her heart? Eloisa James is a  USA Today  and  New York Times  bestselling author and professor of English literature, who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight. When the Duke Returns By Eloisa James HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2008 Eloisa James All right reserved. ISBN: 9780061245602 Chapter One Gore House, Kensington London Seat of the Duke of Beaumont February 21, 1784 "He's a virgin." "What!" "He's a virgin and—" "Your husband is a virgin?" "And he won't bed me." Jemma, Duchess of Beaumont, sank into a chair with a look of almost comical dismay on her face. "Darling, if there ever were grounds for annulment, these are they. Or this is it," she added with some confusion. "Is he some sort of monk?" Isidore shook her head. "Not that I'm able to see. He says he will bed me eventually—just not until we're married." "But you are married!" "Exactly. I may call myself Lady Del'Fino, but the truth of the matter is that in the eyes of the law, I'm Duchess of Cosway." Isidore dropped into a chair opposite her friend. "We've been married for eleven years, last I counted. And it's hardly my fault that my husband is still a virgin. If he hadn't been chasing all over Africa looking for the source of the Blue Nile, we could be utterly bored with each other, like other wellbred English couples." Jemma blinked at her. "It's unbelievable. Un-believable." "I spent the last seven years fending off lechers in every court in Europe, waiting for him to return home, and what does he do? Decide we're not truly married." "So why didn't he fall directly into your bed, virgin or no?" Isidore glanced at herself in Jemma's glass. Men had lusted for her ever since she turned sixteen, and the particulars hadn't