Unlocking the Secrets of a Duke’s Heart: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Novel Read online

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  Copyright © 2021 by Abby Ayles

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Get Abby’s Exclusive Material

  Table of Contents

  Unlocking the Secrets of a Duke’s Heart

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  The Extended Epilogue

  A Christmas Worth Remembering-Preview

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  A Message from Abby

  About Starfall Publications

  About Abby Ayles

  Also by Abby Ayles

  Unlocking the Secrets of a Duke’s Heart

  Prologue

  The boy had spent every moment looking over the side of the ship and into the depths of the waters below.

  He was a big boy now, a man, even. He was big enough to go on this journey with his uncle. He was seeing the world. He was getting the chance to look out at creation and enjoy all that was before him.

  It was a great adventure, with the sky above marred only by the sails, which acted as a reminder that this was quite an impressive, magnificent journey.

  He had been journeying for weeks now, and had almost reached the New World, where he and his uncle would spend some time before returning to England. It was going to be a great time; he was sure of it. After all, adventures were the key to any young boy’s heart, were they not? At least, that was what his mother always said.

  His uncle had promised him that he was going to see amazing new places. They would have a splendid time! He could only imagine what it was going to be like. He could only imagine everything awaiting him.

  The boy watched as land came into view, growing larger and larger, along with his own excitement. He was really going to see it all! He would get to experience the adventures he had been promised.

  “Well, it looks as though we will be arriving soon enough,” his uncle said, a grin spreading across his face.

  An hour of watching the land draw near went by in only the briefest moment. As they disembarked from the ship that had been their home for weeks, the boy could hardly contain his joy.

  Urged forward by his uncle, he took his first steps on the land of the New World and felt a great, sweeping feeling of pride run through him. Not one of his playmates had ever traveled outside of England. Then again, most of them were a mere five years of age, so they would have time to go somewhere when they were bigger and older. They were not like him, getting to experience so much at his age.

  “Ah, there they are,” the boy’s uncle said.

  The boy saw a man and woman rushing up to them, appearing very eager and excited.

  “Good afternoon! We are so happy that you have arrived. I trust that it was a pleasant journey?” the woman asked.

  “Oh, it was amazing! You can’t imagine what it is like to be at sea. It was the greatest thing in all the world!” the boy said.

  The woman cheerfully laughed, and the man appeared delighted, too. He returned her smile with a grin of his own, looking up at his uncle and then back at the two strangers who had come to meet them.

  He could see that they were rather nice people.

  His uncle handed the man a piece of paper, folded neatly.

  “In this letter, I have disclosed everything you need to know. As well as some rules…,” he said.

  The boy looked on inquiringly, as the paper was handed over. He did not know what sort of rules were being given, but he was glad that these two grown-ups also had to live by rules. It was not fair when only children had to do that.

  Unless, of course, those rules were meant for him. But he didn’t think there was any reason his uncle would be handing those over.

  Curiously, his uncle shook both the man’s and the woman’s hands, nodding as though settling some agreement. The boy did not know what kind of agreement it was, but he could see that it was very important.

  “Thank you both,” his uncle said, before turning to the boy and giving him a sharp nod.

  With that, his uncle turned to walk back towards the ship.

  “Uncle?” the boy called. But his uncle did not turn.

  The woman took his hand and held onto it firmly.

  The boy suddenly felt fear course through his veins, as though something was very wrong, and he was completely alone.

  “No! Wait, Uncle!” he cried out.

  The boy began to sob as his uncle left without a backward glance. He cried out in despair, not knowing what was happening.

  The woman wrapped an arm around his waist before he could go running after his only living relative, the only person he had left in the world to look after him.

  But now, he was left with two strangers, as though he was merely a stray animal, a creature without a soul to care for him, without anyone at all to care.

  He let out a deep moan, unable to stop himself as the sounds of mourning came from him.

  “Shhh,” the woman said, as if to comfort him.

  But there was no comfort. A hard, cruel coldness began to creep through the boy’s veins, as though everything he had ever known was now lost to him.

  The boy would not be moved, although the woman tried to pull him away, holding tightly to his hand.

  “There’s nothing for it,” she said to the man.

  “He won’t leave on his own accord until that ship is halfway out to sea again,” the man replied.

  Finally, the boy felt the man’s arms scooping him up.

  He screamed and fought with all his might, but he was overpowered. There was no chance that he would be able to get the man to put him down, to let him go, to give him the freedom to run back onto the ship and be with his uncle again.

  It had to be a
mistake. His uncle would not do this to him. It had to be a mistake.

  But the man carried him from the dock, and soon the boy could see the water no longer.

  His uncle was lost to him.

  Chapter 1

  Amelia Shenton was relaxing in the parlor, enjoying the sun’s rays slanting through the window. She heard a shuffle, and her grandmother, Beatrice, entered the room with a flourish.

  “Oh, good! Your brother will be arriving from Scotland tomorrow,” she said, her light green eyes gazing upon a letter in her hands that seemed to sway with each of her own motions.

  Amelia tried to hide the amusement that was reflected in eyes the same color as her grandmother’s. Only Beatrice was capable of turning the simple act of reading a letter into a form of dance.

  “That is wonderful, Grandmama!” Amelia exclaimed, with genuine excitement. She had not seen her brother in several months, and she missed him terribly. It had been difficult to be separated from him for so long. He was truly a friend, in addition to being a brother.

  And yet, Amelia understood the importance of his time away. Her poor, dear brother needed to grieve. He had been through so much and had barely been hanging on by the time he had previously returned to England. She hoped this visit to Scotland would be a breath of fresh air and open the doors to his heart being healed.

  However, she had also enjoyed this time with her grandmother. Just the two of them. It had been such an unexpectedly pleasant surprise, although she had always enjoyed living with Beatrice.

  Without the seriousness and the tension that had existed between Jacob and their father, there had been nothing but games, and walks, and enjoyment. Her grandmother’s wit and humor, all of it was just delightful, and Amelia imagined that anyone would envy her the opportunity to spend time with a woman like Beatrice Shenton.

  “You ought to wear something nice. And we shall have to contrive something to do with that hair of yours. Oh, it is so long now. I wonder if we ought to trim it a little,” her grandmother said.

  Amelia reacted defensively, tugging at the length of her black hair, and holding it close. It was one of the few things that gave her an intense pride, and she had no intention of having it hacked away to a more manageable length.

  “Oh, stop it. I shall not chop it off, even if I think it could do with a fair bit of shortening,” Beatrice said.

  “You have no taste at all, Grandmama,” Amelia said, shaking her head.

  “And you must concentrate on making yourself presentable for the return of your brother. The rest you must forget about for now. He must be the priority for the time being,” Beatrice said.

  Amelia nodded in agreement. Jacob would need a good deal of special care from both of them. He would need to be treated delicately until his heart was able to heal.

  “I have already instructed Miss Hanover to prepare everything. If we are lucky, this time he will actually stay put once he arrives,” Beatrice said, a flair still in her every movement.

  “I am sure that he will stay this time,” Amelia said. “Where else can he go? He has already been everywhere.” Deep down, she hoped that he would stay. Although she spoke as though there were no chance of him leaving, she really could not be sure.

  “Oh, you know what young men are like,” Beatrice said. “Always searching for something else to entertain them.”

  “I suppose,” Amelia replied.

  “At any rate, he cares for you, and I expect he misses you as much as you miss him. Your brother deserves to have time with you, and you with him.”

  “We shall,” Amelia said. “I am certain of it. He was so upset over that woman, and I do not think that he even truly considered the fact that he could have done far better than her to begin with.”

  She had always tried not to judge her brother for his choice, but it had bothered her that he had decided to marry someone so far away from England, someone who would have taken him even further from them than he already was.

  Still, she could not have told him of her disapproval. Not only had she wanted to appear supportive of his happiness, but she knew her opinion would hardly have mattered anyway.

  The fact that they had not married had been something of a relief, and yet Amelia was still not entirely sure how she could tell her brother that when he was grieving so deeply.

  Hopefully, she would not have to. Hopefully, the subject would not even arise.

  “Well, at any rate, I am looking forward to your brother’s arrival. I cannot wait for him to return and ward off all those boys out there who are wanting to marry you purely for the sake of our fortune,” Beatrice said with a grimace.

  Amelia laughed.

  “Oh, I should like that very much,” she replied.

  “And dare I say, if you do not soon marry, I believe that you shall wither like the pages of a book. Like that one,” Beatrice said, pointing to the rather aged book that rested beside Amelia.

  But Amelia shook her head and sighed.

  “Oh, Grandmama, you know that I am not interested in all that. Not now, at least,” she said, meaning the words sincerely.

  “Oh? Not a single man on the list has managed to capture your interest?” Beatrice asked, although Amelia was quite certain that she knew the answer well enough.

  “Not a one, Grandmama,” she replied.

  “If I were a little younger, I would gladly shorten your list by one,” her grandmother said, sighing dramatically.

  “Grandmama! Good heavens,” Amelia exclaimed with a chuckle.

  She was delighted that her grandmother could always draw such emotions from her, always amuse her with such teasing. At times, it felt as though her grandmother were a younger sister of sorts.

  Although she would have been delighted to have her mother, Amelia recognized the sacrifices that her grandmother had made in raising her and taking care of her. She was deeply fortunate and made every effort to appreciate her grandmother, and not take her for granted.

  Still, she often found herself in the greatest deal of mischief, thanks to Beatrice.

  But Jacob would be coming the following day! She would don a beautiful gown to greet her brother, make every effort to help him feel at home and forget about that dreadful woman from the New World who had broken his heart.

  Beyond that, Amelia could only imagine what might come next. She hoped that everything would settle down for her brother, and that he would find a good English lady who would make him happy.

  Perhaps, then, he would stay in place and not be so determined with his adventuring and nonsensical demands to explore the world.

  "Anyway, I simply wished to remind you to prepare yourself," her grandmother said.

  "Certainly, Grandmama," she replied.

  “And I ought also to warn you that he, too, is planning to help us in our quest to have you married off. I have already written to him and instructed him to be prepared to help you find the best match," Beatrice said.

  Amelia could not hide her displeasure, but she knew that there was no point in fighting her grandmother about it. This was one area in which they would never agree.

  Beatrice was rather desperate to see Amelia married. Everyone was. No matter how young she was, no matter how many suitors had been badgering her for attention, she could not convince her family to simply be patient and wait.

  She looked around the room at everything her family had. The beautiful manor that held many rooms like this one, complete with the fireplace, and the mantle, and the most elegant settee.

  Yes, they were fortunate. No wonder she had men surrounding her. There was no reason to fear the possibility of being alone.

  “What is it? What are you thinking?" her grandmother asked.

  Amelia sighed, and scrunched up her face.

  "I know you all mean well, but I simply cannot bear the thought of marrying a man just for the sake of being married," she said.

  "I did not say you had to marry for the sake of marriage. But that does not mean I cannot urge you to find
the right match," Beatrice said.

  “Yes, well, the right match will come in time, Grandmama. But for now, I just want to live my life in peace. I am certain that I shall not be alone forever," Amelia said, grudgingly.

  She told herself often that she wanted to wait before getting married, this was simply not the right time. The reality, she could hardly confess, was that she did not think there would ever be a right time. Marriage was simply not something she desired the way other young women did.

  Thinking that there was nothing at all wrong with that, Amelia had pushed to be left alone on the issue. But she had not been so fortunate. She would never escape what her family wanted for her.

  "I know you do not think you will, but your beauty will only last for so long and eventually the offers will fade," Beatrice said.

  "If they fade, they fade," she replied with a shrug.