Duke's Midnight Bargain

Widowed and wealthy, Olivia Lyden finds herself pursued by fortune hunters eager to claim her jointure. With unwanted callers growing bolder by the day, she turns to the one man she trusts—the Duke of Strathaven, who once sought her hand before her parents chose a more suitable match.Darius offers a daring solution: a temporary arrangement that will keep opportunistic suitors at bay and restore Olivia's peace. What begins as a simple bargain soon becomes a quiet companionship of late‑night chess, shared conversations, and public appearances that look far more like courtship than pretense.But when a single reckless rumor threatens Olivia's reputation, their sensible agreement takes an unexpected turn. In a world ruled by gossip and consequence, two practical hearts must decide whether their midnight bargain was merely protection…or the beginning of something far deeper.A sweet, elegant Regency novella about second beginnings, mutual respect, and the quiet courage of choosing one another.