A Scot in the Dark

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WE HAVE IT on excellent authority that the oddsmakers on St. James’s are wagering that a certain duke has returned to London to remind his not-so-young ward that her gossip is not his gain. In the brisk spring air, the Duke of Warnick dons the mantle of matchmaker for Miss Lillian Hargrove, now known as MISS MUSE to those who have heard of (or, better, seen!) the promiscuous painting that has scandalized Society and summoned the SCOTTISH SCOUNDREL south! Excitement is expected with the arrival of the Highland Devil (and Halfhearted Duke). All that can be assured is that spring will bring more tartan to town . . . and ton.

MORE TO COME.

Prologue

DUCAL DEVASTATION!

ONE DOZEN DAYS OF DARKNESS AND DEMISE

March 1829

Bernard Settlesworth, Esquire, believed that name was destiny.

Indeed, as the third in a familial line of solicitors to the aristocracy, it was difficult not to believe such a thing. Bernard took immense pride in his work, which he performed with precision on nearly every day of the year. After all, he would tell himself, the British aristocracy was built on the hard work of men such as he. Without the Bernard Settlesworths of the world expertly calculating ledgers and deftly managing enormous estates, the House of Lords would crumble, leaving nothing but the dust of ancient lines and fortunes.

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