Duke's Ruinous Bargain

Lady Cecily Arden has spent six years living beneath the stain of her father's disgrace.Society remembers the late Earl of Fenwick as the man who betrayed one of England's most powerful families. Cecily remembers a father who swore he was innocent—and a missing letter that may prove it.Unfortunately, that letter belongs to Benedict Harcourt, Duke of Calder.Cold, politically indispensable, and notoriously unforgiving, Benedict has no intention of allowing a Fenwick anywhere near his family's secrets. But when Cecily's reckless attempt to reach his private papers ignites a scandal, Benedict sees an opportunity of his own.A false engagement will protect her reputation, silence his political enemies, and buy him time to discover exactly what she knows.Cecily accepts for one reason only: access to the Calder archives.Neither expects their arrangement to survive honesty. Neither expects desire to become tenderness. And neither expects a secret from six years earlier to reveal that Cecily may have played a part in the very tragedy Benedict has never forgiven.Now their convenient engagement has become a very real marriage—and the truth Cecily came to uncover could destroy his name, his political power, and whatever fragile trust remains between them.A duke who believes control prevents loss. A lady who believes trust invites destruction. A marriage that will demand they surrender both beliefs—or lose each other completely.Perfect for readers who love marriage of convenience romance, fake engagements turned real, and slow-burn Regency love stories with real emotional stakes, buried family secrets, and a hard-earned happily ever after.