Blog Tour - Excerpt & Giveaway - No Ordinary Duke by Sophie Barnes
No Ordinary Duke
by Sophie Barnes
Publication Date: October 30, 2018
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
He’s everything she’s trying to avoid…But somehow precisely what she needs… Caleb Crawford doesn’t want to be a duke. He’d much rather build houses for a living. So when fate disrupts his peaceful life and burdens him with the responsibilities of a newly inherited title, he does what any sensible man would do by fleeing London, disguising himself as a laborer, and seeking refuge with three young spinsters who need his help with a leaky roof. Ruined by a marquess who promised her the world, Mary Clemens has sworn to avoid marriage forever. Instead, she intends to live out her days with her friends and the orphaned children they’ve taken into their care. But when Mr. Crawford comes knocking, Mary finds herself in real danger of risking heartbreak all over again. Especially when she discovers that he’s not at all what he seems.
Rain
gushed down the curved slope of the roof and pelted against the ground. Pulling
his hat down over his forehead, Caleb drew the collar of his greatcoat up to
protect the back of his neck and climbed the slick stone steps.
He
still owned a key and withdrew it now from his pocket to unlock the door. It
swung open and gave way to a dim interior. Entering the foyer, Caleb paused to
listen. All was silent. Not even the longcase clock ticked away the progression
of time.
Shivering,
Caleb nudged the door shut behind him. It closed with a resounding thud. Where
the devil was everyone?
He
sighed and muttered another oath. He didn't like the idea of having to hunt
down his family at one of the country estates. But even if they'd left town,
there ought to be servants about. His parents had never left a house completely
empty.
A
soft snick caught his ears, and then the sharp click of approaching footsteps
filled the air. The sound accompanied a man whom Caleb instantly recognized,
even though his features were far more drawn now than when he'd last seen him.
“Murdoch,”
he said, addressing the butler. “It has been a while.”
The
old man drew a sharp breath. The candelabra he carried displaced the darkness. “I
thought I heard something, so I came to investigate.” Moving closer, he peered
up at Caleb. Light from four guttering candles flickered across his face,
accentuating the creases there. “Is it really you, my lord?”
Caleb
drew his hat from his head and swiped back the wet strands of hair that clung
to his forehead. “Yes. I have returned.” He set his valise and satchel on the
floor and proceeded to take off his gloves. “Where are my parents?”
Murdoch
stared at him as if he could still not believe he was actually there. “Your
mother is upstairs in her rooms.” Breaking eye contact, he proceeded to help
Caleb off with his coat.
“And
my father, the duke?” When Murdoch failed to reply, Caleb knit his brow. “Is he
not at home?”
“No,
he is not.” The butler busied himself with hanging the coat and setting Caleb’s
hat and gloves aside. “But your mother will be pleased to see you, I’m sure.
Please, follow me.” He led the way up the stairs while Caleb followed behind,
his curiosity piqued by the servant’s unwillingness to supply him with details.
Perhaps his parents had quarreled during his absence and were now living apart?
They reached the top of the landing
and turned left toward the duchess’s apartment. Caleb knew the way well enough,
but was glad the butler would be there to announce his arrival. After all, he
doubted his mother would be as pleased to see him as Murdoch believed,
considering he’d left without saying farewell. But he’d been too angry to do so
at the time, and his decision to leave had been made in haste without
consideration for anything besides getting away.
Arriving in front of the door
leading into his mother’s sitting room, Murdoch paused to knock. A maid
answered seconds later, her eyes widening when she noticed Caleb.
“Please inform Her Grace that her
son, Lord Caleb, is here to see her,” Murdoch said.
The maid nodded and the door
closed, only to be opened again moments later by the duchess herself. “Thank
God you are here!” She stared up at him with shimmering eyes, and then, in the
next second, her arms were around him, and she was holding him to her as if he
offered necessary support.
Unaccustomed to such a display of
affection from his mother, Caleb hesitated briefly before wrapping his arms
around her as well. He hadn’t expected such a warm welcome and was slightly
thrown by the effect it was having on the resentment he’d harbored for the past
ten years.
Placing a kiss on his mother’s
cheek, he listened to her uneasy breaths until she was ready for him to release
her.
“Shall I have some tea sent up?”
Murdoch asked, reminding Caleb of his presence.
“Please do,” his mother said. She
opened the door to her sitting room wider and invited Caleb in. Unlike his
mother, whose youth had departed during his absence, the space looked
unchanged. “Come sit with me, Caleb. There is much for us to discuss.”
He wasn’t even sure where to begin.
This reunion wasn’t going at all the way he’d imagined it would. Since leaving
Paris five days earlier, he’d pictured himself storming into his father’s study
and shoving the evidence of his success under the man’s haughty nose. Now,
inhaling deeply, he approached the sofa and lowered himself to the vacant spot
beside his mother. There was so much to say. Too much, in a way.
Perhaps the best place to start was
with an apology. “I am sorry,” he told her and reached for her hand. “I should
have written to you, but the more time passed, the more difficult it became.”
“I know.”
He looked at her and was swiftly
accosted by guilt at the sight of her watery eyes. Christ, he’d been awful to
her. She hadn’t deserved it, but his pride had been wounded, and he’d only been
able to think of himself and of getting away from the life he’d come to
despise.
“At least I am not your only son,”
he murmured. She had three besides his older brother, George, the heir who’d
received all their father’s affection.
“You haven’t been in touch with
Griffin or Devlin?” she asked in reference to the brothers who’d been born only
minutes after himself. He shook his head. “They left shortly after you, for
similar reasons, I suspect. Now, after everything that has happened, I am
hoping they will return as well. I’ve sent out letters, but it will take time
for them to reach your brothers.” She met his gaze. Her brow puckered ever so
slightly. “I’m surprised you are already here since I had no idea of your
actual location. I suppose the agent I hired to find you was good at doing his
job.”
Unease traversed Caleb’s spine. He
tightened his hold on his mother’s hand. “No one came to find me, Mama. I
returned of my own accord.”
“But then…” She swallowed and
closed her eyes. Her lips trembled and it became suddenly clear to Caleb that
she was making a stoic effort to maintain her composure. “You do not know.” The
words were only a whisper.
“Know what?” he asked even though
he sensed he had no wish to hear whatever it was she would say in response.
“Your father is dead, Caleb. A fire
broke out at the Everly stables last week,” she said, referring to one of the
dukedom’s larger properties. “He and George went to inspect some repairs. They
were supposed to be gone only for a few short days but now…” A sob cut off her
words, and her free hand rose to smother the sound.
Caleb’s heart thudded against his
chest. “And George?” he asked, already dreading her answer.
“When your father didn’t come out,
George went in after him.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “They’re both gone,
Caleb. I buried them at St. George’s this morning.”
It was as if time slowed to a halt.
A distinct feeling of disappointment and deep regret trickled through him,
numbing his veins. Slumping back, he tried to make sense of it, to accept what
his mother told him as fact, only to find that he couldn’t.
The door opened after a quick
knock, and Murdoch returned carrying a tray. He placed it on the table,
exchanged a few words with the duchess, and departed once more. Caleb’s mother
withdrew her hand from Caleb’s and dabbed at her eyes. She then busied herself
with pouring tea while he watched with a strange sense of detachment.
He shook his head. “No. It cannot
be true.”
She sniffed and took a sip of her
tea. “You know what this means,” she said, as if he’d not spoken. She waited
for him to meet her gaze before saying, “You are the Duke of Camberly now.”
Caleb stared at her in dismay. “I
don’t want to be.” It was the first thing that came to mind. He liked his
uncomplicated life, free from all the responsibilities his father and older
brother had faced. He’d never envied either of them. But he had cursed the way
his father’s sense of duty and obligation had affected his life.
“Unfortunately, that hardly
matters. With your father and brother gone, the title falls to you.”
He instinctively shuddered and bit
back the comment that threatened. To say that he ought to have stayed away
would only cause his mother pain. She was happy to have him home and probably
quite relieved with the prospect of him taking over the day-to-day running of
things. And for her he would do it, or at least he would try.
He drew a deep breath and felt his
chest tighten. “Very well. But if I am going to do this, I will need something
stronger than tea. Please tell me you still keep a bottle of sherry in that
cabinet over there.”
Her wobbly smile tilted as if
trying to find its balance. “Yes. I dare say I could do with a glass myself.”
Raising her hand to his lips, Caleb
pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles before going in search of their
fortification. He was conscious of his heart beating a dull tattoo, like a
drummer marching him off to the gallows. Recalling the satchel he’d left
downstairs, he closed his eyes briefly and muttered a curse. Everything he’d
worked for these past ten years had been for nothing. His father would never
know of his success. How ironic that the son he’d named his greatest
disappointment would now be continuing his legacy.
About Sophie Barnes
Born in Denmark, Sophie has spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor’s degree from Parson’s School of design, but most impressive of all – she’s been married to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three different dresses. While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion – writing. When she’s not busy, dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family. She currently lives on the East Coast.
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