From LOVE, THE DUKE by Amelia Grey. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Chapter 1
MAN’S PRACTICAL GUIDE TO APPREHENDING A THIEF
SIR BENTLY ASHTON ULLINGSWICK
Never refuse sincere help.
Following two cold and dreary days of an interminable carriage ride, all Drake Cheston Kingsley, Duke of Hurstbourne, wanted was to sit by a blazing fire with a brandy to take the chill off his bones. He always looked forward to a stay at the private hunting club with his two friends. Though he seldom spent time with them anymore.
Fortunately, for them, he thought as he took in the other two dukes sitting with him in front of the fire, each swore he’d found the love of his life and they were usually reluctant to be away from home for more than a few days. Hurst understood. Somewhat.
He didn’t begrudge them their happiness, but he, still a bachelor, missed the days when pleasure was wilder and more plentiful. Marriage had reined in those carefree days, given the men’s responsibilities both as dukes and as husbands. Rick and Wyatt now seemed to talk more about what it had been like to settle down. Regardless, he was looking forward to their time together.
However, this night, a disturbance to his much-anticipated week began before he’d taken his second sip of brandy.
The butler of the establishment approached the trio saying a messenger had arrived and would speak to no one other than Hurst. Strange since he didn’t know a soul who lived anywhere near the club. Curiosity caused Hurst to give a brief nod for the butler to show the man into the richly paneled drawing room of the lodge.
“We haven’t been here long enough for our boots to warm,” Rick complained, not trying to hide his annoyance at the interruption.
“True, but I am interested in whatever missive the courier has for me.”
“Perhaps we could have finished our first drink before you agreed to see the man,” Rick scoffed before taking a sip of his brandy.
Wyatt lifted his glass in salute to the grudging comment.
They were all fatigued from traveling the entire way in bad weather, so Hurst ignored his friends’ quarrelsome remarks as he caught sight of a young, clean-shaven man walking toward the trio clutching a leather packet to his chest as if he guarded the king’s crown.
“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, may I approach?” His question ended with an audible gulp. “I have a letter and was told to give it to no one but the Duke of Hurstbourne.”
Shaking off his road weariness and irritation at the intrusion, Hurst placed his drink on the table by his chair, rose, and stood with his back to the crackling fire. “How the devil did you find me?”
“It wasn’t easy, Your Grace.”
“I would hope not.” The reason for choosing such an exclusive place to hunt, and paying handsomely for it, was to make sure no other guests would be allowed for the week. The dukes didn’t want to be bothered by anyone seeking their attention.
Wary, the messenger seemed to consider his next words carefully before saying, “I offer apologies, Your Grace. I expended great effort to catch up to your carriage before you arrived but failed.”
“When a man is on a hunt, he isn’t usually the one being hunted,” Rick mumbled.
Wyatt smiled into his brandy.
“Your butler reluctantly agreed to tell me your destination when I insisted what I had was urgent.”
Hurst motioned for the man to come closer. “Give it here then.”
After fumbling with the leather strips binding the closed packet, the young man finally produced a letter in his trembling hand. “I-I was told to wait for your reply and return with it immediately.”
Hurst’s curiosity increased along with a sudden sting of tension. A quick glance assured him the seal wasn’t one he recognized, so it couldn’t be from anyone in his family, his solicitors, or managers. What could be the reason for such haste to find him? He broke the wax but didn’t unfold the letter when he noticed the courier continued to stand stiff-necked before him.
“Wait over there.” Hurst nodded toward the door.
“Yes, Your Grace.” He tucked the folder under his arm again, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a quill, a jar of ink, and several sheets of folded foolscap. Keeping his gaze on Hurst as if he expected to be stopped at any second from continuing, he slowly bent and placed the writing implements on the small table beside Hurst’s glass.
Hurst stared at the man in disbelief. Glancing at his friends, he saw they also appeared astounded by how prepared the courier was.
Clearing his throat, the man explained, “When I was told your destination, I knew I needed to be ready in case you were in a field or forest when I caught up to you. I wanted to make sure you would be able to respond.”
He certainly did. Perhaps whatever was written in the letter was more urgent than Hurst first assumed. The man walked over to the door and Hurst retook his seat between his friends.
“After all that,” Wyatt remarked, “you must read the message aloud.”
“What are you saying?” Hurst huffed a laugh. “Are you telling me to read my personal correspondence to you before I peruse it myself?”
“You must,” Rick added to Wyatt’s bold statement, and pointedly looked at the quill and ink while stifling a grin. “If you don’t, the suspense of it will finish us off. The chap followed you for two days in a sleeting storm to deliver that. By the looks of him you would think someone had fetched him from the Thames.”
In truth, Hurst had few, if any, secrets from his two broad-shouldered friends who wore their privilege as well as they wore their clothing, which was damned well. He’d known them since their last year at Eton. All three were restless and reckless, but only Hurst had already learned to manage and harness both impulses. He’d had to. Over the years he’d kept the two from attempting one daring and risky escapade after the other. Until their marriages, of course. That had finally settled them down.
Wyatt and Rick were shrewd enough to know they needed a sensible friend. And Hurst was. Most of the time. He’d had to be sensible when he was growing up. His father never was. But, with his father long passed, Hurst did his best not to think about those days anymore.
Hurst rolled his shoulders to ease stiffness from the carriage ride and brushed his blond hair away from his forehead, a long-held habit he’d had no success breaking. Without guilt, he muttered a couple of oaths under his breath, opened the letter, and read aloud, “Dear Your Grace, we haven’t spoken in years, but I hope you will remember me.”
Hurst glanced down at the signature. His heartbeat thumped up a notch. Yes, he remembered Winston Stowe.
“Having been stricken with an illness that has left me weak and unable to fight off the fatigue of it, I feel my days growing shorter. I’ve had time to contemplate life. When you made the vow to help me in any way, I knew it was only an emotional promise given the moment I rescued your life. I’m not insisting you repay your debt, but only asking that you consider marrying my sister. Ophelia has a good heart and an even better soul. I know you could easily love her and be a good husband to her.
“I will always be thankful for our years of close friendship.
“With much respect and admiration, I am always gratefully yours,
“Winston Stowe.”
A stitch of concern tightened the back of Hurst’s neck as he stared at the page. Marry? That was an incredibly serious matter.
From LOVE, THE DUKE by Amelia Grey. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
Say I Do #3
Sincerely, The Duke is the final novel in the historical romance Say I Do trilogy about dukes needing to wed to tap into their wealth.
When the Duke of Hurstbourne receives a letter from his childhood friend asking him to marry his sister Ophelia, Hurst declines. He’s not adverse to taking a bride, but he believes in love at first sight that stirs his desire—not marriage sight-unseen.
Adhering to society’s strict propriety for ladies, Ophelia Stowe has no choice but to present herself as a man to seek the Duke of Hurstbourne’s favor. If not for the dire situation she finds herself in, she wouldn’t have asked for help from the handsome man who had rebuffed her. When the alluring duke’s response is a plan of his own, Ophelia never dreams it would be a proposal of a marriage of convenience.
But the stakes are high, and the good name of the Stowe family will be damaged if a missing antiquity isn’t found. When she accepts his offer, she quickly finds she isn’t immune to the passion building between her and her new husband—or how real the marriage begins to feel.
Romance Historical [St. Martin's Paperbacks, On Sale: April 1, 2025, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781250850454 / eISBN: 9781250850461]
Amelia Grey (aka Gloria Dale Skinner) grew up in a small town in the Florida Panhandle. She has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over twenty-five years. She has lived in Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire and now lives in Florida. Amelia has won the coveted Romantic Times award for Love and Laughter, the prestigious Maggie award for best historical and Affaire de Coeur's best American historical award. She has been a finalist for the Golden Heart and the Holt Medallion awards which are given by Romance Writers of America and numerous other awards. Her books have been sold to many countries in Europe, Russia and China. Amelia likes flowers, candlelight, sweet smiles, gentle laughter and sunshine.
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