Book Title: HER TIME TRAVELING DUKE
Character Name: Henry Leighton-Lyons, the Duke of Beresford
Interviewer: How would you describe your family or your childhood?
Henry: I was born in 1782 in the grand estate of Everly Park in Oxfordshire, England. My mother died in childbirth, my two sisters were much older than me, and my father was a proper duke. I was raised to be the same, although I preferred science to society.
Interviewer: What was your greatest talent?
Henry: Scientific learning, and astronomy in particular. I have always possessed a superior intellect…although I still cannot fathom what I am doing in the 21st century, in a former British colony! My new friend Rose claims that she conjured me here, which is hardly a rational explanation.
Interviewer: Do you have a significant other?
Henry: A significant other what?
Interviewer: Someone you’re married to, or uh, courting?
Henry: Ah. My beloved wife died after only two years of marriage. I have never felt the slightest attraction toward any other woman. You might guess that I have developed feelings for Rose, for she possesses a kind heart, an appealing lightness of spirit, a disarming frankness, and a plump and luscious figure… (clears throat) But truly, we are friends and nothing more.
Interviewer: What are your biggest challenge in relationships?
Henry: Though many ladies wished to be the next Duchess of Beresford, I doubt very much that many would be content with my dedication to my studies or my bluntness of speech.
Interviewer: Where do you live?
Henry: (sighs) Currently, I reside with Rose in her small living quarters. Upon my honor, I would never have agreed to such a shocking arrangement, had she not assured me she would not be cast out of society.
Interviewer: Yeah, that’s not much of a scandal.
Henry: (shaking head) I am glad to hear you confirm it, but I still find it extraordinary.
Interviewer: Okay. How do you feel about Chicago, and this century? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
Henry: So much here is unfamiliar, I scarcely know where to begin. One cannot even see the stars in the night sky. But this city has a larger library than I could’ve ever imagined. Any common person in the town can borrow them, for free. And even common people eat pineapple! Have you ever tasted pineapple?
Interviewer: Um, yeah.
Henry: It is delicious. But as for repellent—have you heard of a liquor brewed here, called Malört?
Interviewer: You don’t like it?
Henry: There are truly no words to describe how disgusting it is. (shrugs) It is a Chicago tradition.
Interviewer: Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Henry: Neither. I am fond of dogs. Rose is caring for her friend’s dog, Andy, whose life I saved on my first night here. He is an agreeable rascal, if not very wise.
Interviewer: Do you have any enemies?
Henry: I may have made one, to my regret. I will say that he was being insufferable.
Interviewer: Would you care to elaborate?
Henry: No.
Interviewer: What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
Henry: In my own time, I took boxing lessons as a distraction.
Interviewer: Oh, wow. Are you good at boxing?
Henry: I was not surprised to learn that I possessed no natural talent. But anyone can become accomplished at anything, with enough practice.
Interviewer: Is doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, though.
Henry: I must admit that being here, and shopping with Rose, and dining with her, and attending an art exhibition with her…it has brought me a great deal of pleasure. I might almost say that I feel alive again.
Interviewer: What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
Henry: (sighs) For years, I tried and failed to discover the secret to turn back time, and return to a year when my wife was still alive.
Interviewer: It’s kind of ironic that you were pulled into the future instead.
Henry: Precisely. Now I am focused on returning to the moment before I was whisked away.
Interviewer: Is that even possible?
Henry: Perhaps. Let’s just say that first, Rose and I must embark on a little adventure, which will require stealth and cunning.
Interviewer: Wait, what kind of shenanigans are we talking about here?
Henry: I have said too much.
Interviewer: If you do get back to your own time and place, will you miss Rose?
Henry: I must think about that. If she had lived in my time…but it is no matter. She belongs to this era, and I belong to mine.
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Magic meets science and sunshine meets grumpy when a love spell whisks a Regency-era duke to modern times.
Rose Novak, a free-spirited museum employee who dabbles in magic, has had her share of disappointments. So when she tries a little spell for a romance with an “old-fashioned gentleman,” she doesn’t really expect it to work…especially literally. And yet, the duke from a painting she admired at the museum is now standing in her apartment, demanding to know who abducted him.
A man of science and truth, Henry Leighton-Lyons, the Duke of Beresford, has searched tirelessly for a way to turn back time and be with his late wife again. Instead, just as he’s about to pose for his portrait, he’s ripped centuries forward by a feckless, scantily dressed—and utterly bewitching—woman who believes in nonsense like crystals and astrology.
Unable to immediately reverse her spell, Rose vows to help Henry return to his own century, even though disguises and high jinks are required to get their hands on an enchanted astrolabe and master the art of time travel. But it’s hard not to fall for the irritable yet honorable duke.
Little does she know that he’s starting to wonder: did a reckless love spell get it right, after all?
Romance Time Travel | Romance Paranormal [ Berkley, On Sale: December 9, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593816615 / eISBN: 9780593816622 ]
Bryn Donovan is the author of several romance novels, including Sunrise Cabin, a Publishers Weekly bestseller. She’s also written nonfiction books and the story treatments for two Hallmark Channel movies. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s, Writer’s Digest, and many literary journals. A former executive editor in publishing, she earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. She’s a voracious reader, a rescue dog lover, and a hopeless romantic who lives in the Chicago area and blogs about writing and positivity.
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