Lady Cordelia Grace Alice Dorval is the eldest of six sisters. When their papa dies, the estate passes to a male cousin, naturally enough for the times, and the young ladies are provided with a sparse amount to get themselves properly married. THE DUKE’S FORBIDDEN ROMANCE kicks off the High Society Secrets series that will follow each sister. 

While he is bored by society events, Alexander Harrington, the sixth Duke of Westbridge, attends the masquerade in order to catch up with his confidantes and political informers. Sitting in the House of Lords isn’t a task anyone can take lightly, and he’s sure politics isn’t a suitable subject for the ears of ladies. But a masked young woman, in a pale deb’s gown, enters into spirited debate with him about the right of women to inherit and to make some decisions about their lives. He can’t resist giving her a kiss behind a potted plant. 

Before too long, women are spreading scandalous rumours about the pair, and trying to identify them. Alexander feels he’s better to offer a trial engagement to get talk to quieten down. His constant worry is the rash of failing banks, and he knows many lords have mortgaged their lands. Property loss doesn’t suit the nobility, but reforms have been too slow in coming and would now seem self- serving. What are the emotions of a chit compared to the nation? The current, widowed Duchess of Westbridge is slow to give approval of a swift engagement to a nobody. 

As it happens, we learn that Cordelia supports a cottage school on land her grandmother was gifted years ago for the purpose. As proposals to build a new railway line, close to the school, would see the land increase in value, machinations are under way. Someone called The Fox sent letters to her grandmother discussing this land, but there isn’t a title deed. 

This Regency tale stretches a few issues but remains just within possibility. Debutantes were not condoned at masked balls; those were for well-established people only, whose reputations would survive any licentious behaviour. Yet, chaperonage seems to have been scant for Cordelia, through cost issues, and maybe she could only attend a few balls or didn’t get many invitations. She’s twenty, so not a child, but not yet of majority age. I also feel there are too many discussions which repeat the same facts and concepts. The author may be showing how economic issues affected people widely, but for the reader it gets repetitive. 

This is a clean romance, in which most of the principal characters have the best of intentions, but find major issues to overcome. Seeing Cordelia and her prosperous little village school is an excellent contrast to society drawing rooms, and shows how young women began to gain and promote education.

Wendy May Andrews has written several Regency romances, and THE DUKE’S FORBIDDEN ROMANCE gets her new series off to an interesting start. The letters are supposed to form a running thread, but I would be quite happy just to follow each sister.