The Desire of a Duchess by Kathleen Ayers

An unexpected encounter leads to a passionate affair... Beatrice Howard, the widowed Duchess of Castlemare was once considered the jewel of London. Lauded and sought after for her beauty, decorum, and pedigree, Beatrice was also despised for her malicious and petty nature. After a tragic accident sends her fleeing to the remote village of Chiddon, Beatrice now hides from the society she once lorded over. Chiddon not only provides sanctuary from prying eyes, but also atonement for the terrible pain she’s caused others, especially Andromeda Barrington. Her life is peaceful. Content. Serene. Until Beatrice’s past suddenly interrupts her quiet existence in the form of the handsome and charming Lord Blythe. Ellis Aperton, Earl of Blythe has only recently returned from Rome after spending the last several years trying to become something other than an earl known more for his physical beauty and charm than anything else. It seems his only purpose is to marry well and produce an heir. A trifling existence. Driven to the country by the matchmaking of his mother, he finds himself in the remote village of Chiddon. A place of few amusements. A tavern. Scenic landscape. Blythe is bored senseless until he rescues a rider about to fall off her horse. The Duchess of Castlemare is less than pleased with his rescue. Blythe wishes he’d let the horse run off her. Thrown together in Chiddon, mutual discord blooms into an undeniable attraction neither of Beatrice nor Blythe can resist. Their affair is fierce. Passionate. Doomed. Blythe must return to London Beatrice refuses to even entertain the thought. But the past cannot stay buried forever, not even in Chiddon. Will Beatrice finally face society once more? Or risk losing Blythe forever?