Diana Adores the Puzzled Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Read online

  Diana Adores the Puzzled Duke

  A Regency Romance

  Hanna Hamilton

  Edited by Maggie Berry

  C opyright © 2017 by Hanna Hamilton

  All rights reserved .

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review .

  Contents

  A Thank You Gift

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Annabelle Enchants the Rejected Earl

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Also by Hanna Hamilton

  About the Author

  A Thank You Gift

  T hanks a lot for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me, because this is the best way to show me your love .

  As a Thank You gift I have written a full length novel for you called A True Lady . It’s only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get your free copy by tapping this link here .

  Once more, thanks a lot for your love and support .

  Hanna Hamilton

  About the Book

  R obert, the young and handsome Earl of Donnelly, has a great passion for writing novels but as part of the nobility, it is socially impossible for him to openly publish fiction in his own name .

  After much searching, he finds the young Diana Browning, a charming and well-established romance writer, who agrees to publish the book under her name .

  As Diana and Robert begin to work together, they find they are becoming increasingly attracted to each other. But Diana is engaged and unavailable .

  However, circumstances contrive to bring many surprises, and nothing comes out as anyone quite expected .

  Chapter 1

  R obert Donnelly, the thirty-year-old Earl of Donnelly, was seated at his desk staring out his library window across the splendid parkland of his estate. It was a blustery early March day, and there were small whitecaps on the lake embraced by walls of maple and beech forest on either side .

  It is good. It is really good . Robert thought as he put his hand on The Adventures of Hudson Harding, his first work of fiction which he had just finished writing .

  He let out a sigh of satisfaction and stood, walked over to the French doors leading out to the terrace, and watched the scuttling clouds cast fleeting shadows across the broad expanse of lawn and garden leading up to the lake .

  Robert was a tall broad-shouldered man who one might mistake for a laborer with his wide chest and sturdy legs. But his face was refined and noble looking with his surprisingly handsome blue eyes and black, well-groomed hair. He dressed like the gentleman he was, and many in the county of Cambridgeshire were surprised he remained unmarried at his age with so many eligible young aristocratic maidens paraded before him by his older sister, Amelia, who lived with him at Balfour Hall —the family seat .

  And while his sister was insistent on the need for a Donnelly male child, today Robert’s thoughts were on his first literary child. Any moment now he expected the arrival of his dear friend, Sir Cecil Hancock—perhaps the most renowned London publisher of quality fiction .

  The estate’s wealth came from London income properties long held by the Earls of Donnelly. And Robert decided to review the statements from his agents in London who managed the properties while he awaited Sir Cecil’s arrival .

  Shortly thereafter, there was a knock at the library door and Sithens, the Balfour Hall butler, entered .

  “Your Lordship, Sir Cecil Hancock has just arrived and begs to be admitted .”

  “Show him in, please,” Robert replied .

  Sir Cecil was a man in his early sixties—red faced, balding, and looked as though he might be suffering from gout by the way he walked unsteadily and supported himself with a cane .

  “Robert…” Sir Cecil, said breezily as he hobbled across the room and took hold of Robert’s hand. “It has been far too long. When were you last in London ?”

  “Several months at least.” He clapped Cecil on the shoulder and asked. “Whiskey? Sherry? Tea? What shall it be, old man ?”

  Cecil gave a nod. “Would not say no to a dram or two of your finest single malt .”

  Robert turned to Sithens and nodded. “Make that two,” he instructed. Sithens went to the sideboard and prepared the drinks as Robert invited Cecil to sit with him by the fireplace where a cheerful fire was keeping the cold at bay .

  “Now then, Robert, what is so pressing that I needed to take a day from my busy schedule to meet with you all the way up here in the wilds of Cambridge ?

  Robert laughed slightly. “I’ve written a cracking good book and I want you to publish it .”

  Cecil seemed taken aback. “A book? What kind of a book ?”

  “After my travels to the Americas, I decided to write about my adventures. It’s a romantic adventure novel. Set in the American west and in the South American Amazon. I think you will find it to be a strapping good tale, my friend. How soon can you publish it ?”

  “Wait… wait… Is it a history of your travels or is it a novel ?”

  “You might say it’s a bit of both. My hero—not me—meets a charming lady and… well… it becomes a romance you see .”

  Cecil was silent as he sipped his whiskey and digested what Robert had just told him. Finally, he looked up and said, “I am sincerely sorry, Robert, but it would be most unwise for you to publish such a work under your own name .”

  “Why ever not?” Robert asked sternly as he stood and towered over Cecil .

  Cecil seemed to be uncomfortable and shifted in his chair .

  “Robert, you cannot be that naïve. Surely you know that other than scholarly works and sermons--and maybe, in a reach, a book of travel and exploration--a gentleman of your stature cannot conceivably publish a work of romance. There is a terrible stigma attached to anyone of your class stooping to the level of writing fiction. You would be laughed out of the House of Lords, not to mention ridiculed by the critics and press, and most likely excommunicated from the Church of England .

  “Oh, Cecil, that cannot be. Certainly, you exaggerate,” Robert insisted .

  “Well, maybe about excommunication. But I most certainly do not exaggerate about the rest. Remember the scandal that pursued from the publication of the Duke of Bedford’s ill-advised novel, The Trials of Cybil, several years ago ?”

  “Hmm. I might remember something like that.” Robert began to pace in front of the fire .

  “I know it seems extreme and unfair, but what you want to do is just not done .”

  Robert turned and faced Cecil. “But, certainly, in t
his progressive day and age of eighteen hundred and seventy-two, such conventions must be ripe for a challenge, do you not think ?”

  Cecil held out his glass to Sithens to be topped up. “I wish I could say otherwise, but, my dear friend, if I were to publish a novel under your name, I’m afraid you would find yourself severely shunned by most of your class. Not to mention scaring off potential brides. And I do not say that lightly .”

  Sithens returned with the whiskey .

  “And then there is how that might affect our publishing house. Not only would reviewers refuse to review my books, but I might well lose some of my most prestigious authors .”

  “Then let me publish under an assumed name,” Robert suggested .

  “I wish it were that easy, old friend. But if we were to publish under an unknown name, hardly any reviewers would look at the book, and the sales would be so small as to be almost negligible. And I am sure you do not want that .”

  Robert began pacing again and took another whiskey .

  “But certainly you do take on new unknown authors from time to time. Is that not true ?”

  “That is true, but often they have created a reputation by being published in magazines and journals and by giving public lectures and readings. They have a following long before we publish them .”

  Robert went to his desk and picked up his manuscript, bringing it over to where Cecil was still seated .

  “At least take a look at it… please. Perhaps if you like it enough, you might figure out a way to get around this absurd impediment .”

  Cecil sighed as he took the manuscript .

  “Very well, I will take a read of it… for the sake of our friendship .”

  * * *

  R obert had taken the train to London and was in the palatial offices of Hancock and Puntley House Publishers two weeks after his meeting with Cecil at Balfour .

  Just yesterday he’d received a letter from Cecil .

  My Dearest Friend, Robert ,

  I have had the opportunity to review your manuscript The Adventures of & etc. And I am very pleased to say that I find it to be a most extraordinary work, and am most anxious to discuss publishing possibilities with you at your earliest convenience .

  Drop by my office when you are next in London and we can explore several ideas I have as to how we might surmount your particular problem .

  Most Sincerely Yours ,

  Sir Cecil Hancock OBE

  “S ir Cecil will see you now,” his secretary said as she stood and led Robert into his office .

  “My, that was a prompt response to my letter,” Sir Cecil said, as he stood up from his desk and came to greet Robert .

  “I did not want to waste any time. You know how anxious I am to see my book published and I wanted to hear your suggestions as to how we might get around my particular difficulty .”

  “Of course.” Cecil indicated a chair by his desk where Robert stood but did not sit down immediately. He was far too anxious to sit just yet .

  “So you are pleased with my literary effort?” Robert asked .

  “I am, indeed. Very fine. Gripping and touching. I think there is a real possibility for a best seller .”

  Robert beamed as he clutched his hat to his chest. “Then how might we do this—considering your previous reservations ?”

  Cecil seemed not to want to sit while Robert was standing. He held out his hand indicating Robert should sit, which he finally did .

  “I have spoken to Puntley about your situation and we have come up with what might be a possible solution for you .”

  “I am eager to hear .”

  Cecil tapped a pencil on his desktop. “You know, historically, there was another fine gentleman like yourself who was in your exact same situation .”

  “Yes, and who might that be ?”

  “The Seventeenth Earl of Oxford—Edward de Vere. It was said he was quite the scholar and well educated. He was well traveled, erudite, and widely read. It was known that he had a great interest in the theater and desperately wanted to write plays for Globe Theatre, but her Majesty Elizabeth absolutely forbid it, insisting it was inappropriate for a gentleman of his station. However, he was known at court under the name of Spear-shaker . And it has been widely speculated that he took on the name of Shakespeare and used that name to author what we know today as the Shakespeare plays and sonnets. There is no proof of this, but his situation should still stand as a model for your consideration .”

  “Yes, now that you mention it, I believe I have heard the same story .”

  “I do not know how amenable you might be to what I will propose, but I think it might be your best solution .”

  “And that would be ?”

  “We have a number of lesser known authors on our books. Their works regularly sell, but not spectacularly. Our suggestion is that you approach several different authors that we will suggest and sound them out about being a surrogate author .”

  “I am not sure I understand .”

  “Find an author whose name you can publish your book under. They already have an audience and a following. And if your book is successful, they will benefit by having a new best seller, and you can get your work published and remain anonymous. Of course, you will need to make the arrangement worth their while .”

  “And how might that work?” Robert asked, interested but still a little skeptical .

  “Since you will be using their name, you will need to compensate them in some manner. My suggestion would be a generous percentage of the royalties you might make on the book’s sales .”

  “I would have no problem with that idea. Money is not a concern for me. I have found I really love being an author and I want to write and publish more. So, I am looking to form a long-term relationship with this individual .”

  “But there is one other consideration…” Cecil added .

  “Yes?”

  “I feel quite certain the author you choose would wish to continue with their writing as well. There would need to be some sort of arrangement for that .”

  “But what if our styles and content differ greatly?” Robert asked .

  “That is certainly a consideration,” Cecil said thoughtfully. “We would need to give that some thought and come up with a solution. But first, we need to know if you think this arrangement might work for you ?”

  Robert stood and looked out Cecil’s office window at the street below with its hustle of carriages and bustle of pedestrians .

  “Yes, I believe it might.” He turned and addressed Cecil once again. “Have you communicated this idea to any of the authors you will be suggesting ?”

  “We have not. Discretion seems to be the best strategy here if you wish to remain anonymous. Our thought was that you visit each candidate personally and make whatever arrangement you wish with the author you choose. It is imperative that your arrangement be as private as possible. Would you not agree ?”

  Robert sighed. “It all seems quite ridiculous to me that I even need to do this, but if it must be, then discretion is certainly called for .”

  “Excellent,” Cecil said, rising from his desk. “I shall have a list of appropriate authors drawn up for you and will send it to you in the next couple of days .”

  “And once agreements are concluded then you will move forward with publishing my book ?”

  “It will be our greatest pleasure. And I foresee a great success for all concerned .”

  Chapter 2

  D iana Browning was visiting her mother’s art gallery which was attached to the front and side of their cottage style house on the corner of two streets near central Cambridge. It was time for morning tea, and Diana usually took a break from the cramped little desk in her bedroom dormer window where she wrote each morning .

  Mother was at her easel working on another landscape of rural country England which sold so well to visitors of the university .

  “Quaint country landscapes and college courtyards,” Diana sighed. “Why not try somet
hing different, Mother ?”

  “Because those are what sell, my dear. Is it time for tea already?” she asked as she plunged her brush into a jar of turpentine spirits. “My, how the morning has flown .”

  “I shall put the kettle on. Come inside to the kitchen when you are ready .”

  Mother stood up from her canvas stool and stood back to admire her painting. “Not too bad… I think it needs a steeple in the distance though, don’t you ?”

  “A steeple would be just splendid,” Diana said a little sarcastically .

  Mother gave her a sour look. “Now, be nice to your dear old mother .”

  “Mother, you are not old—just jaded .”

  “You will send me to an early grave .”

  “What in heaven’s name is an early grave? Is it a grave that gets up first thing in the morning ?”

  Mother waved her hand at Diana. “Now it is you who is being silly .”

  They both laughed and linked arms and marched toward the kitchen, after putting a back in five minutes sign on the gallery door .

  Mother and daughter looked like sisters—younger and older .

  Diana was of medium height, with straight dark brown hair that she let flow down her back to her waist. At times, she piled it atop her head in a large bun or created a crown—often inserting small flowers from the garden. She was thin but not fragile, and perhaps her best features were her large brown eyes and her delicate mouth—which almost always had a welcoming smile .