Rhyme and Reason

The Duke of Danby is matchmaking again.
No matter what his overbearing duke of a grandfather wants, Thomas Goddard has no intention of marrying a high-born lady. He’s the son of Danby’s by-blow, for heaven’s sake, and no gentleman! When yet another letter—complete with yet another marriage license—arrives, Thomas does as any reasonable man would do. He rips the thing to shreds, tosses it over the cliffs, and curses Danby’s name. Regrettably, his shouted curse startles the very lady his grandfather intends for him to marry.
Because of her wayward brother’s numerous and repeated indiscretions, Lady Matilda Bexley-Smythe has just endured yet another Season on the receiving end of both salacious gossip and censorious glances. She’s had all of London Society she can stand, so she intends to find a husband who is unconcerned about her brother’s ne’er-do-well behavior. She settles on the seemingly perfect choice—a gentleman unswayed by gossip—but when Mattie finds herself being carried home in a handsome stranger’s arms, her whole world unravels at the seams.
***This novella (approximately 24,000 words) has not been previously published.