My One and Only Duke

Sentenced to be hanged on a trumped-up charge, wealthy banker Quinn Wentworth is startled when his rather elegant Newgate Prison cell is invaded by preacher's daughter Jane Winston; she only needs a place to wait while her father ministers to the inmates. Quinn soon figures out that Jane, widowed, pregnant, and totally dependent on her judgmental, impractical parent's whims, needs much more than that, so he offers her marriage and financial security, with both of them fully aware that he will be dead and she will be widowed within a week. When Quinn is discovered to be the heir to a dukedom and is literally snatched from the hangman's noose, their plans change in ways they could never have predicted. A self-made hero driven by justice and intent on revenge and a caring heroine determined to turn her hasty marriage into something more join forces to see that a truly despicable villain gets his just desserts. A well-developed supporting cast add color and enchantment—a smart, loyal guttersnipe and the hero's eccentric sisters are unforgettable—and the attention paid to social and women's issues of the time is sure to resonate with readers.