Dimensions
106 x 171 x 24mm
Thomas Carleton, the Duke of Griffinston ("Griff") is a busy diplomat with no time for courting a suitable bride. Though he knows he'll eventually need to wed and produce an heir, he's content to postpone matrimony.
His mother, however is not content. The strong-willed dowager is so desperate to see her son married, she kidnaps him and takes him to Spindle Cove, a tiny village on the Sussex coast. In London, the village is known as "Spinster Cove"--a holiday locale for awkward, unmarried ladies of gentle breeding. The dowager drags her groggy son into the ladies' weekly salon and tells him to pick a spinster, any spinster in the room, She will mold the girl into a perfect duchess.
Furious, Griff decides to call her bluff and picks the serving girl, Pauline Simms.
Pauline, the daughter of a poor farmer, never thought she'd leave Spindle Cove. But when the handsome, arrogant duke offers her 1,000 pounds to come to London and help teach his mother a lesson, she can't refuse. A week of fancy gowns, lavish houses, and etiquette lessons doesn't sound so terrible. With the money, she plans to open a bookshop in Spindle Cove and gain independence from her cruel father.
But even though she knows she's being paid to fail, Pauline's pride won't let her play the fool. She bristles at the duke's assumptions that she must be uneducated and uncouth, and when put to the test in Society, she can't help proving him wrong. Against all odds, Pauline becomes an overnight sensation, befriending a visiting contessa Griff can't afford to offend. Suddenly, Pauline's social success is essential to his diplomatic duty. He has to take time from his busy schedule to enjoy pleasures he's denied himself--be they evenings at the theater, picnics in the park, or nights of tender passion. While the serving girl-turned-fairytale princess is capturing all London's attention, she's unwittingly snaring a duke's heart. But when Griff's enemies learn of Pauline's true identity, will their fairy tale meet a tragic end?
