Mischief and Secrets — Starla Kaye

Mischief and Secrets is comprised of two stories set in Regency England: Lady Rose's Secret Miles Yardley, the Duke of Berkshire, has always been disappointed in his efforts to seek a wife. Women either worry about his dark moods, are repulsed by his facial scar, or only want him for sex. He catches a glimpse of the fair and delicate Lady Georgina Rose Desmond at a London ball and decides she is the wife he wants, but he won't court her and risk her rejection in person. He sends an offer of a convenient marriage to her via his solicitor: he will give her the high status of being a duke's wife, give her many things, but not his heart. All she must do is give him an heir. He can't imagine her turning him down. Rose has already refused her father's attempts at arranged marriages. She wants more than a loveless arrangement and is determined to find the right man. The Duke of Berkshire's offer surprises and intrigues her, though she has only seen him from a distance. She accepts but puts him off while she secretly takes employment in his household as a maid. If she finds him a man capable of love, she will reveal the truth. If not... The Earl and His Minx Lady Selina Egerton has a mind of her own and a boundless curious nature. She is aware of what should be her role in life once she is free of having a guardian. Marrying to be someone's very proper wife, bear children as expected, and give up her dream of independence holds no appeal. She wants the freedom to remain unmarried and establish herself as an artist. Duncan Colborne, the 12th Earl of Devon, has waited for years for his ward to mature from a somewhat wild child into a refined young woman. Something about the minx intrigues him, more than any of his mistresses. He is drawn to her passion for life, though he must tame some of her ways to make him the proper duchess. And she will be his wife.