The Hidden Duke (Regency Happy Ever After #3)

The Duke and Duchess of Ailsburn had long awaited the arrival of an heir to the title, after being blessed with three daughters. As parents, both Freddie and she secretly hoped that the baby she now carried, might at last be the son they longed for. That night, Elizabeth felt the pangs of labour come on too soon, and she knew, as only a mother could, that all was not as it should be with this baby.

After christening and then publicly burying the baby boy, whom they named William, Freddie and Elizabeth and Ailsburn were later blessed with their heir, Stuart.

Ailsburn house was not the same, though. The children were forbidden to wander into the late Dowager's apartments. The Duke and Duchess had kept the nanny, Lydia, appointed when young William was born, who had become very close with Elizabeth, and behaved in a manner odd for her position.

When Freddie's Scottish cousin sends his daughter, young Beth, to spend her holidays at Ailsburn while he travels, she and Stuart become more than just country cousins over the years. Adventurous as the two are, they discover the secrets of Ailsburn house, and in so doing change the course of the family forever.

Where love lives, family can overcome all the challenges posed by human frailties and the inevitable need for power and control. The author shows how an unusual heart and a brotherly understanding can bridge these less than desirable traits to strengthen and unite a family, a household and a community.