A widowed dancing instructor is expected to stay useful and unseen, until the Duke of Ravensmere crosses a crowded assembly floor and asks her for the opening dance that society had already promised to another woman. Eliza Bellamy knows a single dance could cost her pupils, her good name, and the quiet independence she rebuilt after her marriage. And the ruthless duke who chose her is a man who does not believe in love at all.
Set in a Regency county where every dance signals an alliance, this is a story of social judgment, family duty, and a bitter dispute over a river bridge that turns one honest choice into a scandal. As families withdraw their daughters from Eliza’s academy and Lord Whitcomb tightens his grip, she must decide whether to let a powerful man defend her name or to defend it herself. The duke can solve almost anything with money and authority, but Eliza has never wished to be rescued into silence.
This is a clean, slow-burn historical romance about dignity, restraint, and the difference between being protected and being truly seen. Listen as a proud, quiet heroine holds her ground and a guarded, love-wary duke slowly learns that respect and patience may matter more than rescue. Settle in with your coffee or your evening tea, and let this tender story unfold at its own graceful pace.
Approximate chapters:
00:00 — Opening Hook
01:08 — A Duke At The Academy Door
09:12 — The Opening Dance No One Expected
15:00 — A Quiet Supper In The Rain
21:00 — The Cost He Tried To Hide
27:30 — A Lesson Without An Audience
33:00 — A Question He Could Not Answer
40:15 — A Bargain At The Coaching Inn
45:50 — A Voice Before The County
51:39 — What Six Honest Weeks Ask
If you love clean historical romance filled with dignity, longing, family pressure, and the quiet reward of being chosen for exactly who you are, subscribe for more original Regency audiobook stories like this one.
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Not sure about British Law, but surely the funding for the bridge was under signed contract by Whitcomb and the duke. With no written statement referring to the Nepotism Whitcomb wanted for his sister, stipulated in the contract, his withdrawing of his part of the funding was an open and shut lawsuit for breach of contract, I do believe. The duke could have pressed it for a conditional fast track and been done with it reasonably soon. Of course, the scenario actually used was necessary for the progression of the story.
I'm sorry but not allowing Gideon to have a say is as bad as Gideon not allowing Eliza to have a say.
Sorry, I don't get it. Why would Gideon asking Eliza to dance have any impact on the school? Is the idea that he did not choose Lord Whitcomb's daughter, Clara, for the first dance indicated that he was not interested in a marriage contract with Clara? I think the plot line is more than a little thin. It's rather silly to cancel a bridge contract over a dance. There was certainly no scandal here. I'm sorry, the plotline is just too silly.
Good story, showing consequences of a decision.❤❤❤
Thanks from Asturias Spain