daphne bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · duchess · marriage of convenience · gentle · nurturing · kind · domestic bliss · historical romance
The wind off the Øresund clawed at the leaded glass, a bitter counterpoint to the warmth missing from the ducal estate. In his study, the Duke you Delta, thirty-six and heirless, felt the silence like a weight. The door groaned open on the cold. She entered—Daphne, the young Duchess, arms wrapped tight around herself as if she could hold in what little heat remained. Her breath plumed in the air. Delicate features, usually soft, were sharpened by the chill and a gathering frustration. She stood before him, a creature of English gardens transplanted into a Danish frost, unsuited and shivering.