However, the information he is given at her home awakens conflicting emotions in him and in the end he decides to stay and learn more about the family he seems to be from. Needless to say, her grandson, the current Duke of Wyndham, finds himself less than thrilled by the presence of this possible usurper.įor his part, Jack has no intention of enjoying the Duchess’ hospitality for long. Though the highwayman insists he is merely Jack Audley, the Duchess sweeps him off to her home, determined to learn his background and true identity. So convinced is the Duchess that this highwayman must belong to her family, she hatches a scheme to kidnap him. His effect on the dowager is even more startling: She is convinced that the man must be somehow related to her favorite son, who died almost 30 years before. The highwayman, who is uncommonly charming for a road bandit, manages to intrigue Grace.

Still, Grace feels a certain gratitude to her employer and also has few other choices open to her.Īn existence in which the best she can hope for is to tolerate the rest of her days changes one night as she and the Duchess find themselves taken prisoner by an armed highwayman. Grace Eversleigh has seen her life change dramatically from what she thought was a secure place among the local gentry to living as the much put-upon companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham, a woman who is overbearing, arrogant, snobbish, and not terribly understanding of her companion. With a mix of humor and deep emotion, the series starts off with what has probably been my favorite read of the year so far. The hero of each book has reason to believe he is truly the Duke of Wyndham, but one will have to accustom himself to a life without the title. With The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Julia Quinn kicks off a two-book set of intertwined stories, each covering the same time period through the eyes of two possible dukes.

The duke of wyndham