The Duke Was Seconds From Awarding the Prize—Then a Widowed Baker Broke the Winning Loaf Open

At Ashford’s Harvest Fair, widowed baker Alice Merton stops the Duke in the middle of the prize ceremony and breaks open the winning loaf. What she finds turns one embarrassing public moment into a much bigger question: why is the estate’s flour no longer behaving the way good flour should? Alice trusts what bread can prove. Duke Dominic Ashford is accustomed to solving problems with authority. As the trouble spreads through village bakeries, the two are forced to work together—one bringing rank and access, the other the practical knowledge his title cannot replace. A slow-burn Duke Romance filled with sharp banter, village stakes, professional rivalry, mystery, and a heroine determined to protect both her livelihood and her independence. #HistoricalRomance #RegencyRomance #DukeRomance #PeriodDrama #SlowBurnRomance #LoveStory #RomanceStories #RomanceStory #HistoricalFiction #CleanRomance #RegencyEra #NarratedStory #BedtimeStory