"Send Him the Plain One — He'll Send Her Back," They Laughed — The Scarred Duke Wouldn't Let Her Go

"Send him the plain one. He'll send her back by Sunday." In a narrow house in Kensington, two beautiful stepsisters and their mother laugh over a letter. The Duke of Ravenscar, who came home from Waterloo with half his face burned and hides in a black castle on the Yorkshire cliffs, has offered to marry a Hartnell daughter. And the contract says that if he refuses his bride before the banns are read, he must pay the family two thousand pounds. So they send Ruth. Twenty-six, freckled, spectacles for reading, the one who keeps the household accounts. They expect her home within the week, and the money with her. They have never troubled to learn why the Duke asked for a Hartnell daughter at all. Ruth knows. Her father died at Waterloo carrying a burning major out of a farmhouse. The major lived. And Ruth is not afraid of his face. What follows is a castle nobody has opened in a year, a steward with very interesting accounts, a man who shouts at the sea every night, a chess set by a library fire, a little village church on a Sunday morning, and a stepmother who arrives in purple with a contract that names a bride who does not exist. A full Regency story about the plain one, the scarred one, and a debt of honour paid in full. 🌍 Tell me in the comments where in the world you're listening from. #regencyromance #historicalromance #dukeromance #scarredduke #historicaldrama #romancedrama #plainjane #waterloo #regencyera #perioddrama #justiceserved #cleanromance #narratedstory #silkandcinder Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are entirely fictional, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental. The story, narration, and illustrations are created with the help of AI tools, for entertainment.