[Ducal Encounters 03] • Portrait of a Duke

Rumours abound that Patrick Trafford, the famous Irish portrait artist, is the recluse who has taken Parkstone Manor, the rundown estate bordering the Duke of Winchester’s country seat. Lord Vincent Sheridan, the duke’s brother, is able to satisfy his family’s curiosity in that regard when he rescues eight-year-old twins from a brawl in Compton village. Far from being grateful for the twins’ safe delivery, Niamh Trafford, Patrick’s granddaughter and the boys’ aunt, all but evicts Vince from her tumbledown home. Vince is unaccustomed to being so summarily dismissed, especially by attractive young women, and his interest in Miss Trafford is piqued as a consequence.

Nia despairs. Now that Lord Vincent knows who they are, her grandfather will never be left in peace. His diminished mental capabilities will become public knowledge, ruining his reputation and making him a laughing stock. Drawn into the Sheridan’s elite social circle, Nia struggles to hide her growing attraction towards Lord Vincent. In urgent need of a confidante, she admits to him that someone is faking Trafford portraits, exploiting her grandfather’s muddled state of mind for their own gain.

Patrick Trafford regains some of his former awareness when he is persuaded to undertake a portrait of the duke. Vince and Nia launch an ambitious plan to use the finished canvas as bait to uncover the identity of the forger. In so doing, Nia and the twins fall foul of a ruthless individual who will stop at nothing to exact revenge against the Trafford family, and secure his own future into the bargain.

But he has reckoned without Vince, who is equally determined to save the woman he has fallen deeply in love with. Will he be in time…