The Duchess and the Dreamer
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The Duchess and the Dreamer
Synopsis
Clementine Fitzroy, Duchess of Rosebrook, doesn’t trust dreamers. After her grandmother and famous social reformer blew the family fortune on her dream of creating a new kind of community, the family land was sold off and their coffers drained. Clementine grew up watching her mother struggle and now lives in the small gatehouse behind her former family home.
Evan Fox has a dream that could change the world and save the planet. As CEO of her family toy company, she creates fuel for the imagination. When the Rosebrook estate comes up for sale, Evan jumps at the chance to make her vision of a utopian eco community come to life.
Clementine is wary of the good-looking newcomer, but Evan is determined to win over the beautiful duchess and prove that sometimes dreams really do come true.
Praise for Jenny Frame
Wooing the Farmer
“This book, like all of Jenny Frame’s, is just one major swoon.”—Les Rêveur
“The chemistry between the two MCs had us hooked right away. We also absolutely loved the seemingly ditzy femme with an ambition of steel but really a vulnerable girl. The sex scenes are great. Definitely recommended.”—Reviewer@large
“This is the book we Axedale fanatics have been waiting for…Jenny Frame writes the most amazing characters and this whole series is a masterpiece. But where she excels is in writing butch lesbians. Every time I read a Jenny Frame book I think it’s the best ever, but time and again she surprises me. She has surpassed herself with Wooing the Farmer.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
Royal Court
“The author creates two very relatable characters…Quincy’s quietude and mental torture are offset by Holly’s openness and lust for life. Holly’s determination and tenacity in trying to reach Quincy are total wish-fulfilment of a person like that. The chemistry and attraction is excellently built.”—Best Lesbian Erotica
“[A] butch/femme romance that packs a punch.”—Les Rêveur
Royal Court “was a fun, light-hearted book with a very endearing romance.”—Leanne Chew, Librarian, Parnell Library (Auckland, NZ)
“There were unbelievably hot sex scenes as I have come to expect and look forward to in Jenny Frame’s books. Passions slowly rise until you feel the characters may burst!…Royal Court is wonderful and I highly recommend it.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
Hunger for You
“I loved this book. Paranormal stuff like vampires and werewolves are my go-to sins. This book had literally everything I needed: chemistry between the leads, hot love scenes (phew), drama, angst, romance (oh my, the romance) and strong supporting characters.”—The Reading Doc
Byron and Amelia “are guaranteed to get the reader all hot and bothered. Jenny Frame writes brilliant love scenes in all of her books and makes me believe the characters crave each other.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
Charming the Vicar
“Chances are, you’ve never read or become captivated by a romance like Charming the Vicar. While books featuring people of the cloth aren’t unusual, Bridget is no ordinary vicar—a lesbian with a history of kink…Surrounded by mostly supportive villagers, Bridget and Finn balance love and faith in a story that affirms both can exist for anyone, regardless of sexual identity.”—RT Book Reviews
“The sex scenes were some of the sexiest, most intimate and quite frankly, sensual I have read in a while. Jenny Frame had me hooked and I reread a few scenes because I felt like I needed to experience the intense intimacy between Finn and Bridget again. The devotion they showed to one another during these sex scenes but also in the intimate moments was gripping and for lack of a better word, carnal.”—Les Rêveur
“The sexual chemistry between [Finn and Bridge] is unbelievably hot. It is sexy, lustful and with more than a hint of kink. The scenes between them are highly erotic—and not just the sex scenes. The tension is ramped up so well that I felt the characters would explode if they did not get relief!…An excellent book set in the most wonderful village—a place I hope to return to very soon!”—Kitty Kat’s Book Reviews
“This is Frame’s best character work to date. They are layered and flawed and yet relatable. Frame really pushed herself with Charming The Vicar and it totally paid off…I also appreciate that even though she regularly writes butch/femme characters, no two pairings are the same.”—The Lesbian Review
Unexpected
Jenny Frame “has this beautiful way of writing a phenomenally hot scene while incorporating the love and tenderness between the couple.”—Les Rêveur
“If you enjoy contemporary romances, Unexpected is a great choice. The character work is excellent, the plotting and pacing are well done, and it’s a just a sweet, warm read…Definitely pick this book up when you’re looking for your next comfort read, because it’s sure to put a smile on your face by the time you get to that happy ending.”—Curve
“Unexpected by Jenny Frame is a charming butch/femme romance that is perfect for anyone who wants to feel the magic of overcoming adversity and finding true love. I love the way Jenny Frame writes. I have yet to discover an author who writes like her. Her voice is strong and unique and gives a freshness to the lesbian fiction sector.”—The Lesbian Review
Royal Rebel
“Frame’s stories are easy to follow and really engaging. She stands head and shoulders above a number of the romance authors and it’s easy to see why she is quickly making a name for herself in lesfic romance.”—The Lesbian Review
Courting the Countess
“I love Frame’s romances. They are well paced, filled with beautiful character moments and a wonderful set of side characters who ultimately end up winning your heart…I love Jenny Frame’s butch/femme dynamic; she gets it so right for a romance.”—The Lesbian Review
“I loved, loved, loved this book. I didn’t expect to get so involved in the story but I couldn’t help but fall in love with Annie and Harry…The love scenes were beautifully written and very sexy. I found the whole book romantic and ultimately joyful and I had a lump in my throat on more than one occasion. A wonderful book that certainly stirred my emotions.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Reviews
“Courting The Countess has an historical feel in a present day world, a thought provoking tale filled with raw emotions throughout. [Frame] has a magical way of pulling you in, making you feel every emotion her characters experience.”—Lunar Rainbow Reviewz
“I didn’t want to put the book down and I didn’t. Harry and Annie are two amazingly written characters that bring life to the pages as they find love and adventures in Harry’s home. This is a great read, and you will enjoy it immensely if you give it a try!”—Fantastic Book Reviews
A Royal Romance
“A Royal Romance was a guilty pleasure read for me. It was just fun to see the relationship develop between George and Bea, to see George’s life as queen and Bea’s as a commoner. It was also refreshing to see that both of their families were encouraging, even when Bea doubted that things could work between them because of their class differences…A Royal Romance left me wanting a sequel, and romances don’t usually do that to me.”—Leeanna.ME Mostly a Book Blog
Blood of the Pack
“[A] solid entry into the expanding Lesfic urban fantasy/ paranormal romance genre. I look forward to seeing more from the Wolfgang County series.”—Colleen Corgel, Librarian, Queens Public Library
Soul of the Pack
“I enjoy the way Jenny Frame writes. Her characters are perfectly suited to one another, never the same, and the stories are always fun and unique…there is something special about her urban fantasy worlds. She maximises the butch/femme dynamic and creates pack dynamics which work so well w
ith those.”—The Lesbian Review
Heart of the Pack
“A really well written love story that incidentally involves changers as well as humans.”—Inked Rainbow Reads
The Duchess and the Dreamer
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The Duchess and the Dreamer
© 2020 By Jenny Frame. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-602-5
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: May 2020
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Ruth Sternglantz
Production Design: Stacia Seaman
Cover Design by Tammy Seidick
eBook Design by Toni Whitaker
By the Author
A Royal Romance
Courting the Countess
Dapper
Royal Rebel
Unexpected
Hunger For You
Charming the Vicar
Royal Court
Wooing the Farmer
Someone to Love
The Duchess and the Dreamer
Wolfgang County Series
Heart of the Pack
Soul of the Pack
Blood of the Pack
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Rad, Sandy, and all the BSB staff for their tireless hard work. A huge thank you to Ruth for her guidance, patience, and advice. I’m deeply grateful to have you help me make my books the best that they can be.
Thanks to my family for their support and encouragement.
All my love and thanks to Lou and Barney, you are my whole world, and I couldn’t feel luckier than to have you both.
To Lou
You make me laugh, you make me dream, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be.
xx
Chapter One
The harsh noise of an alarm blared its way into Clementine Fitzroy’s subconscious, making her jump out of sleep. She grabbed the phone beside her and blindly stabbed her finger at the screen to stop the wretched air raid siren noise, her vision and mind still blurry from sleep. She managed to stop the noise, but her heart pounded at the fright it had given her.
Clementine scrubbed her face with her hands and felt a twinge of pain in her neck. The neck pain meant she had fallen asleep at her desk again. Now that her mind was clearing from sleep, everything came back into sharp focus. She had been up all night trying to meet a deadline and set the alarm in case she fell asleep, which she did.
She moved her mouse to wake up her screen, to check how far she had gotten before falling asleep and sighed. “It’s not even half done.”
Being a freelance architect meant she had the flexibility to be there for her ill mother but also meant she lost a lot of work time doing so. Her mother was severely affected by Alzheimer’s, and had until three months ago been cared for by Clementine, here at her home, the gatehouse to the Rosebrook estate.
Clementine looked around the drab front room. It was dated, neglected, much like her life. Her desk sat in the space under the stairs, directly across from the living room fireplace and the armchair where her mother used to sit while she worked.
Guilt crept up on her, although it was never far away. Her mother hadn’t had an easy life, and Clementine had promised her that she would always take care of her. She meant that promise with every fibre of her being, but with worsening dementia affecting her mother’s mind, she was persuaded by the doctors and her friend that a nursing home was the only place her mum would be safe.
The memory of the last time her mother had gotten out of the house played in her mind. She’d come downstairs and found her mother’s armchair empty. She had gotten out of the house before, but now that the new locks were in place, she didn’t think her mother could get out.
It had been Clementine’s own fault. She had been careless, and after bringing some shopping in from the car, she had forgotten to take the key out of the door, and her mother had disappeared. It had taken her and the other villagers who turned out an hour to find her, and that had been the final straw. The move was for her mother’s safety, but she’d broken her promise.
The ping of her email brought Clementine back to the present. She opened it and sighed again. It was the project manager for the job she was working on, asking if they could expect her work in the next few hours.
It wasn’t possible. She’d need another day at least. Clementine leaned on the desk and covered her face with her hands, feeling tears come to her eyes. She was lucky to be given work by two companies run by university friends of hers, who understood her situation, but she couldn’t stretch that goodwill too far, and she had lost so much time this week as her deadline loomed.
Despite being relieved of the twenty-four seven care of her mother, she visited every day and was always on call when her mother was distressed, and it had been a particularly bad week. Nothing calmed her mother but her own presence, and she received phone calls from the nursing staff to come almost every day.
“Okay, you can do this. Coffee, and get this finished,” Clementine said.
She got up and hurried to the small kitchen to switch on the kettle. At the moment she did, the house phone rang, and Clementine’s stomach twisted with tension.
She picked up the phone and held her breath. “Hello?”
“Your Grace, sorry to interrupt your morning.”
Her heart sank when she heard the voice of Sister Fellows, the senior nurse in charge of her mother’s care. She hated when she was reminded of her title, but she couldn’t convince the care staff to drop it.
“Is my mother all right?” Clementine said.
“I’m afraid the dowager duchess has tried to get out of the building again and injured her ankle.”
Clementine pinched the bridge of her nose, and her whole body tensed. “How did that happen?”
“One of the newer members of staff opened the window in her room to let some fresh air in. Her Grace sprained her ankle badly climbing out. I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, but she won’t settle and keeps asking for you.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Clementine hung up the phone and felt panic fill her. She would need to ask for another extension. She was never going to finish her design project today. Clementine went back to her computer and quickly sent off the email. She wouldn’t be surprised if the company took the job from her, and she couldn’t blame them.
She grabbed her handbag and car keys and quickly made her way out to her car. Panic turned to despair when she saw a flat front tyre. Clementine’s anger spilled over and she kicked her old car.
“Bloody hell. Of course I’ve got a flat tyre—just perfect, bloody perfect.” She held her head in her hands. She didn’t have time for this, so might as well just get on with it.
She couldn’t afford breakdown cover, and her car didn’t have a spare wheel, so she took the puncture repair kit and pump from the boot. It would at least get her to the care home. She had to get to her mother no matter what. Clementine put the puncture kit down by the flat tyre and looked up at the black wrought iron gates that marked the entrance to the grand—but severely neglected—Rosebrook House. On the gates a battered and weathered For Sale sign clung to the railings.
The feelings of anger, sadness
, and failure hung around the building like a dark cloud. Clementine looked down at her hands, stained with dirt and oil, and gave a hollow laugh.
“Look at me, Duchess of Rosebrook, Countess of Thistleburn, Baroness Portford, kneeling in the dirt, trying to mend the tyre on an ancient car. Who would believe it?”
* * *
“And they all lived happily ever after.”
The children grouped around Evan Fox clapped and one little boy said, “Read us another one, Fox.”
The other children joined in, “Yeah!”
There was nothing Evan enjoyed more than playing with children, but she had to get back upstairs to her office. The childcare centre located on the bottom floor of Fox Toys and Games was a regular hideout for Evan, when she wanted to get away from business pressures and the countless people who wanted just a few moments of her time.
“Sorry, kids, the boss will have my guts for garters if I’m any longer.” Evan patted the Labrador service dog beside her and said, “I’m sure Rocco, here, would like to hear some stories from you guys.”