Trapping A Duchess

A picnic meant to allow Andrew to further his acquaintance with Lady Abigail turns to frustration when her brother brings back more than just flavored ice from Gunther's.

Sophie has found the perfect prospective husband in Lord Zachary Quinley, the Marquis of Courtland. Kind and with an amiable, relaxed nature, he fits her needs to a tee. The trouble is, the handsome marquis is brother to Lady Abigail, in whom Andrew is clearly interested. With a bit of encouragement from Alexandra, Sophie makes a decision that starts an all-out battle with Andrew.

Andrew's dinner party turns into torment when Alexandra invites Sophie to attend. Worse, while he's struggling to lay even the thinnest of ground with Lady Abigail, Sophie appears to have no trouble at all making progress with Lord Courtland. When Sophie's flirtation becomes more than he can bear, Andrew makes an ultimatum. But Sophie's no milk-water miss and Andrew's about to learn the first of many lessons.

Andrew and Sophie are unexpectedly thrown in each others paths when they both attend the same ball. This time, however, it's Sophie's turn to learn a thing or two.

A planned visit to Vauxhall sets the stage for Sophie to answer Andrew's ultimatum. With that small victory behind her, she sets out to enjoy the evening. But when Andrew surprises her with a sneak attack, they are both surprised by what they find. For it seems her body isn't exactly in league with her mind.

When Sophie gets a glimpse of a side of Andrew she remembers from her youth, she becomes intrigued. In the absence of their usual sniping, they find themselves alone under a rose arbor - and Andrew has the opportunity to show Sophie just how much she desires him.

Sophie heads off for a two-week long country house party, excited to explore her and Andrew's new-found intimacy, but the arrival of Andrew's brother Gabriel - in a tortured physical state - keeps him in London. While the duke takes care of family matters, Sophie has an interesting revelation about her future with Lord Courtland.

And they lived happily ever after. The End.

The wedding date is set, the invitations sent, the Ton holding their collective breath. But Sophie still has one last matter to discuss before she makes that irreversible walk down the aisle.

When Simon realizes Andrew's been lying to him, he gives an unreasonable deadline for marriage. Yet Sophie is still indecisive. With time running out, Andrew decides to take matters into his own hands. After all, it's easier to gain forgiveness than permission.