Always the Chaperone by Emily EK Murdoch

Always the chaperone and never the bride – until she catches the eye of the very man whose courtship she’s supposed to be helping…

Lady Charlotte St Maur is a spinster. Invited to dances as a chaperone rather than a dance partner, it’s all she can do to keep back tears as match after match is made – with her help. But a lady over thirty, no matter the title, doesn’t find true love.
William Lennox, Duke of Mercia, never expected to come to fame and fortune, and never thought anything could be more tiring than soldiering – except the marriage market. He needs to make a good match, but no matter how many young chits he’s introduced to, it’s always the chaperone who catches his eye.
He’s determined to convince her. She finds the idea of anyone courting her laughable. This soldier has never been defeated, and he won’t now. A seduction is the only recourse.
Can Charlotte allow herself to be loved or will the Duke of Lennox be tempted away by a bright young thing?