Her Mysterious Duke by Barbara Watts

Gabrielle St. Cloud:

Gabrielle St. Cloud has always been happy in the country house of her Baron father, reading, studying, and enjoying simple country pleasures. So when a distant relative calls on her to run his house outside Versailles, the prospect both exhilarates and terrifies her. Oh, she can handle the work—it’s the Duke himself, a mysterious and powerful man, who makes her nervous and fascinates her.

Andre Voumatin:

Duke Andre Voumatin, trusted confidant to the king, still recovering from old war injuries and raising three children in the wake of his wife’s death, only wanted some competent help when he called for his cousin. The Duke certainly did not expect such an educated and polished girl, beautiful and charming, to show up on his doorstep and begin healing him, body and soul. Doing his duty as her guardian, he keeps his eyes open for a suitable marriage candidate for her, all the while thinking—why shouldn’t it be him?

While the bright and sincere Gabrielle and the brooding, temperamental Duke try to deny their attractions, it soon becomes clear that there is a real danger lurking in Versailles, and it has Gabrielle in its sights. Gabrielle has grown attached to the Chateau Keriac, to the children, and of course to the Duke himself. Could she leave all that behind for the sake of safety? Can the Duke find the cause of the danger before he loses Gabrielle forever?