The Duke's Loveless Bargain, Marriage & Duty by Dorothy Sheldon

Rating: ⭐⭐️⭐⭐⭐

This starts off with a rather cold and unemotional man who needs to marry and he marries a woman whose father has died and left their family destitute. To convince the woman to marry him, he offers marriage and writes off the debts owed to him and pays off the rest of her father's debts. As the story unfolds, we find that the Duke has closed off  his emotions, and wants to live a reclusive life. His choice of sister is his own because he does feel he could not abide a seventeen year old girl. He wants Margaret because she is quiet and more mature. Margaret does everything she can to protect her younger sister. As Jasper exposes his secrets; I find a story of mysterious intrigue, evil machinations and the ignorant abuse of children who aren’t the typical normal. It’s a story of how love will heal the most damaged of hearts and lets a bonded love conquer evil at its very heart.