Lady Delilah Dares A Duke - By Sofie Darling

The following is an original story inspired by the title and style of Sofie Darling's Regency romances, focusing on the tension between a spirited lady and a formidable duke.

Arthur Sterling, the Seventh Duke of Ravenstock, was a man of iron rules and even colder expressions. He was also, quite inconveniently, the guardian of the estate bordering Delilah’s family home. For years, the two had engaged in a polite but pointed cold war over a disputed strip of woodland known as The King’s Hollow. Lady Delilah Dares a Duke by Sofie Darling

They retired to the card room, the air between them thick with a different kind of tension than the one they had shared for years. As the cards were dealt, Delilah realized that for all his talk of rules, Arthur played with a ruthless, predatory grace. The following is an original story inspired by

"My father was a man of sentimental whims, Lady Delilah," Arthur replied, his voice a low, gravelly baritone that vibrated in her chest. "I am not. The Hollow is private property, and I will not have half the village trampling the flora for the sake of cheap ale and ribbons." For years, the two had engaged in a

"It is a simple request, Your Grace," Delilah said, snapping her lace fan shut as they stood on the edges of a crowded London ballroom. "I wish to host the Midsummer Fair in the Hollow. It has been a tradition for decades, one your father never contested."