The Lyon and the Lyoness

A widower believed to be cursed seeks a wife from a matchmaker.

Oliver Barnes, the Duke of Weston, is a widower three times over. He needs to marry and have an heir, but no eligible lady, widow, or wallflower will consider his suit despite his title and wealth. No one wants to marry The Duke of Doom, as members of the ton have nicknamed him.

But one night at White’s, he overhears several gentlemen discussing Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the Black Widow of Whitehall and owner of The Lyon’s Den. She is secretly a matchmaker for the ton. He visits The Lyon’s Den and intentionally loses at cards until he owes a considerable amount to the widow, hoping to capture her attention. Desperate men will do desperate things.
Phoebe Windham, the daughter of an earl’s middle son, is left destitute and alone after her mother dies and her father flees England to escape his creditors. She depends on the goodwill of her uncle, the Earl of Greenwich. When it becomes apparent that Lady Greenwich thrives on making her stay miserable, Phoebe knows it’s time to leave.

Lady Emma, Phoebe’s sympathetic cousin, tells her about the Black Widow of Whitehall. She sneaks off to The Lyon’s Den, hoping that Mrs. Dove-Lyon will help her find a husband—someone who will overlook her nonexistent dowry and see her for who she truly is—a shy, intelligent woman wanting to marry and start a family.

Mrs. Dove-Lyon pairs Phoebe with the Duke of Weston, and Phoebe is taken aback. Even she has heard of The Duke of Doom. However, as she gets to know him, she becomes more willing to overlook the death of his previous three wives, the curse they say haunts him, and follow her heart.