Forbidden fruit ripens sweetest picked from the vine.

When duty calls his Duchess wife away, who can satisfy the Duke's endless carnal appetite? None but Belle’s radiant sister Ariel—though coveting such forbidden fruit could spell disaster. Yet it is Belle herself who sanctions their mutual craving's release, blessing Charles to initiate her unschooled sibling into passion’s nuanced arts. Behind closed doors, His Grace coaxes cries of delight from his quick-learning paramour as inhibition melts to revelation beneath Charles' patient instruction. But escalating attraction sparks unexpected revelations—and the Duke discovers his own heart equally ensnared.

For Belle guessed long ago her husband’s soul held room enough for two. If jealousies rest easy in abeyance, might such an unconventional arrangement endure beyond her homecoming?

For Ariel soon proves far more than a diverting placeholder in their marriage bed...she is the missing chord their union needs to ring perfectly complete.