The Duke’s Got Mail (England’s Sweethearts #2)

The Duke’s Got Mail

Dear Booklover,

Given you are the only correspondent to whom my sister has revealed her current incapacitation, I thought it proper to introduce myself since I will be the conduit for your thoughts as I read your letters to her.

Never fear. I have no intention of breaking the anonymity you and my sister share.

Code names only. No potentially identifying information.

Although, that such secrecy is needed does make me wonder exactly what books you and my sister read.

Best,

Captain O.T.N.

Dear Captain O.T.N.,

Of the Night? Of the Netherworld? Or something more mundane?

Surely, they aren’t your initials. That would be poor secret-keeping indeed, which was your sister’s idea, by the way.

I must confess, speculating about why she needs such privacy has been an entertaining pastime.

Am I corresponding with a world-famous actress?

Has she authored some of the books we’ve read together?

Is she a notorious jewel thief and these letters make their way to me from Newgate Prison?

Though your befuddlement makes me think it is none of those and it is rather something benign and boring.

How are you enjoying Miss Austen’s Emma?

Best,

Booklover

Dear Booklover,

They are not my initials. Please give me more credit than that.

The most amusing part of Emma is my sister’s complete lack of self-awareness.

She is every bit as interfering as the titular character yet does not recognize herself in the work at all.

I keep waiting for the “aha” moment when she recognizes herself, but it never arrives.

Austen isn’t my usual reading fare but as a character study, it’s quite interesting.

—Captain O.T.N.

Dear Captain (of Tragic Novels?),

I’m curious. What is your usual fare if not Miss Austen’s social commentary?

—Booklover

Dear Booklover,

I would not admit it to any of my acquaintances and certainly not to my siblings, who would never let me live it down, but I’m a fan of science fiction (not tragic novels).

For a man who has never had the opportunity to leave England, the thought of exploring the outer reaches of the universe is appealing.

I’ve enclosed a copy of one of my favorites—Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

There are notes in the margin. I do hope you enjoy it.

—Captain O.T.N.

Dear Captain (Of These Notes?),

My father read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to me when I was a little girl.

I haven’t read it since, so thank you. I must say, your witticisms added another level of enjoyment.

If you enjoyed that, perhaps you might enjoy Mizora: A Prophecy.

The author uses a future world to comment on the challenges we currently face—namely, the rights of women in a patriarchal society.

It’s illuminating if you’ve the right frame of mind.

—Booklover

Dear Booklover,

I can’t say that I’m often described as witty. That moniker is usually reserved for my brother or my youngest sister.

Mizora was indeed an excellent read. Miss Bradley Lane writes with a deft hand. The all-female society she describes is clearly superior to ours in some respects. Thought-provoking indeed.

In case you were wondering as to my state of mind, I am in full support of women’s suffrage and find the arguments against it intolerable. My youngest sister is only eighteen, and she has a sharper mind than many in the House of Lords. I’d trust her vote over others.

—Captain O.T.N.

Dear Captain (of Torturous Names, clearly),

How does your family describe you, if not witty? I’m not sure I’d be described as witty, either. My friends would probably use the words stubborn, forthright, and, I would hope, generous.

As a woman who owns her own property but hasn’t a voice to advocate for it, I appreciate your support. If only we could convince the men who run the world of the same.

Please find enclosed a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s latest manuscript The Jungle Book.

Do not ask me where I got it from. I cannot answer without breaking the anonymity I promised your sister.

He has shifted to children’s stories, but it is still a wonderful tale that explores the same themes as his previous work.

It is not due to be published until next year, so you mustn’t share it. I’m curious to hear what you think.

—Booklover

Dear Booklover,

If I am to understand correctly, you thought my sister was the one with secrets and yet you are in possession of a most anticipated work through means that you cannot disclose?

Is it possible my sister is the one conversing with a thief?

Do you execute daring raids of authors’ homes? However did you find his address?

Dear Captain (of Terrible Nonsense),

Nothing that exciting, I fear. Even so, I cannot reveal my sources.

Dear Booklover,

You’ve made me laugh. I often feel as though I am full of terrible nonsense and no one has yet noticed. Perhaps I am the captain of that?

I was functionally useless today, as I was with that damned book until the wee hours. Please pass my regards on to Mr. Kipling. I am now convinced you must be his wife, for what other explanation can there be?

Dear Captain,

I am not Kipling’s wife. I am no man’s wife. I have a cat and other activities that occupy my time.

—Booklover