A Dash of Ducks and Danger: An Ugly Duckling Retelling

A dollop of royal obscurity.
A serving of baking competition.
And a sprinkle of love to sweeten the batch.

Lady Elinor de Montmorel has never objected to marriage in theory — only in practice. After all, being tall, overlooked, and perpetually compared to more “suitable” noblewomen has made her cautious of suitors and weary of her mother’s relentless matchmaking. When one final attempt at securing her future is proposed, Elinor agrees — fully expecting another tedious courtship, and not a prince… or flour-dusted intrigue in the palace kitchens.

Pierre Deux, seventh son of King Etienne and proof that originality was not his family’s strong suit, has spent most of his life unnoticed. But when a royal baking competition is announced in honor of his namesake elder brother, Pierre, Pierre Deux sees his chance to rise. Armed with years of hard-won kitchen experience and a determination no one expects from him, he is ready to prove that he is more than an afterthought.

What neither of them anticipates is sharing baking supplies — or discovering a tiny abandoned duckling, followed swiftly by a very real plot to murder the crown prince. As secrets spill faster than sugar on marble floors, Elinor and Pierre must decide whether they will keep shrinking themselves to fit expectations… or risk everything on a recipe of their own making.

In a palace where appearances matter more than substance, will love rise to the occasion — or collapse like a cracked pavlova?

A Dash of Ducks and Danger, a retelling of "The Ugly Duckling," is a standalone novella, complete with tropes such as “he falls first,” “tending wounds,” and “only one oven.” It is part of The Enchanting Confections series, a collection of clean and cozy stories guaranteed to delight your sweet tooth.