The Duke's Gardener (Black Sheep #3)

The duke, a mother at a loose end, and a man of nature … but just who is sending seemingly random strangers to the duke?

Mrs Cora Merrington has always done her duty as a wife and mother. But now her husband is dead, her five children are grown up, their course in life settled, and all her efforts to steer them to suitable marriages have been a waste of time. She lives on the periphery of their lives, no longer very important to anyone, yet duty and convention keep her tied to their side. What is she to do with her life but dwindle into dreary old age? If only she could throw off the shackles that constrain her and be free…

Calvin Garford is a humble under-gardener until a mysterious letter brings him to Staineybank, the Duke of Brinshire’s home. He’s thrilled to be given the run of the duke’s extensive woodlands, where he can live amongst the trees and wild creatures that he loves. He’s always been free to live his life as a man of nature, but when he meets Cora Merrington, her efforts to emulate his freedom threaten to overturn his placid life utterly and bring disaster on both of them.

This is a complete story with a happy ever after. A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom. Book 3 of a 6 book series.