Age Gap, but it's Appropriate This Time

 When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath

 I liked this book much better than the previous one. It focuses on Gilly, the oldest sister (but 5th child). There is still an age gap, but it's not uncomfortable; he is 36 and she is 29 for the majority of the story.  After closing her tavern for the night Gilly hears a scuffle and when she investigates she sees 4 men attacking one. He's hurt pretty badly but she gets him upstairs to her apartment and then send Robin, the orphan who lives in her tavern, to get the doctor. After the doctor tends to him she takes charge of his care and nurses him back to health, or a close approximation to it anyway. A few days later she borrows Mick's carriage to return him home, not knowing anything other than he goes by the name Thorn. Mick of course, waits and sees her loading him into the carriage and once it leaves he questions her. She tells him what happened and that's that. She doesn't expect to see him again, but that night he shows up to her tavern to thank her. And he keeps showing up. Some of it is so she can help him search for his fiancee that left him at the alter. This evolves into him looking for her not to get her back but to make sure she is okay and to let her know that he won't marry her. Meanwhile, Thorn and Gilly develop a friendship, then a romance. She finds out that he is a Duke and realizes that nothing can ever be between them, but she can have the now. His mother throws a ball so he can pick out a new bride and he says Gilly, Mick, and Aslyn get invited or he won't be there. She consents. Gilly gets her first gown. She goes to the ball and it wonderful to everyone, charming. But his mother doesn't like her. Some of the girls are gossiping about her. And his so-called friend propositions her so she punches him. After she and her family leave Thorn announces to everyone how he came to meet her, and there is stunned silence. He shows up at her place that night and she is waiting for him; to tell him that this is their last night together. They enjoy their night together and he leaves. A month goes by and Gilly realizes that she is pregnant. She goes to see her mum and tells her that she's keeping it. She starts making plans to close her tavern because she knows she will be shunned. Meanwhile, Thorn is depressed. He has realized that he loves her and he is looking at all of the marriage proposals sent from fathers wanting to marry off their daughters. His former fiancee shows up, tells him she is safe but that she can't go home because she doesn't know how her brother will react, and that she was not exactly chaste; that she loved another but can't be with him, and that if he ever finds love to not marry for anything less. Back at Gilly's Finn, Aiden, and Beast all take turns proposing to her. They make sure to say they won't expect the marriage bed but they don't want her to be ostracized and that they will make good husbands. We also learn that Finn is the man that Thorn's former fiancee is in love with. Gilly turns down all of her brothers. Her bar man, Roger, overhears that she's pregnant and starts mothering her, making her sit; it's cute. Then Thorn shows up. They start talking and he asks her to marry him. When he finally sees her whole body (she was hidden by the bar) he immediately realizes that she's pregnant. He's hurt that she didn't tell him, but he doesn't care, he just wants to marry him. She agrees, if they can have a small wedding (just friends and family). But, the next day his mother shows up. Gilly expects that she is going to try to warn her off, their first meeting didn't go very well, but it's just the opposite. She tells her that if she is going to be a Duchess there are certain expectations, and the first is a big wedding at St. Georges. Gilly agrees and they get married. Fast forward, the baby is born and it's a girl. Thorn's mother rants at him for not being able to produce an heir, but they tell her not to worry, they will get right on it. Also, Thorn's mother tries to adopt Robin; he declines but it's an open invitation. I liked that Gilly was story 2; she was already fairly well developed in book 1 and she is (currently) my favorite of the siblings. This sets up Finn and Livinia to be book 3, but I'm not sure if that will happen or if they will have to wait. I liked the gradual development of the relationship in this book better than the secret based one in the previous.