An Unintended Journey — Catherine Gayle

Abby Goddard's life is going along just swimmingly, apart from the disappearance of her life's love -- Wesley Cavendish, a man well above her station. Just before Christmas, Grandmama dies after revealing the identity of Abby's grandfather. The Duke of Danby, no less. Now the entire family will travel to Yorkshire to confront Danby, hoping to gain a dowry for Abby. But then Wesley reemerges, sparking a hope Abby thought long destroyed.

Shall the prodigal son's sole inheritance be an unsightly gash? Wesley Cavendish aspires to the political realm, despite his father's near-murderous opposition…not to mention his opposition to Abby Goddard. But since Father died, will the new Earl of Fordingham rescind Father's disgraceful allegations? Fordingham thwarts Wesley at every turn, threatening marriage to a prominent Tory family -- which precludes Abby -- to put an end to Wesley's Whig involvement…unless Wesley can find a loophole.

***This is a novella of approximately 18,000 words, and was previously published in the anthology A Summons From the Castle, and then in the collection Charming and Just a Bit Disarming.***