Duchess at Hazard. THE CHADLINGTON CHRONICLES, #2

DUCHESS AT HAZARDDuchess at Hazard is the second book of the Chadlington Chronicles, spanning from 1812 to 2007 and from the Seventh Duke to the Twelfth. In 1812 a young officer watched as his friend and brother-in-law lay dying in the breach at Ciudad Rodrigo, eventually, he ends his suffering. A few weeks later he finds that his father has died and that he has become the Duke. A bizarre set of circumstances results in him gambling for an unknown prize.
The outcome forces him to return to the Continent, along with his sister and the lovely but seemingly naive, Lady Chelmsford. Their travels throughout Europe involve many adventures, including a dual, a naval engagement with Moorish slave traders and clashes with bandits. Unexpectedly the young Duke finds himself at Waterloo with his mentor and friend, the Duke of Wellington. At a crucial juncture, he takes command of a British 'square'.
Returning to England, now with a Duchess, he settles down to what should be a long and happy life. Twin sons ensure that there will be an heir for the duchy but all is not well. George, the younger of the twins, is engaging and outgoing. His elder brother, Albert, is very different. He is sadistic, depraved and a sexual predator. George returns from a voyage to find that his beloved Natalie has been forced into an engagement with Albert.
The only solution is an elopement. As scandal follows scandal, the Duke decides that Albert is unfit to succeed but before he can take action he and the Duchess are murdered. The new Duke institutes a reign of terror and forces a marriage with Natalie's sister. The young Duchess is demeaned, slighted and beaten. In particular, she is badly beaten for not having become pregnant. The few who care for her are convinced that Albert is infertile; extreme measures are necessary.
By the end of the second month of their marriage, she can inform the Duke that she is pregnant. A son results, followed by a second son and a daughter. When the Duchess tries to prevent Albert from raping a young maid, she is beaten and told that she will be sent away and will not see her sons again. Once again, extreme measures are necessary and by noon the following day, the Duke is dead. His successor marries and in 1871 has a son, only then does he discover the secret of his birth but he can take no action without destroying his mother and his siblings.
During the following years, the wealth of the duchy grows but the demands of Empire and two World Wars take their toll. In WWI two of the Tenth Duke's sons die on the Western Front but his eldest son survives being sunk at Jutland to inherit. The Eleventh Duke loses two sons in WWII. One died in the Battle of Britain; the second on D Day. The Duke is killed during a V2 attack on London and at the age of four, the Twelfth Duke inherits.
George and Natalie found a home in New Zealand but, following George's death, all contact was lost with the family in England and along with it, any memory of the family being related to a noble house. The first World War also took its toll on the New Zealand branch, four of the family died at Gallipoli.  When young George Bartholemew graduated from university, in 1973, no one in either branch of the family, was aware that his father was the rightful duke.
When the Twelfth Duke's son is killed in Iraq, a search is on for an heir. It takes four years to find one, the Duke is greatly relieved but is murdered before he can meet the presumed Thirteenth Duke.