A bruising wager. A fake betrothal. A love that refuses to follow the rules of the ton. When a vicious bet at White's brands wallflower Miss Charlotte Fairweather unmarriageable, she vows to survive the Season in silence-until London's newest power, Benedict Ashbourne, Duke of Ashworth, offers a daring solution: a three-month fake engagement that helps them both. He needs freedom from relentless matchmaking to repair a dukedom in disarray. She needs a shield from scandal and the chance to be seen as more than a bluestocking. The rules are simple: staged promenades in Hyde Park, perfectly polite public smiles, absolutely no real feelings. But late-night conversations about mathematics and the stars turn to stolen glances. Museum "appearances" become real meetings of the mind. A single kiss in a dark carriage threatens to shatter their careful bargain-just as the original wager explodes in the scandal sheets, painting Charlotte as a grasping nobody and Ashworth as a generous fool. Society demands he cut the "entanglement." Instead, the duke who proposed a fake bet must decide whether to fight for a very real marriage-with the only woman who has ever understood the man behind the title. The Duke's Double Bet launches Tales from the Matchmaker's Society with a steam-kissed, slow-burn Regency romance full of banter, swoon, and a guaranteed HEA. Perfect for readers who love fake engagements, intellectual equals, witty repartee, a burdened duke, and a brilliant wallflower who refuses to dim. Expect: - Fake engagement → real feelings - A wager at White's - Scandal-sheet fallout - Smart, STEM-flavored chemistry - Protective duke energy - Library, museum & opera scenes - Found family & series arc via the Matchmaker's Society - Standalone HEA Heat level: Steamy kisses to open-door intimacy; tender, emotional, and character-driven.