The Duke's Secret

By: Sue Williams

Narrated by: Tayla Thomas

She is a young maid in a stately home; he is a dashing British army officer trapped in an unhappy marriage. The pair strike up a close friendship and, just as he's departing for war, they surrender to their passion.

Years later, he returns triumphant from defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, to reunite not only with his wife and their two sons, but with the maid Mary Ann and their illegitimate daughter Elizabeth. They all have to find a way through the tangle of affairs and betrayals, especially now he's hailed as the hero of the free world with a new title: the Duke of Wellington, the 'Iron Duke'.

Two hundred years on, in Australia, a woman meets with her long-lost father and learns of the family legend that they descend from a maid who worked for the Iron Duke. She sets out to prove once and for all whether or not this story is true, and what she discovers shocks everyone.

©2026 Words Worth Pty Ltd (P)2026 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'Delivers the perfect blend of fact, fiction and mystery ... a rollicking good story.' (Kyra Geddes, bestselling author of The Story Thief)

'A masterful storyteller, Williams brings history to life. Engaging characters and an exciting plot make this historical fiction at its best.' (Belinda Alexandra, bestselling author of Sapphire Skies)

'Stands as both a compelling novel, and a wonderfully researched piece of narrative history.' (on Elizabeth & Elizabeth) (Meg Keneally, author of Fled and The Wreck)