The Ugly Truth About The Franken-Foot – 2022 Update

Originally posted July 18, 2017. Edited September 16, 2022.

Edits are noted. However, I would like to mention that I know so much more about this disease now than I did in 2017, through my own research as well as the research of doctors. More importantly, due to the tireless work and donations to clinical trials across the world funded by the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, pharmaceutical companies are taking an interest in formulating therapies to help. If you are randomly in a donating mood, you can donate here: https://donate.dtrf.org/fundraiser/4135599

2017: There are lots of things we keep out of social media. I don’t mean just authors, but all of us. In my case, most of my friends and family know what’s going on, but I have kept the truth from you, my Dear Readers.

It’s time to come clean.

Some of you may recall the strange affair of the Franken-Foot back in November 2015. I was in a cast for 8 weeks (during which time I taped hot guys to my cast when I was bored and posted them on Facebook), then in a plastic boot for 4 weeks.

I went to the CCWA Write On The Red Cedar conference with said boot when I could only walk on my heel. I was like Igor going up and down the halls. Step thunk. Step thunk. Step thunk. Yesssss Massster….But I didn’t have much choice if I was going to attend and present my query letter workshop. So I went.

What most people didn’t ask was why I was in the boot. Torn tendon? Fractured toe? No. It was a “severe and significant deformity.” Quote, unquote. I had a very long and wide metatarsal that created not only a heckuva bunion, but messed up toes and joints and, eventually, my gait. So off I went for reconstructive foot surgery in late 2015. Six titanium pins and a titanium plate later, my foot was fixed.

Well. Kind of.

It never stopped swelling. Muscle and joint movement never came back. I went to physical therapy twice, and while it helped, it wasn’t much. Finally, in December 2016 (over a year after the surgery) I had an MRI. On New Year’s Day, 2017, I received the result.

A “giant cell tumor” approximately 3 inches long, 1.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick was residing in my foot.

Dude. That’s, like, ginormous in a foot.

So there I was, saying to myself “Happy Effing 2017!”

Three weeks later in January 2017 I went under the knife to get that thing out.

2022 EDIT: Me and the Sharpie had some fun in OR prep. New pic I never shared.

Only, it can’t come out. Sure, the most ginormous bit was operable and was removed, but there was so much more in the connective tissue of the foot. If it comes out, I lose the use of the foot because all the blood vessels have to come out too. The flesh will die.

Joy ‘n stuff. Not operable aren’t words you want to hear, you know?

The good news is two separate labs checked for malignancy. NONE! It’s totally a benign tumor. Still ginormous, but benign.

[INSERT NOTE: I had a 1/31 deadline for THE LADY AND MR. JONES, and surgery on 1/19. Many thanks to my critique partners Kerri Keberly and Kimberly Kincaid for keeping me going during that time.]

Off to oncology I went after the surgery. Official diagnosis? Desmoid Fibromatosis. A wonderful and aggressive tumor that apparently is difficult to kill off. Ain’t no drugs approved by the FDA for this one.

2022 EDIT: I am so pleased to say that a drug showing promise during clinical trials is being presented to the FDA RIGHT NOW. There are also two other promising clinical trials which will be discussed during the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation’s annual conference in just a few weeks. I’ll be virtually there with bells on, waiting to hear the updates!

But going back to 2017….So they call together what is called a “tumor board”, aka a group of smart people who will figure out what the heck to do with this tumor. They suggest Sutent.

I wait six weeks. Insurance doesn’t approve. Wanh wanh…

While they work on that, I am given an NSAID to make it calm down and Tamoxifin, which has been clinically shown to suppress desmoid tumors—on occasion.

Tamoxifin, by the way, is what breast cancer survivors take to suppress future cancers. It also sends you into early menopause, which means I was *hot* for about 8 weeks. Like, sweating and burning from the inside out…which means for the first time in my life I wasn’t freezing cold! I actually wore shorts and tanks to bed instead of wool socks, flannel and sweaters!

[INSERT NOTE: My wonderful, wonderful editor and agent had a powwow and gave me a bit of extra time to work on edits for A DANCE WITH SEDUCTION right about this time. Many thanks to both of you!]

So there I was in menopause and popping lots of pills every day hoping the stupid tumor would at least stop growing, if not shrink.

No go. Effer grew back so fast I can document it in pictures. I even made a collage so I could compare pictures. Cuz I’m weird like that. The question, however, is why is this tumor growing in the first place? In my foot, no less. The best guess is the titanium put in way, way, way back in 2015 caused a cell change. In other words, my Franken-Foot was pissed off to have a foreign object in there.

2022 Edit: It was probably not the titanium, but the surgery itself. The cells in a desmoid tumor are fibroblasts (hence it’s other name, desmoid fibromatosis). The cells proliferate to heal a wound, then die back. Basically, mine didn’t die back after the initial surgery, and every surgery after made it worse. They would proliferate faster and faster each time. There are other causes/linked reasons for desmoids, but this is the most likely for me.

So they send me to radiation because the thing is growing so fast, only that appointment doesn’t go all that well. Because the tumor is all over inside the foot, they would have to put my foot in a water bath and radiate the entire foot—which, unfortunately, would most likely end up with me losing the use of the foot. All the muscles would contract and stop working.

More joy.

More Happy Effing 2017.

Still, the radiologist suggested taking out the titanium to see if that would make it stop growing. So off I go for surgery number three in April 2017. More tumor removed (another big’un), third incision in my foot, all titanium bits were chipped out, and voila. I am titanium free—and I even get to keep the hardware.

Truth? The titanium plate is kind of pretty in an oddly morbid way. I might turn it into jewelry when this is all over—assuming it’s not going to cause a tumor in some other bit of me.

2022 Edit: Also truth? This ain’t my first rodeo. Had my leg lengthened 1.25 inches in 1995. Literally cranked it apart 4 times a day. They don’t do that procedure anymore because it so disruptive. So my legs are about the same length, but I ended up with a bum knee, spent 4 months with the “apparatus” on my leg, and using crutches. Then my first day apparatus free, the bone fractured and I spent 2 months in a cast. All during my senior year! I got it all cleared up in time for prom, though. Then the remaining pin in my ankle snapped my freshman year in college and I had to have that taken out. New pic, by the way. Big pins were screwed in my leg, the broken one my ankle, the big metal bar was the crank, and the all the gold-ish pieces are the titanium from my foot.

[INSERT NOTE: Edits came in on THE LADY AND MR. JONES right around April/May, but thankfully I didn’t need any extra time!]

Now here I am, taking oral chemo for leukemia (which I don’t have, but the drug has shown some clinical effect on desmoid tumors and insurance approved it). I can wear sneakers only if the laces are loose, and heels are probably out for the rest of my life (including the kick ass pair of leather boots Mr. A bought me the day I sold my first book). The incision is the third one in my foot and it’s not healing well, because there are only so many times you can cut into the same place. And sometimes I limp, so I look like Igor again. Yesssss Massster…. Still, at present, I am alive and well, and the tumor seems to be in a holding pattern instead of growing, which means I just have to sit tight and take my chemo for months to come.

2022 Edit: The chemo for leukemia didn’t do a darn thing. Sometime in late 2018/early 2019, during which the desmoid tumor continued to grow and I hobbled around, hopped up on nerve blockers and opoids just to get through the day, a clinical trial for a drug called sorafenib showed promise. It is for renal and colon cancer, but my doctor fought to get my insurance company to cover it. It was either that or amputation. I was only 38ish, and my doc didn’t want to do that.

I mean, you can’t undo that decision if you change your mind. :/

After a few months, the tumor stopped hurting. A few months after that, it started to shrink. Suddenly I was no longer in pain. The nerve pain was gone, the deep throbbing I needed the opiods for was gone. But I was on a super high dose, which caused a lot of icky side effects. I won’t go into details, but I needed a lot of Zofran, Compazine, and lots and lots of Lomotil, among other things. Plus, I had to shave my head, which I did live on Facebook.

It is now stabilized, and I’m on the recommended dosage. From time to time the nerve pain and throbbing come back, but mostly, it’s fine. More importantly, it’s stable. Not shrinking, but not growing.

Stable.

But I may be on chemo forever.

I have hope, however. A new drug targeted for desmoid tumors showed clinical promise and has been submitted to the FDA. Two more drug are in ongoing clinical trials and are also showing clinical promise. These trials are funded in part by the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, which is also funded in part by (tax-deductible) donations. Obviously, you don’t have to donate! But I *AM* posting this to raise awareness of a rare disease. The Foundation hopes to increase visibility so more pharmaceutical companies start researching therapies that are successful.

But you know what? I’m damn lucky. I have a husband and child who take care of me when I hurt. An agent and editor who have my back. Friends who bring me meals and check in on me.

More, I’m not in a fight for my life. I’m only fighting for my foot.

It’s different.

The oncology office is a very sobering place. It makes you look at your life and decide what you want, and it forces to you think about your death. That ain’t easy, even when your tumor is non-cancerous. I can’t imagine what it’s like when the dreaded C word crops up. My love and best wishes to all who have been diagnosed.

You know double what? The oncology waiting room is full of courage. It’s full of fight and strength.

Do you know how many people hold hands in the oncology waiting room? Almost all of them. Couples, of course, but moms hold their daughters’ hands, sisters hold sisters’, sons hold their fathers’ hands. No one in that waiting room is alone—even when you arrive alone, the entire waiting room is sending you good vibes. You can feel it in the air.

That’s what I think of when I hobble into the office.

So I guess the Ugly Truth about the Franken-Foot has turned into something positive after all. I get to witness love and courage and strength every time I go to the doctor’s office, and I get to send positive vibes to strangers. How cool is that? It’s changed me, and I hope for those of you who never been, this post changes you.

For those of you who have been to that waiting room, all my love.

P.S. I’m going to be totally rocking sneakers with my dresses at RWA 2017! Stay tuned on Facebook for pics!

2022 EDIT: I *DID* rock the Chucks at RWA! Pre-shaved head, of course!

A Killer Past (And A Giveaway)

Join me in welcoming Maris Soule to the blog today! Her book, A KILLER PAST, is being re-released a an ebook, and I’m very excited!

Plus, I’ll be doing a little giveaway, which you can enter below.

Maris, thanks for celebrating the ebook reissue of A KILLER PAST with us today.

Thank you, Alyssa, for inviting me to announce the re-issuing of A KILLER PAST as an eBook. For the past two years I’ve been checking Amazon and the other on-line bookstores, hoping to see A KILLER PAST once again available as an eBook. Every time I looked, the only buy option was for the paperback edition. Which is great, if the reader wants to buy a paperback, but not so great if the reader prefers eBooks or buys them because it’s easier to carry an eReader than a stack of books.

I loved writing this book. It’s my answer to the question: What would someone who was an assassin in her twenties be like in her seventies?

This is Mary Harrington’s story.

For forty-four years Mary, now a widow, has been living in Rivershore, a small, rural town in southwest Michigan. No one knows about her past, and that’s the way she wants to keep it. Over the years she married Harry Harrington, the local dentist, and raised a son, Robert, who is a financial advisor and overly concerned about his mother’s ability to take care of herself. Robert’s wife Clare, who is into genealogy, wants to know more about Mary’s family. Problem is the family she’s told them about never existed. Also, Mary’s eighteen-year-old granddaughter, Shannon, wants Mary to take her to Paris, and Mary knows that would be a big mistake.

Her hope for anonymity ends the night before Halloween, when her car breaks down two blocks from her house and two gang members try to mug her. She should have simply let them take her purse. Instead, Mary discovers she hasn’t forgotten the months of training she went through in her twenties.

As Detective Jack Rossini investigates the incident, Mary denies being the one who put the two boys in the hospital; nevertheless, he’s sure she was involved, and the more he comes in contact with Mary, the more he’s convinced she’s hiding something, especially when his inquiries result in an order from the FBI to drop his investigation.

As I wrote A KILLER PAST, I had fun researching the types of weapons Mary would have been trained to use as an assassin. I then had to figure out if she could (or should) try to use them to protect herself as she faced the gang members looking for retaliation and a man from her past who wants her dead. Her afternoon practicing with the kubotan she’s had hidden in her cellar for forty-four years was fun to write. The weapon left her with several bruises which she has trouble explaining to her son, who already thinks she needs to move into a retirement home.

Available Now As An Ebook!

If you’d like to read about Mary Harrington and her efforts to keep her past a secret and yet survive, it’s now available now as an ebook or as a paperback.

Or read for free with Kindle Unlimited!

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of A KILLER PAST as an ebook, I’m giving away an ebook copy of THE CROWS, A PJ Benson Mystery. All you have to do to enter is tell me your favorite mystery book or movie. That’s it!

Open to US and International entrants 18 years or older. Winner to be chosen by random . org on Thursday, October 29.

About Maris Soule

Maris Soule has had thirty books published, ranging from romance and romantic suspense to mystery and thriller. Over the years, her books have won and placed in more than a dozen contests. Born and raised in California, she was working on a master’s degree in art history when she met and married her husband. She taught high school art and math for eight years before turning to writing full time. The Soules, who have two grown children and two granddaughters, now live in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Visit her at: https://www.marissoule.com

Or find her on social media:

Giveaway With Elizabeth Meyette

a little history…a little mystery…

a little romance

Aside from Elizabeth being one of the sweetest people I’ve met in my life, she’s also a smart and savvy self-publisher. I’ve admired her since she joined my local chapter of RWA, the Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America.

Even better? She writes a combination of romance and mystery—and you know me. I love that mix of love, danger, and secrets!

New Release

Elizabeth has a new book out, EXPOSED, which I totally one-clicked and can’t wait to read!

Exposed Elizabeth Meyette

In honor of the new release, Elizabeth is giving away a copy of THE CAVANAUGH HOUSE, book one in the Finger Lakes Mysteries series, as well as some amazing goodies.

You can enter the giveaway below!

Great Book!
Giveaway Goodies!

Interview

So how about a couple of questions for Elizabeth?

First up, when did you start writing and why?

My first poem was published in my sophomore year in high school more years ago than I’ll admit to. I wrote the first draft of my first romance, LOVE’S DESTINY, decades ago—I still have my hand-written-on-yellow-legal-pads first draft. But it sat on my shelf during my career as an English/Journalism teacher. When I retired to write full-time, I revised it and LOVE’S DESTINY was published by Crimson Romance in 2012. So, the short answer is either a really long time or nine years.

EXPOSED features an EMT and a lawyer. What was your research approach?

My daughter-in-law Rachel is a lawyer, so I interviewed her to get a sense of what the office would be like. Except for the motive of one of the suspects, Layla’s story doesn’t go into legal circumstances like a John Grisham novel, so I really just needed to set up the work environment for my character.

Jack is the hazmat responder, so I interviewed a hazmat specialist to learn procedures and protocols for a response to suspicious powder. I also did online research to determine which type of equipment Jack would wear based on what I learned in that interview. He also is an EMT, so I researched types of injuries and their on-site treatment.

Layla and Jack are both fly fishing enthusiasts, so I interviewed my daughter Kate who shares that passion. She took me to Cabela’s and showed me all types of fishing flies, explaining how each is tied and what kind of conditions each would be used for. She demonstrated how to cast and reel in fish. That was pretty fun. Adult beverages might have occurred at the lesson’s conclusion.

Insert from Alyssa: Adult beverages to celebrate are a good thing!

Why do you enjoy blending suspense and romance?

I like the heightened emotion of a story that involves mystery and suspense blended in with the edgy, giddy feeling of blossoming love. Somehow, one genre always creeps into the other. If I begin to write a romance, a mystery suddenly occurs, and vice versa.

Tell us a little about the book:

Fiercely independent lawyer Layla Forrester has been hurt, and she never wants to be hurt again. Because she protects her heart as vigilantly as she protects her ailing father, she has more enemies than friends. Now one of them has threatened her life.

EMT Jack Trenton seeks redemption over his father’s death. When he responds to a hazmat emergency, Layla wants no part of his help. She thinks the letter containing powder is a prank gone wrong, but he suspects it’s deadly. Only the second, more sinister threat convinces her to take it seriously.

When her father’s life is endangered, Layla desperately turns to Jack.  Is she willing to risk her heart to ask for his help? In helping Layla, Jack puts to rest his demons from years ago. But time is running out for Layla as the mysterious stalker attempts a final assault.

And since I have you trapped, we should do a little lightning round of fun questions. Ready? Set? Go!

Blue jeans or party clothes? (Yoga pants are OK too!) Definitely yoga pants.
Sushi or steak? Sushi…I’m an on-the-cusp vegetarian.
Cats or dogs? (Or hamsters?) Dogs, dogs, dogs 🙂
Beer, wine or water? Actually, vodka LOL
Coke or Pepsi? (If you answer Pepsi I hereby disown you. Ask my father.) Diet coke, hands down.
Favorite color? My daughter Kate and I always quote the line from Steel Magnolias “Pink is my signature color.”
Favorite word? Hello
Least favorite word? Goodbye
Coffee or tea? Herbal tea, either Ginger Turmeric or Licorice Spice.

And last but not least…Favorite character trait in your significant other? (Mr. Alexander says my most endearing quality is my ability to talk. He also says it’s my most irritating quality).

Serenity. Rich is the most calming, patient, serene, spiritual person I have ever known. Everyone who knows him says that.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment. Tell us if you like sushi or steak, cats or dogs, Coke or Pepsi (but remember my note on that…) or any of the other lightning round questions. That’s it!

The winner will be chosen by random . org on Saturday. Open to US residents ages 18 and up.

Interested in more of Elizabeth’s books?

You can find out more about Elizabeth at all the usual places.

A Quiet Moment of Grace

We’re all still mostly on COVID-19 lockdown, and for those of us with itchy feet, that’s a tough thing. I’d planned to go to Italy this fall, or perhaps take my 12 y/o Biscuit to London or Dublin in the spring, but COVID has ruined my plans.

To compensate, I pulled out the journal I kept during my solo trip to London and Paris in 2016 and found an entry from my first day in London.

It made my heart ache.

This post is not about religion, the joy or the trials, the history or debates, or that any religion is right or wrong. I am not religious per se, though I would say I am spiritual. And because I understand the connectivity of religion, spirituality, history and faith, I visit churches wherever I travel to. Not to participate in a service or ritual, but to find a place to be.

Sometimes I can be in on a heath in England, or standing among the ruins of a 15th century abbey in Ireland, or a working church in the heart of Paris while the vacuum cleaner is running, or simply in my own backyard.

This post is about simply being and how my heart felt when I was sitting in the Brompton Oratory.

P.S. Pictures were not allowed indoors, so all I have is a snapshot of the exterior. Also, this post is exactly how I wrote it in my journal, with the exception of a few corrected spelling errors.

4/14/16 4:30ish pm, London

I’m sitting in almost utter silence. I’m in the Oratory, in a ray of light. The only ray of light.

To my right is the most stunning depiction of Mary and Christ. Gilt and gold, marble and huge and carved.

I have never see anything like it. I cannot take a photo–but even if I could, I’m not sure I would.

It’s somehow too beautiful to be photographed. It shall have to stay in my memory.

There are others wandering here, all quiet. It is like every one of us is holding our breath.

A man just bought a candle, using another to light it. He is praying. As so many thousands have done before. And so many have died for that right. So many have died because of it.

Yet, as I sit here in my sunlight, watching it fade away, I cannot help but think about all the souls that have walked these floors, breathed this air, and felt this silence.

There is something peaceful and precious in the walls, whatever religion it is.

Tradition. Love. Respect. History.

Whatever else might be part of religion, there are also those four things.

The ceilings here simply soar, domed, high, painted and mosaiced. There is a loveliness that defies the imagination. And a beauty as well, that shocks the soul and draws it in.

The corners with saints to pray to, for confessions, for quiet reflection–each is as interesting and detailed as the last.

The memorial to the fallen soldiers 1914-1919 featured a Pieta-type statue that held so much sadness–and yet grace and peace. I hope those soldiers found that grace and peace.

I’ve stepped outside now into noise and bustle again. Cars, people, buses–so much life.

Yet I find myself wanting to step back inside and think about those I’ve lost.

May all of you find peace and grace.

Last Call for DUKES BY THE DOZEN

A Duke for All Seasons!

DUKES BY THE DOZEN is on sale for 99¢ for just another day or two, and after that, it will no longer be available. So if you haven’t picked up a copy, now is the time!

What’s better than a dashing duke? A dozen of them! In this case, a baker’s dozen—thirteen of your favorite historical romance authors have come together to bring you more than a dozen tantalizing novellas, with one per month, for a year’s worth of never-before-released romances.

January – The Duke in Winter by Alyssa Alexander — When the highwayman demanded the Duke of Highrow stand and deliver, he didn’t know she was a woman — or that she would steal his heart.

February – The Difference One Duke Makes by Elizabeth Essex — Miss Penelope Pease is what every bright young thing never wants to be—ruined, thanks to an ill-conceived flirtation with the late Duke of Warwick. But ruined suits the new duke, his brother, Commander Marcus Beecham just fine—because after a career in the Royal Navy, he’s rather ruined himself. All it takes is one frosty night for two imperfect people to make the perfect February valentine.

March – Discovering the Duke by Madeline Martin — Reunited at a house party after a lackluster start to their marriage, the Duke of Stedton attempts to win his Duchess’ heart. Will a sizzling wager be enough to melt the frost between them, or will it truly remain the coldest winter in London?

April – The Duke and the April Flowers by Grace Burrowes — The Duke of Clonmere must marry one of the Earl of Falmouth’s three giggling younger daughters, but Lady Iris—Falmouth’s oldest, who is not at all inclined to giggling—catches Clonmere’s eye, and his heart!

May – Love Letters from a Duke by Gina Conkle — The Duke of Richland needs a proper duchess, but he wants his thoroughly fun, entirely inappropriate neighbor, Mrs. Charlotte Chatham. She’s widowed, older, and if the whispers prove true—barren.

June – Her Perfect Duke by Ella Quinn — Still suffering over the loss of his wife and child, Giles, Duke of Kendal sees Lady Thalia Trevor at a market and is instantly smitten. There is only one problem. She is already betrothed to another man. Will she defy her powerful father to marry him?

July – How to Ditch a Duke by May McGoldrick — Lady Taylor Fleming is an heiress with a suitor on her tail. Her step-by-step plan to ditch him is simple. But there is nothing simple about Franz Aurech, Duke of Bamberg. When Taylor tries to escape to sanctuary in the Highlands, her plans become complicated when the duke arrives at her door and her loyal allies desert her. But even with the best laid plans, things can go awry…

August – To Tempt A Highland Duke by Bronwen Evans — — Widowed Lady Flora Grafton must be dreaming…Dougray Firth, the Duke of Monreith, the man who once pledged her his heart and then stood by and allowed her to marry another, has just proposed.  While her head screams yes, her heart is more guarded. Why, after eight years, this sudden interest? When she learns the truth… can she trust Dougray to love her enough this time?

September – Duke in Search of a Duchess by Jennifer Ashley — The meticulous Duke of Ashford is dismayed when his children inform him they’ve asked the young widow next door to find Ashford a new wife. Ashford can’t think of a more appalling assistant than Helena Courtland, gossipy busybody he steadfastly avoids. But Helena sweeps into his home and his life before he can stop her, turning Ash’s precisely ordered world into a chaotic whirlwind.

October – Dear Duke by Anna Harrington — When the new Duke of Monmouth, decides to put through a canal, he isn’t prepared for an old mill owner and his stubborn—but beautiful—daughter to stand in his way. War is declared, and the only person who seems to understand him is the anonymous pen pal to whom he’s been pouring out his heart, a woman not at all who she seems…

November – Must Love Duke by Heather Snow — Lady Emmaline Paulson is destined to land a duke—at least that has been the expectation since she was a cherub faced babe. But she has no wish to live her life in a gilded cage, always on display. Besides, she already has her Duke—an adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel pup she rescued from the Serpentine with the help of a handsome stranger. Maxwell Granville, heir to the Duke of Albemarle, wasn’t fishing for love—or fair maidens trying to save drowning puppies—that November afternoon. But that’s precisely what he found, IF he can convince Emmaline that her Duke isn’t the only duke she wants in her life…

December – The Mistletoe Duke by Sabrina York — The Duchess of Devon can’t think of a better way to tempt her widowed son into marrying again, than to throw a Christmas Ball. And there simply must be mistletoe everywhere! But it’s not until Jonathan meets his mother’s humble companion under the mistletoe, that fireworks erupt.

January – Dueling with the Duke by Eileen Dreyer — When Adam Marrick, Duke of Rothray, shows up on Georgie Grace’s doorstep in rural Dorset, she thinks it is to acquaint himself with his cousin James’s widow and child. Instead the duke brings the news that Georgie’s four-year-old daughter Lilly Charlotte, whom James’s family disowned, has inherited a Scottish duchy. Unfortunately, the news has also brought danger to her door.