The Runaway Duchess We Choose You: The 15 Cutest Pokmon of All Time. The Runaway Duchess is an enchanting Victorian historical romance where a runaway bride dumps a duke and rewrites her own love story, from the author of The Duke Undone. Pretty and pampered, Lavinia Yardley always dreamed of becoming a duchess. But family disgrace forces her into marriage with the most vile duke in England, and she finds herself desperate for a way out. When a rustic stranger mistakes her for globe trotting botanist Muriel Pendrake at a train station, Lavinia has a split second to decide whether to submit to her fate or steal someone else's. Neal Traymayne, having spent his youth traveling the world as Varnham Nursery's most daring plant hunter, now runs the nursery and is ready to settle down with a like minded wife who'll fit right in with his large, happy, down to earth family. His correspondence with Muriel Pendrake proved they're the perfect match. Odd that the woman in the flesh seems more like a society belle than a scientist. As they tramp the Cornish moors together, Lavinia and Neal discover a wild and rare desire. But this blossoming love is rooted in lies, and when the real Muriel Pendrake shows up, they can't hide from who they are. The truth may wither their hopes of happiness, or it may bloom into the sweetest love of all.