Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (31 page)

As for the others in the dark society who were involved that night, the daughter of the duke married a titled gentleman who took the other lady as his lover—although there were rumors that the two ladies were fond of each other. The remaining men lived their lives on the far side of the world, even though evidence seemed to indicate the two other lords had died from mysterious circumstances. William Graves, physician to the queen and to the poor, was handy at providing corpses beyond recognition. Two men destined for a pauper’s grave now lie at rest in the finest of settings.

When I was younger, a darkness hovered inside me. A combination of guilt, remorse, and a determination to make myself worthy of my father’s sacrifice. They were heavy burdens to bear, but bear them I did, in gratitude for every breath I drew. I often think of him standing tall and broad upon the gallows, the slight curve of his mouth, his final wink.
We fooled them, lad.
We fooled them all
.

Indeed we did.

I’m not certain I quite understood how he could have gone so willingly—until I was blessed with children of my own. I was humbled by the trust my flaxen-haired daughters placed in me when, mere moments after their arrival, they each wrapped their small hands around my fingers, a touch that reached far into my heart. Twin daughters. Ah, the pranks they play. They are outdone only by their brother, who came into the world two years later and brought with him his grandfather’s smile.

I do wish my father could have met my Emma. I cannot help but think he would have appreciated her as much as I do. She shines a light into the darkness of my life. She and my children.

As I sit in the small cottage by the sea writing in my journal, I can hear them laughing near the cliffs. Soon I will join them.

I have loved my Emma dearly these many years, and I shall continue to do so until the day I die. She is the light of my life, the one who took the darkness away, the one who completes me.

Emma is the one who gave the lost and lonely orphan who lived inside me a true home at last.

About the Author

LORRAINE HEATH
always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases for a publicist, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. In 1990, she read a romance novel and not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since. Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including RWA’s RITA®, a HOLT medallion, and a
Romantic Times
Career Achievement Award. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including
USA Today
, Waldenbooks, and, most recently, the
New York Times
.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Romances by
Lorraine Heath

SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL

IN BED WITH THE DEVIL

A DUKE OF HER OWN

A MATTER OF TEMPTATION

AN INVITATION TO SEDUCTION

TO MARRY AN HEIRESS

NEVER MARRY A COWBOY

A ROGUE IN TEXAS

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

MIDNIGHT PLEASURES WITH A SCOUNDREL. Copyright © 2009 by Jan Nowasky. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. Adobe Digital Edition September 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-195974-5

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