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BOOK: Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman

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Epilogue

June 26, 1857

Hyde Park

I
t was called the Victoria Cross, each one cast from the bronze taken from a captured Russian cannon.

Standing in the park with Stephen’s family, Mercy watched as Queen Victoria presented the symbol of valor to sixty-two soldiers, one of which was Mercy’s much-beloved husband.

She recognized some of the faces, the names of the others who were honored. She had no fears that today’s ceremony would bring forth the nightmares. She’d not had one in more than a year. What an incredible year it had been.

Fancy was no longer a part of their lives, although Mercy had heard through the duchess, who kept up with such things, that the girl was now enjoying her fifth benefactor.

Because Roseglenn was not part of Ainsley’s entailment, Stephen had purchased it from him. The sheep were gone. He was raising horses. Lynnford would often come by to offer his advice. Some days their relationship was more strained than others. Mercy had not been surprised to discover he was Stephen’s father. Stephen was slowly reconciling his feelings about it.

And in a few more months, John would have a brother or a sister.

With the ceremony finished, she watched as her husband strode toward her in his scarlet uniform. He was as handsome now as he’d been the first time she’d ever laid eyes on him.

Releasing John’s hand, she laughed as he rushed headlong to his father. Stephen scooped him up and held him aloft, his laughter mingling with hers and John’s. She’d never known such happiness.

Holding John tightly in one arm, he slipped the other around her and kissed her soundly.

While his heroics had been many, it was his carrying wounded men from the field of battle while under heavy enemy fire that had earned him this particular recognition.

Leaning back, she fingered the medal that was pinned to his jacket. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m not certain I deserve it. I don’t remember—”

She touched her fingers to his lips. “It doesn’t matter. They remember,” she said, indicating the other soldiers on the field.

He set down John, unpinned his medal from his jacket and pinned it to the bodice of her dress. “We’ll share it,” he told her, “because you’re the one who truly deserves it.”

Before she could protest, he took her into his arms and kissed her deeply while the world looked on. With his reputation, no one even raised an eyebrow. But Mercy knew the kiss symbolized much more. It was a celebration of their life, their love.

About the Author

LORRAINE HEATH
wrote her first story at seven, and it involved a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid. She has since moved on to writing about sexy cowboys and dashing English lords (and sometimes, cleverly, in the same book!).
Publishers Weekly
says she is a “master of her craft.” She is, indeed, and along with being a
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestseller, she has won the RITA® Award,
Romantic Times
Reviewer’s Choice Award, and a Career Achievement Award. Visit her website at
www.lorraineheath.com.

Romances by Lorraine Heath

Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman

Passions of a Wicked Earl

Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel

Surrender to the Devil

Between the Devil and Desire

In Bed with the Devil

Just Wicked Enough

A Duke of Her Own

Promise Me Forever

A Matter of Temptation

As an Earl Desires

An Invitation to Seduction

Love with a Scandalous Lord

To Marry an Heiress

The Outlaw and the Lady

Never Marry a Cowboy

Never Love a Cowboy

A Rogue in Texas

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.

PLEASURES OF A NOTORIOUS GENTLEMAN
Copyright © 2010 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, down-loaded, 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.

EPub Edition December 2010 ISBN: 9780062078513

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