Secret Pleasures (52 page)

“I suppose Lady Melody should be raised in a style befitting her station.
”
Darien kissed Ivy on the mouth
.
“Don’t worry, Ivy
.
No one will question your right to every luxury a countess deserves.”

“Countess.
”
Ivy shook her head
.
“All I ever wanted was to be your wife.”

“Well, both our wishes have come true.
”

Ivy laid her head on Darien’s shoulder
.
“I wonder if your brother realized how important his letter to you would be.”

“I don’t know, but I shall follow his advice for the rest of our long lives, Lady Westhaven
.
With you
by
my side, any sacrifice I must make in the name of propriety shall be my greatest joy.”

Ivy squeezed his thigh
.
“Not to worry, Lord Westhaven
.
We shall still indulge in our secret pleasures behind closed doors.”

But do realize, for all practical purposes, I am dead and you are the next Earl of Westhaven
.
Yours Always, Philip.

Available on Kindle 2013.

Look for Cheryl’s
other titles
to be available in digital format late 2012

The power of female friendship played a huge part in this book ever getting
written
. Thank you to the Wednesday Morning Borders Critique Group for getting me through some
grueling
years. I don’t know what I would have done without your encouragement and support. So many of my close writing friends read original versions of this book and many revisions after. Thank you Ara Burklund, Sylvia Mendoza and Janet Wellington for all the time you put into setting me straight. Thank you
Lorelle Marinello for liking Ivy from her first appearance in
Improper
Pleasures. You gave me the idea that she might actually be likeable.
Thank you Ann Collins, J
udy
Duarte, Chris
Green, Mary Leo and Cathy Yardley for always having an
encouraging
word when I needed it. And a huge thanks to R
omance Writers’ of America San Diego Chapter
.
What an amazing
ly
supportive and warm group!

Thank you Giovanna Ros
s
ingnol not only for your encouragement, but for helping me figure out a crucial part of this book.

And of course a big thanks to my husband Russ who had no idea what he was getting into when he encouraged me to
pursue
my dream of being
a
writer all those years ago.

Che
ryl Howe writes sexy historical romance novels with strong characters in
sensual
settings
.
She is an avid reader and would rather bury her head in a book than do just about anything else. She published her first novel in 2003. When she’s not reading or writing, she tries to
balance
her time between cooking healthy gluten-free meals, not
ignoring
her husband, and catering to her
menagerie of house pets. She lives in
Southern
California
with an understanding husband, two spoiled dogs, a demanding cat and a bright yellow parakeet.

To learn more about Cheryl and her books, visit her blog, Whole-Healthy-Writer, at
http://cherylhowe.com/

You can email her at
[email protected]