{"id":3589,"date":"2015-02-22T17:44:45","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T00:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=3589"},"modified":"2025-02-11T09:07:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T14:07:05","slug":"wicked-little-secrets","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/books\/wicked-little-secrets\/","title":{"rendered":"Wicked Little Secrets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Wicked-Little-Secrets72.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"495\" data-attachment-id=\"3591\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/books\/wicked-little-secrets\/wicked-little-secrets72\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Wicked-Little-Secrets72.jpg?fit=300%2C495&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"300,495\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Wicked-Little-Secrets72\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Wicked-Little-Secrets72.jpg?fit=300%2C495&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Wicked-Little-Secrets72.jpg?fit=300%2C495&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Wicked-Little-Secrets72.jpg?resize=300%2C495\" alt=\"Wicked-Little-Secrets72\" class=\"wp-image-3591\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><\/strong><em><strong>Wicked Little Secrets Series \u2013 Book I<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Order from&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Wicked-Little-Secrets-Susanna-Ives\/dp\/1402283571\/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1382298905&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/strong> ,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/wicked-little-secrets-susanna-ives\/1114581337?ean=9781402283574\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Barnes and Noble<\/strong><\/a> , &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/wicked-little-secrets\/id690200606?mt=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>iBooks<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/a> ,&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-us\/ebook\/wicked-little-secrets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp; , <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Susanna_Ives_Wicked_Little_Secrets?id=xXCiAAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Google Play<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Order the audiobook from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Wicked-Little-Secrets-Audiobook\/B0DSLMPR1D?qid=1736862344&amp;sr=1-1&amp;ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&amp;pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&amp;pf_rd_r=EAXFA4J03DA1FNTP0FS6&amp;plink=xRL6cUjbaX9CIvJX&amp;pageLoadId=T0AkoklZE5DoZHpA&amp;creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c&amp;ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1\">Audible<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0DSLRD4GH\">Amazon<\/a>, <\/strong>and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/rbmediaglobal.com\/audiobook\/9798331900823\/\">more<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It\u2019s Not Easy Being Good\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivacious Vivienne Taylor has finally won her family\u2019s approval by getting engaged to the wealthy and upright John Vandergrift. But when threatened by a vicious blackmail scheme, it is to her childhood friend that Vivienne turns; the deliciously wicked Viscount Dashiell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When Being Wicked is so Much More Exciting\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord Dashiell promised himself long ago that his friendship with Vivienne would be the one relationship with a woman that he wouldn\u2019t ruin. He agrees to help her just to keep the little hothead safe, but soon finds that Vivienne has grown up to be very, very dangerous to all of Dash\u2019s best intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:27px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" data-attachment-id=\"8726\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/2025\/01\/wicked-little-secrets-audiobook-edition-victorians-talking\/wickedlittlesecretsaudio\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?fit=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"600,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"WickedLittleSecretsAudio\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?fit=500%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?fit=525%2C525&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?resize=525%2C525&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8726\" style=\"width:353px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?resize=500%2C500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecretsAudio.jpg?resize=120%2C120&amp;ssl=1 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Praise for <em>Wicked Little Secrets<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWith Wicked Little Secrets\u2019 intriguing plot, quirky characters, witty escapades and heartfelt dialogue, Ives has created a read that\u2019s as thought-provoking as it is romantic. The combination of an art theft, a blackmail scheme, a scintillating naughty diary and plenty of adventure turn the ordinary into innovative entertainment. Keep your eye on Ives. 4 1\/2 Stars\u201d\u2013&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rtbookreviews.com\/book-review\/wicked-little-secrets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2013 RT Reviewer\u2019s Choice Best Book Awards \u2013 First Historical Romance Nominee!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cVivienne and Dashiell are joyfully silly, but deft sensuality and love&nbsp;<\/em>turns<em>&nbsp;the novel, crooning, cross-dressed hero and all, in a love story that is a pleasure to read.\u201d \u2014&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/bnreview.barnesandnoble.com\/t5\/Reading-Romance\/Taking-Me-Back-The-Best-of-2013\/ba-p\/11889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eloisa James\u2019 Best of 2013<\/a>&nbsp;list in the<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bnreview.barnesandnoble.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&nbsp;Barnes and Noble Review<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013 Reading Romance column.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cIt has almost everything in one book, romance, lust<\/em>,and<em>&nbsp;a mystery that keeps you sitting on the end of your seat. I would not pass up this read!\u201d \u2014&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/freshfiction.com\/review.php?id=42752\">Fresh Fiction<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.longandshortreviews.com\/book-reviews\/wicked-little-secrets-by-susanna-ives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.susannaives.com\/images\/Best-Book-Seal-small.jpg?w=525\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div><em><\/em><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI have to applaud Susanna Ives for her work in&nbsp;Wicked Little Secrets. I have never, ever laughed so hard or swooned so much while reading a historical romance\u2026To be able to meld the vivid characters and complex scheme as this author did&nbsp;<\/em>earned<em>&nbsp;her a Best Book in my eyes. If you love historical romances, then this book is a must!\u201d \u2014<strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.longandshortreviews.com\/book-reviews\/wicked-little-secrets-by-susanna-ives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Long and Short Reviews<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Excerpt<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/WickedLittleSecrets.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>No. 15 Wickerly Square, London<\/strong><br><strong>Tuesday, March 11, 1845<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne Taylor repressed a mischievous smile as she gazed at the female members of the Wesley Congregation. The way the ladies sat in three neat rows, with their earnest faces poking out from their morning caps, resembled a gardening bed of black and white lacy flowers. They gathered for the weekly Bible lessons held in the parlor of Gertrude Bertis\u2019s home on Wickerly Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aunt Gertrude banged her cane on the floor, signaling the beginning of the lessons and scaring Garth, her pug dog, who had been snoozing at her feet. \u201cSisters, today we shall have a special reading in celebration.\u201d Her mouth hiked slightly around the edges\u2026 the closest she came to smiling. For though she had a plump, flushed face\u2014the kind made for grins and laughter\u2014she kept her mouth and brow in tense, severe lines, making her appear decades older than her forty-one years. She wore her hair in a snug bun, but a few rebellious strands of silver and brown escaped and curled about her face. Her corset was laced tight, constraining her expansive, round form into rigid feminine contours. Yet when she gazed at her niece, a tender glow melted all the hardness in her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy little Vivvie is engaged.\u201d Aunt Gertrude reached over and patted the top of Vivienne\u2019s hand. A wave of warmth flowed through Vivienne\u2019s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ladies cooed, \u201cHow lovely,\u201d and \u201cWon\u2019t you be a beautiful bride?\u201d\u2014not the sort of disapproving words Vivienne had heard most of her twenty-two years, words such as, \u201cProper young ladies do not bring up the marriage customs of the ancient Spartans at the dinner parties,\u201d and \u201cProper young ladies do not ask the circulating library for books by the Marquis de Sade,\u201d and, the one that embarrassed her father the most, \u201cProper young ladies are not asked to leave Ladies Seminary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne had done something right, even if for the first time in her life, as her sisters Hannah and Fiona had claimed. Just when her family was a few pounds from debtor\u2019s prison, Vivienne managed to catch John Vandergrift, the son of the manager for South Birmingham railroad. With a flourish of his pen, the elder Mr. Vandergrift could fill her father\u2019s machinery factory with orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVivvie has come up from Birmingham to be near her fianc\u00e9,\u201d her aunt continued. \u201cI met him just yesterday, such a fine, considerate young man. I know Mr. Bertis would have approved.\u201d She turned her head and gazed up at the portrait of the honorable Judge Jeremiah Bertis, posed in his court robes and wavy wig. He held his jutting, Romanesque nose high, as his heavy-lidded, dark eyes looked disapprovingly on everything below him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMr. Vandergrift is wonderful, isn\u2019t he?\u201d Vivienne gushed. \u201cI have to continually pinch myself. I can\u2019t believe that he proposed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell, it\u2019s little wonder,\u201d said Mrs. Lacey in her honey-sweet voice. She resembled an elf with her small stature, frizzy white hair, and bright smile. \u201cYou\u2019re ravishing with those green eyes and black curls. And your breasts are so ample. You know how gentlemen just love breasts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBreasts!\u201d Aunt Gertrude cried. \u201cMrs. Lacey, pray restrain yourself!\u201d She squeezed the bulbous head of her cane as she fumbled about the medicine bottles on the side table, finding a blue square one that Vivienne recognized to be Dr. Philpot\u2019s Wonderful Nerve Tonic for Ailing and Suffering Ladies. Soothing Menses, Hysteria, and Other Female Complaints. She popped the cork, took a discreet swig, and then sniffed, dabbing the edge of her mouth. \u201cA lady\u2019s virtue is far more desirous than her physical beauty. There is many a lady suffering in the flames of hell for her vanity.\u201d She let her words fall as heavily as the sentences her husband handed down to the poor women brought before the London courts. \u201cNow, for your own benefit and Vivienne\u2019s, you shall read from Proverbs, Chapter 31, verses 10\u201331.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI just need to get my spectacles.\u201d Mrs. Lacey reached for her reticule, still smiling despite the warning of her soul\u2019s incineration in hell. She rooted through her personal effects, handing her neighbor various embroidered linens, perfume bottles, and a dried, crumpled flower to hold. \u201cIsn\u2019t that the prettiest little chrysanthemum? I hope that gentleman didn\u2019t mind when I plucked it from his coat. Ah, here are my spectacles. Now, what was I supposed to read?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProverbs, Chapter 31, verse 10. Proverbs is after Psalms.\u201d Vivienne rose, took the lady\u2019s Bible, turned it upright, and flipped to the correct page. \u201cIt was written by King Solomon. He was forever writing proverbs and songs, you know. He had over five hundred wives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGood heavens,\u201d Mrs. Lacey exclaimed, taking the Bible. \u201cHow many times a day do you think he\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aunt Gertrude cleared her throat. \u201cThe verse if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mrs. Lacey held the Bible to the tip of her nose and squinted behind her spectacles. \u201c\u2018Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above boobies.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt does not say \u2018boobies\u2019!\u201d her aunt barked. \u201c\u2018Her price is far above rubies.\u2019 Rubies!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI just love rubies,\u201d Mrs. Lacey exclaimed. \u201cI am always telling Mr. Lacey that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aunt Gertrude banged her cane. \u201cPlease refrain from any personal digression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thirty minutes later, Mrs. Lacey had progressed exactly six verses. Garth, now asleep again, made little snorts at his owner\u2019s feet. Vivienne tried not to fidget. She forced herself to sit up straight even though her back ached from the hard chair. Could the future wife of John Vandergrift excuse herself to the privy and escape? Would that be the action of a Biblically virtuous wife? As Vivienne contemplated the moral dilemma, she noticed, through the window, the wild, untamed gray hair and spry body of her aunt\u2019s neighbor, the Earl of Baswiche. He stood in her aunt\u2019s tiny box garden, wearing only a beige banyan that reached to the calves of his bare legs. His eyes sparkled with a devious light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPardon me,\u201d Vivienne interrupted, \u201cbut Lord Baswiche is in the garden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Her aunt whipped her head around to the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The earl\u2019s mouth cracked into a wide grin. \u201cHello, ladies!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He spread his arms wide and his banyan opened. Between his slightly bowed legs, his male parts dangled like meat strung in a butcher\u2019s window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne put her hand to her mouth to hide her giggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mrs. Lacey gasped. \u201cWhat a big\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGet out of my garden, you dirty sinner!\u201d Aunt Gertrude shot up, almost stumbling over Garth, as she yanked the curtains over the window. \u201cMiss Banks!\u201d she shouted for the housekeeper. \u201cGo next door and tell that wicked Lord Dashiell that his grandfather is in my garden again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord Dashiell was home! Vivienne\u2019s blood surged with excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy poor nerves.\u201d Her aunt beat her palm against her bosom. \u201cI feel an attack coming on.\u201d She grabbed Dr. Philpot\u2019s and gulped down the contents. \u201cWhere is Banks? Banks!\u201d she cried, violently shaking the bottle, trying to get out one last drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe is down in the kitchen getting the cakes ready,\u201d Vivienne said. \u201cI\u2019ll tell Lord Dashiell.\u201d She started for the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aunt Gertrude\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare go to that house of ill-repute next door\u2014a shameful Babylon. What would your father think of me allowing you to be corrupted? Now let us sit down.\u201d She eased back in her chair, and her nostrils flared with her rapid breath. She gripped her cane, running her fingers up and down the shaft. \u201cMrs. Lacey, read the next verse,\u201d she said in a controlled calm. \u201cYou were saying, \u2018She girdeth her loins with strength.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll just tell his butler,\u201d Vivienne assured her. \u201cI won\u2019t be a minute. How could I possibly get corrupted in that short a time?\u201d She scooted off before she could be stopped. She hadn\u2019t seen Lord Dashiell since he left for Rome over a year ago and, who knows, he might be heading to Russia the next day. Typically, he stayed in London long enough to land into a scandal and then he was off again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside, she scanned Wickerly Square, adjusting her eyes to the light. Built a few decades after the Great Fire, the houses were not nearly as fashionable as those in Cavendish and Grosvenor Square to the west. Dull stacks of gray stone with dark windows edged the square\u2014the homes of middling families. Dashiell\u2019s domicile stood at the corner and towered over its neighbors, giving the square a lopsided appearance, as if his were the manor house and all the other homes mere tenant outbuildings. In the center of the square, protected by a block iron fence, was a grass-covered park. In each corner grew spreading oak trees with low branches, perfect for a young girl to climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One afternoon, a little over ten years before, she had been daydreaming in the tree growing nearest Lord Dashiell\u2019s home when she first spied on the famed scoundrel. She had been sent outside after inventing a fantastic game she called \u201cKeep out of the Ocean,\u201d which required shoving all the parlor furniture together and pretending it was a cluster of islands in the South Seas. Then she leaped from chair to table to harpsichord without falling into the ocean and being devoured by hungry sharks while singing at the top of her lungs. Her uncle had thundered out of his library, his face creased with rage. \u201cBad seed!\u201d he boomed. He never called her by her name or my little Vivvie like her aunt, just bad seed. \u201cWhy are you intent on destroying my home? Do you know what happens to little girls who don\u2019t respect other people\u2019s property?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou put them in the gaol?\u201d she ventured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPrecisely,\u201d he answered. \u201cAnd wipe that insolence from your face when you speak to me. Mark my words, you are rotten in the soul and will come to ruin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So she had been sent to the square with a copy of Institutes of the Laws on England to learn the legal process by which wicked little girls came to ruin. She had scampered up the tree and set the book on a high branch in hopes a bird might drop on it. There, hidden in the thick foliage, she felt safe. With the exception of Aunt Gertrude, every adult in her life just scolded her. Now that his wife had died, her father was forever losing his patience with Vivienne, who was as excitable as her sisters were calm. Every few months, she drove the poor man to such distractions that he would claim that he couldn\u2019t do anything else with her and would send her to Uncle Jeremiah\u2019s so she could \u201clearn how to behave herself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The way she saw the situation, she would just continue to let down her father and uncle, and there was only one sensible solution to the problem: to stow away on a boat to Egypt and raid tombs. She was thinking of the specifics of her plan, which included dressing like a boy, eating hard tack, perhaps even bugs, when she heard a rich, resonant male voice say, \u201cWhat a fine climbing tree you have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She had gazed down through the leaves at Lord Dashiell and gasped. He could have stepped straight out of her imagination, filled as it was with blood-thirsty pirates, fierce Mongols, and courageous Templar knights. He was about twenty-one years old then. His dark hair flowed loose over his collar in disheveled curls, and his bronze skin was so tanned that he could have been Marco Polo himself. With his high cheekbones, strong chin, and blue shadows under his eyes, he appeared quite Gothic, like the heroes in those books her older sister was always reading. Though the ironic twist to his full lips and sparkle in his chocolate-colored eyes belied any dark, stormy thoughts of the Gothic variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m Dashiell,\u201d he had said, in a kindly voice meant for children as he pointed to his home. \u201cI just moved there. Our home in Berkeley Square burned down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh, I\u2019ve heard of you,\u201d she said. \u201cMy uncle told my aunt that you\u2019re a heathen, whoremonger, and adventurer, and that we\u2019re not supposed to talk to you.\u201d But looking at this striking species of heathen, her uncle\u2019s orders flew from her head. \u201cWhat\u2019s a whoremonger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He blinked and his smile tightened from easy to nervous and he started to edge away. \u201cErr, maybe you should ask your uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy do adults always answer my questions by saying I should ask another adult?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He stopped, tossed his head back, and laughed\u2014a welcoming, musical sound. She turned on the branch until she was hanging by her knees and gazing at him from upside down. \u201cI wish I could be an adventurer. I would go to Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell, I just got back from Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cReally!\u201d She spun down from the tree and landed with a soft thud on her feet. \u201cDid you dig for a Pharaoh\u2019s lost treasure? Have you ever found a mummy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He knelt down, putting himself at her level. \u201cI have, but most everything of value had already been stolen. It\u2019s extremely difficult to find a fresh grave.\u201d He dug into his pocket and drew out what looked to be a pale rock. \u201cI did find this in the Valley of the Kings.\u201d He turned the curious rock over. It was sanded flat and carved with tiny pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She squealed. \u201cIs that a real hieroglyph?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMade over three thousand years ago. Perhaps during the reign of Ramesses the Great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo you know what it says?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTwo pots and a goat, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She scrunched her eyebrows. \u201cNo, that can\u2019t be right. These things were supposed to be about Pharaohs, Isis, and cobras.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry if I procure boring relics.\u201d He would have her believe that he was terribly offended, but the quiver on his lips gave him away. \u201cYou might as well take it as no one will want dull hieroglyphs.\u201d He took her by the wrist and dropped the stone into her palm. Then he winked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her young heart swelled with love. For the first time in her lonely life, she had met a kindred spirit. Except he got to live out all the adventures she could only dream about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the next few weeks, she told her uncle that she still wasn\u2019t sure what happened to wayward girls who didn\u2019t mend their wild ways, and that she should continue reading his law book to find out. Then she would secretly wait in the tree in hopes that Dashiell would come out with another ancient treasure or another fabulous tale of his journeys. Only later did she realize that she was getting the child\u2019s versions of these stories\u2014missing all the exotic details that titillated society such as concubines, mysterious lovers, and duels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A month after she met her hero, she came outside to find his carriage being loaded down with trunks and him dressed in somber gray wool. Traveling clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGood-bye, my secret little sister,\u201d he told her. \u201cI\u2019m heading to Cypress. I\u2019ve gotten into too much trouble again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tears burst from her eyes. \u201cYou can\u2019t leave me.\u201d Her father had written and said she shouldn\u2019t come home for another month. And although she loved her aunt with all her heart, she couldn\u2019t bear any more of Uncle Bertis\u2019s constant scolding and calling her a bad seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dashiell knelt, withdrew a handkerchief from his coat, and wiped her eyes. \u201cAh, my little Vivienne, don\u2019t cry. All I do is make women cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTake me with you. I\u2019ll run away. I can help you dig, and we can explore wonderful places together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou know that\u2019s impossible,\u201d he said gently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t!\u201d She screamed and stamped her foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He sighed and raised her fingers to his lips. For a moment she thought he might kiss them, and she felt a strange, almost scary, quickening of her heart. Instead, he gently nipped at her pinky finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cW-what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He flashed a mischievous grin. \u201cPerforming the sacred ritual of the cannibalistic Bazulo tribe in Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She wanted to be angry with him, but giggled in spite of herself. \u201cThere is no Bazulo tribe in Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAre you quite sure?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell then,\u201d he chuckled. His features grew grave and he placed his hand over his heart. \u201cWhen you make the sacred Bazulo vow, you swear that you will always keep the other in your heart and be there should that friend ever need you. So even if I am hundreds of miles away, I promise that I shall always come back to my secret little sister.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since that time, Dashiell had popped in and out of her life, exciting her imagination and then leaving again. They would never again be as close as they had been that summer. Although her family might attest otherwise, Vivienne had grown up. And Dashiell continued to be, well, Dashiell. The Bazulo vow was forgotten; it was just something silly he made up to comfort a distraught child. She knew she could never run off with him, being a heathen, whoremonger, and adventurer, and perhaps that was why he still filled her imagination like a bad-behaving, handsome Dionysus\u2014an untouchable Greek god. Of course, her aunt never learned about her niece\u2019s secret kinship with the notorious rake, else she might have an apoplexy, and if her father found out, he would truly disown her once and for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She knocked on Dashiell\u2019s white front door, quite an unassuming entrance for the so-called Babylon. Rivers, the earl\u2019s reed-thin, graying butler, answered and looked down at her with weary eyes, like an old man who had seen too much. Behind him was a museum of antiquity and curiosities. Japanese warrior masks, Viking helmets, and various armor from around the globe ran up the stairwell. In the hall stood an upright wooden Egyptian coffin painted with an image of the poor bloke once entombed within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou lying, cruel-hearted scoundrel!\u201d a woman screamed out from an opened door on the first-floor balcony. \u201cYou can go back to hell and crawl up the Devil\u2019s arse where you belong!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne\u2019s veins pulsed with excitement. Oh no, what had Dashiell done now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The butler didn\u2019t react, his face as blank as ever, as if this were just another ordinary day in the Earl of Baswiche\u2019s household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGood morning, Mr. Rivers.\u201d She smiled, pretending not to hear the violent stream of curses ringing out in the high ceiling. \u201cIt\u2019s been several months since I\u2019ve last seen you, but I must say, you look to be in good health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank you, Miss,\u201d he answered in a deep monotone. \u201cI\u2019m afraid Lord Dashiell is engaged at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy the hell did I come back for this?\u201d Dashiell muttered between gritted teeth. He had been in England only a few weeks and already he was embroiled in an ugly romantic entanglement\u2014one that might have flustered a more proper gentleman. However, after having survived being kidnapped, ransomed, robbed, drugged, and held at the point of knives, guns, and other weaponry in stinking bum holes around the globe, two cracked women on the verge of killing him or each other was just an annoyance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think we all need to calm down.\u201d He held up the palm of one hand and gripped his falling trousers with the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMad lady need to calm down,\u201d spat his lovely French ballerina, pointing an ornate medieval executioner\u2019s sword at the other woman\u2019s creamy throat. Her lithe dancer\u2019s body was clad in Dashiell\u2019s coat, which she had snatched off the floor when Mrs. Lily Harmon rushed into his chamber\u2014an angry flurry of gold silk and red hair\u2014and interrupted their lovemaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dashiell wasn\u2019t concerned with Lily\u2019s threatened throat, but the bust of his precious gray-eyed goddess Athena that Lily held over her head. \u201cLily, take several deep breaths and think about what you are doing. Three thousand years ago, some craftsman put his soul into creating Athena. The soil of Greece has preserved her all this time. Her history is far greater than this tiny misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow philosophical of you,\u201d Lily said, a wicked grin spread over her mouth and she dropped Athena, letting the goddess of wisdom shatter on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dashiell emitted a gut-wrenching groan akin to the cry of a wounded wolf. \u201cWhat the hell is wrong with you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh, I\u2019ll tell you what is wrong with me!\u201d Lily screamed. \u201cI waited for you all night. And the whole time, you were with\u2026 with\u2026 that dancing whore!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou ugly dog woman!\u201d The ballerina threw the sword. The blade made a limp arc in the air, missing Mrs. Harmon entirely and slamming into the Roman frieze of Minerva that Dashiell had dug up in Bath. Crumbling stone showered the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEveryone just stop!\u201d Dashiell thundered, holding up his hands, causing his trousers to fall. \u201cDammit!\u201d He quickly snatched them up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou assured me your husband was in Manchester with his mistress,\u201d he told Mrs. Harmon, fumbling with the buttons on his trousers. \u201cSo I showed up at your house last night like you asked. And do you know who greeted me? Your ten-year-old son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, he wouldn\u2019t.\u201d Fear and uncertainty began to shade Mrs. Harmon\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe thought I was a Sir Harry and then asked if you were going to leave his papa and run away with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it was at that moment\u2014having to reassure a weeping son that his papa and mama would love him no matter what might happen\u2014that what Lily had promised him would only be a \u201cfun\u201d flirtation turned sour. He had fled her house, running down Drury Lane, feeling as if his skin was on fire. He dove into a theater and disappeared into the crowd on the ground floor. As the ballerinas whirled on the stage in flowing white skirts, he got lost in remembrances of his parent\u2019s famed dalliances, and then his own sordid affairs with women. From there, he continued to emotionally spiral downward which explained the beautiful French ballerina in his bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d Mrs. Harmon shook her head, her curls flapping about her cheeks. \u201cMy son knows nothing about you. About anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think you would be shocked to learn what a child knows about his parents\u2019 infidelities.\u201d Dashiell took a deep breath, bracing himself for the impending violence. \u201cYou said it would be an uncomplicated affair. No emotions involved. But I think you were wrong, and we shouldn\u2019t continue this\u2026 whatever this is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She was silent for a beat, the shock setting in. Then hurt and rage contorted her face. \u201cYou hateful duddering rake!\u201d She snatched up a vase and scurried out the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBloody hell!\u201d He chased after her. \u201cThat\u2019s a canopic jar with Pharaoh Cheops\u2019s liver in it. I paid twenty camels for that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lily gave a bark of hysterical laughter and tossed the relic over the banister as she rushed down the stairs. Shattering pottery rang in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNoooo!\u201d screamed a new female voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear God, not another one! Priesthood in some remote monastery in the Swiss Alps seemed very appealing at the moment. He jolted to a halt on the top stair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne Taylor stood by the door, cradling a clay tablet in her arms like a jealous mama. Her shiny black hair had grown longer since last he had seen her and curled in tame spirals by her cheeks. Her high cheekbones were flushed a beautiful pink and her eyes glittered like pale emeralds in firelight. His heart felt like it dove out of his skin. He kept forgetting she wasn\u2019t a roly-poly, mischievous, innocent girl any more, but this ravishing, mischievous, innocent lady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNot this one,\u201d Vivienne told Mrs. Harmon, clutching the tablet to her breasts. \u201cIt\u2019s Persian and very, very old. Why don\u2019t you throw something else, like that frie\u2014\u201d She stopped mid-word. He saw her eyes light on his naked torso and a dark erotic wave of heat rushed over his skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dammit, she\u2019s your little sister. Get a hold of yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He snatched a black and white spotted Zulu shield from the stairwell and covered himself. \u201cI\u2026 I didn\u2019t know you were coming.\u201d He tried to sound casual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, Lily had seized a porcelain clock from the Chinese writing desk and hurled it at his temple. He raised his shield, and the timepiece bounced off cowhide and smashed on the railing, raining tiny metal parts onto the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI hope one day someone breaks your heart into as many pieces,\u201d the lady spat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo one will be able to break my heart if you kill me first,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cI\u2019m terribly sorry, Miss Taylor, but would you mind returning at another time? I\u2019m being murdered at the present.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLet her stay,\u201d he heard his little French dancer say. \u201cBe good lesson for her.\u201d She stood at the top of her balcony, his coat barely covering her female regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He peeked at Vivienne. What must she be thinking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne\u2019s bright gaze darted from him, to the ballerina, to Lily, and she burst out in laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo you find watching someone have their heart broken amusing?\u201d Lily cried, approaching Vivienne with a rather deadly swagger in her hip, ready to unleash her fury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLily, leave her alone,\u201d Dashiell leaped over the stairwell, and his foot landed on a shard of broken glass. \u201cDamnation!\u201d He grabbed his toe and yelped in pain, but no one paid him any attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou are quite an exquisite creature,\u201d Lily purred, running her finger down Vivienne\u2019s cheek. \u201cI wager you think that your beautiful face will hold some sway on this scoundrel. But let me save you some grief, my love. This rogue cares more about that precious Persian clay tablet in your arms than his own mother. Soon he will destroy your heart and bring tears to your pretty little eyes, just as he did all the countless ladies before you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne regarded Lily for a moment. Then she tilted her head and said, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, but I don\u2019t think Lord Dashiell can break my heart. For I am engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEngaged?\u201d Dashiell echoed sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lovely, joyous smile graced her lips that made her dimples come out of hiding. His heart dropped like a dead bird from a branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d she gushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had never seen her gush. He didn\u2019t like it. He wanted little Vivienne back\u2014the one who idolized him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know, you feel sorry for the poor gentleman, don\u2019t you?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo. It\u2019s just\u2026 just\u2026\u201d He swallowed. He always knew he would lose his little sister to another. She deserved to fall in love with someone who would be faithful and bring her a lifetime of happiness. The kind of man Dashiell could never be. But instead of congratulating her, he stood swaying on his bloody feet, clutching his Zulu shield to his heart, bereft, while Lily laughed at him from deep in her throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBest wishes for you and the lucky gentleman,\u201d he finally managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank you.\u201d She swept forward and handed him his treasured Persian tablet. \u201cI came to tell you that your grandfather is in my aunt\u2019s garden and insists on disturbing our Bible lessons on being a virtuous wife. Did you know such a wife is expected to rise before dawn, go out to the merchant ships to buy foods from afar, purchase fields, and plant crops? And if that isn\u2019t enough, she must also sew tapestries, spin linen, flax, and wool, and then sell them. I think that is a bit excessive. You would wonder what her virtuous husband is doing, wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The room fell silent as the other ladies stared at Vivienne, baffled. But Dashiell, who always found her odd observations endearing, struggled to keep a straight face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnyway, I should go. My Aunt Gertrude thinks I\u2019ll get corrupted here.\u201d Vivienne performed an abrupt bob of a curtsy and turned to leave. At the door jamb, she glanced over her shoulder, a devilish spark rallied in her eyes. \u201cOh, I should mention that your grandfather has no clothes on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Dashiell yelled. The precious clay tablet slipped from his grasp. He dropped the shield and caught the relic at the same moment the shield slammed his already injured toe. His howling curse was concealed by the raucous laughter ringing through the hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The earl sauntered upon the scene, his robe loose, his percy hanging free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou should have seen old Trudie.\u201d He cackled. \u201cI thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. You can tell she ain\u2019t seen a man in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dashiell slicked his hand down his face and wondered if the morning could get any worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne quickly closed the door, but not before hearing another colorful snatch of Dashiell\u2019s profanity. She put her palm over her mouth, trying to stem the flow of laughter that gurgled up. Her nerves still crackled from the sight of Dashiell\u2019s bare chest, stripped all the way down his torso. He put to shame all those illustrations of naked men she had found in the medical journals at the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMiss Taylor! What in God\u2019s name are you doing coming out of Lord Dashiell\u2019s home?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne\u2019s laughter disappeared with a gasp. John waited by her aunt\u2019s front step, holding a package that was tied with large looping pink ribbons. Under his neat mustache, his mouth dropped open in shock and his chiseled features pinched in disapproval. In contrast to Dashiell\u2019s tousled appearance\u2014even when completely clothed\u2014John was fastidious in his dress and manner. His sage coat molded to his well-formed shoulders without a single wrinkle. His reddish-blond hair curled neatly below the brim of his high hat. \u201cCome away this instant before anyone sees you!\u201d he hissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh God,\u201d Vivienne muttered. She had made another stupid mistake, and after she promised her father she wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just three weeks before, two men in coats with the seams straining around their bulging muscles had arrived at their door in Birmingham. Their blank reptile eyes had raked over the house and then Vivienne and her sisters, twin smirks cutting the corners of their lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNice place \u2019ere, wouldn\u2019t be thinking this bloke don\u2019t have a tanner,\u201d one of them had said and then jerked his head toward Vivienne. \u201cTell you wat, if he don\u2019t pay, we kin share this pretty \u2019un. But he can have them ugly girls with \u2019im in debtor\u2019s prison.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Papa had no choice but to welcome the filthy scoundrels into his library. Outside the door, Vivienne could hear the crash of chairs being toppled over and ugly threats from the men about how they were going to hurt him. After they left, she found him slumped over his desk, his bruised face buried in his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you go to the Vandergrift\u2019s\u2026 you remember to give his sons some pretty smiles,\u201d he had said in a weak voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivienne went to the party. Her lips hurt from smiling for so long, but a week later, a miracle occurred on the magnitude of burning bushes and parting seas. John proposed. That night, her father made her kneel before him. He clutched her hands in his and the perspiration on his red forehead glistened in the lamplight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVivienne, promise me you\u2019ll make him a perfect wife, that you won\u2019t cause any more trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She kissed his fingers. \u201cI promise, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd for God\u2019s sake, don\u2019t tell him about our financial troubles. Understand? I just need enough work to make a payment. Then we can get on our feet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She searched her father\u2019s face, crinkled with lines of worry. \u201cH-have I made you proud, Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His lips twitched. \u201cYes,\u201d he conceded for the first time in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, he certainly wouldn\u2019t be proud of her at this moment. She rushed down the walk to John. \u201cI can explain. You see, Lord Dashiell\u2019s grandfather was in Aunt Gertrude\u2019s garden. He had no clo\u2014I mean, he was acting most peculiar. I hurried over and spoke to their butler regarding the matter. Lord Dashiell had guests, so I really didn\u2019t converse with him, except to exchange a few words like \u2018Hello,\u2019 \u2018How are you,\u2019 \u2018What a fascinating Mummy tomb.\u2019 The usual things.\u201d She gave a hollow, false laugh, trying to make a joke of the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John didn\u2019t laugh. His eyes were like hot blue flames. \u201cDid he touch you?\u201d He spoke in the same stern tone her father used when he wasn\u2019t pleased with something she had done\u2026 which until recently covered all her activities aside from breathing, eating, and sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOf course not,\u201d she said feebly, even as she remembered touching Dashiell\u2019s fingers when she gave him back the Persian tablet and how the feel of his skin sent a current of hot electricity through her body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVivienne, you\u2019re going to be the wife of a consequential man. Your behavior reflects on me. You can\u2019t just pop harem-scarem into bachelor\u2019s homes\u2026 and certainly not Lord Dashiell\u2019s. What were you thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She couldn\u2019t say she was dying to see her old friend whom she had been secretly meeting for the last ten years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI-I made a mistake,\u201d she said, and latched onto his free arm. \u201cThat is all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He studied her face. \u201cYou are a most beautiful creature. Tell me my father isn\u2019t right, that I haven\u2019t acted rashly by asking for your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh, Lord! If John jilted her, well, she wouldn\u2019t be able to go home. She couldn\u2019t tell her father that she had ruined him. \u201cI said I made a mistake!\u201d she cried. \u201cI-I love you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A smile broke across his handsome face. \u201cSay those last words again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She let out a long breath. \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He peeked at either side of the street, checking to make sure the square was empty, and then brushed her cheek with his lips, a pleasant tickling sensation that caused her to giggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI brought you something, my pet.\u201d He handed her the package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In their few weeks together, she had learned that he didn\u2019t hesitate to lay down large sums at tailors, carriage makers, or wine merchants. \u201cOnly buy the finest,\u201d he had told her with a sparkle in his eyes, as if his words were a compliment to her. Vivienne\u2019s belly squirmed in the knowledge that she had to conceal from him for her family\u2019s sake\u2014she wasn\u2019t the finest; in fact, she was a desperate bargain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou are too good to me,\u201d she said. She pulled the pink ribbon loose and the paper unfolded around a beautiful leather volume, The Ethereal Graces of the Delicate Sex: being a handbook on the proper conduct of young ladies upon entering society and consequentially marriage, by Mrs. Beatrice Smith-Figgle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh no\u2026\u201d she muttered, before she could stop herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John\u2019s brows creased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI mean, oh yes!\u201d she cried. \u201cOh yes! What a lovely gift!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI thought of you when I saw it.\u201d He took the book from her hands and opened it. There were small pieces of paper with his handwriting in the creases. \u201cI\u2019ve even marked the sections to which you should pay special attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She swallowed the sour taste in her throat. \u201cThank you. I shall endeavor to memorize every word.\u201d In truth, she already knew it by heart. Her former headmistress had made her stand before the class and recite long passages from the book after she had sewed hieroglyphs into her sampler and turned in her French assignment in the misshapen Greek that she had tried to teach herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow, let\u2019s go inside. Maybe your aunt will give us a moment alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI should warn you that Aunt Gertrude is conducting her Bible lesson.\u201d She gave him a gentle nudge in his ribs. \u201cThose ladies are going to fawn all over you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A teasing smile played on his lips. \u201cI have no objection to ladies fawning over me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She gave a soft laugh as she wrapped a proprietary hand around his elbow and led him to her aunt\u2019s door. In the corner of her eye, she saw the red-headed woman rush out from Dashiell\u2019s house, clutching a yellow and black Greek vase. Blood rushed to her face. She yanked John inside and slammed the door just as the lady threw the ancient vase on the pavement and screamed, \u201cYou lying blackguard!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"145\" data-attachment-id=\"4136\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=4136\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/header2.png?fit=640%2C186&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,186\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"header2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/header2.png?fit=500%2C145&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/header2.png?fit=525%2C153&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/header2-500x145.png?resize=500%2C145\" alt=\"header2\" class=\"wp-image-4136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/header2.png?resize=500%2C145&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/header2.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Order from&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Wicked-Little-Secrets-Susanna-Ives\/dp\/1402283571\/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1382298905&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/strong> ,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/wicked-little-secrets-susanna-ives\/1114581337?ean=9781402283574\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Barnes and Noble<\/strong><\/a> , &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/book\/wicked-little-secrets\/id690200606?mt=11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>iBooks<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/a> ,&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-us\/ebook\/wicked-little-secrets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp; , <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Susanna_Ives_Wicked_Little_Secrets?id=xXCiAAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Google Play<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Order the audiobook from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Wicked-Little-Secrets-Audiobook\/B0DSLMPR1D?qid=1736862344&amp;sr=1-1&amp;ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&amp;pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&amp;pf_rd_r=EAXFA4J03DA1FNTP0FS6&amp;plink=xRL6cUjbaX9CIvJX&amp;pageLoadId=T0AkoklZE5DoZHpA&amp;creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c&amp;ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1\">Audible<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0DSLRD4GH\">Amazon<\/a>, <\/strong>and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/rbmediaglobal.com\/audiobook\/9798331900823\/\">more<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wicked Little Secrets Series \u2013 Book I Order from&nbsp;Amazon ,&nbsp;Barnes and Noble , &nbsp;iBooks&nbsp; ,&nbsp;&nbsp;Kobo&nbsp; , Google Play Order the audiobook from Audible, Amazon, and more. It\u2019s Not Easy Being Good\u2026 Vivacious Vivienne Taylor has finally won her family\u2019s approval by getting engaged to the wealthy and upright John Vandergrift. But when threatened by a &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/books\/wicked-little-secrets\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Wicked Little Secrets&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8764,"parent":1165,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3589","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wicked Little Secrets - Susanna Ives\u2019 Floating World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/books\/wicked-little-secrets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wicked Little Secrets - Susanna Ives\u2019 Floating World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wicked Little Secrets Series \u2013 Book I Order from&nbsp;Amazon ,&nbsp;Barnes and Noble , &nbsp;iBooks&nbsp; ,&nbsp;&nbsp;Kobo&nbsp; , Google Play Order the audiobook from Audible, Amazon, and more. It\u2019s Not Easy Being Good\u2026 Vivacious Vivienne Taylor has finally won her family\u2019s approval by getting engaged to the wealthy and upright John Vandergrift. But when threatened by a &hellip; Continue reading &quot;Wicked Little Secrets&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/books\/wicked-little-secrets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Susanna Ives\u2019 Floating World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SusannaIvesWriter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-11T14:07:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ADIDEA-INSTAGRAM.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"566\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SusannaIves\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"30 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/susannaives.com\\\/wordpress\\\/books\\\/wicked-little-secrets\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/susannaives.com\\\/wordpress\\\/books\\\/wicked-little-secrets\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wicked Little Secrets - 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