Chapter 1

"You are not my mother," the Earl said with a confused frown, impatiently tapping his fingers on the table.

"That is quite an astute observation, My Lord. I am indeed not your mother. This meeting would have been very awkward and, dare I say, frowned upon if I had been your mother." The pretty yet petite blonde shifted into the seat his mother had vacated no less than a few moments earlier.

The tiny café situated beside the bustling London street buzzed with life. A low susurration emanated from all the patrons who were enjoying their tea and finger sandwiches.

Greyson continued to frown at the woman, who, in his opinion, was being rather forward. Her skin was lighter than a peach, and her figure was lithe and fine. Under other circumstances, he would have acted on his attraction and endeavored to charm her, but he was less than interested now that he was already irritable.

"Is there something I can help you with? I can't say that your actions are very appropriate if there isn't." He cocked his head and turned up the charm, using that smile that never failed to win over his conquests. "Unless you were looking for something a little less appropriate, Miss…?"

The woman rolled her light blue eyes that appeared almost violet in the sunlight filtering through the café window. "You can turn down the charm, My Lord. My name is Violet Smith," she answered bluntly, before smoothing the layers of her light blue dress and giving him a pointed look.

Greyson was beginning to enjoy the banter coming from his impromptu guest. If his mother had indeed forgotten about him and gone on a shopping spree, as he suspected, then flirting with the beautiful young woman was an agreeable distraction.

His eyes fell on her slender neck and made their way down her body, pausing at the small mounds that very nearly spilled over the neckline of her dress. Her breasts looked firm and perky beneath what he assumed was a very modest corset. He liked a woman who left a bit more to the imagination.

"So, you think I am charming, Lady Violet Smith?" He winked at her with another charming smile, before reaching for his cup of tea.

Leaning back in his chair he ran his fingers through his thick, messy brown hair for effect. He hadn't planned on meeting any new women, but that didn't mean he wasn't ready for the challenge.

"You really don't have to try that hard, My Lord. Your charms are lost on me." She rolled her eyes again and shook her head in annoyance. Her irritation seemed equal to the amount of effort he was putting in.

"If you are not here for that, then why are you here?" he grumbled and placed his cup back on the table.

Women usually swooned when he smiled. Anyone who didn't clearly had other motives. He frowned for a moment as he tried to recall if he'd met her in the past.

Violet straightened in her seat, seemingly pleased at having been asked a direct question. "Well, My Lord, I am here because my mother set me up on a blind date using the services of Marie Webster, the matchmaker. You are here because your mother told you to wait for her. In short, you were lied to." Her voice was soft and gentle but carried a note of authority, as if she were fairly certain of what she was saying.

"How do you know what my mother said to me?" His frown deepened with confusion. His mother had said to him that she would be right back but then disappeared.

"I merely used logical deduction, My Lord. My presence here has obviously confused you. Had you been more chivalrous upon seeing me, I would have deduced that you were expecting me." She shot him a triumphant smile that highlighted her fine features and added to her beauty in a way that he hadn't been expecting.

Lady Violet Smith was as sharp and cunning as she was attractive. He was more than certain now that she was trying to prove that his charms would not work on her. If that was the case, he would respond in kind and prove the opposite to her. "Are you always this charming and alluring, Lady Violet Smith?" He employed his old tactic of using a woman's full name while flirting.

"Lady Violet will do. And, does this mean you think I am charming, My Lord?" She turned the tables on him and used his own question against him.

The woman was issuing a challenge he couldn't resist. Placing his arm over the back of his chair in a lazy manner, Greyson sized her up. She was fiery and direct, despite the gentle facade she presented. A woman like that could definitely amuse him for a while.

"Tell me, Lady Violet, if your story is indeed true, why does a woman such as yourself need the services of a matchmaker?" He watched as her eyes flashed at the challenge.

"Perhaps I have proved to be too much of a challenge for most men, My Lord. Tell me, why is it that your mother found it necessary to lie to you instead of being honest? Is it possible that you do not wish to leave behind your rakish ways like most men in your position?" The corner of her mouth lifted into a mischievous smile that enflamed the attraction he already felt.

There was something utterly alluring and sensual about the way she spoke.

"And do you find it off-putting when a man doesn't wish to settle down and leave behind his rakish ways, as you so beautifully stated?" He cocked his head and leaned back in his chair, waiting to see what kind of retort she would come up with next.

"If I was looking to find a husband, it would be off-putting, but I can't say that I care for the institution or any of the lies that come along with it," she spoke a little more stiffly, as if the topic was an uncomfortable one for her.

Greyson wasn't sure how to sum her up or what her true motives really were. No woman he'd ever met had admitted to not wanting a marriage. Most dreaded the thought of spinsterhood or anything of the kind. Violet Smith, in his opinion, was trying far too hard to convince him that she didn't agree with the idea of marriage. Why would a woman as attractive as her need the services of a matchmaker?

Unless she was being forced.

"You seem skeptical, My Lord. Did I say something that didn't make any sense to you?" She raised a questioning eyebrow and waited for his response.

Greyson smirked, feeling impressed by her unwillingness to back down. The meeting had been fun albeit brisk, but he'd had enough for one day. Glancing over his shoulder, he signaled to the maid for the bill before standing up.

The rest of the patrons in the small café with its white wicker furnishings and meager scattering of potted plants looked at him with vague interest before turning back to their tea.

Violet seemed to panic as she watched him stand up. "Let's get betrothed," she blurted out in a very unladylike manner. Her creamy cheeks flushed with color.

Pausing for a second, Greyson considered her words.

So, this was all a ploy.

Lowering his voice in an attempt to spare her dignity, he addressed her with a smirk. "You are far bolder than any of the other fortune-seeking ladies, Lady Violet, I will give you that."

Her eyes flashed, the blue in them becoming more vivid, drawing his attention once again as she squinted with what seemed like hatred.

He didn't even know her, why did she hate him already?

"Rest assured, My Lord, that I do not wish to marry you. I meant a fake betrothal that would benefit us both."

His curiosity was piqued. Who was this deliciously beautiful woman who thought she could win him over with a plan?

"Go on?" He raised an eyebrow in question and returned to his seat.

Taking a deep breath, Violet composed herself. "I need a fake betrothal so that my parents will leave me alone, at least until next Season. After that, I can act the broken-hearted lover and add a few more months of peace to my life."

Her suggestion intrigued him even further as he sat back with one arm lazily flung over the back of his chair. "And tell me, Lady Violet, what do I get out of this little arrangement?" He smirked at her in amusement.

Many Ladies had tried to scheme their way into his life, but he had to admit that this strategy was new to him.

"You, in return, will also earn a time of peace in which your mother does not impose any matches upon you. I do not presume to understand your situation, but since your mother had to lie to you about this rendezvous, I'm assuming that you and I are in the same boat." She lifted her chin defiantly, displaying the elegance and grace of her slender figure.

Greyson couldn't help but lean forward, placing his chin on his hand, with his elbow resting on the table. Her mouth moved in a fascinating manner that drew his attention to her kissable lips. He found himself wondering if she had ever been kissed before. Being a lady's first kiss was definitely a feather in any man's cap.

"And tell me, Lady Violet, why don't you just get married and set your poor mother's mind at ease?" he asked with a wolfish grin that momentarily threw her off guard.

A feeling of triumph flooded his body when he noticed the subtle way her chest began to heave up and down with every breath. She may have been trying to hide her attraction for him, but it was there, nonetheless.

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I do not wish to ever get married, My Lord. Experience has taught me that remaining a spinster for the rest of my life is a far more alluring option."

Greyson could see the honesty in her eyes, but there was something else there that caught his attention.

Pain?

He wondered if she had been jilted at the altar or fallen in love with a man who didn't return her affections. "I can hardly believe that any woman wishes to remain unmarried for the rest of her life. Isn't it a stain on your reputation if you were to become a spinster?" he prodded gently, hoping she would confess to her true motives without him having to drag it out of her.

"Perhaps most of the ladies you have met would see it as something to be ashamed of. I, on the other hand, embrace the good sense in the matter. Marriage is for fools who believe in fairytales and nonsense."

Her tone didn't sit right with him.

His father had proven to him that marriage was a false institution that was doomed to fail. Greyson had made the decision long ago to never let any of his conquests go beyond a harmless flirtation. Leaning forward again, he decided to end the farce and not waste any more of his time.

"You know, Lady Violet, you sit here and claim to hold the moral high ground with your beliefs, yet you are no better than any of the other women who have tried to trap me into marriage. They at least were up front with their flirtations. You are worse, trying to achieve your aims through deceit. Did you hope that by spending time with me, I would fall in love with you and the fake betrothal would turn into something real?" He sighed in boredom and hoped that she'd get the hint.

As beautiful as she was, he wouldn't be sucked into her game.

Violet's eyes flashed with anger and disdain, the blue becoming violet this time. "You certainly think highly of yourself to assume that a lady would go to such lengths to gain your favor, My Lord," she shot back sharply.

"And you certainly think yourself quite cunning to assume that I would not have picked up on your plan." He glared at her with a mix of attraction and distaste.

Bold women intrigued him, but they inevitably left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Let me reassure you once again, My Lord, that not only do I not wish to marry you now, but that under no circumstances would I ever have considered marrying you," she stated tensely as her body stiffened.

He'd struck a nerve, that was for sure.

"Then I can hardly see why I would be a suitable fit for this little scheme of yours, even if it was true, Lady Violet." He enunciated her last name with his eyes locked on hers.

The tension between them was palpable, with a hint of underlying attraction that hadn't gone unnoticed by him. The way her eyes kept falling to his lips and her lips parted let him know that she wasn't as immune from flirtation as she would have had him believe.

She'd even run her finger over her bottom lip while he had been talking. Whether she was aware of it or not, Violet Smith was a woman capable of great passion and seduction. He would bet his title on that.

"If you are so sure that this arrangement is not for you, then I don't see the sense in dragging it out. Good day, My Lord." She stood up and curtsied, allowing him a better view of her chest and slender hips.

"Good day, Lady Violet," he returned with a wolfish grin and stroked his clean-shaven chin.

Watching her walk away, he felt his desire burn hotter. A woman like that was dangerous even under normal circumstances. Her sweet demeanor, which he knew was lurking beneath her calculated facade, could draw a man in.

It was then that he found himself lost in her beautiful eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes that became violet with every emotion.