Chapter 6

Violet scanned the room, standing on her tiptoes in an attempt to spot her betrothed. The ball was in full swing, with most of the guests chattering away after helping themselves to glasses of punch.

The powder blue dress she had chosen for the occasion had puffed sleeves with bands of gemstones around the arms. The fabric hugged her body in all the right places, displaying her figure most elegantly. Everyone seemed to ignore her as she looked around, biting her cheek as she began to feel anxious. If he had changed his mind, she would have a lot more explaining to do than she'd like.

"Violet…" a male voice suddenly spoke behind her as someone gripped her arm.

Turning a little too fast, Violet found herself stumbling amidst the gasps from the surrounding guests. Strong hands gripped her waist just as she turned, stopping her fall.

"Greyson…" she breathed and looked up into his sparkling, mischievous eyes.

His naughty grin tugged at her chest, making her stomach knot in a delicious manner that was more pleasurable than anything else.

His hand gently held her waist, keeping her suspended in mid-air as if they were dancing. "I think your future husband should be able to anticipate your clumsiness, don't you?" His eyes roamed over her body in a sensual, open display of admiration that had the onlookers whispering behind their hands.

Violet felt her cheeks flush as he slowly righted her, allowing his hands to linger on her waist. His eyes were fixed on the swell of her breasts, which were barely visible above the neckline of her dress. She shuddered with pleasure, growing a little hotter the longer his gaze lingered.

"There you are, Violet. Your father and I have been looking everywhere for the two of you." Lady Blackwood broke the spell as she hurried forward, with her husband in tow.

Violet instantly noticed that her father was tipsy enough to make the introduction a success, but not entirely sober that he would question anything about the arrangement.

"Papa, may I formally introduce you to the Earl of Montclair." She turned to Greyson. "My Lord, you have met my mother. May I introduce you to my father, The Earl of Blackwood?"

She took a deep breath in an attempt to clear her thoughts and gave Greyson a look of warning. She hadn't gotten the chance to warn him off any of his tricks, but she intended to do just that when she got the chance.

Lord Blackwood leaned toward his wife and whispered in her ear, "I can see what you meant when you said he's quite the strapping young man."

Feeling herself sigh deep within her soul, Violet wondered why none of her family could whisper—or better yet, why they thought that they could.

Greyson smirked at Violet, as if he could read her thoughts. "The pleasure is all mine, Lord Blackwood. I have heard nothing but good things from Violet about you both."

He bowed respectfully with a warm, inviting smile that Violet had to admit would have drawn her in if she were in her parents' position.

"I must say that I am impressed, Lord Montclair. We must have a few drinks at White's. Shall I send a note to your house with a date and time?" Lord Blackwood asked him with a look of admiration and awe.

"Allow me the honor of sending my footman with the note to your residence, My Lord. I keep a bachelor's lodgings in Hyde Park and live between there and my ancestral home. I wouldn't want your note to get lost," Greyson spoke respectfully, in a business-like tone that Violet thought could charm a saint into coming down from heaven.

She briefly wondered if he kept his lodgings for business or if he used them to entertain the many ladies who were rumored to have had sordid affairs with him. But then she wondered why she even cared if he'd had one or even several ladies in the past. Greyson was in her life as a means to an end and nothing more.

"Come now, Henry, we need to make the rounds. Let us not keep the happy couple all to ourselves." Lady Blackwood placed her hand on her husband's arm and pulled him away, but not before looking over her shoulder and winking at them both. "Don't venture too far, you aren't married just yet. We will be keeping an eye on you." She giggled and walked away with her husband.

Lord Blackwood leaned over and whispered in his wife's ear, "You know, I rather like him. I always thought that Violet would bring home another arrogant man who would bore us to our graves."

His voice carried to Greyson before Violet could whisk them away.

"A past suitor?" Greyson asked with a smirk.

"I've got to teach my family how to whisper," she muttered under her breath and shook her head.

"I think that went rather well. They seem to approve of me. I can't say the same thing for your previous suitor. Did you happen to court Lord Floppy Bottoms in the past?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"That will be enough from you. I think we should get out of the way before people dance over us." She giggled despite the anxiousness she felt at her father having mentioned her past.

Violet never willingly spoke of her previous experiences with love unless the topic was dragged out of her by force.

The guests began to move to the edges of the grand ballroom as the musicians began to take up their places. The first dance of the evening would be starting soon, and there would be considerably less room for anyone to stand around and chat.

Greyson led the way to a secluded corner where a bench had been placed for those unlucky wallflowers who preferred to stay out of the light.

He patted the seat beside him once he sat down. "Come and tell me a little more about yourself. I think we have to get to know one another, considering our positions."

"I think I would rather discuss some of your behavior this evening, My Lord." She pursed her lips in disapproval and changed the subject as she made herself comfortable at his side.

"Oh dear, we aren't even married yet, and here I am in for a lecture. Let's hear it then." He rolled his eyes.

The string quartet began to play as couples waltzed on the dance floor. The music and frivolity provided Greyson and Violet with adequate cover to discuss things in private, secluded and safe in their own little world.

"First things first, why on earth did you show up unannounced at Marie Webster's office, and why did you decide to be so forward? Adding detail to ‘our story' that will only be harder to remember?" she asked through gritted teeth while faking a smile at a passing couple.

"I did not know I wasn't allowed, and I wasn't sure which one of us would be telling her the good news. Why are you so bent out of shape about it, in any case? Our little plan is a roaring success, in my opinion. Your parents seem to have bought it hook, line and sinker." He lifted his chin triumphantly.

The candlelight caught his profile for a moment and lit up his strong jaw. Violet's heart skipped a beat, feeling lost in the moment as his shoulder brushed hers. Time seemed to stand still in his presence, and it caught her off guard.

"The point is that you are adding far too many details to a situation that is supposed to be temporary. And for your information, the only reason that my parents bought our story is that they believe in the silly concept of true love. They were lucky that both of them were fool enough to have developed some sort of fondness for one another that resembles love…"

Greyson listened intently to her before nodding. "Well, I can honestly say that I didn't have you pegged as the bitter type, but you have scared me now." He raised his eyebrows and widened his green eyes, which were all too bright in the flickering candlelight.

"I am not bitter," she snapped unintentionally.

"Said with the bark of an old biddy who hath been scorned," he teased with a light chuckle.

Violet glared at him. "And just what were you thinking, accepting my father's invitation to White's? You should have come up with a suitable excuse. Now his disappointment will be so much greater when things end," she huffed and then looked at her parents, who were glancing in their direction while excitedly chattering to an older couple.

"I was thinking that denying my supposed father-in-law would leave a bad impression," Greyson argued in a more serious tone.

"I just want us to take into consideration that although you and I have a real agreement, there are other people involved who could potentially get hurt when things inevitably reach their ugly end." She felt a slight pang of guilt at having drawn all of the fun out of the conversation.

"Ugly end?" He smirked at her again. "I was hoping for a peaceful resolution, perhaps even a sinful dalliance?"

Violet rolled her eyes and smiled. "You know what I mean, but don't think that your flirting will ever work on me. My heart has an impenetrable wall built around it that is impervious to flirting and romance."

"Although I would like to accept that as a challenge, I would much rather know why you don't believe in love?" He looked her in the eye and held her gaze with a piercing honesty that made her stomach flutter.

Gripping the edge of the wooden bench with her palms, she chose to look at the dancing couples. "Do you believe in true love, then?"

"I think that touché would be a relevant response here." He sighed and shook his head in defeat.

Violet stole a look at his handsome features out of the corner of her eye. It seemed as if he too held a grudge against the notion of true love. She wondered if he had experienced pain in his past as she had done, or if he simply never believed in the notion of loving one person truly and wholeheartedly for the rest of their lives.

"Rest assured that I have no intentions of hurting anyone. I will meet your father once for a drink or two at White's and shall thereafter make an excuse. In case you were wondering, I plan to disappear from London for at least a year after the betrothal ends. I shall go to India or somewhere else that is unreasonably hot. I'm not sure why we English tend to do that, but so it must be." His eyes scanned the guests as if he were looking for an answer among the fancy dresses and evening jackets.

"You know, I think we could have been friends if we hadn't met under these circumstances." She attempted to lighten the mood by playfully bumping his shoulder with her own.

The small contact sent a delicious shiver up her spine and a small part of her heart.

"And I think that I might just have considered marrying you if I didn't agree with you that love and marriage were an utter farce." He smiled at her, that charming glint in his eyes never failing to draw her in.

Looking out over the guests, Violet searched for a topic that wouldn't make her heart race. Just for a second, she had wondered what it would have felt like if they had both been in different circumstances. Life would have been easier if her heart had never been broken and she had believed in love.

"Do you think that red-haired man over there in the black tails is about to approach the lady in pink?" Greyson bumped her shoulder back.

"That one beside the table with the punch?" she asked after following his gaze.

Greyson nodded while keeping his eyes on the young man who seemed to be sweating more than was good for his shirt. "He keeps glancing at her as if he'd like to ask her to dance, but I don't think he has the confidence to pull it off." He shook his head while watching the man pace back and forth.

"I think he is, and I think he might just have a chance," Violet said confidently after watching both the man and the woman for a moment.

Rolling his eyes, Greyson scoffed. "That man is a total wimp, there is no way that he would be able to win her over, even if she wasn't a plain wallflower."

"I think you are wrong about both of them." Violet kept her eyes on the couple as the man worked up the courage to speak to the lady in question.

Both Greyson and Violet leaned forward, watching expectantly to see what would happen.

"If I am right, and she talks to him for more than a moment, you will have to go and fetch us punch," Violet said with determination, feeling confident in her predictions.

"And you, my dear Violet, will be going across the room to fetch our punch any moment now." Greyson craned his neck to look over the crowd.

Violet felt a strange sensation course through her body at the carefree way he said her name. There was a closeness developing between them that promised to turn into friendship sooner rather than later. She wondered if he would be open to the idea of keeping in touch once their arrangement came to an end.

"Any moment now." Greyson smirked, the muscles in his craned neck visible above his collar.

Violet forced her attention back to the young couple, shifting uneasily in her seat. The easy atmosphere that had formed between them was beginning to make her wonder if she hadn't made a mistake.

"Any moment now…" Greyson drew out the words as she swallowed hard.

Any moment now, I will realize that this was all a mistake.

Violet realized that she liked her companion's company in a way that she hadn't expected. She wanted him around even after their arrangement came to an end.