Chapter One

V iolet Slushman fastened the ribbons of her bonnet beneath her chin and drew on her gloves, then marched stoically from her room, down the length of the hallway. She paused at the top of the staircase and looked to the lower floor.

"Are you all right, Lady Violet?" her butler asked when she hadn't moved for several seconds.

Violet lifted her gaze and forced a smile to her lips. "Yes, Wilbert. I'm perfectly fine."

Violet made her way to the bottom of the stairs. When she was almost at the bottom, Wilbert took her hand and escorted her the rest of the way down.

"Are you sure you want to do this, my lady?"

"Yes, Wilbert. I'm sure. I have to examine all my options. I won't be satisfied until I do."

"Very well, my lady. Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Is my carriage out front?"

"Yes, my lady. Milo will drive you."

"Thank you, Wilbert."

Violet walked to the front door, and Wilbert accompanied her to her carriage to help her inside. When she was seated, Wilbert tapped the side of the carriage and Milo set the team of horses in motion.

Violet didn't stare out the window like she wanted to, instead leaning against the red velvet squabs and filling her mind with all the questions she wanted to ask the Black Widow of Whitehall. It was vital for her to focus on the information she must gather from the notorious woman. The establishment she intended to visit wasn't all that far from her Mayfair home, but getting to Westminster took them past Buckingham Palace, and that was always unpredictable.

As it happened, it was only a matter of minutes before the carriage slowed and Violet readied herself to disembark. She straightened her thick glasses on the bridge of her nose and adjusted the bow of the bonnet tied beneath her chin, then took a deep breath when Milo opened the door to assist her as she alighted from the carriage.

"I will wait right here until you return, my lady," Milo said as he escorted her to the door.

"Thank you, Milo. I'm not sure how long this will take."

"That doesn't matter, my lady. I'll be waiting right here for you."

Violet gave her driver an appreciative smile, then stood behind him while he knocked on the door.

"Yes?" a giant of a man said when he opened the door.

"Lady Violet Slushman to see Mrs. Dove-Lyon."

The doorman opened the door fully. "Have the lady come this way," he said. "You may remain outside," he said to Milo.

Milo stepped to the side as Violet entered the Lyon's Den. The doorman closed the door behind her, and she followed him across the foyer toward some stairs leading upward to the second floor.

Violet was fascinated by the main room of the gambling den. She'd never thought to see a gambling den, especially one so notorious as the Lyon's Den. She'd never expected to set foot in such an establishment in her lifetime, and wouldn't even have known such a place like the Lyon's Den existed if she hadn't been eavesdropping.

Though it was quite accidental, she'd overheard one of the ladies her mother had invited to tea tell the tale of the Duke of Riverdale's daughter. Evidently the girl had managed to get involved in a scandal that threatened to ruin their entire family. In an effort to resurrect the family's good name, they had hired the infamous Black Widow of Whitehall—otherwise known as Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon—to make the entire fiasco disappear.

Rumor had it that Mrs. Dove-Lyon had worked what Society considered a miracle by not only making the scandal evaporate, but allowing the ruined lady to come away from the debacle smelling like a rose.

Violet had never forgotten that piece of gossip, and although it had happened several years past, she'd remembered Mrs. Dove-Lyon's name and that she could perform miracles when it came to finding a perfect match for any unfortunate who Society considered unmatchable.

"Are you coming?" the burly doorman asked when he reached the top of the stairs and Violet was still halfway down on the landing.

"Yes. Yes," Violet said, then continued upward. When she reached the top of the stairs, she realized there was an older woman waiting to greet her.

"Lady Violet."

"Yes. Mrs. Dove-Lyon?"

"Yes."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Violet said with a polite bob.

"Please, follow me into my office."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon opened the door, and Violet followed her. Once inside, she showed Violet to a place on a settee. Then she poured each of them a glass of wine and sat on a cushioned chair opposite Violet.

"Perhaps you'd like to start by telling me a little about yourself, my lady."

Violet took a sip of her wine, then swallowed. She was surprised that Mrs. Dove-Lyon didn't know all about her. The scandal associated with Violet's family was all Society had talked about for more than a year now. Violet couldn't believe a lady with Mrs. Dove-Lyon's reputation wasn't equally as knowledgeable about the Slushman family's shame.

Perhaps the lady was familiar with Violet's background but wanted to hear her own account of what happened.

"May I speak honestly and in the strictest confidence, Mrs. Dove-Lyon?"

"Of course," the lady answered.

"As you may be aware, my brother, Lord Slushman, was brought up on charges and ordered to pay restitution for fathering several illegitimate children to women who worked as maids in our household. As a result of his misdeeds, he was sentenced to a month's hard labor in a workhouse. Because of that sentence, he carried a grudge from which he couldn't free himself, and which resulted in his death."

Violet paused to take a deep breath. "Another fact I am sure you are aware of is that the ton can be quite unforgiving when they choose."

"Yes, they can," Mrs. Dove-Lyon agreed before taking another swallow of her wine.

"For myself, I could have survived without their approval. I have never cared much for the opinion of Society. My mother and sister were quite another matter, however. Mother lived for the approval of the ton . When our family was ostracized from Society, a part of her died.

"You see, from the time she had her come-out, she'd been proclaimed one of the most beautiful belles in Society. The same was later true of my sister. It was only fitting that Mother could live vicariously through Pauline. When my brother's shame stole that from my sister, Mother could not adjust to Society's rejection. She thought of nothing other than leaving London and starting over someplace else.

"Less than a year after my brother's death, Father sold every piece of land that wasn't entailed, and they sailed to America."

"You did not sail with them?" Mrs. Dove-Lyon asked.

Violet smiled. "There was no point in leaving a land I knew to go to a land I didn't know when nothing would have changed. Admitting that I am her daughter would have embarrassed Mother as much in American society as it had in British society."

"You were not accepted by your mother?"

"How could I be? I am as plain and ordinary as my sister was beautiful."

"So, you remained in London."

"Yes. And now I am thankful I did."

A lump formed in Violet's throat and tears filled her eyes. Although she'd told herself she would not show any emotion in front of Mrs. Dove-Lyon, her body betrayed her.

"I just received word that the ship my family sailed on went down and none of them survived."

Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon's eyes filled with sadness, and she extended her arm and placed her fingers over Violet's hand. "I'm sorry, my dear. Is that why you have come to see me? Your family left you destitute, and now you are in need of a husband?"

Violet shook her head. "No, Mrs. Dove-Lyon. Just the opposite. My father left me one of the wealthiest women in the country, and I need help finding the right man to take care of my wealth."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon rose to her feet and reached for a crystal decanter. "I think I need something stronger than wine," she said, filling her glass. "Would you care for brandy, my lady?"

Violet smiled through her tears. "No, thank you. I've imbibed enough today."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon took a sip from her glass, then turned her attention back to Violet. "Please explain what you meant when you said your father left you extremely wealthy."

"My father had an excellent head for business, and over the years he purchased several estates when they went up for sale. None of these were entailed, so when Mother insisted she wanted to go to America, Father sold his unentailed properties. He wasn't convinced that Mother would be happy in a strange land with strange customs concerning Society, so when he sold his unentailed estates, he left the money in my care. He did the same with several shipping and mining investments. The money was left in a bank account in my name."

"He trusted you that explicitly?"

Violet nodded. "My brother had no interest in learning from Father, so Father took me under his wing at an early age and taught me everything about managing his estates and investing his money."

"Your father must have been a very wise man."

"He was. More than simply wise," Violet said as more tears spilled from her eyes. "He was very special."

"I can see that he was." Mrs. Dove-Lyon took another small sip from her glass. "You said you were interested in finding the correct man to help you take care of your money. I assume that means you have certain stipulations?"

"Yes." Violet reached into her reticule and drew out a paper, then unfolded it. "I am not expecting to marry a man for love."

"You do not wish to fall in love?"

Violet felt a small blush rise to her cheeks. She was not accustomed to speaking of such things. "It's not that I do not wish to fall in love. I simply do not expect the man I marry to love me. I have previously gone through two Seasons and know how impossible it is for a man to have interest in a female as unattractive as I am. I learned long ago not to expect love."

"Haven't you heard the saying that beauty is in the eye of beholder?"

"Yes, but I also know that to be false."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon smiled and took another sip of her liquor. "Very well. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, and this is important. I want a house filled with children."

"You want several children?"

"Yes. You see, essentially, I grew up alone. I don't want that for my children. And if the man I marry has a title, it will be important that he has an heir to inherit his title as well as his estates. And it's important to have a spare or two in case something happens to the heir."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon smiled. "Yes. That is important."

"It is. I am living proof of that."

"Is there anything else?"

Violet looked at her list. "Nothing of real consequence, although I intend to play an active role in the working of our estate. I require one of those estates to be in my name alone so it can never be taken away from me or my children. But these are all things I can work out with a willing suitor. He will find I am not a demanding woman. I only want to be treated fairly, considering the amount of money I am willing to hand over to him. I want him to be responsible and agree not to waste or gamble away the money I give him." Violet lifted her head, and her gaze locked with Mrs. Dove-Lyon's. "I don't think that is being unfair. Do you?"

Mrs. Dove-Lyon smiled. "No, that is not unfair at all. Now, do you have an amount of money that you are willing to relinquish?"

Violet opened her reticule and removed a second sheet of paper. "This is the amount my father's solicitor wrote down. His signature is at the bottom of the page. If you need to verify anything, I'm sure he can answer any questions you might have."

Mrs. Dove-Lyon reached for the paper Violet held out and looked at it. Her eyes opened wide then her jaw dropped.

"Bloody hell," she said in a hushed whisper.

"Is there a problem?" Violet asked.

"No. The question is—how many husbands would you like me to acquire for you?"

Violet could do nothing but smile.