The Duke of Blackheart should never have accepted the wager. A foolish drunken night of games had led to an uncomfortable promise, but after considerable planning and a good deal of delegating, he’d found the charade almost too easy. Or so he’d thought, until Lord Greystone’s spinster cousin arrives, lips pinched in disapproval, eyes filled with suspicion, with the potential to spoil everything.

Miss Violet Faraday had come to London for one reason only—to assist in launching her niece into society. She did not come in hopes of landing a husband for herself, nor had she expected to come face to face with her tragic past. Most of all, she had not planned on becoming extraordinarily fascinated with Mr. Cockfield, her cousin’s charming, arrogant, and ridiculously good-looking butler. He is a servant and she is a lady… anything beyond a mild flirtation can only lead to heartbreak.