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CHAPTER ONE

Lady Violet Blackwell strolled the busy streets of London, carefully sidestepping other shoppers as carriages with snorting horses jostled past. Usually, she would find solace and excitement in the sheer busyness, the hustle and bustle of London, but not today.

Today she was too burdened to enjoy herself. Her brother, Lord Sebastian Blackwell, had been on her mind lately. Violet sensed that he was hiding something, and wished that he would confide in her.

No, she really shouldn’t have come out, she would have been better to have stayed home, but her mother had insisted that she acquire a new pair of lace gloves for tomorrow’s party.

As Violet turned the corner, a man, unknown to her, stepped directly out in front of her path, halting her steps. Before she had time to open her mouth and apologise, the man thrust something into her hands, turned, and disappeared into the crowd.

Alarmed, Violet hurried down the street to where her driver had parked her carriage, and climbed inside. The safety of her carriage calmed her, and she drew the curtains closed before withdrawing the letter from the folds of her dress.

She read the letter quickly, her pulse beating rapidly as a small gasp broke free from her lips. Oh no! She had long suspected that her beloved older brother had been hiding something, but this, no, surely there was no truth to it.

Violet’s brother, Lord Sebastian Blackwell, entangled with a notorious courtesan?

Violet’s mind raced. The upper echelons of society in which Violet and her family moved would never condone such a scandal.

There would be severe reprisals, for Sebastian of course, but also for Violet and her parents, by extension. That is, if it were proven true.

Violet desperately hoped it wasn’t true.

She sat in her carriage, letter heavy in her hands, as she tried to make sense of it, tried to decide what must be done.

She couldn’t confront her brother, of that, she was sure.

As his sister, it wasn’t her place. As she sat there, thinking, the horses impatiently stomping, she suddenly knew what must be done.

She would go to Duke Alistair Hawthorne, her brother’s closest friend. The duke knew the intricacies of society better than anyone. That he stirred in her equal amounts of irritation and admiration mattered nought.

Violet had known Alistair more than half her life, her brother his childhood friend.

She knew him to be a man of great importance and intelligence.

He had seen his fair share of scandals, had caused a great many too she didn’t doubt.

Yes, Violet decided, she would go to him at once, he would know what to do.

While there were those who thought Duke Alistair Hawthorne to be a rake, Violet trusted him explicitly.

Her driver pulled up outside the duke’s Savile Row residence and hopped down to help her out of the carriage.

The immaculate stone facade spoke of wealth and unwavering power.

The duke’s butler showed her in immediately, knocking on the duke’s study door before opening it and gesturing for Violet to go through.

Drawing a deep, steadying breath, Violet stepped through to what was undeniably a man’s room. Steeped in dark, heavy furniture, with bookcases full of leather-bound tomes, there was the faintest scent of tobacco in the air.

“Lady Violet, how lovely to have your company, you’ll join me for lunch of course?”

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Your Grace," Violet tried to hide the tremble in her voice, “I must confess I did not notice the time.”

“Please, sit.” Alistair waited until she had sat upon the plush velvet chaise, before moving one of the drawing chairs closer to her. “Now, what is the matter?”

“I received this today,” Violet hesitated a moment, before withdrawing the letter and passing it across to Alistair. “A man I have not seen before handed it to me while I was on the street. It…it concerns Lord Sebastian."

Alistair frowned as he studied the letter. “You have read this?”

“I have,” Violet nodded. “The details of the affair between my brother and Madame Sofia Francois…I cannot make sense of it, I never thought Sebastian capable of such behaviour.”

“I assure you, Violet, all men are capable of such behaviours, titled or not.” The room grew silent as Alistair returned to studying the letter.

“You were right to come to me, Violet. This is indeed troubling. If proven true, it could ruin Sebastian’s standing in society, his entire future, and by extension, your family’s reputation. The consequences could be dire, for him and for you.”

"I know," Violet whispered. "That is why I came to you. I had to, I knew I could trust you. I cannot fathom what to do.”

“Sebastian is my oldest friend, and a proud man. I will do all that I can. The matters of men are considerably less complicated than one might assume, even society men. This has the potential to do untold damage to his reputation and his career prospects. It is a good thing that I know how to navigate society’s judgments.

I will help you, Violet. We will figure this out, for Sebastian and for your family. "

Alistair exuded an air of calmness, of command. There could be no doubt that he was in charge of the situation. Violet wanted to thank him, to try and put into words just how grateful she was for his help in this matter, but her throat had gone dry.

The matter resolved for the moment, Alistair stood, and showed Violet to the study door. “I will be discreet in this matter, you have my word, this will not become gossip for the Ton.”

“Thank you,” Violet whispered, relieved.

“Violet,” Alistair’s voice was soft, intense. “We will handle this together; you have my word.”