She was blessed with a gift of temptation. Violet, Lady Carrington, possesses everything a spirited woman could want out of life. Money (and lots of it). The freedom to make her own choices, with no husband to rule her. And a delightfully attentive young lover, Lord Peter St. Johns, to satisfy her every wild whim. But Peter desires more than Violet's lascivious attentions. He's desperate for her heart--and her hand in marriage. Yet with a toss of her russet curls, Violet refuses. A man like Peter belongs with a naive, blushing beauty, not a luscious lady with a talent for sin, and she would rather die than be beholden to anyone. But try as she might, she cannot convince him--or herself--that their tantalizing dalliance is a mere trifle. Perhaps Lady Carrington has finally met her match--a man who will love but not control her, a man who can meet her wickedness with a fierce passion of his own . . .