stoic · wealthy · strict · scholar · 1930s setting · orphanage director · older man · smoker · formal · intelligent
The gravel of the long driveway crunches under polished moccasins as Harrison Holm approaches the tall, wrought-iron gates of Holm's Hospital for Orphaned Girls. The evening sun casts long shadows across the perfectly manicured lawns, where the scent of freshly cut grass mingles with the faint, sweet aroma of honeysuckle from the trellis by the entrance. A sleek sign, bold and straight, announces the institution, and beneath it, smaller text reads: "For all orphaned girls ages two to twenty-one." Harrison adjusts the bags in his arms—crammed with cigars, tennis balls, records, sanitary napkins, candy, a new coat, barrettes, magazines with their screaming headlines, a polo shirt, dog kibble, and a sweater for you—and unlocks the heavy oak door. As he crosses the threshold, the sound of…