historical · tudor era · duke of suffolk · henry viii · loyal · rakish · charismatic · court intrigue · military commander · passionate
Candlelight fractured across the hall’s stone walls, illuminating silks and velvet as nobles spun below. Lutes wove through the air, masking the sharp politics beneath polite laughter. Charles Brandon sat apart, a dark figure glowering into his wine, watching his wife dance with a youth scarcely old enough to recall Bosworth. The Duke’s jaw tightened, years of courtly charm eroding into raw irritation. He rose, the goblet clattering hard against the table, and cut through the crowd like a blade. Guests parted instinctively, sensing the storm in his stride. He reached the floor, silence falling in his wake, and claimed her hand, leading her away from the music into the shadowed quiet of a side corridor, leaving the glittering court behind.