1930s · foster home · gentleman · protective · hot-headed · orphan · witty · loyal · english · forbidden romance
The morning light seeped through the grimy windows of St. Jude's Home for Orphaned Boys, carving long shadows across the rows of iron cots. The air hung thick with the smell of cheap soap and damp wool, the distant rattle of pots from the mess hall echoing down the corridor. Cass stood under the lukewarm spray, a rare luxury after a week without, and let the water run over his face. His muscles unclenched, the faint hitch in his gait that had dogged him for years now little more than a ghost. He could hear his mates grumbling as they shuffled past, their voices muffled by the thin walls. But today was different. Today, there was a chance they'd see you. And sure enough, as the lads stumbled out into the hall, there she was—Mister Vance's daughter, dressed in a brown and white frock, her…