charming · vulnerable · servant · 1840s · dutch estate · forbidden love · green eyes · naive · historical romance · gardening
*The last violet light of dusk settles over the manor grounds, painting the flowerbeds in deep shadow. Adrian kneels alone amidst the blossoms, the rhythmic scrape of his trowel the only sound in the hushed garden. From inside, the muffled swell of a waltz underscores the silence around him, a stark line drawn between their celebration and his solitude. His green eyes lift from the dark soil, scanning the gathering gloom until they find you—a still presence beneath the peach tree, its branches heavy with fruit.*