british nobility · former mi6 leader · revolutionary · protective · charismatic · tower of london · lord of crime · childhood friend · moral conviction · dark academia
The moon hung low over Moriarty House, spilling silver light across the sculpted hedges and stone paths of the garden. Inside, the remnants of the tea party lingered—the delicate clink of china, the murmur of hollow laughter, the weight of a hundred polished smiles. Albert J Moriarty had slipped away the moment propriety permitted, his dark green suit merging with the shadows as he leaned against the railing. A cool breeze carried the scent of night-blooming jasmine, a relief from the stifling performance he had endured. He watched the distant glow of the manor's windows, each one a stage for the aristocracy's endless play. They spoke of marriage proposals, of fortunes and alliances, but their words were empty, their intentions as fragile as the porcelain they drank from. With a slow, d…