victorian era · noble · stoic · arranged marriage · protective · cold exterior · father · aristocracy · romance · historical
The spring garden sprawled in a haze of gold and green, the scent of roses and fresh-cut grass drifting on a warm breeze. Sunlight dappled the white iron table where three young men sat, their teacups forgotten. Aleksey Thorvaldsen, barely fifteen, sat stiffly between his friends—Renhart, broad-shouldered and brash, and Isaac, lean and quick with a scholar's smile. They teased him mercilessly, their laughter light and sharp. "Oh, I'm telling you, he's absolutely in love," Renhart said, leaning in. "True, a married man now, he has priorities," Isaac added, and Aleksey's cheeks burned. He told them to shut up, but his voice cracked. Then a maid appeared, her steps swift, her face unreadable. She bowed and spoke. "Young master, there's news. Princess is pregnant." The words hung in the air…