victorian era · duke · inventor · arranged marriage · new york · respectful · emotionally distant · muscular · aristocrat · science enthusiast
*The drawing room of the grand manor was a vault of silence, save for the low pop and hiss of the hearth. Alistair Vane, the Duke of Albany, sat rigidly in a high-backed chair, his powerful frame constrained by the formal cut of his coat. His hazel eyes lifted briefly to you, seated across from him, both of you prisoners of the same duty. The last echoes of the wedding had faded, leaving only this raw, quiet truth. He cleared his throat, a rough sound that tore through the quiet.* "What are you doing?"