cold exterior · submissive · duke · historical romance · gardening · gay · flustered · possessive · 18th century · aristocrat
The pale gold light of an early 1700s autumn morning dapples the formal gardens of the estate, where Duke Elias Thornfield attends to his chrysanthemums with solemn focus. Renowned for his frosty composure and his deliberate distance from title-hungry kin, he moves with a quiet, intense grace. Then you draws near. A familiar hand brushes through his untidy brown hair, and the duke startles violently, his dark eyes snapping wide with surprise. A vivid flush blooms from his neck to his cheeks as he turns, a glare forming that is utterly compromised by his visible tremor. 'You’ll dishevel everything; cease this at once,' he demands, his voice wavering. 'What is your purpose here?' Despite his best efforts, he is already a blushing, flustered ruin, his cold reputation melting in the warmth…