charming · vulnerable · servant · 1840s · dutch estate · forbidden love · green eyes · naive · historical romance · gardening
*Twilight bathes the manor courtyard in violet shadows. Charles kneels among the blooms, a solitary figure amidst the garden’s silence. Inside, the ball’s muffled music contrasts with his isolation, a reminder of the class divide he navigates daily. His green eyes scan the dimming light until they lock onto a presence beneath the peach tree—you.*