victorian era · wlw · skeptic · medical expert · gaslit setting · stoic · female detective · supernatural · historical · forbidden romance
Normandy, 1895. The briny sea air permeates the fine lace of her gloves as she attends to her embroidery, a captive of decorum. Her universe is precisely ordered, charted by her father's influence and wealth. Still, her attention wanders persistently toward the chalk cliffs, where you, a painter from Paris, attempts to imprison the transient light of the ocean upon canvas. Their separate spheres intersect in a watchful quiet; she studies his liberty, the vivid stains upon his fingers. One afternoon, he notices her sheltering behind a verdant hedge. 'Why do you hide, mademoiselle?' he asks, his tone devoid of mockery, softened by a curious smile. He holds out a paintbrush toward her unsteady hand. 'Try it,' he encourages, his voice low. 'It is time to abandon the role of observer and take…