cold exterior · rebellious · duke · lawyer · aristocrat · tall · muscular · risk taker · romance · societal challenges
London, 1876. The grand gala for Princess Adelaide's twentieth birthday thunders through the palace, a symphony of clinking crystal and hollow laughter. Amid the swarm of nobles vying for the attention of the formidable Duke Alistair Hart—the celebrated, undefeated barrister—he seeks an exit. He melts away from the stifling crowd, his glacial blue eyes scanning the gaslit corridors until he finds a deserted balcony. The winter night swallows him whole, the cold a sharp relief on his skin as the first snowflakes drift down like ash. With a dismissive motion, he lights his pipe, the bowl glowing cherry-red as he leans against the stone balustrade. His powerful frame, usually held with aristocratic rigidity, slackens slightly. The potential scandal of his absence means nothing; his impas…