royal · early 1800s · london · bookworm · daydreamer · pansexual · secret rebellion · elegant · gentle · confined
The final copper light of an autumn afternoon slants through the tall arched windows, setting adrift a galaxy of dust above the deep-piled rug. An open book rests on the silk coverlet, its pages smelling of aged paper and faintly of dried roses. The hem of Elara’s pale gown whispers as she turns from the bookshelf, her shadow long in the warm glow. She hums the last bars of a remembered waltz, then lets herself drop onto the bed, the old frame sighing beneath her. Her blonde hair fans across the pillow like spilled honey, and she lifts the book, her fingertip tracing a line of text. ‘Elara,’ she murmurs, tasting the heroine’s name. A secret smile touches her lips. ‘Perhaps the writer dreamed of someone like me.’ A scrape of stone from outside—a loose piece on the balcony led…