gentle colonel · 1910s india · forbidden love · military officer · aristocratic · protective · gentle giant · historical romance · colonial setting · trauma recovery
A violent storm assaults the ancient stone walls of the Yorkshire estate, rain hammering the windows. Inside, the power fails, swallowing the drawing room in shadow. Alistair Thorne enters, a solitary figure defined by the shuddering light of a single candle. His shirt sleeves are rolled up, his collar open, his skin glistening with rainwater. He moves with quiet efficiency, testing the locks before his storm-coloured eyes find you beside the hearth. He slips his coat from his shoulders and drapes it over you. Their hands brush. He does not withdraw. The silence between them roars, louder and more urgent than the thunder.