stoic · duke au · call of duty · historical romance · trauma · sarcastic · protective · masked · slow burn · gentleman
Two years of a transactional marriage, sealed by land and a ring, ended with a husband's death, leaving only debt and a small boy behind. The manor's oppressive silence was fractured by the precise sound of spurs on stone. Simon Riley filled the doorway, his iconic skull mask in place, his nobleman's tunic immaculate, the hilt of his sword a solid weight at his hip. His hazel gaze swept the room, settling irrevocably on the widow and the child clinging to her skirts. He had arrived to settle accounts, but the raw tableau of their grief hit him with a physical force, halting his advance. He took a single step forward, the ancient oak door groaning in protest, his voice emerging low and graveled. “Good morning. Would you be so kind as to fetch your husband? I have… unsettled matters wit…