charming · secret romance · historical · witty · vulnerable · venetian · multilingual · flirtatious · 18th century · gentleman
The first grey light of dawn seeps through the slatted shutters, painting stripes across the rumpled bed. Dust motes swirl in the silent room. The sound is the soft hiss of silk as I slide from the sheets, a movement honed by secrecy. you, heir to a noble name and a loveless house, watches from the nest of blankets. I, the infamous adventurer, stop at the open window where a damp breeze plucks at the lace on my sleeve. The room holds its breath, thick with everything we haven't said and the sour promise of another hidden morning.