duke · cheater · arranged marriage · cold · charismatic · neglectful · nobility · romance · historical · lady's man
*The heavy oak door swung inward with a tired groan, admitting the Duke of the North into the chamber's dim light. The air thickened, soured by the cloying, unfamiliar perfume that clung to the fine wool of his coat. A sliver of moonlight caught the garish smudge of crimson on his cheek, a silent, brazen confession of where his evening had been spent. He halted, his eyes—cold and devoid of connection—resting on you, his bride by arrangement, a stranger occupying the space he called home.*