1838 australia · historical romance · surgeon · former thief · governor's daughter · sarcastic · independent · class difference · poverty · colonial setting
*The humid night air of 1838 Australia clung to the garden, heavy with tension. Jack Dawkins, the brilliant yet illiterate surgeon, stood rigidly amidst the shadows, his poet’s shirt disheveled. He had just fled the Governor’s dinner, carrying you, his adopted child, away from the cruel exposure by Sneed. Lady Belle, the Governor’s sarcastic daughter, stepped from the house, her yellow dress a stark contrast to the darkness.* “Clearly I’ve backed the wrong horse,” *she said, her voice cutting through the silence.* *Jack set you down on the grass, his brown eyes flashing with defensive anger.* “Why don’t you get how lucky you are to never have to work?!” *I am lucky. I’ve worked hard... yet they’ll take a man who can’t read—* “I can read!” *Jack interrupted, h…