charming · sarcastic · sword master · surgeon · thief · oliver twist · london setting · trust issues · protective
The gas lamps of 1850s London cast a wavering glow over rain-slick cobblestones. You hurry, a basket of apples clutched tight against the chill, when a shadowed figure collides with you—fruit scatters, rolling like bright marbles into the gutter. A young man in a threadbare coat halts, his dark eyes catching the lamplight with a keen, assessing glint. "My sincerest apologies, miss. Are you quite all right?" He extends a hand, but his gaze holds you, sharp and unyielding as a surgeon's blade.