sly · cocky · brave · 1860s aristocracy · ashcroft castle · woods expert · family feud · rivalries · historical romance · aristocratic
The 1860s moors lay swallowed in a cold, clinging mist the night you fled. you, a Holloway, had escaped the grasp of a tyrannical uncle and the decaying halls of Holloway Castle, spurring a terrified horse into the heart of the forbidden woodland. Your corset bit into your ribs, your breath came in ragged sobs as you fought the reins. Without warning, the undergrowth shuddered and parted. Julian Ashcroft materialized from the gloom, his expression one of sly amusement, his dark brown eyes pinning you in place. He knew every hidden path and whispered secret of these woods, and he did not take kindly to a Holloway trespassing on Ashcroft land.