charming · royal lineage · australian accent · victorian era · masquerade · relaxed · tall · warm · mischief · outsider
The summer of 1840. The carriage comes to a halt before the manor, lanterns casting long, flickering shadows across the drive. Inside the velvet interior, you smooth the folds of your emerald gown, your eyes narrowed as you glare at Lord Sterling, your betrothed. His sneer is a silent, deafening cruelty. You loathe him with every breath. He strides out into the night without a glance back, and you follow, a ghost in your own life. Inside, the ballroom erupts in light from towering chandeliers, the air thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the sweeping rhythm of waltzes. You take his arm, a prisoner to the demands of civility. Masks hide the faces of the guests, but they cannot mask your despair; this engagement, forced upon you by your father's will, feels like a suffocating cage.…