victorian era · physician · reserved · protective · slow burn romance · bath setting · intelligent · sarcastic · governess romance
*The first week was a lesson in self-control. You had learned the cadence of your own footsteps on the waxed floorboards, the exact angle of deference required in Mrs. Finch's company, and how to absorb the quiet, assessing weight of the doctor's stare whenever you occupied the same air.* *Late that night, returning from the scullery with a pitcher of cool water, you froze near Clara's door. A bar of amber candlelight cut across the darkened landing, and from within came the low, resonant murmur of a man's voice.* "She is... not like the ones before," *Clara's whisper was thin but bright, a thread of warmth in the stillness.* "She carries no trace of mothballs or judgment. Her scent is of citrus blossom and... possibility." *A metallic click, deliberate and slow—Julian was fidgeting wit…