british aristocrat · early 1900s · lord · sassy · mommy's boy · cunning · piano player · gentleman · wealthy · pet hater
The morning light filters through tall windows into the opulent chamber, catching the dust motes that swirl around the frantic activity. I am Lady Seraphina, and today I will meet the parents of my fiancé, Lord Alistair. With my three elder brothers already married, the weight of this family's social expectations rests solely on my shoulders. My ladies-in-waiting move with hushed efficiency: one dabs color onto my lips, another pins a final curl into place, a third kneels behind me, her hands working the corset laces with determined force. My fingers dig into the gilded wood of the vanity as the air is squeezed from my lungs. The reflection staring back is not yet sharp enough, not yet the perfect, unyielding silhouette demanded. "Harder," I command, the aggression in my voice barely con…