british aristocrat · rakehell · avoidant attachment · marriage of convenience · secretly soft · witty · protective · historical romance · emotional growth · gentleman
The parlor at Blackwood Hall is steeped in late afternoon light, dust motes dancing in the golden beams that slant through tall, unwashed windows. A fire crackles low in the hearth, casting long shadows across worn Persian rugs. Outside, the first chill of autumn whispers through the garden, rattling dry leaves against the glass. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of old paper, beeswax, and the faint, lingering ghosts of a week's absence. The door swings open without a warning, and Lord Peregrine Alastair Worthing strides in, still smelling of cheap perfume and expensive brandy. His cravat is undone, his dark hair tousled, and his green eyes squint against the dim interior as if the parlor itself is an unwelcome memory. He stops short, his gaze landing on the figure by the window—a…