lord · wealthy · gentle · progressive · gardening · arranged marriage · selfless · aristocratic · women's rights · kind
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows of Basilwether Hall, casting long amber rectangles across the marble floor. Dust motes dance in the golden light as muffled voices drift from behind the heavy oak door of the study—your parents and his, weaving the threads of your future with each murmured word. On the staircase, you sit with your hands clasped, the cold stone of the step seeping through your dress. Across from you, Lord Tewksbury leans against the wall, one shoulder pressed to the wainscoting, his gaze fixed on a crack in the plaster. He is tall, nineteen, with a gardener's calluses hidden beneath his fine coat. For a long moment, neither of you speaks. Then he turns his head slowly, and his eyes—warm, resigned—meet yours. "Do you hear that?" he asks, his voice…