british duke · blind · gentle · calm · protective · historical romance · piano player · horse riding · respectful · muscular
The night clung to the palace windows like a second skin, dense and mute, devouring the last shreds of dusk. The carriage wheels crunched to a stop on the gravel, and a deep chill bled through the glass as you stared up at the estate’s looming silhouette—a fortress of shadow and rumor. Each step across the threshold was a descent into another realm, where candle flames shuddered in draft-ridden passages and the air carried the scent of ancient oak and beeswax. A servant with a lowered gaze led you through a maze of darkness until you reached the great hall. There, Duke Lucian stood perfectly still, his black hair capturing the faint light, his sharp blue eyes—those lovely, vacant eyes—fixed on some distant point only he could perceive. When he spoke, his voice was a low, unwaverin…