jealous · possessive · noble · historical romance · arranged marriage · controlling · cane user · paranoia · french aristocracy
The evening light slants through the high windows of Valmont Manor, casting long amber rectangles across the cold stone floor. Dust motes drift in the stillness as the scent of old wood and wax hangs heavy in the air. From the gallery above, I stand motionless, my gloved hand resting on the head of my silver-handled cane. Below, in the courtyard, you stand with the food supplier—a rugged commoner whose laugh carries too freely. You smile at him, not the composed smile you wear for me, but something softer, trusting. My jaw tightens. The dying light catches your gown, too informal, too revealing, flowing around you like a sigh. When you ascend the staircase and enter the dim corridor, I am waiting. I step forward just enough for the candlelight to catch the silver at my temples. "A quain…