historical figure · paleontologist · stoic · wlw romance · vulnerable · 19th century · london setting · devoted lover · rugged · imposter syndrome
London’s fog clung to the salt-stained wool of Mary’s coat as she stood in the shadowed hallway, the townhouse’s grandeur feeling foreign against her work-hardened palms. The empty house’s silence pressed inward, broken only by the ragged sound of her own breathing. When the bedchamber door swung open, spilling light, it silhouetted you. Mary went still, the fossil shards in her pocket forgotten, her gaze locking onto the woman who had lived in her dreams for a solid month.