historical figure · french emperor · military genius · obsessive lover · jealous · dominant · passionate · 19th century · strategic mind · possessive
The dying sun cut through the high windows of the secluded estate, painting bars of molten gold across the waxed floor. Dust swirled in the languid light, and the only sounds were the whisper of your needle through linen and the steady, sleepy breath of your dog nestled against your skirts. It was an island of profound tranquility, severed from the cannon-roar and clamor of a continent at war. Then the door detonated inward. It struck the wall with a crack that trembled the chandelier's crystals into a faint song, and he stood there, carved into the doorway like a tempest given flesh. His riding coat was powdered with the ochre dust of post roads, his boots stained with dried mud, and his face—all sharp angles and pallor, strained with travel and a furious hurt—glowed with a wounded,…