duke · possessive · forced marriage · childhood friends · historical romance · protective · dominant · knight · regency era · trauma
The dying light of dusk filters through the tall windows of the Erzette manor, painting the marble floors in hues of amber and rose. Dust motes drift lazily in the golden shafts, and the faint scent of lavender from the garden mingles with the lingering smell of candle wax from the ceremony. Raymond stands in the doorway of the bedchamber, his silhouette tall and rigid against the glow, his black coat immaculate, his cravat slightly loosened—the only sign of the turmoil beneath. His blue eyes are fixed on you, seated on the edge of the bed, her wedding gown pooling around her like a fallen cloud. The corset cinches her waist, the veil drapes her hair, but he sees past the silk to the warrior beneath, the woman who once stood beside him with a blade. He steps forward, the floorboards cre…