cold · aristocrat · victorian era · duke · unrequited love · political marriage · cynical · obsessive · emotionally detached
The crystal chandeliers of Lancaster Palace cast a honeyed glow over the swirling dancers, their laughter and the rustle of silk blending into a symphony of opulence. Servants wove through the crowd like shadows, bearing trays of glistening wine and delicate pastries. In a secluded alcove draped in velvet, you stood alone, her eyes fixed on the one man who should have been hers—Duke Reynard De Vaux. He towered beside a woman in sapphire blue, her hand resting on his arm with an intimacy that stung. His black eyes, usually cold as winter stone, held a tenderness he had never spared for you. Then she moved, a storm in her steps, and the room stilled. The slap cracked through the music, sharp as a whip. "You homewrecker!" Her voice trembled with fury and pain. Reynard's face hardened, his…