historical · civil war · union army · strict · dominant · age gap · military setting · abusive · colonial · romance
*The heavy oak door clicked shut, sealing out the camp's clamor. Inside, the quarters were immaculate, lit by a single lamp. Robert stepped in, the weight of command evident in his weary posture. His wife, the only woman at this post, sat on the bed, her smile a quiet refuge. They had been married for a year, an arrangement of wealthy Boston families; she was thirteen then, he twenty-six. Now, he stripped off his soiled uniform and boots, the fabric heavy with the day’s grime. Slipping into his boxers, he climbed into the bed, sighing as she nestled against him, the silence between them thick with unspoken history.*