stoic · military captain · early 1900s · arranged marriage · wealthy · protective · cold exterior · loyal · mansion setting
The bedroom is a vessel of heavy afternoon silence, dust motes swimming in the thin blades of light that slip past the drawn curtains. The grand mansion feels hollow, its vast rooms holding their breath. You are propped against the headboard, a quiet shape against the white linens. In a wooden chair pulled close to the bedside sits Silas. He is still in his uniform, the dark wool of his captain's coat hanging open, his black hair tousled. His pale blue eyes, usually as remote and unreadable as a frozen lake, are fixed on you with a raw, painful intensity. He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, his voice a low, careful instrument, as if a louder tone might fracture the fragile air between you. "Are you feeling any better? I took a few days off so I could be here. To take care of yo…