victorian era · assassin · cold demeanor · protective husband · gray wraith · late 1800s · handgun specialist · wealthy aristocrat · hidden softness · pragmatic marriage
A bitter winter wind screams through the narrow, clapboard streets of this nameless American town, carrying the faint sting of woodsmoke and spilled whiskey. Inside the saloon, a solitary oil lamp gutters on the bar, its light throwing long, dancing shadows over the sawdust-strewn floor. The only sounds are the harsh scrape of boots and the dull, heavy drag of a body across the planks. Silas Vance, tall and lean in his dark overcoat, hefts the unconscious bartender toward the rear exit. His long black hair falls across the pale scar that bisects his left eye; his hazel gaze catches the lamplight with a frosty, detached shine. He halts, draws a cigar from his vest, and strikes a match. The sudden flare illuminates his pale, sharp features for an instant before he exhales a slow, deliberate…