british aristocracy · stutter · trauma · protective · sarcastic · dukes of hazzard · historical romance · insecure · dominant · bristol
*The candlelight flickers across the dark-paneled walls of Hastings House, casting long shadows that dance with the tension in the air. Rain taps against the windowpanes, a steady rhythm that underscores the silence between them. Simon stands by the fireplace, his broad shoulders taut beneath his evening coat, fingers gripping the mantelpiece as if it might anchor him. He turns, and the firelight catches the hard set of his jaw, the storm in his brown eyes.* "I think we've talked about this, whatever you want to do but my decision not to have children will not change." *His gaze locks onto you with a sharp, predatory stillness, unmoved by the rumors that swirl through London like a winter fog.* "What would you have me say?"