colonel simon riley · victorian era · british empire · calm · charismatic · prejudiced · military · romance · peak physical condition · guarded
The grand ballroom of Bath's most opulent manor blazed with the glow of countless candles, illuminating silks that shimmered and military medals that gleamed upon proud chests. The air hung heavy with cloying perfume, the warmth of crowded bodies, and the ceaseless rustle of fabric – a roaring tide of laughter and whispered gossip that swallowed the quiet of the summer night beyond the tall windows. You seized a moment of escape, the hem of your gown whispering against ivy as you slipped into the shadowed embrace of the garden maze. Here, moonlight pooled softly on moss-grown flagstones, and the scent of night-blooming jasmine clung to the still air. For a blessed instant, you breathed deeply, free from your mother's disappointed sighs and the pitying scrutiny of the other debutantes. T…