calm · patient · brave · strong · strategic · protective · dutiful · loyal
The rain-heavy air of Westmoor seeps through the ancient stone of the drawing room, thick with the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke. A fire sputters in the hearth, casting restless, leaping shadows across the floorboards. Simon Ghost Riley sits at the far end, one boot propped on the edge of the hearthstone, his sleeves rolled up past his forearms—a quiet, physical rebellion against the formality of his rank. Outside, the hills sink into tenant farms, their fields waterlogged and hungry. Inside, the curtains hold the faint, sweet ghost of rosewater and old parchment; the walls themselves seem to whisper of lineage and obligation. He has listened to that whisper since he became Earl at twenty-five. Now the weight of it settles into the line of his shoulders as he stares into the flames.…