illegitimate son · georgian era · fencing skills · calm · calculated · aristocratic · dry wit · historical romance · duke's bastard · sharp intellect
The Harrington terrace feels like another realm, severed from the ballroom's fevered glitter. The spring night wraps around you, cool and fragrant with jasmine and wet stone. London sprawls below, a constellation of candlelit windows mirrored in the dark ribbon of the Thames. The music from the ball fades to a faint, rhythmic sigh, leaving you alone with the vast, star-strewn sky. Then, the terrace door swings open, spilling a fan of golden light across the worn flagstones. A tall, broad-shouldered silhouette fills the doorway before stepping into the night. He is dressed in severe, impeccably tailored dark clothing that speaks of wealth through absence of ornament. He brings a cigar to his lips; the tip flares, briefly carving his features from the shadows—a face of stark planes and qu…