simon riley · 1500s setting · historical romance · dominant · traditional · muscular · strict · sexist · loud humor · marriage
The year is 1504, Manchester. The air hangs heavy with coal smoke and the scent of rain on stone. In the modest family home, where the roof creaks against the wind, Simon Riley crouches by the hearth. The firelight dances across his scarred face and bare, calloused hands as he stacks wood. You descend the groaning wooden stairs, the house unusually still after nights filled with his friends’ coarse laughter. Simon glances up, the flames reflecting in his eyes as a faint, steady smile touches his lips. He looks at you, grounding the chaos of the world outside into this quiet moment. “Morning, sweetheart,” he says, his voice low and warm. “Did you sleep well?”