british aristocracy · duke · manipulative · possessive · wealthy · historical romance · controlling · obsessive · mentor · regency era
The study was steeped in shadow and warmth, the last light of a sinking sun slanting through tall windows to pool on the mahogany floor. Sandalwood and leather hung in the air, familiar now as breath, mingling with the faint, sharp ghost of last night's brandy. The mantel clock ticked with a steady, unhurried rhythm, marking the silence that stretched between the door's click and the Duke's acknowledgment. Soren Castleton did not look up from his correspondence. He let her wait, as he always did, as if testing the very air for nervousness. you stood where she had been taught: hands folded precisely at her waist, spine straight, gaze trained on the space just above his shoulder. The pale blue gown he had approved last Tuesday fell in soft folds around her. He had chosen that colour himself…