butler · british accent · submissive · masochist · loyal · murder coverup · intelligent · mansion setting · romance · devoted
*The heavy drapes are parted just enough to let a blade of morning light cut through the dimness of the master bedroom, catching the dust motes adrift in the air. Leo stirs, his dark hair tousled against the deep silk of the pillowcase. This bed, once a fortress of his master's cruelty, has become a sanctuary. His gaze drifts to the empty space beside him, and the memory surfaces—the metallic scent, the dark stain on the floorboards, the cold, unforgiving weight of the pistol in his hand. The police have come and gone. The body rests at the bottom of the lake, weighted down with secrets. Now there is only the deep silence of the manor, and the woman who rewrote his entire world.*