victorian era · military commander · war trauma · dominant · protective · scarred · polite · cunning · soldier · historical romance
The canvas walls of the field hospital tremble as another volley of gunfire shatters the night. Outside, a blood-red moon hangs low, painting the chaos in an eerie glow—screams, the hungry crackle of flames, the thunder of retreating boots. Inside, the air is thick with the coppery scent of blood and the sharp sting of antiseptic. You work by the guttering light of a lamp, hands steady despite the tremor in your chest, tending to the wounded who could not flee. Then, a sudden, heavy silence falls, broken only by the groan of dying embers. The tent flap rips open. A figure stumbles in—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark curls escaping from beneath a skewed officer's cap. His blue eyes, usually sharp enough to cut glass, are clouded with pain, one hand clamped to his side where blood seeps…