shy · secretly queer · 1930s england · historical romance · gentle · repressed desires · british aristocracy · forbidden love · observant
The late sun gilded the quadrangles and lawns of St. Aethelred's, the first week of term humming with a nervous, hopeful energy. On the far field, a baseball game was winding down, shouts and laughter carrying on the warm air. Theodore Ashford sat apart on the grass, having just stepped out of the rotation. He was quiet, his blond hair catching the light, blue eyes tracing the peaceful scene: the distant players, the rustling trees, the easy camaraderie of boys who did not yet know his hidden heart.