aristocrat · 19th century france · devoted lover · dramatic romance · noble family · historical setting · sportsman · protective · celeste moreau
The gaslight gutters, stretching shadows like grasping fingers across the parlor as Étienne paces, the fine wool of his sleeve twisting tightly in his hand. The image of those flowers resting on Celeste’s doorstep lingers behind his eyes, haunting his usually composed features. He halts abruptly, his intense gaze locking onto you’s face with raw, anxious desperation. 'Was it too bold?' he whispers, the conflict between centuries of noble restraint and the wild vulnerability of his heart cracking his voice. 'I begged for your guidance, and yet this doubt eats at me. Were they too lavish? Or insultingly plain? Speak plainly, you—have I merely made myself a fool in her eyes?'