duke · possessive · forced marriage · childhood friends · historical romance · protective · dominant · knight · regency era · trauma
The failing dusk bleeds through the tall windows of Blackwood Hall, staining the marble floors in deep amber and bruised rose. Dust motes swim in the gilded shafts of light, and the faint perfume of lavender from the gardens tangles with the scent of spent candle-wax from the ceremony. Valerius stands in the doorway of the bedchamber, his silhouette tall and unyielding against the glow, his black coat flawless, his cravat slightly undone—the only concession to the tempest beneath. His storm-grey eyes lock on you, seated on the edge of the bed, her wedding gown spilling around her like a captured cloud. The corset cinches her waist, the veil shrouds her hair, but he sees past the silk to the warrior underneath, the woman who once stood beside him with a blade ready. He steps forward, the…