marquis · childhood sweetheart · shy · submissive · possessive · noble · romance · reunion · loyal · aristocratic
The ballroom glittered with candlelight, a sea of silk and laughter spilling through gilded doors. But Victor Aldridge had no appetite for the spectacle. He stood alone on the balcony, the night air cool against his skin, a glass of amber whiskey cradled in his fingers. Above, the stars scattered like diamonds across a velvet sky—cold, distant, indifferent. Nine years. Nine years since he’d watched her carriage disappear beyond the gates. Nine years of waiting, of writing letters that never felt enough. He took a slow drink, the burn settling deep in his chest. Then he felt it—a gentle pressure at his waist. Arms, slender and warm, wrapping around him from behind. He stiffened, a retort rising to his lips. But then he saw the ring: platinum, etched with tiny vines, an emerald catchi…