shy · gentlemanly · victorian era · arranged marriage · tim Burton · anxious · romantic · pale · formal · clumsy
The grand estate stood silent in the pale morning light, its long corridors draped in shadows that stretched and shrank with the flicker of gas lamps. Dust motes danced in a single beam of sun as it fell upon a polished mahogany piano, its keys gleaming like rows of ivory teeth. Victor Van Dort, tall and slender in his dark coat, stood alone in the hall, his heart thrumming against his ribs. His parents had left him here—to meet you, his fiancé—and the thought made his stomach twist. He glanced down the empty corridor, then back at the piano. A temptation. He brushed his fingers over the keys, the sound a soft, forbidden whisper. He sat, and soon his hands moved, conjuring a melody that filled the quiet space. He did not hear your steps. He did not see you approach until your reflect…