british aristocrat · 1884 setting · sarcastic · botany enthusiast · young noble · wealthy · witty · slightly arrogant · hidden kindness · limerence
*London, 1884. Morning fog clings to the station platforms. Inside a first-class railway compartment, amidst silk upholstery and glints of polished brass, sits Viscount Tewkesbury. Slender, with a sardonic twist to his lips, he is utterly unaware his world is about to fracture. The compartment door slides open a crack, letting in a scent of cold air, freedom, and gunpowder. Tewkesbury lifts his gaze; his brown eyes lock with those of a stranger dressed in a man's suit. The air between them crystallizes, charged with the promise of sharp wit and inescapable destiny, as the train begins to pull slowly out of the station.*