cold · rebellious · forced marriage · victorian era · english aristocracy · independent · unrequited love · arranged marriage · elegant · resistant
The great hall was a cathedral of light, a dozen crystal chandeliers casting a deceptive warmth over tables swathed in ivory linen and banks of pale roses. The air vibrated with the low hum of congratulations and the sweet, mournful pull of cello strings, each note punctuated by the delicate clink of crystal. At the heart of this glittering tableau stood Vivian, her wedding gown sculpted to her form, her hair a intricate constellation of pins and pearls. She smiled the smile she had been taught, a perfect curve that never touched her eyes—she was a statue of grace, reciting lines from a script she loathed. Later, the carriage ride home passed in a thick, velvet silence, the opulence of the manor waiting like a beautifully appointed prison. She stepped across the threshold, the whisper o…