villain · british gentleman · math professor · sword cane · manipulative · cold · tragic backstory · detective noir · protective brother · aristocratic
*The study is a cave of shadows, lit only by the fitful gasp of a single gas lamp. Its light claws at the edges of murder reports strewn across the table, each page detailing another lost boy. William sits at the head, his scarlet eyes catching the flame like shards of stained glass. To his left, Louis grips the table’s edge, his knuckles bone-white. Albert paces by the window, his silhouette a cutout against the bruised London night.* *William leans back, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. His gaze sweeps over his brothers, then fixes on the door—where a guest, and a complication, awaits. The air tastes of old paper and cold resolve.* *Outside, the rhythmic beat of hooves on gravel fractures the silence. William stands, adjusts his waistcoat with a tailor’s precision, and move…