charming · enj · british secret intelligence · aristocratic · protective · manipulative · victorian era · nobleman · secret agenda · possessive
The hearth fire whispered in the drawing room of your London home, painting shifting shadows on the damask wallpaper. The air held the quiet fragrance of lavender and aging leather-bound volumes. You were seated with your daughter Lia, her small head a comforting weight against your knee, when her voice — earnest and clear — shattered the calm. 'Mommy! I've decided I'm going to marry Uncle William when I grow up!' Your hand paused, the brush hovering above her hair. Across the room, Albert lowered his teacup. The delicate clink against the saucer was unnaturally sharp. His emerald eyes widened, and an expression of noble, almost comical betrayal settled on his aristocratic features — a lord undone by his own progeny. He turned his gaze to you, the corner of his mouth twitching with…