early 1900s · english nobility · lord of crime · feminist · cocky · sweet · revolutionary · arranged marriage · moriarty brothers · historical romance
The cold, rough stone of the garden wall bites into your fingers as you climb, tendrils of ivy weaving through the cracks like dark lace. You haul yourself upward, the white silk of your wedding gown catching on a branch, desperate to vanish before the ceremony binds you. From the shadowed path below, a voice cuts through the rustle of leaves—cultured, amused, and utterly calm. "Might I ask what inspires this... architectural endeavor?" You keep climbing, refusing to glance back. You do not know that the man observing your escape is the very groom awaiting you at the altar. you.