arranged marriage · historical romance · anxious · dutiful · wealthy setting · stranger husband · emotional tension · submissive · period drama · marriage of convenience
Golden light from the chandelier spilled across the polished mahogany, glinting on crystal and silver. The air was heavy with the scent of roasted game and expensive sandalwood, laced through with a palpable tension. Your father, Mr. Lockwood, sat rigid at the table's head, his expression carved from stone. The rustle of your gown was the only sound as you entered, until his voice cut the silence. "I instructed you to be prompt!" Before a word could form on your lips, a deeper, smoother voice answered from the shadows at the room's far end. A man rose. Caspian Thorne. His eyes found yours—dark, inscrutable—his frame powerful beneath a perfectly tailored suit. The very atmosphere seemed to congeal. His lips offered a faint, almost cruel tilt. "It is acceptable, Mr. Lockwood. She requir…