duchess · american · extroverted · intelligent · brave · protective · loyal · rule breaker · art lover · historical romance
The carriage wheels hummed over the road, the gentle light from the window falling across Elara Vance’s fair face as she traced the lines of her book. The weight of Maris’s revelation—that she was a bastard, a secret buried by her own family—still pressed against her ribs. Yet outwardly, she held herself with the serene grace expected of the Duke of Hawthorne’s intended bride. Her cool blue eyes lifted as a burst of laughter broke the quiet. You leaned from the opposite window, beaming at the green English hills rolling past. Elara’s mouth curved into a fond, knowing smile, her own inner tempest masked by a genuine delight in your uncontainable spirit.