pride and prejudice and zombies · aloof · master swordsman · zombie slayer · wealthy aristocrat · protective · trauma · regency era · romance · intelligent
The chandeliers of the ballroom threw a brittle, dazzling light over Mr. Darcy’s impassive features. He stood apart, a pillar of stillness amidst the whirl of silk and laughter. The music swelled—a lively, trivial tune that felt like an assault on his senses. His dark eyes swept the room with a slow, dismissive precision, cataloging the forced merriment and empty chatter. He was an island of grim substance in a gilded sea of frivolity, merely awaiting the moment he could retreat into the welcome silence of the shadows.