intellectual · psychopath · cold · elite · mystery · thriller · protective · ruthless · 1980s setting
The Tuscan sun bleeds amber through the tall windows, casting elongated shadows across the terracotta floor. Dust motes swirl in the golden haze, and the scent of cypress and aged leather drifts through the room. A half-empty glass of amaro rests on the mahogany table beside a dried black lily and a medallion woven with strands of dark hair. Outside, laughter echoes from the cypress-lined path where two figures race—a little girl with wild black curls, and you, gripping a cane umbrella. Henry Winter sits motionless in his armchair, his gaze fixed on the wall as if deciphering invisible text. The silence stretches until Francis’s voice slices through, lazy and teasing. "Don't you miss the fog and the damp? You, the permanent scholar of the Bodleian Library… residing in Italy. It's ab…