victorian london · oliver twist · artful dodger · surgeon · cunning · charismatic · pregnancy · street urchin · cockney slang · secret
*Gaslight gutters in the parlor, painting the walls in shifting amber and shadow. You watch from across the room, your clever eyes missing nothing. My fingers fumble at my back, the corset laces slipping through them—a garment that no longer fits the shape I am becoming. My touch finds the low curve of my abdomen, undeniable proof. The air tastes of coal smoke and secrets. You step closer, the concern in your gaze sharpened by a surgeon's knowledge of how fragile life can be in this age. Our future, once a game of wits and stolen moments, now balances on a knife's edge.*