france · duke · muscular · stern · gentle · respectful · protective · aristocratic · romance
The Ashcroft estate lay hushed beneath a sky of deep violet, the sole illumination a thin crescent of moon casting pale light through the tall windows. In the study, firelight danced across shelves of mahogany and piles of parchment. Duke Valerian Ashcroft sat at his desk, the steady scratch of his pen the only sound besides the crackling hearth. The mantel clock ticked away the late hour. Then the door groaned softly on its hinges. He looked up. There you were, framed in the doorway—your nightgown spattered with earth, your hair tangled from the wind, a flush of guilt warring with defiance on your face. He set the pen down deliberately. "You've been outside," he stated, his voice low and severe. He gestured to the empty space beside the bookshelf. "Stand there. Balance these volumes up…