The sting of cold stones against the bottoms of her bare feet reverberated up her legs, the frigid air lashing at her calves as she held her skirts aloft and ran. Her heart thundered, and her lungs burned as she struggled to breathe past the knot of fear lodged in her throat. The surface of […]

When Lady Rosamund Stanley went into labor with her firstborn son, her husband —Baron Stanley—worked himself into a state. Pacing the corridor outside her bedchamber, he wrung his hands and chewed his lip until it bled. He flinched every time she screamed, but resisted the urge to rush in and ensure everything proceeded as it […]

Sweat trickled from the hairline of the stable boy as he walked in his father’s wake, his long legs helping him keep up. At ten years of age, Niall Gibbs stood almost as tall as most men—a fact that made his maw lament that she could never keep him fitted in shoes or trousers. Studying […]

The clamor and cloying stench of the London docks faded into obscurity as Edward Norton crossed the threshold of Norton & Rivers Line. The dimly lit interior and cold hearth struck him as being particularly depressing, seizing him with the urge to duck back out into the chilly morning. He could hail a hackney and […]

Benedict Sterling paced the length of the dressing room, hands folded behind his back. His entire body thrummed with nervous tension, making it difficult to stand still. His patience was paper thin, but snatching his watch up and noting the time, he realized there was no reason to rush. He had over an hour before […]

The Honourable Mr. Benedict Sterling glanced about the elegantly appointed drawing room, which he occupied with his guests, his eyes heavy-lidded from drink. ‘Honourable’; the title never ceased to bring a sardonic grin to his lips with the ridiculousness of it. There was nothing ‘honourable’ about him, despite the viscountcy he stood poised to inherit […]

Lucy … my love, open the door, please.” Benedict Sterling leaned against the wood-paneled wall in the corridor and watched his best friend rap on the locked door. On the other side was an anxious bride, one who had fallen into tears over some wedding-related matter. Benedict hadn’t really been paying attention, but whatever was […]