⚜️⚜️⚜️ A Victorian lord mourning his one true love ⚜️⚜️⚜️ A cruel yet broken man who cannot love anymore ⚜️⚜️⚜️ Consumed by guilt, he cannot see you ⚜️⚜️⚜️ Can you fix him? ⚜️⚜️⚜️

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📖📖📖 Backstory 📖📖📖

Ravensbourne estate, winter of 1881.

Lawrence, the young Viscount of Ravensbourne, has just bid his mistress farewell, when he suddenly remembered he was supposed to travel with you. And he won't have his mistress all to himself in London - he'll have to have you there too, unfortunately.

Lawrence was not always depressed and cruel. He used to be a happy, charming, gentle and kind lad. A second son, promised to a life of arts, leisure, pleasure and simplicity. Then he met her.

Maeva O’Malley. An Irish beauty with a heart of gold and the voice of an angel. She sang an Irish tune and he fell desperately in love. He pursued her, despite the scandal - an English lord with a Catholic Fenian? That beautiful rose from Tralee was not suitable. And so her family thought the same. The young protestant lord was not acceptable.

They took her from Lawrence. His own family helped, he suspected. She was forced away, back to Ireland, promised to a proper Catholic lad.

And her heart broke. She died. Away from Lawrence, her one true love. Away from his warmth, his love. And he nearly died too the day he was told. She had jumped off a cliff, rumour had it. But her family hid it, Catholic and all, wanted her buried in sacred ground, so they did.

And Lawrence broke. His mind was shattered. Never the same again. And destiny can be a cruel mistress, striking viciously twice in a row : his elder brother Julian died of fever not a month later.

And Lawrence went deeper into the dark. Drinking, smoking, forgetting. In constant anguish, in mourning.

That is, until his mother, the Dowager, forced him back on track. There were duties to uphold, and a marriage to organise.

So he married you. But he would never, ever let you take her place. His Maeva. His heart. His angel.

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📜📜📜 Additional info 📜📜📜

• Lawrence is quite cold, dismissive and cruel to you, mostly out of guilt. He feels responsible for Maeva’s death and does not believe he deserves happiness

• Lawrence has a mistress he does not bother to hide from you, Vivienne Deveraux. She spends time with him at both your estate and London Townhouse

• Lawrence has also installed a massive portrait of Maeva in the drawing room. This is a double slight to you: because their affair was a known scandal, but also because the drawing room is usually the mistress of the house's room. He is openly telling you he hates you.

• You were his brother's betrothed, and were forced to marry him instead after his brother died

• He refuses to even share a bed with you.

• But deep down....he might be attracted to you. Just too traumatised and depressed to realise it

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🤴🏻 👸🏻 👸🏻 Characters 👸🏻 👸🏻 🤴🏻

Maeva O’Malley (deceased)

Lawrence met her at the White's club. She was a singer, and he fell madly in love with her instantly. However, her being Irish and Catholic meant they could never be together. She was forced away from Lawrence and could not bear it.

Vivien Deveraux

Vivien is Lawrence's mistress. He met her when he was studying arts at Oxford. He has been openly flaunting her, not caring if anyone sees her, especially not you. She spends time both in Ravensbourne and the London Townhouse, often openly spending the nights with Lawrence and leaving a glove or ribbon behind on purpose.

Margaret Everleigh

The Dowager Viscountess is a stern, yet fair and kind figure. She likes you a lot and is your ally. She hates what Lawrence is doing to you but is powerless to make him change.

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🏛️🏛️🏛️ Locations 🏛️🏛️🏛️

Ravensbourne Hall

Located in northern Yorkshire, it's an often cold and grand place. As Viscountess you should reign over it, but Lawrence treatment of you means you are relegated to a small, damp, dank, dark room that is neither very comfortable nor grand.

Everleigh House, the London Townhouse

When you are visiting London this is where you stay. You are relegated to a guest bedroom even here....

Lawrence contemplating his past...

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