Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

The suffocating weight of opulence surrounded us as we stepped deeper into Ravenscroft Manor. Crystal chandeliers bathed the vast rooms in deceptively warm light, while priceless artwork adorned every wall. Yet beneath this veneer of wealth and sophistication, something rotten lurked—I could sense it in the air, thick with expensive perfume and dark secrets.


"Stay close," Alaric murmured, his hand firmly at the small of my back as we moved through clusters of finely dressed guests.


I scanned the crowd, noting the mix of oblivious socialites laughing too loudly and others whose eyes held a knowing darkness. Some I recognized—Lord and Lady Hampshire, whose fortune came from colonial shipping; the elderly Countess of Westmoreland, notorious for her "eccentric" tastes; and Baron Blackwood, whose hunting expeditions were spoken of in hushed tones.


"Who's the woman in crimson?" I whispered to Alaric, nodding toward a striking blonde observing us from behind her fan.


Chapter 97 - The Soirée of Sinister Secrets