The iron gates of Blackthorn Manor ground open with a heavy, metallic groan that resonated through the damp afternoon mist.
Nestled deep within the jagged cliffs overlooking the northern sea, the estate of Duke Alexander Vance looked less like a noble residence and more like an impenetrable military citadel. High, dark-granite walls towered into the grey sky, crowned with heavy battlements and iron lanterns that flickered against the rising wind. Stripped of the delicate gilded statues, marble fountains, and floral arches that defined the capital’s wealthy estates, Blackthorn Manor loomed as a solitary, forbidding fortress carved from pure stone.
Inside the trailing Vane carriage, Evelyn peered out the frosted glass window, her posture composed despite the eerie atmosphere.
In her previ
