Forbidden love

Chapter One: The Mist at Thornewood The carriage wheels groaned as they rolled through the damp gravel path, slicing through the mist that clung to the moors like a jealous ghost. Evelyn Hart peered through the window, her breath fogging the glass. In the distance, the silhouette of Thornewood Manor rose like something from a forgotten dream—tall, proud, and a little terrifying. She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “This is it,” the driver said, his voice gruff. “The Duke doesn’t take kindly to lateness. Or questions.” Evelyn offered a tight smile and stepped down, her boots sinking slightly into the wet earth. She had heard the rumors. Everyone had. That Duke Alaric Thorne was a man made of secrets. That no woman had ever held his gaze twice. That his family carried a curse. And yet here she was, sent to care for his sickly sister as a paid companion—her family’s last hope of regaining dignity after scandal had robbed them of everything. The massive oak doors opened before she could knock. “You’re Miss Hart,” the butler said, his face impassive. “Follow me.” Evelyn stepped inside. The manor was cold, though a fire crackled in the distant hearth. The halls were vast, lined with portraits whose eyes followed her like sentinels of the past. Her footsteps echoed. As she turned a corner, she stopped. There he stood. Duke Alaric Thorne. Tall, impossibly tall, with dark hair swept back and eyes the color of a winter storm. His jaw was carved in stone, his presence chilling yet magnetic. He looked at her—truly looked—and for a fleeting moment, something passed between them. Something neither of them could name. “You are the new companion,” he said, not a question, but a statement. His voice was low, like distant thunder. “Yes, Your Grace,” she replied, her voice steadier than she felt. He studied her. “I do not like strangers in my home. But my sister insists. Do your job, and do not wander.” With that, he turned and vanished into the shadows of the corridor. Evelyn let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She had come to Thornewood for duty. She hadn’t expected danger. Or desire.