The room was still, save for the hum of summer wasps outside the glass. Ezra walked slowly to the large wardrobe, where the simplest black challis dress lay draped. It was a recent addition, necessitated by her mother's death six months prior—the very reason she was now burdened by this relentless, rigid schedule.
She pulled the dress on, its sombre fabric a physical manifestation of her duty. As she fumbled with the tiny row of jet buttons, the true weight of her morning summons settled upon her: the Duke of Atherton.
The Duke. Handsome, vastly wealthy, and nearly twice her age, he had proposed the week before, and her father had accepted on the spot.
Ezra looked at her reflection—the black fabric making her look paler, younger, and utterly trapped. She was the eldest, twenty years old, and according to the unwritten laws of their society, she was a bottleneck.
The rule was absolute. Her younger sister, Clara, was already eighteen and, unforgivably, engaged to a Baronet—a superior match in terms of personal affection, perhaps, but impossible to formalise. For Clara to walk down the aisle before Ezra would be a monumental social gaffe, suggesting a flaw in Ezra's character or attractiveness, and worse, delivering a slight to her father's pride.
She tightened the belt around her narrow waist. She was not just marrying a man; she was clearing the pathway. She was sacrificing her own desire for space, for imagination, and for any genuine affection, all so that Clara's happiness could be purchased by her own respectable, if loveless, union with a Duke.
With a final, settling breath, Ezra smoothed the folds of the black skirt. The mourning crepe and the necessity of her sacrifice were two sides of the same coin. She was ready to face her father and, ultimately, her fate.
She thought of the forbidden name, the name that had resonated with an electric current when her father had spoken it yesterday: Lord Valerian Selwyn. The Prime Nexus. The Abomination. A figure of power so vast, the King himself—the highest human authority in Atheria—sought protection from him. And Valerian, for reasons Ezra could not begin to fathom, was interested in her.
Ezra took her place at the mahogany table, feeling the double weight of the dark room and her impending marriage. She knew the conversation, and its purpose was not breakfast, but absolute obedience.
"You have taken your time, Ezra," Mr. Finch stated, his voice clipped and dry. "The Duke of Atherton's offer is accepted. It elevates this family, secures Clara's match, and—most importantly—it shields us." He folded his newspaper, his eyes fixed on her. "The Duke arrives this afternoon. You will receive him with grace and enthusiasm."
Ezra held his gaze, determined to stand firm for the life she felt slipping away. "Father, I do not understand why this match is so urgent. We are comfortable. Why is the highest rank necessary only for protection?"
Mr. Finch leaned forward, his face pale beneath his severe gaze. "Because his title, while grand, is merely protection against something far more dangerous than simple debt. We are walking a precipice, Ezra. The Duke is a barrier we must raise."
Ezra frowned, confusion replacing defiance. "A barrier against whom? Against what? There are other, respectable men who hold lesser titles—men who might offer true guardianship."
"Silence!" Mr. Finch slammed his hand flat onto the table, making the silverware jump. His eyes were wide, betraying genuine terror. "Do not speak of such folly in this house! There is only one kind of protection, and it is the Duke's respectable name. The time for your childish daydreams and fanciful notions must cease now. You must not mention the name lord valerian in this house
Ezra stiffened. The name was familiar, and it resonated with a cold, almost electric current in the stifling air. "You speak of him as if he were… the Devil himself."
"Worse," Mr. Finch whispered, his eyes frantically darting towards the door. "He is the one the King himself fears to name. He is the prime nexus. And he is interested in you. That is why you marry the Duke today."