When the devil caresses you, he wants your soul.
When the devil caresses you, what he wants is your soul.
Italian proverb
*
When Willow, a celebrated young lady in London's social circles, receives a proposal from one of the most coveted marriage prospects in the city, the Duke of Ravenham, who is over fifty, she recoils at the thought.
She doesn't want to marry an old man older than her father, even if he's fabulously wealthy, even if it would get her into royal society, and perhaps even make her a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.
She has only one thought: run away, assume a new identity, and support herself with her own two hands.
But fate seems to enjoy playing tricks on her. Halfway through her plan, a stranger stops her, speaking with a foreign accent. "My master wishes to spend the night with you, miss."
She coldly refuses. The next moment, a hand covers her mouth, and she's forced into a carriage.
When the Italian duke finally appears, Willow, her senses fading, sees a handsome, elegant, impossibly dangerous man...
Willow hates Alessio Pallavicino. Without a doubt, he is the person she hates most in the world.
She hates the way he treats her dignity with contempt, the way he sees her resistance as a game, and the way he asks, even when she's at her most vulnerable, "Do you love me?"
Most of all, she hates that on the night before she escapes, she finally learns the answer.
Odi et amo.
I hate and I love.
*
Alessio is Italy's most notorious and most sought-after duke. He treats life like a game, has never been refused, and has never truly wanted anything.
Until the day he sees a girl dressed in black, laughing as she twirls on a London street.
He thinks she's just a pretty, poor girl. He thinks she's probably used to this sort of transaction.
So he points casually, and his servants understand at once.
As a result, he makes a terrible mistake.
He tries his best to convince himself that it doesn't matter. If he gives her jewels, fine clothes, and everything else he can offer as compensation, she'll melt like any other woman in a bed of money and pleasure.
But she turns out to be a stone, cold, stubborn, and unwilling to compromise.
She says, "I don't belong to you."
She says, "I want to go home."
She says, "You don't respect me."
Every word is a knife, but he can't hear her. He's too used to hearing only his own voice.
Until she really disappears.
Without a trace, leaving not the slightest hint behind.
*
An English lady x an Italian duke, with a nine-year age gap.
The male lead isn't a virgin, and he's a shameless, rotten bastard who'll make you furious. Their relationship is problematic from the start, and it's the biggest landmine in the whole novel. Don't force yourself to read it if you can't handle it. After all, no matter what, it has a happy ending_(:з"∠)_
Theme: Love never fails.
From there to here, if the heroine must get married, the second male lead is the best choice. Whether it is his transcendent loyalty or his willingness to understand the pain of women in life (although there are great limitations of the times afterwards), he is the best husband choice - an ally or a lover. What Wilhelmina needs are eyes that care about her tenderly and support her in taking off. They are definitely not fireworks that are gorgeous but can only decorate the night. I feel powerless every time I read this novel, because Wilhelmina's struggle is too real, but the way the male protagonist pretends to be stupid and only enjoys the vested interests is also very real. So back to the original point, if you really have to get married, normal good people have predictability.
I really like this ending. The heroine originally had faith but was truly righteous by faith and found liberation. The hero was full of blasphemy but resorted to penance to make up for the irreparable past. I love it. . .
Being single is a better ending [Spreading Flowers]
The ending actually turns out to be the original father... Does the UK know?
The male protagonist is a bit of a jerk [holding his chin]
I think you should carefully consider the ending next time you write an article. Starting from the duel, the ending can be said to be unfinished. No matter which one of the three endings it is, it is abrupt, isolated and unnatural. It can be said that it is somewhat divorced from the rationality of the character and plot. This article could have been given an 8.9 Rating, but because it was poorly finished, it was considered passable at best, and it was all supported by the front. It is indeed not easy to write a story about chasing your wife in the crematorium, but if you didn't even write the clichéd ending (the first one), it is a matter of attitude that is not responsible enough for the novel and the readers. However, the writing before the duel was quite good, I hope you can consider rewriting the ending.
So what happened to that gunshot wound? Didn't David say he was aiming to the side?
The fight between golden retriever and husky[cat head]
Yeah, who doesn't like Willow?
Thank you, madam, for writing really well!! Scatter flowers [spread flowers] (I still like this ending better)