Emmanuel, Duke of Thornton, is handsome, wealthy, and most of all, unmarried. Nicknamed the Duke of Camellias by his admirers, he seems to have the world in his hand, but harbors a secret nobody knows. Blair Millais, on the other hand, has lost it all. His sister passed away and the short stories he publishes hardly earn enough for him to live on. When Emmanuel Waterhouse invites him over to be the writer of his very own biography with a superfluous salary, it seems too good to be true. Yet soon Blair realizes how society looks upon gay men in Victorian England, and a betrayal which has made Emmanuel unable to love anymore. So when he learns who exactly the Duke of Camellias is, and the reason behind the sadness in his eyes, can he ignore the impending fate that awaits him? TRIGGER WARNINGS: child abuse, assault, rape

"You're lying." Zavier spoke so low that even he barely heard his words himself. "Huh?" He picked up the volume of his voice this time, "You're lying." "No I'm not." "Okay, so if I was to come this close-" Zavier lifted Isaac's face by his chin and brought his face close to his. "- You would feel nothing." Isaac's nerves began to rise a bit, but maybe it was because of the alcohol that he wasn't terrified, "Yes. Exactly that." He agreed. "Even if our lips-" Zaviers lips brushed his, increasing his heart rate rapidly. It didn't last long, but it was enough to send Isaac's mind into a frenzy. "-brushed like this, you wouldn't feel anything." Isaac couldn't trust his voice, so just nodded, being full aware of the fact his cheeks were most definitely glowing red. "You lie a lot Isaac." Zavier whispered against his lips and leaned closer, making it look like he was about to close the gap. Isaac's eyes closed, expecting a pair of lips to meet his, but he was instead met with a bit of breeze from Zavier leaning backwards. A story where two boys find they have more in common than they'd like to think.