Edward Ashford x Roshni Thakur
#1st book of the forbidden series.
A marriage of convenience, A deal , A game, well that's what it was until it wasn't.
In the heart of colonial India, Edward Ashford, a British officer overseeing the railway expansio...
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The day had passed in a blur, the weight of my secret pressing down on me with every step I took. The market had been busy, filled with the usual noise and chaos, but my thoughts had never strayed far from the bundle of letters hidden beneath my dupatta. Delivering them had been a small victory, but it came with a cost. The shadows of my life were closing in, and there was no place left for escape.
It wasn’t until I returned to the haveli that I understood why.
Edward was waiting for me again, this time in the courtyard. The fading sunlight cast long shadows across the stone, softening the sharp lines of his features but doing nothing to dull the intensity of his gaze.
“Temple again?” he asked, his voice carrying the faintest hint of amusement.
I hesitated, the lie forming instinctively, but his eyes held me in place. Something about the way he looked at me—calm yet unyielding—made my pulse quicken.
I simply nodded, unable to trust my voice.
For a moment, he said nothing, just studied me with that maddening mix of curiosity and restraint. Then, to my surprise, he let it go.
“Must be quite the temple,” he murmured, stepping closer.
The words were innocuous, but the way he said them—soft, almost teasing—made the air between us feel charged. My heart thudded in my chest as he stopped just a breath away, his presence overwhelming in the fading light.
“You look tired,” he said, his tone shifting, the teasing edge replaced by something quieter, more serious.
I looked away, focusing on the ground to avoid the intensity of his gaze. “It’s nothing.”
“Is it?” he asked, his voice low.
I glanced up then, startled by the nearness of him. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something that made my breath catch.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The world around us seemed to fade, leaving only the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears and the faint scent of leather and sandalwood that clung to him.
His gaze dropped, lingering on the curve of my cheek before returning to my eyes. My stomach twisted, not with fear, but with something far more dangerous.
“You’re lying to yourself,” he said finally, his voice a whisper that seemed to echo in the stillness.
“About what?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
He didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze lingered for just a moment longer before he stepped back, the distance between us suddenly feeling colder than it should have been.
“Goodnight, Roshni,” he said quietly, turning and walking away.
I stood there long after he disappeared, the warmth of his presence still clinging to the space he had left behind. My mind raced, caught between the weight of my secrets and the pull of something I couldn’t quite name.
