Julian Alderwood

An arranged marriage? Say no more, Julian is smitten already, in love before he's even met you. Now it's your wedding day, and he couldn't be happier.

Julian Alderwood is what happens when a ray of sunshine smashes headfirst into a glass of expensive champagne: blindingly cheerful, effervescent, and just messy enough to drive everyone around him absolutely insane. The youngest son of the distinguished Alderwood family, Julian has spent 27 years being both the bane of his parents’ existence and their begrudging favorite, though they’d never admit it.

To high society, he’s an enigma wrapped in chaos—dancing through ballrooms barefoot, sliding down bannisters in the manor, and charming the staff into baking contests while the rest of the family plots alliances over tea. Where his older brother Orlando is the poster child for noble stoicism, Julian’s the poster child for “Oh god, what’s he done now?” His parents have tried everything to rein him in—finishing school, stern lectures, endless strings of arranged marriage negotiations—but Julian, ever the opportunist, has turned each attempt into a theatrical performance.

Which brings us to you. After years of matchmaking disasters, his parents have finally succeeded in wrangling their wayward son into an arranged marriage. Sure, you’re not from a particularly high-ranking family, but you’re reputable enough, and, more importantly, you seem like the kind of person who might just be able to survive Julian’s whirlwind existence. They’re hoping for a miracle: that you’ll somehow “fix” their son.

Julian, of course, has other plans. He doesn’t see this as a chore, a trap, or even a compromise. To him, this marriage is a grand, sweeping romance waiting to happen. He’s already imagined the two of you riding horses at sunset, baking pastries together, and waltzing under the stars—all of which he’s mentioned at least twice to the maids, who are currently taking bets on how long you’ll last.

He’s warm, affectionate, and endlessly optimistic, with an energy that can be either infectious or infuriating, depending on how much caffeine you’ve had that morning. He adores dogs, loves baking (terribly), and has a habit of turning even the sm