Blue Morning, Vol. 5

Book excerpt: Downton Abbey meets Emma in this tale of tumultuous love between a butler and his young charge. Akihito Kuze inherits the Kuze viscountship when he is a mere ten years old. His butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, becomes his caretaker and tutor. As he matures, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, frustrated by the distance the older man maintains and driven to discover the reasons why. Still reeling from Katsuragi's confession, Akihito attends Marquise Moriyama's evening ball. There he comes face-to-face with his late father's half brother, Naotsugu. Though Katsuragi arranged the meeting with the intention of helping both Akihito and the Kuze family name, Akihito decides against giving the family over to Naotsugu, bringing Akihito to the unsettling realization that he may not fully trust Katsuragi. Meanwhile, Katsuragi meets with Marquise Moriyama and boldly demands recompense for all that he has done.