CONDEMNED TO THE COLONIES

Chapter I: Fractured Friendship

PARIS, 1821

"Don't be bloody ridiculous, old chum. My intention wasn't to put you down. I was simply trying to assist you with your studies." James Metcalf stared out the window of the tiny apartment he shared with Nigel Smythe. Outside, sleet slanted onto deserted cobblestones. Despite the warmth of the room, James shivered. “God, I detest cold and rain.”

Although mid-March, winter hadn’t relinquished its icy grip on Paris. James longed for the sun, for its warmth on his body. He sighed. It seemed he no other option but to await the coming of warmer weather, meanwhile concentrating his energies on his studies. He wondered today as he often did, whether there was more to life than studying medicine.

"Did I ask for your help?" snarled Nigel.

The angry tone drew James from his reverie. Turning, he regarded his roommate.

Nigel stood in the middle of the room, several sheets of paper clenched in his fists. He was furious, his thin face red, and he trembled from head to toe, almost as if he'd developed a fever.

"Ah, but you did, my good man." With his back to the window, James leaned against the window seat, his arms folded across his chest. He caught his reflection in the mirror above the fireplace.

Unlike Nigel, every hair on James’ head was in place, his long sideburns clipped and neat. His white shirt with its high, starched collar was clean and freshly ironed. Tan cravat neatly tied. His yellow-and-white, striped breaches and tan gaiters completed the image of a respectable, wealthy, young man about town. A fire crackled in the hearth and he’d removed his olive green, cutaway coat and tossed it over the back of a chair.

"You wanted my opinion on the paper you'd prepared for Professor Lumiere.” James grinned. “I provided it."

"I wanted your opinion, yes." Nigel raised one fist and shook the crushed pages at his fellow student. His clothes, similar to those worn by James, were crumpled and in disarray, as if he'd slept in them. His dark, unruly hair stuck out from his head at odd angles. Red streaks radiated from his pupils, giving his eyes a demonic look. Dark stubble made him seem more furtive than usual.

Nigel had been out for most of the night, carousing, and had dashed off his treatise in the early hours of the morning. He'd been without sleep for more than twenty-four hours, leaving him distraught and close to exhaustion.

"What I didn't want was a critique, outlining all the errors in my findings," concluded Nigel.

James smiled, fresh from a good night's sleep and a change of clothes. He and Nigel often engaged in heated debates on a wide range of topics. The trouble with Nigel was he left everything until the last minute, always rushing his written assignments. When his tutors made comments reflecting on the shoddiness of his work, Nigel always blamed someone or something else for his slipshod efforts. James offered assistance whenever Nigel requested, but more and more often his roommate of two years had taken offence.

"I only pointed out what the professor will undoubtedly find wrong with the piece when you submit it tomorrow." Again James regarded his image in the mirror. "If you work on it this evening, you can hand in a much-improved dissertation, something you can be proud of. You can't possibly hope to become a doctor if you don't pay attention to details."

"Damn you, James!" Nigel tossed the pages onto the floor. "You know very well I have a dinner appointment with a lady friend this evening."

James' smile grew bigger. "Ah, yes, the lovely Yvette. Perhaps I could have dinner with her while you work on your submission."

"I saw her first!" Nigel balled his fists. His eyes bulged from their sockets. He glared at James from beneath heavy, beetling brows.

Although the two young men had known each other for many years, the subject of girls was one over which debates often grew heated. The fairer sex seemed more attracted to James than Nigel, the latter more often than not finding himself entertaining those whom James had passed over. What infuriated Nigel most were those who agreed to go out with him in order to get close to James.