Thawed Hearts

Chapter 1

White, frozen blankets of snow cloak the countryside in winter. The trees on the landscape stand out like skeletons, except for the ice hanging from their branches. These icy prisms and dangling crystals are like Heaven's glitter on the frosty world below. In the quiet stillness and thick frigid air, nothing is awake. Everything is asleep, waiting for signs of life to burst forth. Winter has a way of settling erratic fires from deep within.

It's said that we live in the moment. That the past is always gone, and each day is a gift---something new. An instrument for moving into a future we dream of, even in the coldest of times. The soul rests in that sleek, bleak mid-winter cushioned in feathery bluster. For some, the soul stays frozen like a lake or river, perfectly gift-wrapped for spring to open. Inside that icy tundra is a loveliness that's been safely protected, existence waiting to be stirred and inspired.

After a tumultuous winter, spring arrives. And with it, the sun ascends, bestowing its brilliance and vibrant hues on the world as if in a dream. Like everything that's frozen, a significant thawing takes place. Because at the bottom of every frozen heart is a garden waiting to bloom where love is abundant. As music is to the soul, the ice melts and is welcomed by its colorful entourage. For where the flowers bloom, so does hope.

Life for Edward Seymour is cold. Growing up, his world became one of academia and strict instruction. Unlike his younger brothers, Edward had no time for play. Being the heir, it was always books, books, and more lessons than any young man could ever think to acquire. Overall, literature and learning were his best friends.

Edward was, perhaps, a bit naive, especially regarding the affairs of the heart. When the heart calls, the spirit answers. Edward has never been the most emotional of men, even on his best days, far from it. He's always relied on his intellect and sound mind to carry him where his emotions failed. It's logic that helped him to obtain an ascension of rank and nobility in the King's court, much to his favor and prosperity.

Edward recalls each new title awarded: Constable, knight, ambassador, esquire, a gentleman of the privy chamber, Captain and Governor of Jersey, Chancellor of North Wales, and the highest title of record to date--- Viscount Beauchamp of Hache. Those are all well and good, but the thing that stands as a blight to the many merits is the matter of his wife.

He thought that, given time, the relationship with Catherine Fillol could bloom into love. However, that sentiment was put to rest with an untimely affair coupled with a move to the convent. Now all that's left is abhorrence and a remarkable hostility to his father, along with the legitimacy of his sons, called into question. In other words, the woman has left Edward in a terrible position. And his heart is as crippled as it ever was.

Unfortunately, the Viscount is in want of a wife and in need of reclaiming his virtue and standing in society. As heir to the Seymour estate, it is imperative to bequeath his own heirs in the world without any question overshadowing them. Not finances, estate management, nobility duties, or court responsibilities produce as much heartburn as the thought of wooing a woman. The whole thing creates massive head pain.

Edward's younger sister, Dorothy, has taken to nettling him as she sees fit. "To lose love is a horrid thing," she says. One would think that would be enough to say on the matter, but no. Dollie continues, "But to turn away from it, Edward, is unbearable. Will you spend the rest of your life replaying the outcome of that horrid woman in your head? Or will you ever open yourself up to love anyone again? Will you stay so closed off?"

He tries to ignore her words, but in the quiet, they replay over and over again like an annoying owl hooting outside the window. Regrettably, all Edward has is quiet because he's usually holed up in the downstairs Wolf Hall office. The truth is, the young Viscount would not dare to enter a marriage with Catherine again or any woman like her. Knowing what he knows now, it's better to be single and alone than to live with shame and emptiness of the heart.