Unchaining Alice

Chapter 17

James knew exactly what it meant. It had been a gamble. Obviously it hadn’t paid off. Alice didn’t want to see him anymore. Perhaps in time she would again. He wouldn’t give up, but he would give her a little space. Soon his frequent visits would begin to pester her, if they hadn’t already, and she would start to resent him. He’d find another way.

“She cried,” Annie said softly. “It’s not through lack of love that she stays away. She wouldn’t say, but something has happened.”

He knew something had happened, but he couldn’t very well help if she didn’t trust him enough to share. But she had cried. Clearly his words, the words he’d spent so long composing, meant something. French was ridiculously difficult to learn. There were so many grammatical rules that one had to follow. Even then he was sure he’d made mistakes. He’d just happened upon a language book in the library that contained several different chapters on European languages. He’d flipped through the German, Spanish and Italian chapters to come to the French.

“Thank you anyway,” James replied, shrugging his shoulders. He decided to take his leave and go lose himself in a book in the library. He’d been doing that a lot – reading. He actually found that he didn’t mind it. Perhaps the tales distracted him from his own thoughts. He kissed Annie’s cheek and ruffled Amy’s hair, making her giggle. “Thank you, Ames. You made it all better,” he lied to his cute niece.

Come dusk, he’d been immersed in an adventure novel for several hours. He was lounging in an arm chair and with his leg flung over the side when his mother burst into the room.

He dropped the novel on the floor and he lost his place. “Mama, care to knock?”

“Not in my own house, no,” Emilia replied hurriedly. “Now. You have exactly thirteen minutes to throw on some tails. We’re going out and you’re coming with us. I’ve had enough of this.”

James threw an exasperated look at his mother who had already donned her fine evening wear. “I’m not in the –” he started but Emilia interrupted him.

“Mood,” Emilia finished his sentence for him. “I know. You’ve said so repeatedly.”

“So is there a chance you might ever start listen to me?”

Emilia scoffed. “Never. You know that. I’m your mother, not your peer. You do as I say and right now I’m telling you to get dressed and be down stairs in twelve and a half minutes. Now!” She lightly slapped the back of his head before planting a kiss on top of his head. She combed her fingers through his unruly hair. “She won’t be the last girl you ever love.”

“Yes she will,” he replied immediately. He’d realised that a while ago. Probably after he’d gone to see her the first time he realised that he loved her. He loved her with everything that he had and he hadn’t known what it meant before then. To love someone meant that one felt as though they were flying and falling at the same time. Flight described the wonders one felt and the falling described the fear one had. Right now he felt as though he was about to fall straight through the clouds.

Emilia sighed and kissed him again. “Twelve minutes, darling,” she reminded him. “I’ll see you downstairs.” She retreated from the library. He knew if he did not get dressed then she would no doubt drag him to the carriage in whatever state of undress he was in.

He reluctantly climbed out of his armchair and left his book on a table that held a candelabra. James went upstairs to his bedchamber and put on the first tails he could find in his wardrobe. It was a navy suit with an ivory and gold patterned waist coat and a silk ivory cravat to complete the ensemble. He changed his boots to a pair that had been shined and he ran his hands through his hair a few times, combing the thick, brown mess. He really wasn’t in the mood to attend whatever ball or dinner his family had been invited to, but if he was going to fall, it might as well be while he was eating a fine meal.