1. Love at First Sight

James POV

When we arrived at Ombersley, this little village in Center England, Henry and I did not know what to expect. We had been sent there officially to expand Lord Montgomery’s, Henry’s father, area of trade.

But I knew that the unofficial reason was that the Montgomery heir had become a little too wild and uncontrollable for their taste… Henry’s taste for women and shady parties had cast a big shadow on their name, so lord Montgomery took the decision to send the young man away for a while.

And of course, being lord Montgomery’s ward since my younger years, I, James Ashbrook, was given the task to accompany my childhood friend. Implying, in a subtle manner, that I would be the one keeping an eye on Henry at all times, and keeping him on the right path.

⌜

The two of us had not even finished unpacking our luggage that Henry took me to a local ball. He said he wanted to get acquainted with the locals, but I knew that it meant “meet new girls”.

It was a nice mid-spring evening, lit with the most glowing full moon I had ever seen. I looked up at it as we climbed up the stairs of the dancing hall, and thought it was quite the romantic view.

“You can admire the moon when we go back home, James…” Henry mocked.

He was already at the top of the last volley of stairs, staring down at me with a smirk. I sighed.

“You don’t have to wait for me, you know… Feel free to frolic away, I will not stop you.”

“Oh, how gracious of you, father!” Henry laughed. “But I want us to enjoy this party together, so keep up will you!”

We entered in the hallway side by side. There was a immense crowd gathered there, and every single pair of eyes turned in unison to look at our duo. Whispers and rumors started to echo on the walls, and I was already submerged by the need to escape…

Henry straightened himself and said:

“Come on, James, let’s do this! It won’t take too long.”

I glanced at him and shook my head.

“Liar…”

But nevertheless, I walked forward along with my friend and smiled at the folks who spoke to me. I hated those fake and shallow discussions, but knew that they were necessary for our future business endeavors.

A few minutes after we arrived, Henry and I finally got in the dancing parlor. A faint background music immediately hit my ears, and I was feeling a little better now. Music had always had an appeasing power on me, and I was very grateful for it at this very moment.

We were caught every meter or so by interested families, who insisted on introducing their maiden daughters. And I could not help but grin at Henry’s tense expression at every stop.

‘Not so cheerful now, are we?’ I scoffed internally.

We resumed our progress amidst the crowd when the first notes of a quadrille erupted from the far left corner. My eyes drifted to the musicians reflexively; I watched them tune their instruments and smiled at their visible camaraderie. Then, at the corner of my eye, an elegant silhouette caught my attention.

There was a young woman sitting on a sofa. She, unlike everyone else in the room, seemed totally uninterested in me or Henry. In fact, she scowled in our direction and crossed her arms over her chest, with a scornful expression. Such earnest rejection would be frowned upon by most people, but I, on the contrary, found it fascinating. I could not take my eyes off her.

“…ames.” A distant voice called as was I was dreamily gazing at the lovely chesnut-haired girl. “James!”

I jumped, startled by Henry’s voice shouting my name. I blinked a few times.

“Yes? Oh, sorry… What were you saying?”

“Not a dancer, are you?” A young woman asked with sympathetic eyes.

Her name was Jane Whitman. She was a beautiful, golden-haired demoiselle, with an angelic smile. Typically the type of women Henry fancied…

“Ah, no, I must admit I hate it…” I nodded, scratching the back of his head.

“My sister is the same…” Jane said, shaking her head. “You see that maiden over there? She absolutely detests dancing!”

She pointed towards the girl sitting on the sofa. My eyes got wide in surprise at such a coincidence.

“I bet she would love to discuss her hatred for this ‘horrendous’ activity with you!” Jane said with a discreet wink.

I smiled shyly at the not-so-subtle invitation, and started walking towards her sister.

What followed was a lovely conversation with Lizbeth Whitman, who happened to be even more fascinating than I initially thought. And when the moment to leave the party came upon us, I sent the young woman off with a throbbing heart.

My eyes lifted to the sky, where the full moon was shining more than ever.

‘Definitely the most romantic night…’ I sighed, already missing the lovely Lizbeth.

I walked to my carriage, where Henry was waiting for me. I already knew what he was thinking with the annoying smirk on his face. I frowned at him and got in the vehicle without a word.

The trip back to our house was excruciatingly long… I felt Henry’s intense stare on me the whole time, and I tried my best to ignore him, keeping my eyes on the dark scenery that was quickly passing by. I could see my friend chuckle at the corner of my eye.

“So…” Henry initiated. “Did James the romantic finally meet his princess?”

I gritted my teeth; I knew he could not keep his mouth shut.

“I would answer that question if it was any of your business…”

“Oooh, finally talking back, are we!” my friend exclaimed, clapping his hands.

He regained his composure and continued:

“As a matter of fact, it is actually a little of my business! As we might become brothers-in-law very soon!”

My eyes drifted to Henry and I frowned. “Don’t tell me…”

He nodded, “I would very much like to deepen my relationship with miss Jane Whitman, if you know what I mean! So…”

Henry bent over towards me; his face was now a few inches from mine. I could feel our knees bump into each other and his warm breath graze over my face. He raised his hands and placed them on either side of my neck. His thumbs brushed the lobe of my ears, which he knew was one of my weak spots. My eyes fluttered at the touch. It had been such long time since he had touched me so intimately…

I glared at him without a word, making him grin wider.

“Let’s help and support each other, alright?” Henry whispered in my ear. “Like we have always done…”

His deep grey eyes bore into mine, and his expression grew more serious. He brush my lower lip with his thumb and closed the distance between us even more. My eyes went wide and I pushed him off instinctively. I backed away on my seat, frowning and blushing.

“What are you doing?!” I yelled.

Henry seemed unfazed; he still had this irritating grin that had the power to irk me.

“Sorry… I was suddenly reminded of the good old days and got taken in the moment!”

Goosebumps traveled my skin. I was well aware of what Henry was talking about, and that took me off guard. I averted my eyes, unable to hide my disarray.

“Anyways, like I was saying, we should try our best with the Whitman girls!” Henry said, full of confidence.

I simply nodded.

“I am not worried though; I know very well how charming you can be!” my friend continued, his eyes set on me. “I am certain the young Lizbeth will be yours in no time!”

The mention of Lizbeth made me blush and calmed me a little. Her lovely features came back to my mind and the memory of her cream white skin made mine crawl. It was the first time in a long time since I felt actual desire for someone.

A long time since… I glanced at Henry, who was still watching me with those stormy eyes. I frowned and gripped the hem of my coat. I was more than relieved when the carriage finally arrived at Henry’s mansion. It had not yet completely stopped when I jumped out of it and rushed inside the house. I could hear Henry’s cackles behind me.

I slammed the door of my room behind me and leaned against it. I rubbed my face with my hands, and a grunt escaped my lips.

“I had finally managed to forget all that…I hate you, Henry!” I mumbled. ⌟

I admit now that it should have been a wake up call. But I kept denying the obvious, which would come back at me like a hammer later on….