Chapter 5: The Pitfalls Of Being Sensible Alain's Chambers, The Duchene Estate, Leighton, England (1762) Nightfall saw to Alain lying in bed alone with his thoughts once more turned to the strange lass Noreen McCray. Her striking beauty clouded his judgment and made him yearn for things he had long since buried when it came to his youthful nature. Try as he might, Alain was unable to suppress his seemingly well-hidden desires for long. It had taken him years to carve out a reputation for himself that had not been overshadowed by his wayward elder brother. The stories and gossip about Casimir's love life or lack thereof a time or two were enough to warrant Alain from having similar stories about him. Sadly this produced rumors and conjecture far worse than his brother's well-noted wandering eyes. He'd been quite reclusive, never spending time with those of his age for fear of their influence possibly corrupting his ideals. Casimir had often warned him of his lonely lifestyle
Chapter 6: The Mysterious Allure Of The Fairer SexThe Old Grove, Hidden Area, Leighton, England (1762) Begrudgingly, Alain Remington made his way back to his favorite hiding place, The Old Grove and as per usual he brought his materials in a bid to finish his painting in relative peace before having to endure more aspects of court intrigue and many gossiping hens at his mother's next party of sorts. He had not expected to see the mysterious Noreen McCray a second time despite her promise to return for lessons and the like and no sooner had he set up, the lass had come from out of the flower bed a sly grin spread across her unforgettably beautiful face as she approached him."And here I was thinking I had frightened you off," she said pleased to see him return. "I did have some concerns that I might have been a bit too forward with you, but you seem to have come out of it alright.""Good day to you, Miss," replied Alain despite his less than enthusiastic demeanor about having to e
Chapter 7: The Smitten KindThe Duchene Estate, Leighton, England (1762) Another fine round of fair weather saw yet another day of Alain Remington awakening with the notion to venture to the old grove in a bid to not only see to completing his various projects but to once more find himself in the company of the beautiful lass known as Noreen McCray. Try as he might to put her out of his mind, even for a few moments, it never seemed to work out and he found himself envisioning her all over again. Pulling back the covers and attempting to stretch did little to take his mind off his rather pleasant dreams. If he'd been honest with himself he'd have come to the conclusion that his attraction to her seemed to intensify as the days passed and that he found her presence no matter how bizarre, intriguing to say the least.As he moved about his bedchambers, Alain barely said a word as he quickly set to work making himself presentable, his parents were always fussing about his lack of par
Chapter 8: The Pitfalls Of Youthful Impatience The Duchene Estate, Leighton, England (1762) The onset of a storm saw the plans Alain had for venturing to the hidden grove come to a disappointed end as he knew neither he nor Noreen would venture out in such atrocious weather. Despite being home for breakfast this time around, he refused to venture downstairs and mostly worked on putting a few touches on the painting of Noreen he kept hidden from everyone. His relatively obsessive manner alarmed mostly his mother as Casimir set about goading him into having sex with Noreen in a bid to get his childish longing for her out of his system. Annoyed by his brother's callous remarks toward the woman he fancied, Alain avoided him as well by staying in his bedchambers for much of the day. The creaking of the floorboards could be heard as Alain's constant pacing threatened to wear a hole in them. He was completely out of his element concerning his feelings or lack thereof, for the beauti
Chapter 9: The Endurance Of Sustaining Unwelcome Guests The Main Hall, The Duchene Residence, Leighton, England (1762)... True to form, Alain found himself dressed up and awaiting the arrival of his dreaded cousin Cornelius Eyston, a charming and deviously handsome lad with long dark locks often in curls and a swashbuckler's beard, he was said to arrive along with his visiting younger brother Reginald Eyston, who had been just as handsome and given to having a kind heart and a humble demeanor despite his youth, and lucky best friend Reman Jasper, who had been a tall slender young man with mostly unkempt red hair and despairing brown eyes. As far as personalities go, Cornelius was always a trite little monster in Alain's humble opinion, as he terrorized him from the moment they met. From the tender age of five on up, Cornelius had made it his business to insult, tease, and assault young Alain whenever no one was looking. The boy was an absolute terror to the staff when he came ar
Chapter 10: The Measuring Of An Acquaintance The Old Grove, Meeting Place, England (1762) Clear blue skies greeted the newly awakened Alain Remington as he pulled himself out of bed to start his morning routine. He had not stopped thinking about his encounters with the fair lass Noreen McCray. She'd been the only constant pleasant thing his days had seen in a long while even the seemingly ongoing rain did little to put a damper on his mood since his meeting her. His cousins had come into town and made themselves at home, which had been all the more of a reason for him to get out of bed before they started calling the family down to breakfast. Alain wasn't in the least interested in eating nor had he wished to endure his impish cousin's snide remarks and false sense of elegance when he could be elsewhere. It seemed Casimir had gotten the same idea and headed for the brothel before the sun came up. Alain decided to forgo his art supplies with the wetness being left behind from th
Chapter 11: A Precursor To Manhood The Balcony, The Duchene Estate, Leighton, England (1762)... Alain Remington had had enough of Cornelius Eyston for one night and several lifetimes. The diner had been its usual boring onslaught of questions about his personal affairs, whether or not he had a love life, and the constant goading on the part of his impish cousin and well-meaning but often overbearing mother on whether or not he had met someone. His father did his best to interject on his behalf and Reginald proved to be quite the force of nature when steering one clear of unwanted conversation. Thoughts of Noreen had seemed to increase despite his best efforts to suppress them at least when in the presence of his family. Casimir was all laughs when it came to his younger brother's discomfort as he had known it all too well. It wasn't an especially good night for Alain as he stormed out of the dining hall and out toward the balcony finally fed up with attempting to endure dinne
Chapter 12: A Risky Venture Of The Heart The Old Grove, Meeting Place, England (1762) Hazel brown eyes flickered with something akin to desire as Alain Remington found himself drawn ever so closely to his apprentice of sorts. Noreen McCray remained poised in her brushwork feeling the closeness of her body and Alain's, but she uttered not a single word. There was silence between them for quite some time as their labored breaths and her brushwork seemed to all the noise that surrounded them for a time. He had not seen it but there was a flicker of desire behind her own hypnotic dark brown eyes as she found herself subtly leaning into Alain's youthful chest as if desperate for some form of contact with him that had not been limited to his guiding her hand in brush strokes. Painting it seemed was quite an intimate activity and as such it was having a profound effect on them both. Unable to take much more of the intensifying sexually charged energy around them, it was Noreen who had