The Hidden Grove, Leighton, England (1762)
Morning came and with it a whole new set of issues that Alain had not been prepared to deal with. He slipped out of his bedroom with his art supplies in tow and headed down to The Hidden Grove, a beautiful area surrounded by trees and various colorful flowers far from the prying eyes of his servants, his parents, and his elder brother. It was the only place in town where he could paint in peace and never have to worry about another disturbing him. He dressed casually for the outing, just a pair of dark trousers, brown riding boots, and a casual long-sleeve white shirt scandalously worn without a coat due to his not wishing to stain any via the paints he intended to use.
It appeared that fortune had smiled upon the artistic lad as he found clear skies and a bright warm sun awaiting his journey to the grove. The scent of fresh flowers and green grass filled his nostrils and he took in the easy crisp morning air. After the day he had prior this was indeed a welcome change of pace. Inspired as always by the view, Alain reached the grove and set up his canvas and paints with relative ease. Ever the ambitious sort, he never once considered getting a bite to eat beforehand as his mind had already drifted toward the endless possibilities he'd have at his disposal for what to bring to life in portrait form.
Although he was born during winter, he had always enjoyed the onset of spring and the vivid colors that surrounded him not only when he visited his mother's flower garden but when he ventured toward the hidden grove, his favorite hideaway since he stumbled upon it after trying to avoid his studies after a particularly grueling session as a younger lad.
Not many people had been privy to its knowledge he'd found as he often feared discovery a time or two when his work had taken up more time than he intended. This morning had been no different, as he'd been alone and once more at peace. Moving quickly due to burning daylight, Alain set to work getting his materials together and picked a very interesting location near the grove with a bed of flowers ranging in multiple colors. He thought the location was perfect as he rolled up his sleeves and stood before his easel and blank white canvas.
He had an image in his mind of distant waterfalls and pleasant surroundings as his brush was dipped in the desired paints and he set to work. Before he knew it, he'd been at it for nearly an hour before the dark eyes of a young woman two years older than him took in the sight of him and his work and carefully made her way into the grove's hidden shade.
She was a lovely young woman all things considered, with hypnotic dark brown eyes and fair skin free of scars, marks, and blemishes. She was dressed rather modestly, possibly on purpose to evade those whose company she did not wish to keep when necessary. The young woman was of average height and petite in build. She wore jewelry of course but nothing that would bring unwanted attention. Her long dark hair fell past her shoulders as wild and free as she sought the chance to be when she came to this place.
As she continued to approach, she took note of the splashes of blue paint along the crisp white fabric of his long sleeve-ruffled white shirt. Biting back a smile, she sat amid the flowers watching with rapt attention and utter fascination as the busy young man she'd come to know as Alain continued his work oblivious to his newfound guest's attention.
Alain was mesmerized by the waterfall and the cascading blues and whites that came to life on the canvas before him. A part of his was thrilled to be working far from the prying eyes of another lest he is judged upon his unsavory appearance in the midst of letting his talents run on full display.
Once he'd put the finishing touches on the falls, Alain took a moment to step back from his work finding that as time passed he found himself largely in need of water himself and longed to take a drink from the jug he'd brought with him after learning the hard way how to prepare for his morning trips with proper planning.
The hazel brown eyes of the artistic lad caught sight of the silent lass who had been watching him and froze almost immediately. She treated him to a delighted smile and got up from the bed of flowers. This lady, though she'd been a mere two years older than him was nothing at all like those loose women of ill repute his brother had been so fond of yet she seemed to rebel against the proper norms of society as a whole as much as he had when he grew tired of the lies and political talking points.
"I've never seen anything like that," she said pleased as she approached him. "Are you always so focused when it comes to artwork such as this?"
Alain reverted to his etiquette training at this moment, once more in the presence of a lady.
"I beg your pardon, I didn't know anyone else was around," he said as if ashamed of the way he must have appeared to her.
She didn't seem bothered in the least.
"This is a secluded spot, and there are no social protocols here....what do you say we speak plainly?" she insisted.
Alain sighed not in much of a mood to forgo the rules but he had not wanted to offend the beautiful lady before him.
"As you wish," he replied. "What do you ask of me, my lady?"
The pleasant young woman smiled once more finding his manner as amusing as she had refreshing.
"How about your name for a start?" she asked as her brown eyes began to size him up.
She seemed quite impressed with his towering height, he'd been six-one after all and quite thinly built.
"I am Alain Remington," he replied still determined to use good manners despite her wish for a lack of formality.
"Alain, it's a pleasure to meet you." countered the young lady still smiling. "My name is Noreen McCray."
Noreen extended her hand and Alain in true fashion kissed it before she turned her attention to his painting of a waterfall.
"You come here to work often?" she asked with an arched brow.
"I do indeed," replied Alain. "Mostly due to the idle chatter in my household breaking my concentration."
"It's quite beautiful," said Noreen remarking on the painting once again. "I don't know very many craftsmen who could produce something so wondrous."
Alain had been tempted to input that he'd been no craft's man but remained polite nonetheless. He had not wanted to offend the lovely Noreen after all.
He'd been in awe as she approached the canvas still slick with the wetness of his paints and gently ran her index finger along the cool dark liquids. She didn't seem in the least put off by it having stained her finger and seemed all the more fascinated by it.
"How does one come to learn such an artistic trade?" she asked. "And have you ever done a portrait before?"
"I learned at the knee of my mother," replied Alain truthfully. "And as to your second question, yes I have done countless portraits before."
Noreen seemed delighted to hear this. Her dark eyes lit up for a moment with excitement before turning her attention back to Alain.
"I have decided to learn from you," she said meeting his gaze. "And you will be my instructor."
Alain was caught off guard by this turn of events as he had no intention of teaching anyone to paint let alone a beautiful young woman who had seemingly come from out of nowhere.
"Wouldn't you be more comfortable learning from a specialist with their own studio?" he asked unsure if she knew what she was asking of him.
If he had agreed to teach her then they would be spending quite a bit of time together. He had not been well versed in dealing with the opposite sex unless it had been a member of his family. He lacked the well-noted charisma of his elder brother and the desire to linger in the presence of a lady.
Noreen smiled once again noting how nervous he'd become. It was quite clear to her that he wasn't in the least use to female company and it only made him appear even more endearing to her. Still, she wished to learn the wonders of art and he was quite gifted in that regard.
"Nonsense," she replied merely dismissing his hesitation. "You will teach me and we will meet back here for our lessons unless something pertaining to other events conspire to keep us apart."
"I..." stammered Alain unsure how he could get out of this. "As you wish."
Noreen seemed to delight in her little victory and that she had unnerved him. He had not been aware of her many nights of being on the receiving end of unwanted advances and the fact that he'd been caught unawares and had no interest in such things at the moment made him all the more a promising candidate for this endeavor.
"I must be heading back," she announced. "But I shall return tomorrow, will you be here?"
Alain thought for a moment but found himself curious as to not only who this strange young woman was but why she seemed to have taken a liking to him of all people.
"As you wish," replied Alain politely.
Noreen took her leave and Alain continued with his painting unsure of how he'd gotten roped into teaching the strange and rather impulsive young woman how to paint. He suspected that it was an excuse to leave her home every morning and now that she found the grove it was always going to be the first place she went to get away from whatever life she wished to leave behind.
Once more time had gotten away from him, as Alain packed up his things and headed back toward his family estate. He'd been starving this time around and quite nervous about dealing with a member of the opposite sex in terms of spending time alone. The very thought had aggravated his sensibilities but he agreed nonetheless. His curiosity as to how this would all play out getting the better of him.
At the very least, he was merely giving her a crash course on the world pertaining to his artistic point of view no matter how scandalous it seemed to spend time with a lady alone without the consent of their mutual families.
As the now hungry and weary Alain ventured back to his family estate, his elder brother came to mind and the thought came across to ask him how best to deal with women, especially in regard to something so serious as spending time alone with them.
The last he'd seen of Casimir, he slipped out of their mother's party and headed back to the seedy brothel.