The 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 the 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 endure her company in private for very long.
"Such a charming fellow." she said amused. "It must be driving you up a wall to be in such a situation given your obvious upbringing of manner and protocol."
Alain said not a word despite the redness that filed across his face. This seemed to further amuse Noreen as she made it a point to make him uncomfortable.
"You said you wished to learn how to paint." he said attempting to change the subject. "I shall like to get started if that is alright with you."
Alain set up the canvas and easel as Noreen watched intent on becoming an artist in her own right or at the very least she could enjoy the private lessons. Her eyes seemed fixated upon the handsome young lad as he tried his best to remain as professional as one could get in their proximity.
Despite her amusement, Noreen had been quite impressed with Alain's abilities and when she watched him paint it was as if he'd been in another world so far from their surroundings and quite comfortable with himself and the showcasing of his talent.
His rather strange sensibilities long forgotten, Alain seemed to be more in the trows of a trance as he set to work bringing life to the image he chose to convey upon the formerly empty canvas.
Noreen continued to watch him in awe of his skill and feeling every bit as insecure in her own despite her previous bravado. As she watched him, she became aware of her subtle fascination with the hard at work artist and seemed intent on relishing it.
Alain found himself unable to keep his eyes from wandering away from the canvas and back toward the lovely lass beside him. She was a work of art in living form as far as he was concerned and perfect in every aspect.
He took note of her charms finding them less repulsive than he initially imagined with the shock of her having turned them on him faded in the wake of a long torturous slumber. The more he thought about it the more he came to the conclusion that she wasn't as terrible as he initially believed.
"So.." she said coolly, "Has the lesson begun?"
Alain turned his attention back to Noreen, a sly smile seemed to form across her face as she approached him. He set up her canvas and presented her with a brush and paints of her own.
"With your permission, my lady." he said smoothly.
Slowly, he took her hand in his, she seemed intrigued and a bit confused by this manner of contact, but went along with it none the less.
He placed a thin handled brush within her grasping fingers and directed her hand movements with his own.
Noreen observed Alain even as he proceeded to step behind her, the gap between their bodies never filled, but only a mere hair's breath away from one another.
The implications if they were caught together would leave a passerby no doubt In which to impart judgement upon their gathering
Alain seemed quite focused on the canvas despite the all too difficult to ignore distraction of being in such close proximity to Noreen. She noted the way his hazel eyes shifted in color as a reflection of his excitement and the absolute possibility of a lingering promise.
Noreen found Alain had begun moving her hand along with the brush she held so tightly. He made something of an undignified snort startling her some before dipping the brush hairs into the already opened blue paint that sat beside them.
"The art of painting is...quite difficult to put into intellectual points, it is more like an instinct or a feeling one must experience for themselves." remarked Alain still with his attention on the canvas. "My own understanding of the arts was by way of being thrust into it head first...I was a boy when I stumbled into my mother's art studio accidentally vandalized her clear canvas with childish flair...she managed to incorporate some structure over the years and I've been painting ever since."
Noreen noted how as Alain spoke his hand moved her hand across the canvas in swift yet well scouted strokes. Before her very eyes the empty canvas began to fill and before she knew it, there was a blue monochrome painting of what appeared to be a woman in her line of sight.
"It's positively marvelous!" she exclaimed in awe of the young man's obvious talent.
Alain seemed more focused than interested in conversation. This was the first time he had even remotely painted anything that resembled a human being, despite their impressive number and renown, his past works were of landscapes and waterfalls. He deduced that his definition of beauty was altered for the time being and he painted a variation of Noreen in blue paint on instinct.
Alain noted her delight and his cheeks turned red. For he had not meant to be so bold only to help her understand the nature of artistic instinct vs any random commodity trying their hand. There was a reason after all that a true artists work was highly sought.
"I didn't mean..." Alain attempted to explain. "I've never done a protait of a woman before that is to say I wasn't intending to do one this time round I...simply couldn't help myself."
Noreen didn't seem to take any offense, infact she had been quite delighted. Alain had not finished the painting but she could tell it had potential, a good deal of it infact.
"Well." said Noreen looking it over. "I may not be artist material after all."
Alain had not known what to say to that and there was a sudden panic that filled him that he would never again see the strange young woman whose company he'd started to look forward to keeping.
Noreen it seemed senses his distress and smiled before meeting his gaze.
"While I wouldn't make a very good artist, I'd say I have a natural talent in being a model for one... wouldn't you agree?"
Alain nodded too shocked to utter any words at the present moment as a sense of relief flooded him like never before.
"I suppose we could continue with the sessions of sorts." he said attempting to sound casual.
"Interested in seeing me again are you?" asked Noreen in an inquisitive tone.
Alain thought for a moment and answered honestly, he wasn't opposed to meeting with her again and the strange notion of panic he felt when she came to the conclusion that she didn't wish to paint of her own accord any longer was not lost on him.
"I am." he replied.
She seemed delighted to hear this and turned her attention back to the not quite finished painting. It had been a true work of art and accidental of course, she wondered what the two of them could accomplish if they had meant to do it on purpose.
As the day began to wind down, Alain and Noreen once more parted ways. He gave her the painting of herself as a gift and ventured back to his family estate after collecting his materials as he had the day before. This new found association seemed to hold a good deal of promise and his apparent attraction to the curious lass only began to intensify.