The Grounds, The DuChene Estate, Leighton, England (1763)...
The arrival of guests and the seemingly endless chatter did little to lighten the mood as Alain Remington stood with a glass of red wine in hand as he peered out the window of his mother's dining hall. He watched with barely any interest as guest after guest made their way into the house while the live music played and the fire crackled in the enormous fireplace in the center of the hall as people from most noble walks of life filed into the manor.
The bitter mood Alain found himself in was courtesy of having his young heart broken in such a short amount of time. He managed to pick himself up off the ground after dusk, his hopes of having a life with Noreen McCray had been dashed considerably as he began to emotionally withdraw from the world around him.
All he could see from the moment he found out about Noreen's engagement was her taking Casimir's cock as readily as she had taken him and it only made him seethe with rage as he gripped the glass he was holding tight enough to shatter it, causing it to break and spill wine all over him.
Coming to his senses, Alain attempted to clean it up, which was witnessed by Geoffrey as he entered the room doing a sweep of the Manor to ensure everything was in its proper place.
Alain's fumbling efforts caused the manservant to feel pity for him as he rushed over to assist him. He after all had been a favorite of his since he entered the service of The DuChene Estate.
"Master Alain, allow me to assist you with this pesky matter," he said getting Alain's attention for the first time since he had ventured into this room.
"Nonsense Geoffrey, you have enough to deal with I can clean up my mess." Insisted Alain.
He finished sweeping up the glass via Geoffrey's miniature broom and dusk pan and handed it back to him.
The manservant was quite observant and took note of Alain's lackluster mood as of late.
"Is something the matter, Sir?" he asked not wishing to pry but unable to help it.
Alain treated Geoffrey with a sad smile and sighed.
"Perhaps I wasn't meant for love, Geoffrey." he said sadly." And there is the matter that I seemed to have run out of wine."
Geoffrey nodded and went off to retrieve more wine for him as Alain turned his attention back to the window. He sighed as he stared out into the vast courtyard. Noreen had been the only woman he ever wanted and now she was to marry Casimir, who was clueless about her having been with him all this time. Unsure of what to do with the information he now had, Alain weighed his options and decided that revealing his former relationship to anyone would only serve to bring humiliation and unwanted scandal to the family.
He sighed once more before turning away from the window and made his way back up the stairs toward his bedchambers. He had not gotten far when Casimir cornered him still attempting to offer a series of apologies for having drugged him and allowed whores to have their way with him. His gray eyes were filled with sadness and he looked to have not had any rest for the past week since the incident occurred.
Alain fared no better in the sleep department, his dreams being little more than nightmares that taunted him as he slumbered in the wake of Noreen ending things with him. He kept to himself mostly held up in his room not even venturing toward the old grove as a means of getting out of the house.
Casimir looked horrid despite it being the day of his engagement party. His long locks mere strands of chaos and his seemingly low frown was a pitiful sight if ever Alain had seen one.
"Al," said Casimir seemingly hopeful that his brother would at least speak to him for his engagement party.
Alain sighed.
He had nothing to say to his older brother who had not been kind and looking upon him seemed to sicken him as of late knowing full well that the woman he loved would be wed to him in the coming days.
Alain attempted to walk away only for Casimir to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Al please," said Casimir in something of a desperate tone. "Can't we just get passed this, you've never been angry with me for this long before and I need you little brother...you're my best man all things considered, and my best friend."
Alain shuddered at the thought of standing as best man to his older brother while the woman he loved became his bride. The horror of it all continued to sicken him as he attempted once more to walk away, but the desperation in Casimir's voice and the hold he had on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.
"You look like death warmed over," replied Alain his expression softening at least slightly. "Aren't you having an engagement party today?"
"To hell with that party," replied Casimir. "I wish to know that I have not ruined things with my only brother."
Alain had never heard Casimir want nothing to do with a party before, he was usually the life of one or in search of one to fill the long dreary days between shags from his many many status-obsessed friends.
"Get ready for your Cas," said Alain with something of a small smile. "I'll give you a hard time about being an arse later."
Casimir seemed to perk up as hope for his brother's forgiveness became a possible avenue.
"I love you," he said placing both hands on Alain's shoulders. "Don't you ever forget it, little brother, I may show it in the worst possible fashion, but there is nothing I wouldn't do for you...you need only but to ask."
Before Alain could object Casimir pulled him into his brotherly embrace and kissed his cheek in the annoying French way his mother had much to Alain's chagrin.
Alain rolled his eyes as Casimir raced up the stairs laughing at his younger brother's discomfort. Once he was gone to ready himself for the party, Alain took a few moments to reflect. Casimir had no idea the woman he was to wed was Noreen nor that they'd been involved.
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The Entrance Hall, The DuChene Estate, Leighton, England (1763)...
The party officially began with Alain having changed for the event, he wore a blue frock coat, with white trousers and long black riding boots and had his hair down for the occasion but neatly combed back so that he could be seen among them as well managed, despite his lack of wanting to be present. He knew his duty was to be there for his family and despite his feelings about what was to take place, he knew that Casimir needed him.
Noreen had been on his mind for much of the night until a few rounds of wine saw to him turning his attention elsewhere. It was a hell of a thing to be used by someone, especially someone attempting to climb their way to the top of the social ladder.
The more he looked back at the relationship of sorts the more he concluded that Noreen McCray, who had been Noreen McCrayson was indeed using him. The McCrayson family was long intertwined in the dealings with The DuCehen family ever since their association began in France.
Alain had been chosen due to her believing that him being a Remington, the son of a soldier and sailor meant he'd been safe to use as a practice run for her true intention. Noreen had feared whom she was wed to and wanted to lose her virtue to whom she deemed worthy as opposed to having it "stolen" from her via a man she most likely would never love.
It took quite a while to find out but Noreen was most definitely only interested in Alain to be with someone who had not know how to play the game that many wealthy noble youths knew all too well.
Alain continued to sip his wine as he chatted casually with the many guests that arrived. Casimir was a vision dressed in a white frock coat, with silver trimmings, his long blond hair pulled back into a neat ponytail and his black riding boots made him appear every bit the groom in the making. The white was quite the contrast with his deep gray eyes as he moved about the room mingling with the guests and carrying around his favorite accessory, a black sleek cane that doubled as a sword with a silver tiger's head at the top for the handle.
Casimir was once more in his element for a man fearing the possibility of getting married. Alain raised a glass to him and Casimir had done the same signaling that they were at least on speaking terms again as many women crowded him disappointed that he was being wed in the first place.
Concluding that he wasn't spoken for, Alain did his best to mingle with the women who had arrived but found they were more interested in Casimir to pay him any real attention. He did appreciate the irony of being Casimir's younger brother and not many of them knew it due to their last names being different.
Alana had been overjoyed to see that her sons had made up and continued to play hostess in one of her lovely ivory gowns. The gold trimmings of laced flowers that lined her dress were the talk of the season. She wore a golden mask fashioned for the event and a gold veil that cascaded down her white flower-covered hat as she moved about the room speaking with guests and dishing out the latest in gossip.
Sir Alfred Remington had made a full recovery in the week of his being in the hospital, the ship's doctor had managed to do him a world of good in time before real damage could be done to his leg. He walked with a bit of a limp and like Casimir had a cane at the party but he was alive and well. He'd been dressed in his uniform and pleased to see his wife in her element despite not being much of a partygoer himself.
Alain stood quietly beside the window sipping his wine as all eyes turned toward the door to the entrance just as The McCrayson family arrived one impressively tall woman and a shorter but more rotund man with their three daughters. One older with dark eyes that appeared almost black, curly black hair, ruby red lips, thick hips, and voluptuous curves married to a man who looked as though he belonged in an asylum, tall and pale with thick facial hair and long sideburns wearing a navy blue suit and black dress shoes. The second daughter a brunette with brown eyes and slightly pale skin thin in her appearance with a husband on her arm that looked to be quite sheepish and odd.
The third daughter, Alain had known all too well.
Noreen McCrayson was the most beautiful of the three girls and dripping in elegance as she appeared with her long dark hair in an elegant bun, a sleek silver dress with a white shawl, and thin strapped shoes. Alain could see the curve of her hips and the sway in the way she moved elegantly and gracefully as she approached his mother and brother. The frantic beating of his heart had been so loud he was afraid someone could hear it if they stood next to him. Her lips were red as always with her favorite lipstick and her eyes smoldered with a mix of refined determination and wise consideration.
He knew she loved to wear the scent of lilac and the way her voice sounded when she'd been in the grips of a passionate exchange. The images of their bodies being intertwined beneath the old grove made it all the more difficult to look upon her. From the moment they met to the moment she walked away from him, he could see it all and took another drink to settle his nerves.
Alana and Alfred met with the parents shaking hands and exchanging judgments and pleasantries while the sisters watched and looked over Casimir as if he'd been a piece of meat ready to be devoured. They like many women seemed to approve of his looks, charm, and taste as they giggled amongst themselves and smiled in her direction.
Casimir's focus had been on Noreen and Alain could hardly blame him. He'd been focused on her as well despite attempting to keep his distance. Scandal was easy to come by, but not at all easy to be rid of, and if nothing else Alain was determined to keep what happened between them a secret despite the effect it had on him. He had fallen in love with her and she'd been merely a student of the game winning in all respects at the cost of his virtue and innocence.
Alain felt his rage return at having been played so easily by a woman no less, a merchant's daughter when he had been true nobility. He decided that he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of having the last laugh in all this but he wouldn't allow himself to be humiliated any further.
Finishing off the last of his wine. Alain ventured back toward the center of the room where Casimir spotted him and called him over.
"Ladies, I would like to introduce you to my little brother," he said proudly. "Ladies this is Alain, my little brother, Alain this is Delilah, Francesca, and Noreen, my wife-to-be, it seems."
Noreen's eyes widened for a split second as she turned to see Alain Remington approach dashing in his attire and a bit drunk as a result of him never turning down the wine glasses offered to him by the servants. She quickly recovered as Alain kissed the hands of every woman before him and when he finally got to her he slowly kissed her hand and locked eyes with her.
"It is a pleasure to meet you ladies, and it is especially nice to meet you Miss McCrayson," he said in a rather charming tone. He treated her to a smile as she briefly narrowed her eyes attempting to understand what game he'd been playing at.
It was clear the ball was in his court as he could reveal their affair and destroy everything she'd worked so hard to achieve and her family as well but he didn't. He seemed to act as if he had never known her at all which sort of stung after everything they experienced together.
"Do enjoy the party," he said allowing Noreen's hands to slip from his own. "Casimir it appears you are quite the lucky man indeed."
He took his leave of Noreen heading to the balcony that led outside the house. He was all for fun and games but he had not wished to see Noreen interact with his brother, as angry as he was he'd still been hurt by what occurred and the wound of having his heart broken was still very raw.
After several moments, Noreen followed him taking care to avoid unwanted attention as she made her way out toward the balcony where Alain had been standing in silence and looking out over the gardens from his view.
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The Balcony, The DuChene Estate, Leighton, England (1763)...
Alain did not indicate that he had known that she followed him as he stood in silence not at all wishing to head back into the party, but knowing full well that he'd have to stomach the bile that crept up in the back of his throat and watch as his brother and former lover celebrated their engagement among friends and family. Noreen cautiously approached him unsure of what to say now that everything had been revealed on both their accounts.
"Alain..." she began her voice shaky with concern.
"Well played Miss McCrayson," he said not even bothering to turn and look upon her as his deep baritone voice conveyed nothing aside from cold bitterness as he spoke. "Another one for lies, games, and social climbing....you and Casmir are quite the pair and deserve one another."
"I had no idea that he was your brother." Noreen attempted to explain.
"Of course not," replied Alain in the same cold tone. "Once you got what you wanted and he'd been revealed to you there was no further need to give me a second thought."
"I didn't wish for things to end like this...it was only...you have to understand the way things are for us...you're a noble yourself surely you understand..." she began only to be cut off once more.
"Oh I understand.... let me applaud you, Miss McCrayson," said Alain clapping his hands in a condescending dramatic fashion. "I suppose I should thank you for the lesson...because of you I've learned that love is a mere illusion best cast on the young and naive while being used as a tool for those that wish to get what they want however they want it."
"Is that truly what you think of...." started Noreen as tears began to fill in the wells of her eyes.
"A master manipulator through and through...you've won Miss McCrayson I see no point in you hanging about now...it's not like I can reveal our past to anyone as it would do little to endear me to anyone least of all my brother and the scandal is not needed to stain the reputation of my family....I may be a great many things, but I am not foolish enough to further soil my good name," replied Alain. "Enjoy the party."
With that, Alain bowed out gracefully leaving Noreen to ponder the words of an embittered young man as he headed back inside with the guests.
When the time came she stood beside Casimir half invested in the occasion as she watched Alain head back toward the wine turning up glass after glass as he watched them an eerie expression on his face as he pretended to be invested in the occasion. He had even proposed a toast to them in half charming and cynical fashion.
"To Casimir and Noreen....may they both get everything they both deserve," he said raising his glass as everyone followed suit.
Noreen raised her glass rather nervously as she took note of the darkness that seemed to be swirling behind Alain's now darkened hazel eyes.