The Duchene Estate, Leighton England (1763)...
Throughout the ceremony, whispers had abounded about the mystery surrounding the elegant redhead who had entered the estate and had gotten Alain's undivided attention despite his participation in his elder brother's wedding. It had become so odd that even the bridegroom himself, Casimir Duchaine, had become consumed with wanting to know the mysterious lass' identity. Alain had been slightly amused by the badgering of questions. Still, he ignored them in a particularly carefree manner as he sought to give the bulk of his attention to the newly arrived lady as his parents stood in shock at how devoted he seemed to have been to her.
Casimir glanced at the beautiful elegant young woman and then at Alain and at last thought he had known just who she had been. Of course, his keen mind had put the pieces together and of course, Alain would be of the mind to keep it a secret, she'd been his lady after all, the one he'd been smitten with for all those months and dared ask him for advice on how best to approach her.
A knowing smile crept across his handsome pale face as he turned his attention to what was to come for himself and his soon-to-be new bride. Noreen McCrayson had been at a loss for words as her young heart seemed troubled even as she looked upon Alain, her first and dearest love standing side by side with her soon-to-be husband despite their shared love, but her resolve to marry Casimir remained.
She had known firsthand that it was she who had driven all the sweetness out of him despite his polite exterior when in front of the guests and family alike and the flicker of bitterness behind his hazel eyes had been the worst when he turned his gaze upon her. The sheer coldness in his words and rage in his steps when he'd been in her presence directly had been something she had never thought she'd have to endure even as she had turned her back and walked away from the heartbroken lad amid the old grove.
To her eyes and her eyes alone, the scars of her love left on the rather unpleasant young man had been evident even when no one else had been aware of it. Alain stood as dutiful as ever at his elder brother's side even as it was announced that his former lover would be wedding him. Noreen did her duty as well standing with Casimir as they exchanged their vows.
Alain had not even a gleam of aggression as Casimir turned to him for the ring his body was rigid in terms of poise and his mind remained calm as his eyes remained on the girl amid the many guests curious about her and her arrival.
Noreen thought it curious that any other woman would hold his attention given his fickle nature and prudish manner but there she was commanding his silence from a simple glance as he stood best man for the wedding of his elder brother and former lover.
Even Alain's smile had been boyish by all accounts and the sight of it had made her recall the last time she'd truly seen it. The day before she had watched him set sail on his first ocean voyage. Casimir had been the most at ease by his brother's boyish grin but even as the guests complimented the ceremony and Noreen saw her way to being swept up in the spectacle that had been her wedding, she knew all too well that the smile was a mere weapon and that Alain had officially become a player in the grand game.
The realization that she had turned such a sweet and thoughtful boy with artistic charm and a kind heart into a rather cynical snake had dawned on her and without much fuss, Alain approached the girl at the table as the dance for the newlyweds began.
He had taken care to move her along the dance floor in tandem with Casimir dancing with Noreen as he only seemed to give his lovely companion his full attention. Try as she might place her when up close, she couldn't get a read on her nor one on Alain as his hazel eyes flickered with lust and passion when they had fallen upon the lovely redhead in an elegant dress.
Noreen felt a sickness in the pit of her stomach and dared not confront it as her mind began to wander in all manner of strange directions. The shortness of breath left her winded as her sweaty palms bid her to release Casimir's hand as they danced. It had hurt her most profoundly to see him so casual with this redhead when she'd been only just wed to his brother and as a result, she excused herself from the party in a bid to stifle the tears that began to swell in the corners of her eyes.
Alain had been amused as he watched her go, dashing as quickly as she could to get out of the line of sight of everyone in attendance. Casimir had been quite taken aback by it but maintained his facade of elegance and refinement as he moved about the room in a bid to go after his new bride.
The crowd could care less given the bride and groom had found themselves upstaged during the wedding by none other than the mysterious redhead lass and her connection to the handsome lad Alain.
Alain himself quietly sipped from his wine glass and enjoyed being the envy of the party as his honored guest only seemed interested in socializing with him. The rumors and whispers spread like wildfire as did many nobles trying their hand at guessing who the new arrival had been only for her to depart quite early with Alain on her arm as the splendor of the day had finally begun to get to her.
Upon their exit when approached by his parents, Alain merely gave the lovely lass's name as Scarlett.
The mysterious Scarlett had been the talk of the town for weeks on end, systematically overshadowing the splendor of Casimir and Noreen's wedding, which of course had all been a part of Alain's plan. He smirked to himself in the back of the carriage long removed from the estate and coasting down the countryside.
Once the driver had parted Alain smirked once more as he greeted the lovely Cordelia who had played her part in his rather impressive introduction to the game of intrigue quite well. So well in fact that he had decided to up the stakes once the time came.