I was on a "business trip" to London when I first saw her. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of glasses, but I could see past those thick glasses, of course, as I was very interested in this little tart. Ah, yes, her eyes! I can still see them now, haunting me with their vividness, like the finest emeralds at a jewelry store that could never be obtained. Her hair was childishly put into two large pony tails on either side of her head. Her body was petite, and her chest was lacking much, but I had subconsciously decided in that moment not to let this little treasure slip away from me.

Before I knew it, I was following very carefully after her, this mysterious beauty.

We had walked a few blocks until she had suddenly come to a stop and was talking to someone in a low, hushed voice, and so I, thinking quickly, hid behind the side of a nearby building. With nowhere to move, nowhere to run, I peeped out from the side of the building, and who else did I see but…

"Angleterre?"

The name was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Merde! Now you've done it, Francoise, I thought to myself. That was the last person I wanted to see, and now that I had opened my big mouth…

"Francoise?"

The confused-sounding Englishman made his way toward me gracefully, but in my mind's eye, all that I saw was a wicked green snake slithering his way towards me. I hesitantly offered my hand, finding that there was no way out of this one.

"No bloody way! It is you."

He bent forward slightly and gently pressed his lips to my hand, playing the gentleman as usual. I smiled the most charming smile I could muster for this bilge rat, this heart breaker, this…this…

"Well aren't you charming as usual, Arthur?," I replied, false kindness stitched into every word. "But uh…I 'ave yet to meet zhis lovely young lady be'ind you."

As soon as I had uttered those words, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead off, embarrassed.

"Oh, dear, I am terribly sorry. Ah, this is my sister, Alice."

The young girl walked up to me, her face unchanging, and softly muttered a "Pleased to meet you". Now that I had a good look at the two of them together, I saw that the two looked very much alike. As if reading my mind, Angleterre told me that they were twins. Zut, I thought. Well now. This will be far more complicated than I thought...

My disdain of the matter must have show on my face, because Angleterre said that I shouldn't look thoughtful with a face as pretty as mine. Typical Arthur. I rolled my eyes slightly, so that he would not notice.

"I shall be fetching a carriage, will you join us?," Arthur said.

The bastard knew full and well that I had walked all the way here, leaving my brother, and belongings, behind! But I'd be damned if he got the satisfaction of a whine or whimper, or even a complaint out of me. I would NOT be humiliated in front of my new treat. So, I lied my way through it.

"I 'ad already made some…arrangements. Et eeht ees rude to suddenly drop plans, non?," I said, just the tiniest hint of spice in my voice.

"Ah, I suppose you are right. And...I have told you how extremely apologetic I am for that," he replied, seemingly without anger.

And so, with my hastily-made transportation arrangements, I made my way A La Maison de l'Angleterre.

When I had made it to the door, a butler tended to my jacket and led me down the hallway to the parlor. It'd been quite a while since I had been here, I paid close attention to the paintings of beautiful, elegant women and stout men with large fingers, which decorated either side of the seemingly endless corridor. Arthur always did have a strange taste in art-if I should even call it that. When we had finally reached the parlor, the butler asked me to wait in a soft-but-hard salmon chair, for Arthur had to talk to Alice about something for a moment, and would send her off so that we could speak kindly together. While I waited, I wondered to myself, Why hasn't he asked why I'm in England?

As soon as I had thought the words, Arthur returned with a tray of tea and sat across from me. It was then that I knew a long talk (more like a ridiculously long quarrel) was about to be in session.

"Now then", he said, his eyes cold, the gentleness in his voice from earlier long gone. "Dear, shall we have some tea?"