Chapter 2: Memories
London, England, late October 1806.
Prince James was giddy with excitement since this was going to be his first official London Season: he would be sitting with his father, mother, and sister as all the young women curtsied to him and his family before going to dance with as many partners as they could to find an agreeable match.
James was determined to find a match of his own, but he had no idea how he would choose: there were so many pretty ladies who would be coming! And all of them would want to get his attention, of course. His sister, Princess Ann, was already betrothed to one of the French princes, but she was still part of the Season, and one of the debutantes herself. As if she needed to be introduced to the court… but Ann always wanted to do that before being shipped off to France. At 17 years old, this was the only time she'd be a débutante and she was ready to enjoy every moment of it.
On the first day of the Season, James was more than ready to greet the ladies, and they started to be introduced to the royal family at 10 in the morning, right after breakfast. At first, it was very fun! All the ladies were beautiful in their white dresses – although their curtsies weren't perfect – but after two hours, they all looked the same and he was tired of the whole thing.
"When does the dancing start?" he asked his mother, whispering.
"Not before much later tonight," she replied. "Are you tiring already?" There was a small smirk on her face and James denied it.
"Of course, not. I'm just curious…" He sat up straight on his chair and tried to focus on the young women entering and being introduced. He could not have remembered any of their names and they all pretty much blended together.
At some point in the afternoon, after a small break of tea and cakes, the Ceremony continued and the young ladies paraded one after the other. At the end of the first day, the first evening finally arrived with the ball and the music. James couldn't have waited a moment longer and he was the first one on the dance floor with a beautiful partner. He tried – he really did – to remember their names, but there were so many of them that he abandoned after a while.
For three days, it continued on like that: Presentation Ceremony followed by a glamorous ball. For three days, he smiled and danced, but he wasn't any closer to finding a match of his own. His mother said it could either be the matter of a shared glance or it could take months or even years to find someone. She also said that he was only nineteen, so he had time and he didn't need to rush.
The London Season would last several months, where all the wealthy families would be in town since traveling from their country estates would be harder and harder with the cold and snowy weather. Balls, banquets, shows; it never stopped. And every day felt like a month to James, so eager was he to fall in love. His parents' story had inspired him and he also wanted a fairytale for himself. He knew it wasn't very "princely" to wish that for himself, but he still did.
Until that snowy day right before Christmas, when everything changed…
/ / /
London, England, mid-May 1815.
James was eyeing the pile of applications that had already been sent to Buckingham Palace. How could so many had already applied in so little time? He would have thought that if two or three applied, they would have been lucky. But that many?
A knock on the door made him turn around. "Enter."
"James!" Henry said, his arms wide. "How good to see yo– Oh my! Are these applications for your Selection?" In three steps he was standing in front of the pile of envelopes.
"Yes."
Henry grabbed the one at the top of the pile but James slapped the paper away. "Don't you dare."
"But why not?" Henry asked, taking off his hat and putting it on the Prince's desk. "Don't you want to know who applied? Maybe you know some of the applicants?"
"Hardly a chance," James replied as he walked to the window overlooking the glorious garden. His daughter, Duchess Eleanor, was taking her morning walk with her governess. "No one who knows me would actually apply, Henry."
"You'd be surprised," his friend said. "Anyway, I come bearing news."
"Good or bad?" James said, turning his head toward the Earl who sat in his chair.
"Very good ones, I assure you." He made himself comfortable, waiting for James to prompt him: he liked making dramatic pauses.
"Well?"
"I spoke with your father, and he agreed– well, almost agreed to both of your conditions for the Selection." James raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rest of the news. "He accepted to bring the Selection to Brighton," Henry said, "and as for me overseeing the Selection, he agreed as well, but he didn't want me to interact too much with the ladies, which I understand; it wouldn't be proper." Henry rolled his eyes at that. "So I took it upon myself to write to my sister in Oxford asking her– begging her, really, to assist me in this grand task of finding you a wife."
James swallowed hard at the mention of Valery Windsor. She may have been Henry's only sister, but she had also been Marianne's best friend and he wasn't sure that having her around would help a lot. "What did she say, then?" he asked, hoping she would have declined her brother.
"I received her letter just this morning and she said she would be arriving next week." He took the letter from his breast pocket and scanned it quickly. "Oh, and she also says she would like to have an audience with you before she prepared everything for the Selection, after which, she would go directly to Brighton to get the place ready for the event."
James sighed and sat on the armrest of the divan. "Fine." He paused. "I guess it makes sense to have her there. She knew Marianne and she could teach the ladies some basic court etiquette or whatever."
"Exactly!" Henry said. "That's exactly what I had in mind: she would teach the girls etiquette, be their mentor, and keep an eye on them and maybe help you choose one of them!"
James shook his head at the mere idea of having a new wife. How could anyone ever replace his dear Marianne? But he had accepted so he would play along. Who said he couldn't just send them home one after the other and find lame excuses to do so each time? He doubted he could ever love again, anyway.
"Excellent, then!" Henry said, smiling. "I will be writing to the Royal Hotel Manager in Brighton to tell him–"
"Why not the Pavilion?" James asked.
Henry paused. "Why didn't I think of that!" He laughed. "It's not too far from town – one could go by foot or carriage into Brighton – and it's a grand estate with so much potential for date activities!"
"Alright," James said grumpily. "Go plan this wretched thing, I have work to do."
"Yes, yes, of course!" Henry replied, grinning. He practically ran out of the Prince's office, leaving James to his own dark thoughts.
James went again to the window, and Eleanor was still there, on the manicured lawn. She was blond like her mother, and he couldn't not see Marianne in her, which pierced his heart once more. He quickly turned around when the little four-year-old girl looked up at his window and waved and smiled at him. The same exact smile as her mother! He shut his eyes tight and swallowed back the tears. How could he go through this useless Selection without being so miserable?
He didn't even know how to be socially acceptable around women anymore. He was a Prince, so he had a certain decorum to uphold, but it suddenly felt so heavy. Would he even survive the first day? The first week? Or would he make a total fool of himself and be the talk of the country?
He really wasn't looking forward to it. The only upside of this whole event was Brighton. It had always held a special place in his life, and he hoped it would help the ordeal…
Hey, thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope I can promise longer chapters in the future when the Selection will actually start, but for now, this is what I have. ^^'
Thanks to everyone who reserved a spot, all 20 are taken ;) I honestly didn't think so many would be interested in a Regency Era selection, but I'm so happy! Just so you know, there are no throwaways, so that's gonna be a bit hard when the first few are eliminated. But please know that it won't be because I don't like your OC! Blame it on Prince James. lol
Also, one more thing: Valery Windsor had been shortly mentioned in this chapter; I created a section on the board for her, as well as a little bio on my profile. Please add in your form the "Thoughts and Treatment on Lady Valery Windsor" and for those who already sent a form, please just send me this little addition, thank you!
I also decided on the due date, please send in your form by the end of May at the latest; that's a whole month left! thank you in advance! and see you next time!
