Chapter 12: First Private Outings

Hyde Park, London, England; January 2nd, 1807.

The new year had just started, and prince James was delighted to be promenading in the snow with his newest friend, Miss Barrington. She was always smiling and in admiration of everything around her.

"I cannot believe the amount of snow London gets," she said. "I knew we could have many feet of snow in the country, but not in the city!"

"Rest assured," James replied, "it is not every year so. We usually only get a centimeter or two." He looked around them. "There are normally carriages going to and fro in the park. Yet this year, there are none."

"What about sleighs?" Marianne asked. "Do you not have those here?"

"We do, but not for this much snow."

"Speaking of snow…" Marianne said a few steps slightly away from James. He had just turned around to see why she was not next to him anymore when he received a snowball on his shoulder. Marianne giggled but quickly covered her mouth with her mitten, suddenly realizing what she had done. He was the crown prince!

James burst out laughing as he bent down to pick up some snow and form a perfectly round snowball in his own mittens. He threw it at Marianne and it landed in her stomach. Thankfully, they were both wearing thick fur coats, so it did not hurt in the slightest.

Marianne squealed in delight and formed another snowball before throwing it at the prince who ducked and the snowball missed him but landed on another gentleman. Marianne and the Prince froze, but the gentleman laughed, picking some snow to form and ball, and threw it gently at his female walking companion, thinking it was her who had thrown it. Before long, many people had started forming snowballs and throwing them at each other.

"Gentlemen against Ladies!" James said. As soon as the words were out, the playing crown separated in two, the men on one side and the ladies on the other and they started throwing snowballs at each other amid laughter and joyful cries. It was hard to believe that most of these people were part of the cut-throat London Gentry.

A few minutes into the game, a troop of redcoats arrived running and blowing whistles. "Stop that at once!" one of them said.

James quickly took hold of Miss Barrington's hand and they ran away, giggling. "If my father learns that I was part of the Snow Ball Fight of Hyde Park, he will have my head," he explained as they hid behind a tree with others who were simply watching and not partaking in the festivities.

"Oh!" Marianne said. They waited for the redcoats to disperse the people before stepping out from behind the tree.

"What seems to be the problem, Officer?" James asked the closest redcoat.

He turned around. "Your Highness," he bowed, recognizing him. "There was a snowball fight we had to end," he explained. "Can you believe it? Gentlemen against ladies!"

"How outrageous," James said. "Have you found the person responsible for the, er, battle?"

"Unfortunately, no," the Officer said. "I fear whoever it was left before we arrived."

"Ah, yes, quite unfortunate," James said as Marianne stifled a giggle. "You will certainly catch them next time, then."

"There will not be a next time, Highness," the officer said. He tipped his hat and walked away to join his troop.

When he was far away, both James and Marianne burst into uncontrollable laughter. "I have to admit, Miss Barrington," James said when he could finally regain his breathing, "that I have not had so much fun in a very long time."

"I am very glad to hear that, Your Highness," she replied. "One must have fun in order to be happy."

James nodded and smiled at the young lady next to him. "You are quite right, Miss." He offered her his arm and went on. They had completely forgotten about their Chaperone, Lady Lockhart, and had lost her in the snowball fight runaway.

/ / /

Brighton, England; July 10th, 1815.

Right at the end of luncheon the next day, James stood and lightly tapped his knife on his glass of red wine made of crystal, commanding all the ladies' attention. Silence fell around them as the conversations stopped. In addition to the nineteen pairs of eyes looking at him expectantly, Henry and Valery also waited for whatever James had put his mind to say to everyone at the same time.

He cleared his throat. "Ladies, I would like to officially announce that I will be spending a moment every day with one of you so I can get to know you all slightly better." He paused. "There are twenty-one days left in the month and nineteen of you, so this shall leave us with plenty of time for the schedule Henry and I have come up with." He sat back down, finishing his glass of wine before the chatter around the long table resumed among the ladies.

"You will not leave any room for creativity and unofficial private moments?" Henry asked, helping himself with a third slice of lemon cake.

"I never said that," James replied, toying with the silver spoon. "If I have a scheduled moment in the morning, I still have the rest of the day for something else." He paused. "Though I will not actively look for time with them if that is what you are asking."

Valery smiled, elegantly dabbing her linen napkin on her lips. "No one was even considering it, James," she said. "We are aware of your reluctance to participate in this event."

James shot her a glare. "You of all people would understand, Valery," he said before standing and leaving the room without another word. He went to his chambers to freshen up after the meal and went over his list on the schedule Henry had made – not him, evidently, but the ladies did not have to know that.

When he saw the first one on his list, he remembered the conversation in the first meeting with the lady in question. Of course, Henry would put her first. But to James' utter surprise, he was not displeased with the choice. He changed into a proper outfit – a walking pair of trousers paired with his shiny black boots, a cream-colored shirt with a matching cravat, a forest green promenade coat in light fabric, and his top tap – and went in search of the lady in question.

The Prince found several small groups of ladies before he found the one where she was part of; the trio was picking flowers in large flat baskets to make bouquets later on.

"Ladies," he said, nodding in salutation. "May I steal Lady Grierson?"

The three friends – Lady Priscilla D'Herblay, Miss Rowena Talbot, and Lady Louise Grierson – looked at each other with wide eyes and knowing smiles.

"Of course," Miss Talbot said with a polite smile. "She is all yours, Your Highness."

"But please give her back to us, though," Lady D'Herblay said. "We shall miss her joyous laughter and smile if you do not."

Lady Grierson blushed slightly at that and James tried a small smile as well, trying not to look at the blonde lady from Ireland. "I shall give her back to you later this evening, I give you my word," he said. Then, turning towards the lady he was going to court for the day, he said: "Lady Grierson, will you walk with me back to the Pavilion?"

"Of course," she replied. She gave her basket of flowers to Rowena and looped her arm through the elbow he was offering her. They walked in silence for a few steps, his big steps matching her smaller ones.

"I believe I owe you a visit to the cliffs, Lady Grierson."

Louise laughed softly. "You do not owe me anything, sir," she said. "It was merely a suggestion."

"Still," he said, then was silent for a few more steps. "Shall I call for a carriage or would you not mind riding there? In any case, I would advise you to bring a light jacket for it has become quite windy on the top of the world."

Lady Louise Grierson laughed nervously. "Thank you for the advice, I shall go fetch a light jacket. And I wish I could tell you I was a good rider, but I am not, unfortunately. But maybe you can teach me some other time?" she asked, looking up at the prince.

James knew that if he agreed to teach her, that meant he owed her a second day of courting. Was he prepared for that just yet? "Perhaps," he replied. "For today, I shall have a carriage ready in half an hour. Is that enough time for you to get ready, milady?"

"Of course."

While waiting for the lady to get ready, James went to the stables where the horses were kept. He watched as two grooms prepared a carriage for them as he chewed on a piece of dried grass that was originally for the horses. He liked the presence of the mighty beasts; it was peaceful and silent, a stark contrast from the tumult of the Selection and having only ladies as their guests. He really hoped at least some of his friends he had asked for help would come to deliver him from his misery.

"You look awful," a familiar female voice said.

"Valery," James greeted with a nod of his head, ignoring her remark. "You look nice." She was wearing a dark blue walking dress and her hair was pinned in an intricate updo with a low matching top hat pinned to the curls, a thick velvet ribbon tied under her chin just to be sure: it was windy on the cliffs.

The redhead lady simply nodded at the compliment and climbed in the carriage to wait. a few minutes later, James walked to the front entrance of the Pavilion, where Lady Grierson would be meeting him. He stood by the carriage and waited. Soft footsteps pulled him out of his short reverie as Lady Grierson walked down the stairs in a beautiful powder pink dress with a matching hat that had flowers of a darker pink on the side and a large matching ribbon tied under her chin as well. Her blonde curls bounced on her shoulders and her smile lit up the whole area around her.

James suddenly remembered that she had reminded him of Marianne in a strong way, during their first meeting, and he did not know if it was a good idea or a bad one to start the private outings with her. But now everything was in motion and it was certainly too late to change his mind. He would simply have to close off all memory of Marianne and it should go smoothly enough to survive until they came back.

"You look lovely," James said automatically.

If Louise noticed his lack of enthusiasm in his compliment, she did not remark on it and simply smiled and nodded her thanks to the prince. James opened the carriage door for her and held out his gloved hand to help her climb into the vehicle.

"Ah, I neglected to tell you that Lady Valery would be chaperoning us today, Lady Grierson," he said as he noticed her surprise upon seeing his friend already in the carriage.

"That is perfectly fine and proper," she replied, sitting next to the lady. James sat across from them, closed the door, and banged three times on the ceiling to let the coachman know that they were ready to go. The carriage set off, making the cabin rock left and right a little. All three of them were silent for a good part of the trip, preferring to look outside rather than at each other.

"Oh!" Louise said once they were surrounded by fields with dancing tall grass and the sea as far as the eye could see on their left. "It is quite beautiful!"

James smiled and nodded. "It is quite," he agreed. "But is it more beautiful than your Irish Fjords?"

Louise smiled. "It is vastly different," she replied. "Both places cannot be compared, I am afraid."

The carriage stopped and James was the first to step down, breathing in the salty windy sea air. He held out his hand to help first Lady Grierson and then Lady Valery out of the cabin and then offered his elbow to his companion, as Valery would follow a few steps behind, as a good chaperone would do.

James and Louise walked together towards the edge without coming too close and they stared at the sea ahead of them, letting the view fill them with peace and joy. Above them, seagulls were circling the water, waiting for fish. The wind was strong where they were standing and Louise's pink dress flapped in the air. She instinctively stood closer to the prince and James held her arm tightly, not wanting her to be carried away by a gust of wind. He maybe did not want to marry or do this Selection, but he did not wish the ladies to die, either.

"May I ask you something, sir?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the horizon.

"Of course."

"What is your favorite color?"

James let out a small laugh. "I beg your pardon, Lady Grierson," he said, apologizing. "I simply did not expect that question."

Louise smiled. "They never do," she said. "Every time I ask this question, people are always surprised. So, what is your favorite color, then?" She looked up at the prince in the top hat, waiting.

"I am not certain I have a favorite color," he replied. "But if I had to choose one, I suppose it would be blue."

"What kind of blue?" she asked. "Dark? Light? Muted? A blue that is closer to green or purple?"

James could not stop the smile that bloomed on his lips. Lady Louise Grierson was a quite surprising young woman. "Blue like the sea, closer to green, I suppose." She nodded, acknowledging his answer. "What is yours, then?" he asked.

Louise was about to reply when her eye caught on something being him and she went pale. "Lady Windsor!" she said, terror, filling her voice and her features.

"Val!" James snapped his head in the direction where his friend was and dread filled his whole being. Valery was so close to the edge, her dark blue dress flapping in the wind like a crow's wings and her red curls were blowing in the wind, away from her face. Her eyes were closed and her arms spread wide open, and it looked like she was just about to take flight.

The prince and his companion ran to the redhead lady – James arrived first thanks to his long legs and strides, and he did not have a dress slowing his movements – and grabbed her by an arm. Louise arrived a moment later and grabbed the other arm. She and James shared a look of terror as they made Valery back away from the edge of the cliff.

"Valery, are you quite alright?" James asked, making her sit on a stone far enough from the steep rock.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at the prince. "Oh… I- I am not certain… I-"

James and Louise shared another look. "Valery," he said again. He could not take away the stern tone for he was too frightened to calm down. "What were you thinking?"

Valery did not shrug away the four hands that were still holding on to her and she kept her eyes on the sea. "I always wonder what it would feel like," she said softly, her voice barely carrying over the wind that had become a little stronger since they had arrived.

"What do you wonder about, Lady Windsor?" Louise asked softly, managing to stay calm despite the situation.

"What it would feel like to die," the redhead replied. The prince and Louise shared a quick glance. "Would I feel the wind on my face if I jumped?" she asked. "Or would I die while falling? Would I feel the water or would I die hitting the water? Would I drown or would I already be dead?" Valery continued. "Would I soar to the sky if I jumped?" she said softly at the end. She shuddered as a gust of wind passed over them.

"I think it is time to go home," James said. He escorted Valery back to the carriage and helped her settle inside before helping Louise in as well. When they were all seated and he had signaled the driver to head back to the Pavilion, James looked at Valery once more simply to make sure that she was alright. Her head was resting against the cushioned walls and her eyes were closed; he thought that maybe she would fall asleep. "I am sorry we had to cut short our outing, Lady Grierson," he said.

"Oh, it is alright," she replied. "It was the right thing to do." She offered him a smile and then looked outside the window as they left the cliffs behind.

James took out a small notebook from his breast pocket and opened it at a marked page, reading the word written in the middle. "Lady Grierson," he said. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course, sir." She sat up straighter, waiting for his question.

"How do you pronounce your name? I understand the letters, but they are in such an order that they do not make sense to me."

The blonde lady in the pink dress and bonnet smiled. "Louise is perfectly fine, sir."

He looked up from under the brim of his hat. "I wish to know how your real name is pronounced, please."

"Fine," she agreed. "It's pronounced La-vee-sha." She paused as James tried the name on his lips. "But you know, my lord, Louise is the English version of Labhaoise, just like Peter is the English version of the French Pierre, or Maggie for Marguerite."

"I see," he said. "One learns something new every day, and I shall go to bed less daft."

Louise let out a small laugh. "You are not daft, my lord, simply more knowledgeable. Is that not a good thing?"

James shrugged, looking out of the window. "I wish there were things I could unlearn, or unknow, or even unsee…" he said softly, almost to himself.

"Things that are sad or sorrowful, I presume," Louise said. There was a heavy yet calm silence in the carriage for a moment, only broken by the creaking of the wheels beneath them and Valery's soft sleeping regular breathing. "There would be no mountains without valleys," she finally said. James thought about it for a moment and nodded. She may not look like it at first glance, but Lady Louise Grierson had some wisdom to herself.


Hello!

here's another chapter! and between this one and the last, we all had covid at home. yay. anyway, we're getting better, but it's a slow thing. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Those of you who notice the stark contrast between the MariJames scenes and the Selection scenes are awesome! ;) there will be more :eyes:

also, there are still some spots for a couple more dudes if you want to submit one! they will be introduced (in flashbacks or current timeline) before they all arrive at the Gentlemen's club ;)

see you soon! byeee