London, United Kingdom
September 1851

At long last, September had arrived along with the many changes that the season had to offer. The breezy heat of summer had melted away and been replaced by the ever-chilling crispness of autumn. The city and surrounding lands transformed in appearance, the bright green plants and trees seemingly changing in color over night. All at once, London became alive with leaves whose hue was so brilliant that when the wind blew through the city, the trees in turn looked to be consumed by the volatile movements of a living flame.

The people were changing, too. As the end of September approached, visitors in London began making their arrangements to return to their respective homes for the winter. The parties they threw grew sparser as their belongings were sent away, but there were still a few gatherings remaining that would bring a glorious end to the summer season. One such event was the birthday celebration of Miss Jane Pelham.

The party was the talk of London's high society, seeing as the Pelham's rarely allowed so many people the privilege of partaking in their company and their wealth. Most parties of the newly wealthy were frivolous and overdone, but Regina would never allow such ostentation to enter her home. No, Regina's goal in throwing Jane such a grand celebration every year was to show society their class, their superiority, and most importantly, their power. There was a factor of intimidation of such a ball, but despite the inferiority each guest felt upon entering the grounds of the well-maintained and impeccably organized Pelham household, the mystery of the family itself drew them in without hesitation.

Everyone in London knew of the scandal surrounding Regina's daughter Victoria, despite the efforts made to conceal it. And as such, every time such a well-respected home was opened to such a large grouping of London's wealthiest, each person who entered came with curiosity to see if somehow they might see something that would reveal to them the truth. It had been twenty years, and no one could find any details beyond what they already knew, but still, the possibility of discovery intrigued them. Thus, there was never an invitation that went unanswered or unspoken of by its recipient.

One exception might have been Mr. Harold Sinclair. He had seen the invitations his friends received, what with their gold trim and professionally-done script letters. He found that his lack of invitation depressed him, and he knew exactly why. Despite his efforts and despite his awareness of his true mission, Harry could not help but feel attracted to Jane Pelham.

She was undoubtedly beautiful both in his eyes and the eyes of everyone who set eyes upon her, but his attraction went beyond her pleasing appearance. He admired her gentleness and the way she smiled when she spoke of the many things that interested her. Most of all though, he loved it when she revealed her true feelings to him. Despite her best efforts, Jane found herself openly commenting on the cruelty of her grandmother as well as several other private topics whilst in Harry's presence. Harry would always laugh as Jane scrambled to apologize for her rudeness, assuring him that she hadn't meant to say what she did. He liked that she did this, mostly because in his mind, this was her way of trusting him, whether she meant to or not.

Thus, with the belief that he and Jane had reached a more personal milestone in their friendship, Harry felt his heart ache when all his friends had received invitations to Jane's birthday and he had not. Suspecting that perhaps Regina was behind this obvious exclusion, Harry tried to force away the hurt and disappointed feelings that consumed him. Surely, after he and Jane's many friendly discussions, he would have made the guest list had it been up to her. Something told him that it wasn't.

Harry had seen Jane on a few occasions since the mail had gone out, and he thought that she had been acting strange. He always caught her looking at him expectantly, like he was supposed to say something that he wasn't saying. It struck him as odd, but he assumed that maybe Regina could be the reason for the girl's unease. After all, in the last month, Harry had never seen Jane outside the company of her grandmother, and he noticed that the controlling woman seemed to be hovering over her granddaughter even more than she normally did. Obviously, this put somewhat of a halt to Harry's plans, but nonetheless, he was determined to remain optimistic. If he lost hope, then his friend Thomas surely would too.

With only a few days until the party remaining, Harry tried to not let his hopes falter, if not for his own sake, for his friend's. However, this was proving to be very difficult seeing as how his entire life was so intricately intertwined with Jane and her circle of friends. The party was all they would talk about, and though Harry would never reveal his despair, he felt it intensify with every mention of her name.

Hiding his true feelings from both the world and himself, Harry made his way into a small bookshop in central London with one purpose. If he could not attend the party himself, he would, at the very least, find a thoughtful gift befitting the subject of his affection. But, to his surprise, when Harry opened the door, there she was standing there with her governess, perusing through the many book titles within the shop.

Harry felt his heart flutter at the sight of her, and he developed this uneasy feeling of nervousness begin to bloom in his stomach. He knew this feeling well; he had known it once before when he had been living in Paris. There, Harry had fallen in love, and it suddenly dawned on him that the same thing might just be happening to him here in London. Scolding himself for allowing such a distraction, Harry straightened his waistcoat and strode into the store, smiling brightly at the pretty girl who stood by a display of newly made, leather-bound books.

Jane held a small, brown-leather novel in her delicate hands and did not look up from its pages even as Harry approached her. He observed the way her brows knit tightly together in concentration while she read, a look of fixed curiosity ever-presenting itself on her youthful face. Harry couldn't help but watch her as she took her bottom lip between her teeth, and suddenly, he felt so very warm despite the chilled air in the spacious room.

Harry remained unnoticed by her for several moments, but once an involuntary sigh of pleasure fell from his lips, her attention was pulled from the book and directed towards the young gentleman standing by the door. Harry noticed her face light up when she looked at him, and he allowed himself a small feeling of hope that told him that her excitement was due to the feelings she had for him.

Shaking such a silly thought from his mind, Harry stepped forward and greeted Jane with all the formality that was expected of him. He knew that with her governess standing there with them, anything he happened to say would in all likelihood be repeated to Regina herself, so Harry made a conscious effort to choose his words and manners carefully.

"How have you been, Harry?" Jane inquired, holding on tightly to the small book still in her hands.

Her governess stood close behind her, watching both of the young people's mannerisms towards each other with great attention to detail. If they so much as looked at each other in the wrong way, it was her job to escort Jane out immediately.

Harry found himself grinning as Jane watched him expectantly with a look of eagerness that could only mean one thing. Or at least, he told himself it could only mean one thing.

"I've been well," Harry said, locking his restlessly moving hands behind his back in an effort to hide his nerves. "I've been settling my accounts for when we make the journey North, but it's nothing too overwhelming. How about you?"

Jane smiled nervously, "I'm afraid it's gotten quite chilly, so I have been mostly keeping inside." Glancing back to her governess for a moment, Jane addressed the harsh woman, "Ms. Hill, I wonder if you could have my purchases wrapped for me? I don't wish to stay in town much longer."

Eyeing the girl skeptically, Ms. Hill complied and took the two books she was holding to the counter, leaving Jane alone with Harry for just long enough to accomplish her task. Harry noticed Jane's hands enclosing something in the book she held, and when he looked to her face, he saw that there now seemed to be a sense of urgency about her expression.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked her quietly, keeping his voice low so that their spying companion could not chance to overhear.

Jane nodded ardently, her familiar look of calmness once again overtaking her features, "Oh, yes. I just- I thought you might enjoy this."

She held out the book to him, and Harry hesitantly took it in his hands, a feeling of renewed hope and excitement now finding its way into his chest. The prospect of what she had just given him made him nearly as restless as a child on Christmas morning awaiting the moment when it would be time to open presents. And like a child, Harry found that his patience was dwindling. Cracking the book open ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of what lie inside, Harry eagerly searched the pages.

This only lasted for a moment as Jane stepped forward and whispered harshly to him, "Not here. She'll see."

Harry shut the book quickly, embarrassed by the rashness of his actions. Jane smiled amusedly at him, his flustered disposition sparking that strange feeling of admiration in her breast that only he could generate. Harry saw the warmth in her light blue eyes and found himself smiling in return.

There was undeniably something unspoken that existed between the two, but neither one had the courage to pull whatever it was from beyond the place of its shadowy existence. There were simply too many obstacles to overcome, and for Harry, though he certainly did admire the girl, he knew he could not allow his feelings to get in the way of his true purpose for being there.

Several moments passed in silence before Jane finally managed to tear her eyes away from him, "I'm sorry to leave so soon, but I really must go. They have been dreadfully on my case this past month, so I can't risk further frustrating them."

She smiled apologetically at him before brushing past him and whispering something to him that he nearly missed. As Harry watched her float towards her stern governess with so much ease and so much innocence, he could not help but wonder if he had heard her incorrectly. How could someone who appeared so sinless conduct herself with such headstrong and defiant manners? Harry didn't know, but he found that he loved the contradiction she provided him.

With his heart racing, Harry lingered in the shop until Jane and Ms. Hill made their leave. When the door finally fell shut, signaling their departure, Harry opened the book in his hands once more and found a folded envelope tucked inside. Glancing up as if he were afraid someone had seen, Harry pushed the letter into his jacket pocket before placing the book down on the shelf it had come from and leaving the store without making a purchase.

Harry walked quickly down the road, the brisk London air billowing against him with every step. It was an especially cold and wet day, so as Harry made his way to the small tavern down the road, he felt the harsh wind stinging his reddened cheeks and cutting through his now unruly curls. Stepping inside the dimly lit building, Harry felt the warmth of the place seep into him as he glanced around the somewhat crowded room for an empty seat. Harry laid eyes on a table in the back corner and made his way through the drunken men to sit down and read his letter.

Fumbling from both excitement and the cold, Harry finally managed to pull the parchment from its envelope.

London. 17 September 1851.
Mr. Harry Sinclair,

If you are reading this, then I suppose I have succeeded in finally delivering it to you. I have written this letter more times than I care to admit, but despite my efforts to give it to you, I am afraid my plans have been thwarted at every turn.

My reason for writing to you, Mr. Sinclair, is one that I'm sure you already know. As my birthday is appraoching, mr grandmother thought it acceptable to exclude you from the festivities, despite the fact that you have proven to be a most enjoyable companion of mine this season. Thus, though it is against my family's wishes, I want you to be a part of the evening regardless of the consequences. I assure you, your attendence can do neither of us any harm. My grandfather adores you and because of recent events, I find that I have nothing to lose.

I know this is last-minute, but I sincerely desire for you to attend if you are available. The party is on Friday, 27 Spetember at sundown. I will meet you at the back gate; I trust you know where it is.

With love,
Jane Pelham

Harry set the letter down on the table in front of him and eyed it carefully, a whirlwind of thoughts pulsing through his troubled mind. His initial reaction was that of happiness, seeing as how the girl he fancied had gone out of her way to include him in a gathering that meant something to her, regardless of the mandates dictated by her grandparents. That thought alone filled him with such immense joy and hope that he felt he might explode with restless energy. She had said that she enjoyed him, and Harry felt that such a blatant statement made by someone so seemingly shy could only mean one thing. Jane thought of Harry as more than a just an acquaintance; he was certain of it.

The second thing he felt was an overwhelming sense of frustration. Harry had known that Regina would be a problematic presence, but he did not realize just how troublesome she would prove to be until now. Whatever the reason behind it, Harry could see that Regina did not like him. After all, she had intentionally excluded him from Jane's birthday celebration despite his closeness with their family, and this was a slight that could not go ignored. Harry didn't know what this would mean for him as far as his mission went, but he knew it couldn't be good. And with autumn approaching, Harry would be living under the same roof as the woman, so he knew that her meddling would most likely prove to be a constant torment to him and his purpose.

So, with a renewed sense of hope and also of annoyance, Harry began to prepare for Jane's birthday party. He had a feeling that it would be an eventful night.

•••

I hope you all enjoy though! What do y'all think with happen at her bday party??

Thanks for reading and please please vote if you can! :)

(I also just got a Twitter so comment your user and I'll follow you!)
-kate🖤