Newcastle, United Kingdom
October 1851

Jane dressed with meticulous care that morning, checking and double-checking that all the buttons were fastened properly on her navy riding habit. The sleeves were long and the vest was fitted, accentuating the curves of her womanly figure. She observed herself in the mirror, admiring how striking such a dark color appeared on her. Jane was normally bound to lighter hues to maintain a feminine air about her, but when it came to her riding clothes, Jane was always pleased to wear colors like black and navy.

Smiling contentedly, Jane pulled her long blonde braid to drape over her shoulder before taking her black gloves from the bed and leaving her bedchambers. The corridors were empty when she left her room, but this didn't surprise her given that the sun hadn't yet risen above the horizon. Jane could hear the clamor of pots and pans as she passed by the kitchen, but she didn't hesitate in walking past it and out through the side door.

When she stepped outside, Jane was enveloped by a brisk gust of wind, the feeling of which sent a biting chill through her spine. Wrapping her arms around herself, Jane stepped down from the terrace and began to walk along the pathway that led to the stables. At first, the darkness made seeing in front of her somewhat difficult, but as the minutes passed by, the black sky above her began to fade into lighter shade of purple. The stars made their leave and with them went the moon's shining light. Jane welcomed the sight of the sun beginning to rise in front of her, faint rays of light falling on her face as well as the dew-covered grass that lined either side of the pathway before her.

Jane reached the barn before the sun had made its debut above the horizon, and she silently praised herself for finding the will to get out of bed at such an ungodly hour of the morning. Her cousin William had not yet arrived to meet her, so Jane took her time in brushing down the mare her grandfather had given her.

Jane's mare Bella was young and lean, with long and powerful legs that could run for kilometers without showing signs of fatigue. Where the horse undoubtedly proved herself to be of great endurance and strength, she did not in the least want for beauty. Her smooth coat was a light gray color with dark speckles across her long back and neck. She had a dark mane and tail as well, but that darkness was offset by light brown eyes.

Jane stroked the bridge of the mare's nose as she slipped the bridle over her head, fastening it behind the soft mane at the base of her neck. Bella whinnied in response, her bright eyes wide with eagerness for the promise of a morning run.

"Easy, Belles," Jane whispered quietly, patting the animal's neck before walking towards the saddle that was hanging on the wall. She grunted as she lifted it from the rack, and again when she placed it atop Bella's strong back. Thankful that this particular mare was so steady and calm, Jane began to the tighten the straps of the saddle with a bit of aggression. She knew that if they weren't tight enough, then the saddle would most likely roll sideways and she would end up being thrown rather violently to the ground. And having experienced it once before, it was not an occurrence she wished to relive.

Just as Jane was finished with the last buckle, she heard the sound of horse hooves approaching the barn, followed by the crunch of gravel under expensive leather boots. The gentleman walked through the open barn door and spotted her near one of the last stalls. He strode towards her, a charming smile plastered across his handsome face.

"I had hoped to precede you here, so you didn't have to saddle her yourself," William said cheerfully as Jane turned around to look at him.

He smiled when he saw her face, her youthful beauty seeming to glow with radiance in that early morning light. She looked well to him, though he did notice that her visage held something to it that he hadn't seen before. When she had left for the summer, he had known her to embody serenity and the idea of a life without worry, but now, he could see that something plagued her innocent mind, and it troubled him.

Jane moved to embrace her elder cousin, holding him close to her for a moment before pulling away. She inspected his dark green coat and suspected it to be new, seeing as it was entirely free from mud or any signs of wear. The boots looked new as well, and she admired how handsomely they fit him.

"I've done it enough times," Jane smiled pleasantly, retrieving her gloves from her pocket and slipping them over her long fingers.

William frowned and stepped around her towards the pretty mare, "At least allow me to check the saddle." Without awaiting her response, he stooped down and ran his hand along the mare's belly, carefully observing the work Jane had done. Patting the horse on her hind leg, William stood upright and nodded contently.

Jane rolled her eyes at her cousin, annoyed with his rather obnoxious display of masculine superiority. She knew he meant well, but still, she couldn't help but be bothered by it.

"Are you satisfied?" she huffed, not making an effort to hide her frustration. He was family, after all, so she had no reason to be the girl her grandmother wanted her to be.

William laughed at her stubbornness and clasped his hands behind his back, "Yes, I am. Now, are you ready to go?" As he grinned at her, Jane had no choice but to be filled with a sense of ease that she could not explain. Her cousin had brown eyes that glimmered gold in the proper lighting, and there was a look of genuine kindness that could soften even the harshest of people.

"I suppose," Jane sighed and took hold of Bella's bridle, still trying to fight the smile rising to her lips.

William smiled and walked beside Jane out into the cold morning air, Bella whinnying eagerly beside them. Jane mounted the mare with some difficulty due to the excessive fabric of her skirts, but she nonetheless managed to sit astride the expensive leather saddle by hiking up her skirts to gather in front her. William frowned at Jane's less than ladylike posture, but he said nothing about it as he swiftly lifted himself into the saddle atop his own chestnut colored stallion.

They began their journey at an easy trot, and William took the gentle ride as an opportunity to ask Jane about her mysterious request to meet with him, "May I ask why you asked me to ride with you?"

Jane tensed in her seat, but she showed no physical signs of discomfort as she contemplated what she would tell her cousin. The truth was that Jane intended to question her uncle Andrew about her father. He had been her mother's closest sibling throughout her childhood, and Jane hoped that he might show her the same kindness by telling her the things she wanted to know. But with Harry's secrecy and the contents of her father's letter to her, Jane was uncertain of whether she could trust William with this information. She didn't know just how serious the consequences may be should her grandmother find out about any of this, but she had a feeling that it would be disastrous for she and Harry if she did.

With these troubling thoughts on her mind, Jane turned her face away from William and forced a small laugh, "I've missed you while I was away, that's all." He did not seem convinced. "And I've wanted to get out of that house since I arrived. She's driving me mad."

Jane looked at her cousin with an amused smile, and he could not help but believe her. Their grandmother was a strict woman, and he could not fathom having to live under the same roof as her like Jane did.

"That's fair," William laughed, tightening the reigns in his hands. He knew she wasn't lying to him, but he could still sense that there was something else that she wasn't telling him. Thus, he decided to push her further in hopes of learning the truth. "You seem different since coming home, though. Are you sure there isn't anything on your mind?"

Jane's heart began beating wildly in her chest as she considered how to respond. Surely she could trust him?

"It's about my father," Jane heard herself say, and she mentally cursed herself for being so weak-willed as to reveal her secret to him.

William looked to her in surprise, his handsome face twisted into an expression of wonder and confusion. The topic of Jane's father had always been avoided in their family, and so Jane mentioning it was completely out of the ordinary.

"What about your father?"

Jane hesitated, already regretting saying anything about him at all, but it was too late to go back now.

"I don't know," she sighed, looking over to him and allowing the fullness of her distress to be revealed to him. Her voice and demeanor gave way, and William could see that she was exhausted and consumed with anxiety. "I– I think he's alive."

William looked at her with wide eyes, too shocked to say much of anything. They both had been led to believe that Jane's father was an honorable English nobleman who died before Jane was born, but if he were alive, then that certainly changed things.

"Surely not," William shook his head, fixing his eyes on the road ahead of him. "Why would they lie about your father being dead?"

Jane's heart sunk in her chest at his inquiry, knowing it to be perhaps the most logical assessment of the situation. Jane knew her grandparents to be overbearing and scheming, but she didn't think that they would ever be so cruel as to keep her father away from her when she already had lost a mother. She kept telling herself that the possibility of her father being alive was absurd, simply because it made no sense for him to be, but the letter she kept with her tempted her to think otherwise. Scarcely allowing herself to hope for the contents of this letter to be true, Jane contemplated the probability of her grandparents keeping such a monumental secret from her and began to realize small details throughout her life that would point to its reality.

"I don't know," Jane admitted tiredly. "But I hope your father can tell me."

William looked at her again in astonishment, "My father? Why don't you just ask-"

Jane interrupted before he could finish, "Who would I ask, William? Your father is probably the only person who won't tell her that I was asking." William opened his mouth to argue, but then he came to realization that Jane was right. His father Andrew was probably the most rebellious of Regina's three sons, so if anyone were to keep Jane's interest in her father a secret, it would have been Andrew. William understood this much, but one thing that intrigued him still was what exactly gave Jane the idea that her father lived.

"You're right," William concluded. "But what makes you think he isn't dead? Did someone contact you about him?"

Jane hesitated, deciding that it would be best if she left Harry out of this conversation. If her cousin did happen to betray her confidence, then the last thing she wanted was for Harry to get in trouble for trying to help someone.

"I received a letter that is supposedly from him, but I don't know what to think of it." Jane shivered as a gust of wind blew across the field before them, and she began to realize just how long she was about to have to endure the cold if they continued at this slow pace. "Can we talk about this later? I want to fly."

William nodded apprehensively to which Jane responded by urging her mare forward with more force than before. Jane bolted out in front of him, and he watched as she expertly adjusted to her horse's movements and increased speed. The wind stung at her face and neck, but still, she relished in the feeling of riding like this. Though it had only been a few minutes, the muscles in her legs were strained and beginning to burn. She loved the sensation despite the discomfort it caused her, simply because it made her feel alive again, like she wasn't just a little girl who was destined for a life of domestic monotony. For the first time in a long time, Jane felt free, and she wished it would last forever.

William caught up with her after several minutes, and the two rode hard through the seemingly endless Pelham estate. They passed through dried out fields and forests, over withered leaves and running streams. The sun rose steadily higher in the cloudy English sky, warming the earth just enough to dampen the sharp, autumnal winds. Jane laughed as she lost William through a particularly dense clumping of trees, only to find as she emerged that he had surpassed her. They raced each other relentlessly through the valley that lay before William's home, but due to Jane's lighter frame, her mare was able to pull through victoriously, arriving at the front gates before William with thirty seconds to spare.

William came towards her at a trot with reddened cheeks and a sweat-covered brow. Looking very pleased with herself, Jane brushed the sweat away from her own forehead and smiled at him kindly.

"Don't look at me like that," William said crossly, dismounting and nearing the tall, iron gate to push it open. He allowed Jane to pass before him before shutting the gate again and remounting his horse. "I thought you said you hadn't the chance to ride while in London."

Jane laughed amusedly, "No, I said I hadn't the chance to ride often. I still have some skill."

William shook his head lightheartedly and rolled his eyes, "Well, clearly. I thought if I caught you before you had time to retrain yourself then I might actually beat you this time."

"Dream on, cousin," Jane grinned, a playful gleam in her eye. "I'm much lighter than you, so I'll most likely always win."

"That's so unfair," William groaned, brushing his light brown hair out of his eyes.

Jane scoffed at his comment, "Well, it's the only positive part of being a woman, so I don't feel bad for you at all."

William couldn't argue with her retort, so he remained silent as they approached the great house of his father. He helped Jane from her saddle and led her inside once the servant came to take their horses to the barn. Jane joined her aunt and uncle for breakfast, during which time she was aching to bring up the letter that seemed to be burning a hole in her pocket. At last, the food was taken from the room and Jane shyly asked if she might have an audience with her uncle Andrew. He seemed surprised, but nonetheless please that his favorite niece should desire to speak with him, so he gladly invited her into his study.

William accompanied Jane into the room, standing silently by the window and awaiting the moment when Jane should mention the intriguing topic of her supposedly dead father. Jane sat across from her uncle on the couch, her ankles crossed and her hands clasped together in her lap. She looked timidly up at him and decided that the easiest way to go about having this conversation was just to ask him bluntly whether he knew where her father was, if he were even alive.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Andrew smiled cheerfully, lighting his cigar and settling into his large, leather chair.

Jane looked up at him timidly and took a deep breath in an effort to calm her nerves, "I was hoping you might could tell me about my father."

Andrew's light demeanor seemed to transform immediately in front of her, and she was not in the least ignorant of it. His sudden change in composure set her even further on edge, and she began to wish that she hadn't said anything at all. What if he told her grandmother of her inquiry? Surely, it would not end well for anyone.

Andrew leaned forward, clearly disturbed about something, and he frowned thoughtfully, his handsome face distorting to reveal the extent of his age.

"Why do you ask, my child?" His voice was soft and quiet, but Jane could hear his distress as clear as day.

Jane debated what she should say, but she could not come up with a reason. She wanted to know her father, and that was just about it. Pulling her father's letter from her pocket, she feebly handed it to her uncle who looked at her in confusion. He nonetheless took the letter from her small hands and began to read, his expression showing just how shocked her really was by the paper's contents. Andrew stared at it for a minute after he finished reading, but Jane could not decipher what his intense look seemed to be saying.

Andrew finally looked up at her, his eyes seemingly filled with sadness, "What is it you want to know?"

•••

So the next chapter is going to be kind of like a flashback, but it's also like what Andrew is going to tell her if that makes sense. Just pay attention to the date and location at the beginning! :)

I hope y'all enjoyed this one. I know it's a bit of a filler, but we're setting up for a good one! Also I procure William as Liam :)

Thanks for reading!
Kate❤️