Newcastle, United Kingdom
April 1851

At half past five, the dinner bell rang high and clear throughout the Pelham ancestral home, signaling the beginning of what would be an extensive social gathering. The wonderfully dressed men and women were situated in the grand sitting room, chattering away vigorously as if their lives depended on it. But all the trivial conversations came to a sudden stop as their host stood to make an announcement.

Henry Pelham was not at all a tall or imposing man, but his outgoing personality demanded the respect that these people gave him. To those who didn't know him well, he was perhaps the most agreeable man one could hope to encounter; therefore, when he spoke, there would not be a soul in the room who could want to listen to anything other than his words.

A dazzling smile graced his mouth as his wife stood proudly beside him. Regina's demeanor was much less friendly; however, no one would dare to speak over her either. She had this look about her that demanded respect, or, at least fear. While her husband often wore a smile, Regina wore an expression that approached the makings of a scowl, but, in the end, appeared as if she knew everything about everyone. She looked positively regal standing beside her husband; however, she appeared to be rather threatening next to the young girl that stood just behind her.

No less than seventeen, Jane Pelham seemed to be an angelic being descended from the heavens when stood next to her grandmother. Where Regina was tall and intimidating, Jane was small and quiet, with a charming humility that could not hope to be mimicked.

The difference between the two was striking, really. Jane's light colored hair crowned her head like a halo while Regina's dark hair framed her face like a magnificent, shadowy veil. But despite the contrast between them, the two women were undeniably beautiful in very distinct ways. It was this diversity in beauty that claimed the attention of the guests in the room.

Henry stood smilingly between the two women, his nearly empty glass in hand. With rosy cheeks, he addressed the throng of people standing before him, "I thank you all for coming this evening, as we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Garrison Trading Company."

Applause erupted amongst the guests and congratulations were offered throughout the room. After several moments, the clamor dwindled and Henry continued, "It's been a long year, but with all of your hard work, we have doubled our profits from last year. I would like to acknowledge Charles Hale and the instrumental role he has played in making this happen. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend this evening, but he has sent his son to represent him tonight."

Henry playfully raised his glass towards the young gentleman standing in the back of the room, "James has been dragged away from a rather diverting excursion for this event, so we'll try to make it as entertaining for him as possible, though I doubt I will be able to compete with the adventures he could be having." At this, James forced a smile to try and hide the fact that he indeed did not want to be there.

Much to James' dismay, Henry continued to fix his attention on him, "James, I hope we are able to lift your spirits by dessert, but if all else fails, you are welcome to indulge in my cellar." The crowd laughed as the color rose to James' cheeks. He made no effort to respond, but the host could nonetheless sense the younger man's embarrassment. The old man waved his free hand to silence his guests, "I'm sorry to call you out, my friend. I'm simply envious of your youth. If you can, stay young; it's better there."

A small grin pulled at the corners of James' mouth as he thought of his clever retort, "Sir, might I suggest you take your own advice?" In a moment, the lightheartedness of the evening was suspended as every eye turned to look at James incredulously. It was one thing to joke in private, but to openly mock a man of such high standing in his own home was simply just not what was done. Though he should have, James did not seem to find any problem with his comment and to everyone's surprise, neither did Henry.

With an amused chuckle, Henry addressed the bold young man, "You're right, Hale. I should have taken that advice fifty years ago, but alas, it is too late for me." He then shifted his attention to the party as a whole, "Since I'm clearly not getting any younger as Mr. Hale has so candidly pointed out, I think it best if we start our humble feast."

At this, the guests began to make their way into the dining room, which was in no way humble. Henry Pelham was the ruling Duke of Newcastle under the Tyne. As such, his home and estate reflected the wealth that came along with it. In truth, the Pelham family had been had been in a state of economic despair before Henry's marriage to Regina. It had been her family that owned the shipping company which was being celebrated. Without her, Henry Pelham would have never had the means to preserve the dukedom, and she liked to remind him of it. But nonetheless, they had built an empire together, and it was their pride and joy.

The feast began, each course followed by another more decadent than the last. But despite the finery of the food, Jane ate little. Her grandmother had forced her into the tightest corset she had ever worn, so she found that the less she ate, the easier it was to breathe. Her neighbor took notice of her lack of appetite and took it upon himself to make a comment.

"You know, the food won't poison you," the man said, full of condescension. His icy blue eyes cut through her delicate demeanor with severity, but yet again, James Hale felt no need to amend his words. Jane blushed in embarrassment, looking down at her barely-touched plate and saying nothing. She was shy enough as it was, so James' somewhat aggressive commentary was not something that inspired her to participate in conversation.

James continued, blissfully unaware as to how unpleasant he was being, "You know, Jane, I've known you for years, but you still never talk to me."

I wonder why that is, Jane wondered to herself. As soon as she thought the words, she felt ashamed of her rudeness and mentally scolded herself. It was not in Jane's nature to be anything less than amiable; thus, when such a retort was made– even in her own thoughts– she always felt the need to correct herself. This extraordinarily kind and forgiving attitude was simply a part of who she was raised to be; thus, she attempted to exercise dignity and graciousness in all things.

With a polite smile, Jane looked up to her dinner partner and placed her fork down on her plate, "I'm sorry for that, Mr. Hale. I'm afraid that my shyness often gets in the way of conversing with others."

James glanced at the lovely girl sitting next to him, but kept his attention fixed on his empty wine glass, "If you're going to be a wife one day, your husband will surely want you to get over that. You can't be a proper wife without certain charms."

Jane couldn't help but widen her eyes at the young man's incivility towards her. What have I done to make him treat me with such bitterness? In truth, she had done nothing to him; he had simply had one too many glasses of whiskey before dinner, and his behavior was suffering because of it. With disgust evident in her eyes, but not her tone, Jane formulated a reply that was as gracious as she could manage given the circumstances, "I'm sure you're right, sir. I will most certainly try to improve."

James scoffed and continued eating without reply. At this, Jane's favorite uncle addressed the young man from across the table, "Mr. Hale, I understand that you are well-acquainted with a Harold Sinclair?"

Now this seized Mr. Hale's attention, for Harold Sinclair had at one point been James' closest friend. However, due to a falling out a few years prior, their intimate friendship had ended and become a relationship driven by competition and malice.

James clenched his jaw, "Yes, we knew each other as children. What of him?"

Jane's uncle Andrew took a sip of wine from his crystal glass before responding, "He is to meet us in London and then to return here come winter. I had hoped you might instruct us in how we might entertain him."

A flare of anger surged through the handsome young man, but he had mastered controlling himself on the topic of Harold Sinclair, so no one surrounding him could sense his irritation. Quite simply, he hated the man, and the feeling seemed to be mutual from the other party as well.

Despite James' bitter feelings, he responded with dignity and an impressive amount of pleasantry, "Of course, my lord. I would be delighted."

This sudden politeness stuck Jane as odd. He had been nothing but uncivil towards her and everyone at the night's gathering, so why should he exercise his manners now? She had seen Mr. Hale's initial response to the name of the boy coming to stay with them, and to her, it seemed as if their history together was not at all positive. Thus, she found herself wondering what the conflict could have been, and though she would never admit it to anyone aloud, she decided to find out.

•••

Slow start, I know..  but I need to introduce these characters so bear with me😬

Thanks for reading!
-kate🖤