Page 22 of Curse of Immortality
James had never taken her to his estate, but he’d talked about it enough times that she had a clear picture of it in her mind. It took him no more than half an hour on the back of a fast horse to get to town, but it took Maeve almost three hours to reach his castle. Once she arrived, she had no doubt that she’d found the right place. The long line of roses in the garden and the extravagant lavender plants were exactly where James had described them.
Even though he had described the home as a small castle, Maeve couldn’t comprehend how massive the buildings were. She had never seen a house so grand or tall. Her eyes were wide open with wonder and her mouth dry from walking so far, as she made her way up the long gravel road toward her new home. It was three stories tall and had eight chimneys. Every plant in the surrounding park was cut like a square or circle, and an impressive carriage with six horses waited outside the large front door.
Though she was nervous, her heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of James’ joy and surprise that she was here. She envisioned him picking her up and twirling her around with delight. For so long they had fantasized about their future, and now that they had consummated their relationship there was no need to wait for them to get married. This was where she and James would raise their many children and grow old together. She imagined them having a picnic in the garden while their children ran around and played. Rose and Althea would die of jealousy when they saw her new way of life. Despite her heated argument with Rose before she left, she intended to invite them to live with her. As she looked up at the castle with an endless number of windows, she wondered which one would be her bedroom.
The grand staircase felt like the last mountain to conquer before Maeve would reach her happy ending. Climbing the twelve steps, Maeve lifted her hand to knock on the arched door that had such impressive carvings. Just then the large double doors opened from the inside and a man gave Maeve a startled look.
Staring back at him, Maeve thought he looked strange with his knee-high socks, red pants, and stiff upper lip. Opening her mouth, she was just about to ask to see James but was distracted when a young woman came into view behind the man.
Elizabeth Dale was soon to be eighteen years old. She had been raised in a family of nobility with expectations of marrying a rich suitor. Though James was twice her age, her family found him very agreeable. Elizabeth was not a particularly pretty or nice girl, and she did little to hide her disgust when she saw Maeve standing outside the front door. Though only a fool could miss Maeve’s natural beauty, Elizabeth was blinded by the simple fabric and design of her dress and the smudges of dirt on her shoes. No fine lady would be as tanned as Maeve and in Elizabeth’s eyes, it was almost indecent the way Maeve’s long red hair hung loosely around her shoulders.
Young Elizabeth scrunched up her nose at Maeve and turned her head toward someone on the other side of the door that Maeve couldn’t see.
“When we are wed, I will have to teach your servants not to use the front door and to care about their hygiene. This one doesn’t seem to know what a bath is.”
The person Elizabeth spoke to came to her side to see to whom she was referring. The moment James appeared, Maeve’s lips parted in a silent gasp. She chose to believe that the girl had been speaking to the old man beside her, but the quiet voice in the back of her head knew that she’d been addressing James. James was in shock to see Maeve outside his door and stood with a baffled expression beside Elizabeth.
As the rude woman walked out the door, Maeve was forced to step aside since Elizabeth acted as if she didn’t exist and almost bumped into her.
Silently, Maeve watched as James walked right past her as well, following Elizabeth and her father to their carriage.
Once they had said their goodbyes and the posh carriage had taken off, James kept waving.
“James?” Maeve called out to him, feeling confused by what she had just witnessed.
Not until the carriage was far down the gravel road did James turn and hurry up the stairs to confront her. “What are you doing here?”
It confused Maeve that he showed no sign of joy. “I’ve come to be with you.” She took a step toward him feeling exhausted from her long walk and the heated argument with her aunt. It took her last grain of strength to fight the urge to fall into his arms. “I had an awful fight with my aunt. I can never go back.”
James remained quiet as his face was stern. “I think it’s best we go to our spot in the woods. Come.” He took her wrist and tried to pull her along. But Maeve’s feet stood planted.
“Don’t you understand, James, we don’t have to hide our feelings anymore. We can be wed and live here,together.Just like you said you wanted.”
Unable to meet her eyes, James’s gaze rested on her sharp collarbone.
“Unless…” Maeve looked after the carriage, which was now far away. A part of her had dismissed the situation, hoping it was a misunderstanding. But the more she saw how James avoided her eyes, the more she knew she was wrong. “Who was she?”
“That was Miss Dale.”
Maeve tried to read his face, but it remained impassive, and the warm charming man she was used to seemed cold and distant. “Was it true what she said? Are you engaged?”
“Yes. It’s always been in the plans between our families,” he answered.
“I don’t understand. But you said we would get married.” Maeve's voice broke a little as she reached for the railing of the staircase to steady her tired body. Her legs felt like they might give in.
“Whoa.” James saw the distress on her face and with a firm grip on her upper arms, he moved her to sit on the wide railing. With a deep sigh, James looked around to see if anyone was watching them. “These things are complicated, Maeve. My heart belongs to you, but marriage isn’t about love. I wish you came from a family of wealth and status.” He gave another long and deep sigh. “but even if you did, I already proposed to Elizabeth. My situation in life comes with certain responsibilities that I must prioritize.”
“Do you love her?”
The pain in Maeve’s tone didn’t escape him and so he assured her, “No, of course not.” In truth, he barely knew Elizabeth Dale, but he respected her more than he loved Maeve. Elizabeth had money and power, and that was something that meant more to him than Maeve ever could.
“How long have you been engaged?”
“I proposed to her recently.” He scratched the back of his head. “If only I had met you before her, Maeve, then maybe we would have had a chance. But I’ve already given my word to Elizabeth and her family.”
Narrowing her eyes, Maeve finally saw through one of his many lies. “If it was in the cards before you even met me then why would you play with my heart and plant those ideas in my head of us getting married?” she asked, fighting back tears.
James took Maeve’s hands and looked deep into her eyes. “Because I wish it could be so.” Bowing his head he whispered, “I don’t want to lose you, Maeve, but we can never be more than what we are now. Our love has to be secret. I hope that can be enough for you because I know that a mere second in your company makes life worth living. I’ll gladly meet with you in the forest for the rest of our lives.” From the time James had been a boy, he’d been talented with words and often used them to manipulate others into getting what he wanted. Maeve wasn’t the first girl he had flattered and promised the world to, only with a plan of using her as he pleased.
