Unchaining Alice

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty – Two

James needed to literally pinch himself every time he saw Alice at breakfast. He couldn’t help but smile each time he saw her moving slowly in the hallways as she walked while reading a book. But nothing made him feel happier than seeing her face light up whenever she saw him. He could tell by the look in her pale eyes that she truly loved him for him and not for what he had. That was obvious considering she refused to wear anything she had not made herself and she did not accept an allowance from the estate.

She had taken back her position at the orphanage. It hadn’t been filled. It seemed Joseph and Annie were as optimistic as James was about Alice being freed.

She and Eloise worked well together. They were much more efficient as a team. Alice retired in the evening and James always made sure that he was waiting outside with the carriage to collect her. That was when they spent their time together.

He loved the wondrous look on her face when he took her to the opera and he loved the insecure look on her face when she was faced with a ballroom full of aristocrats. She translated the operas for him and he never left her side in the ballroom.

He loved twirling her around the dance floor and having the envious eyes of men on him as they saw such a beauty on his arm. Alice’s eyes never wavered, and neither did his. He didn’t see other women anymore. His eyes seemed to automatically follow her.

But more than anything, he loved how she interacted with his family. She was completely relaxed and herself around them, and without a huge secret hanging over her head, she was quite quick witted. They all loved her as if she were a daughter and sister and even the children – Will, Millie and Amy – had developed a close bond with her. Will and Amy had taken to calling her ‘Aunt Ali’ as they both had misheard her name to begin with and the name had stuck. To everyone else, though, she was still ‘Alice’. Seeing her with his young nephew and nieces made him excited for the day when their own child would be born. Such a though six months ago would have completely frightened him, but with Alice, he could not wait.

Letters had been exchanged between his Aunt Jane and his mother and the extended family were all anxiously awaiting their first meeting with Alice. Christmastime would be an overwhelming experience for her. They meant well but there were just so many people now. Husbands and children had been added to the mix, Alice would be the first wife come their wedding … when he actually asked her.

During his days when Alice was at the orphanage, James spent his time with his father in the office. James thought it high time he took on some responsibilities and Sebastian could not have agreed more. James learnt how to keep and control the financial books. He also learned how the businesses Ethridge controlled were run and he had memorised the rental amounts. There were still many more aspects of running an estate that he would have to learn, but he knew he could undertake these responsibilities so that his parents could move into semi-retirement.    

The news of a new courtship did not sit well with some in the ton, but many had been very accommodating of Alice. Her imprisonment was still whispered about but most knew that she was innocent. Nevertheless, none dared to talk to Alice about it in front of James and he’d made her promise to tell him if ever anyone spoke to her maliciously about it.

Their three months of courting went rather quickly and before anyone knew it was November and the annual trip to Yorkshire was being planned. But this year, there would be a few extra guests. Kitty and Little J would give birth before they left and Annie’s child would be due during their stay. At least now they would have two doctors in residence so a repeat of Kitty’s birth with Millie would not reoccur. A caesarean during a blizzard was not how they Alcott family wanted to spend their Christmas again.