Love at First Glance Read online

  Love at First Glance

  By: Dominique LeSane

  Copyright © 2013

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book

  Disclaimer

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Lillian leaned over and inhaled the scent of the roses. She pulled the small set of shears out of her basket and lightly snipped first a red one then a few of the yellow ones, right below the bud. There was just enough of the stem left enabling her to tuck a rose in her hair.

  She loved walking in the garden. It was a place of quiet solitude where she was free to be amongst nature. Ladybugs and butterflies had been her friends since she was a child and she loved nothing more than lounging in the soft grass with a good book and a basket lunch when the sunshine was present.

  This morning, she chose to go for a walk so that she could escape her parents. They had been too focused on her love life, or lack thereof. Her sisters were overly willing to let their parents make arrangements on who they would marry. But Lillian didn’t want that to be her destiny. She believed in love and romance and she believed that one day, her prince would find her and romance her properly.

  She didn’t believe that he was some awkward, shy, inexperienced school boy that her parents liked because he belonged to the right family. Lillian believed that the man that would be her husband would be a confident, handsome, man that took pride in choosing a woman like her to be at his side.

  She wasn’t sure where she would find this man. Maybe she would find him on one of her trips into town. Maybe she would find him on a trip to London. Maybe she would find him on an excursion to another country. But she certainly didn’t think that she would find him at one of the society balls thrown by her mother. Although her mother, the Countess of Lanchester, threw many societal galas at their home Willington Manor, Lillian just didn’t believe that she would find love when it was handed to her on a silver platter.

  To her, love was meant to happen naturally. It was to be drawn together like magnetic attraction. Not purposefully thrown together by the workings of another human being. If one was to fall in love, it was to happen cosmically. Lillian was a true believer in love at first sight. It would happen if two people were in the right place at the right time. And then later, they would tell how they were both somehow drawn to be at that place through some unknown force of nature and how they happened to meet one another by chance and by fate. They would talk of those pangs in one’s heart when you look into someone’s eyes and it’s immediately known that this person is the one that you were meant to spend your life with.

  But Lillian’s parents didn’t believe that love happened that way. Her mother told her how she didn’t think her father, the Earl of Lanchester was even attractive when they met, but how she grew to love him. Lillian’s sisters, Olivia and Kate both shunned her notion that love was something that humans were not totally in control of. Her family told her that she was being a foolish dreamer and that she should wake up before she found herself an old maid.

  Her father often laughed at her when she spoke of waiting for the man of her dreams.

  “Lily, darling. That kind of love just does not exist. It’s the substance of fairytales and life is not a fairytale my dear,” he’d said.

  But for Lillian, she knew deep in her heart that fairytales did exist. They were made up by someone who was a dreamer just like she was, so she wasn’t alone.

  Lillian snipped one more of the roses and then neatly tucked it in her hair.

  She picked up her basket and moved to the other side of the garden where she could choose from the tulips and other flower varieties. She loved nothing more than freshly cut flowers in a vase on her night stand. They always brightened up her mood.

  “Milady! Milady!”

  Lillian looked around and heard the voice of her maid Elizabeth.

  “Over here, Elizabeth,” Lillian said.

  Elizabeth was almost out of breath when she reached Lillian where she was picking flowers.

  “What beautiful flowers, Milady.”

  “Why thank you, Elizabeth. You know how much I love them fresh from my garden,” Lillian said with a smile.

  “Lady Charlotte has called for you. She’s in the keeping room and she is looking for you at this very moment.” Elizabeth clasped her hands together, waiting for Lillian’s response.

  Lillian sighed. “Hopefully it is not for another rousing rendition of find a suitor for Lillian.”

  Elizabeth looked around nervously, unsure of how to answer. “I’m not sure, milady. She has rounded your sisters up as well. They are waiting for you.”

  “Very well,” Lillian conceded. She placed the rest of her flowers in her basket and began walking toward the house with Elizabeth.

  “May I ask you a question, Elizabeth?”

  “Yes, milady. Anything.”

  “What are your thoughts on love?”

  Elizabeth wrung her hands, twisting them as she thought.

  “No need to be nervous, Elizabeth. Just asking what your ideas are on finding true love. You’re a young woman, just as I am. Surely the thought has crossed your mind.”

  Elizabeth had not been serving the Willington family long enough to feel as if her thoughts on a subject, let alone a subject so personal, would make a difference. But since Lillian had asked and they were alone, she figured not answering would be considered rude or insubordinate.

  “Well, I think that love is a funny thing. It can be the best thing in the world and it can be the worst thing in the world. If you love the right person, it can be like constant euphoria, but love the wrong person and it’s like a knife to the gut every day.”

  “Really? Do you think that it’s that intense? That extreme?” Lillian pondered.

  “I do, Milady. But I don’t think any of us will ever truly understand love. It’s too much of a raw emotion.”

  Lillian kept her eyes glued to Elizabeth as she philosophized. She was intrigued with Elizabeth’s thoughts. Besides, no one ever really wanted to discuss matters of the heart with Lillian and it was nice to have someone to talk to about what was on her mind.

  “So do you think that you can grow to love someone or do you believe at love at first sight?” Lillian asked.

  Elizabeth stopped walking, standing still in her tracks to think for a moment. Lillian watched as a butterfly with white and yellow markings fluttered by.

  “That I’m not too sure of. But I do know that I’d much rather be with someone who makes my heart skip a beat and that stays on my mind all day long. I don’t want to have to grow to love someone that I don’t already love, that’s for sure,” Elizabeth finally responded.

  Lillian smiled and handed Elizabeth a yellow rose. “I agree myself. I think love should just happen naturally. It doesn’t need a push from us if it’s really meant to be, don’t you think?”

  Elizabeth smiled timidly. “I do, Milady. And thank you for the rose. You always have such pretty flowers out here in the garden. They are beautiful.”

  “Why thank you, Elizabeth. I think you and I will get along famously,” Lillian replied with a smile.

  Elizabeth nodded. She’d just recently been employed at Willington Manor and she didn’t want to risk her job by speaking out of turn. But Lady Lillian seemed so nice and relaxed that she felt comfortable enough to share a bit with her of what she thought ab
out love.

  The wind blew gently and Lillian inhaled the scent of roses floating in the air. She’d much rather spend her time in the garden, but if her mother was looking for her, she knew that she’d better answer to her.

  They made it to the manor and once inside, Elizabeth disappeared to her own business. Lillian found her family in the keeping room.

  “So nice of you to join us, Lily.” Her mother Charlotte had a way of being politely sardonic. She was a proper Englishwoman in every sense and she liked all those around her to carry on as such.

  Lillian took a seat in a chair opposite of the chaise where her sisters sat.

  “Lily, you positively spend too much time fretting around in the garden, dear,” her sister Olivia spoke. Olivia folded her hands primly in her lap, waiting for Lillian’s response.

  Lillian didn’t reply at all. She knew that her sister was antagonizing her.

  “Mother, you wanted to talk with us about something?” Lillian responded instead.

  Charlotte was used to the undertone of rivalry between her daughters. Olivia was her oldest and was of course the bossiest. Lillian was second oldest and was head strong like her father. Kate and Victor were her twins, Victor being older by two minutes. Kate and Olivia were extremely close and often left Lillian out of their experiences, but Charlotte wasn’t sure if Lillian didn’t mind or if she was aloof because she simply chose to be.

  Charlotte was constantly trying to convince her daughters to have closer relationships with each other, but it was becoming close to impossible to make that happen at this point. They were getting older and had their own minds. It wasn’t possible to force them to get along. The only thing she asked was if they were in public, that they would act properly.

  One of the maids came over and produced a platter with tea service. They waited until all of the tea was poured before they continued to speak.

  Charlotte took a sip of her tea before she continued.

  “Now, as I was saying. I’m going to have a ball here next week. We are inviting all of London’s Who’s Who. The guest list is exclusive so I expect you all to be on your best behavior.”

  Charlotte shot a look at Kate and Olivia then at Lillian.

  “Oh Mother, please tell me this is not a ploy to play matchmaker,” Kate said, in mock exasperation.

  Lillian rolled her eyes. Her sisters had a way of frustrating her.

  “There will certainly be some young, eligible bachelors in attendance,” Charlotte replied. “But this is just like any other event at Willington Manor, so I hope you ladies are ready.”

  “Why doesn’t Victor ever have to attend any of these boring parties, Mother?”

  As soon as the words escaped her lips, Lillian felt bad for her comment. She had only given her sisters more reason to shun her. And it gave her mother another reason to be frustrated with her.

  Charlotte just looked at Lillian and decided not to answer Lillian’s comment. She didn’t want to explain that the ball really was a means to pair her daughters up with suitors. They were all in their twenties and were beautiful girls and she wasn’t sure why they weren’t married or at least on the verge of marrying.

  “The ball will take place next Thursday at seven p.m. sharp. I’ve made arrangements with a new local dress maker in London for all of you to have a fitting on some of the finest dresses that are just in.”

  Lillian watched as her sister’s faces lit up. They were always excited to shop and spent a lot of their time in the presence of other socialites. It was something that Lillian could absolutely care less about.

  All she wanted was a world of peace and quiet, away from all of the stuffy social norms that her mother and father constantly preached and enforced. She didn’t believe that life should be so rigid. She wanted a more relaxed way of life. She wanted a bit more freedom to think and feel what she pleased without it being in question because of what society dictated.

  Lillian finished her tea. “Well if that’s all, Mother, I had a few more things to tend to in the garden.”

  Charlotte dismissed her daughter. Once she exited the room, she let out a deep sigh. It was as if she could breathe again. Once outside, she let her strawberry blonde hair down and ran back to the garden, the one place she was at peace. The last thing she wanted to do was dress up and be paraded around by her mother for the sake of setting her up with an eligible bachelor.

  “Lily!”

  A smile came across Lillian’s face. She was overjoyed to hear the voice of her brother, Victor.

  “Over here, darling,” she called out. Lillian wiped her hands and put down her pruning shears as she watched her brother approach.

  Victor took his sister by the hand and kissed her on both cheeks. “You look absolutely ravishing.”

  “Victor, seriously, I’m dressed in old rags out here in the garden. I’m far from ravishing.”

  Victor shook his head. “I wish you could see what I see, Lily,” he said as he gently touched her chin.

  Lillian suddenly felt squeamish as she looked her brother in the eyes. She hated when people pointed out how beautiful she was. She always felt so plain compared to her sisters. They were tall, blonde, and blue eyed. She was moderate height, strawberry blonde mousy hair, and brown eyed. Her father said that she looked exactly like he remembered his grandmother. But that never made Lillian feel any better. It just made her feel like more of an outcast. Even Victor had blonde hair, blue eyes, and boyish good looks.

  “Mother said that you’d come outside to the garden and I wanted to check on you.”

  Lillian went back to pruning her flowers. “Yes, you know that I love it out here. Are you going to be at this God awful society ball that Mother has scheduled?”

  “I will,” Victor said calmly. Lillian stole a glance at him.

  “Are you serious, Brother?”

  Victor folded his arms while he watched Lillian clip a few roses. “Lily, you are the only one that doesn’t like to deal with society. When Mother throws a ball, I get a chance to rub elbows with other men and discuss politics and religion. It’s a great opportunity for me to follow in Father’s footsteps. After all, I will one day be the Earl of Lanchester myself. It’s important for me to know everything that he knows.”

  Lillian nodded. Victor was right about that. Besides, he deserved to socialize with other men since all he had was sisters.

  “I do understand. I just hate feeling like I’m on display is all.”

  Victor gave his sister a light pat on the back. “It’s not that bad. Mother and Father know what’s best for all of us. But don’t take this ball so seriously. Go and have fun. You may not meet the man you are going to marry there, but you are sure to meet someone worth keeping company with. Just relax.”

  Lillian took a deep breath. “Brother, you are absolutely correct. I will do just that. I will not take the ball or myself so seriously. I’ll try my best to have fun.”

  “Good,” Victor said with a smile. “Because with a determined mother like ours, you won’t get out of going, so you may as well prepare yourself.”

  Lillian kissed her brother on the cheek. “Thank you for the uplifting conversation, Victor. I think you may be on to something.”

  Victor excused himself from the garden and Lillian took a seat on the wrought iron bench nearby.

  Her brother was right. All she had to do was remain calm and enjoy a few dances with a beau and the night would be over with before she knew it.

  The problem was that her mother was relentless and if it looked like she wasn’t going to gain a suitor, she may kick the matchmaking into overdrive and surely no one would benefit from that, besides one Charlotte Willington.

  Chapter 2

  “Do you know of Richard Smythe?” Kate asked.

  Lillian served the ball back across the court. Kate, Olivia, and Lillian had convinced their father to have a tennis court built. They enjoyed playing often. It was one of the only times all of the girls would get together and have a good time.
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  Olivia sat on the side of the court watching. She did not like to do much activity but was always available as a spectator.

  Lillian returned the serve. “I have heard of him. But don’t know him personally.”

  “I’ve met him. He’s very charming,” Olivia replied.

  “Really?” Kate said as she missed the ball. She stood there for a moment. “I’ve heard that he’s very handsome. What did you think of him, Liv?”

  Olivia smiled. “He’s tall, blonde, and his gorgeous brown eyes are to die for. He’s also the son of a wealthy businessman. His mother is American though. Her family owns several department stores in America. Why do you ask about him, Kate?”

  Kate wiped her palms on her skirt. “Mother has invited him to meet me at the ball.”

  Lillian shook her head. “Is it what you want, Kate?”

  Kate smiled absently, then replied. “I don’t mind when Mother looks out for me. As a proper Englishwoman of status, she will ensure that her daughters marry the right man. I don’t know why you have a problem with that.”

  “Kate, you don’t really mean that. I can tell by the look on your face that you would prefer that she not set you up like this. Don’t you two want to just let love happen on it’s own?”

  Olivia laughed. “Love? Who says that we are both trying to find love? Lily darling, marrying is not about love. It’s about status and name. I like the life I live and I like being rich. Why would I want to trade all of that in for love?” Olivia asked matter of factly.

  Kate gently touched Lillian’s arm. “Lily, you have to give up all of this talk of love. It’s nice to think of, but the truth is that not many people find love. But you can grow to love someone after being with them.”

  Lillian looked at her sisters. She hated the way that they resigned to never truly love another.

  “You two can let Mother control your lives if you’d like, but not me. I’d like to meet that man that loves me the way that I love him. I don’t want to be trapped in a marriage with a man that I don’t love.”