Jamie decided to explore the city with Isla, they looked over at the carriages that were riding by with their horses. Jamie looked and saw how Isla was looking and seeing everything. He could tell by the excitement on her face. He could tell that she wanted to do nothing but explore the city. She was looking around and saw all of the buildings and she was enjoying looking at everything.
"Enjoying it?" Jamie asked,
"Yes I am..." Isla answered, "I've lived in the city for a while, but I have never seen the beautiful parts of the city."
"Never?" Jamie asked, "That's sad."
"I'm always in the workforce," Isla said back in a nice calm tone. Jamie shrugged and understood. It was a fair excuse, but he felt bad for her.
"Is there anything that you're interested in that you want to see?" Jamie asked, "Anything that you..."
"Um..." Isla didn't know what was on her mind, "I will be happy with anything that you want to do."
Jamie liked that Isla was willing to agree with anything that he had to say, but he was also one of the most indecisive men that anyone would meet. Isla then looked around and then started to think about something to do to spend some time with Jamie. Isla stared at him for a moment and then smiled and grabbed his arm and led him to the opposite direction.
"Where are you taking me?" Jamie asked her.
"You'll see." Isla answered as she led him to the direction of all of the small homes. But then she sent him farther from the homes, and then looked over and saw a vacant cottage. Jamie was starting to be concerned and then looked at Isla.
"Why are you sending me here?" Jamie asked,
"It's somewhere I go often." Isla said, "Whenever I want some free time."
Jamie looked at the cottage and he saw all of the plants and of flowers that were stuck to the house. He had never seen anything like it. But he thought it was such a beautiful home.
"Does anyone live here?" Jamie asked, Isla shook her head, Isla then took his hand and walked in the cottage with him to show him what it looked like. He opened the door and saw all of the flowers inside and the plants that were inside as well. It felt like he was stuck in spring all over again.
"This is actually..." Jamie started to say, "Really lovely,"
He smiled as she walked over to the candle that she had lit, and she looked over and smiled at him.
"So... this is where all of our troubles can be forgotten," Isla said, Jamie still was trying to figure out how she did it. He wondered how she could forget about everything that had happened. He didn't think that she could sweep everything that had happened to her under the carpet. It wasn't something that a few flowers and a few candles could fix. This was something that was going to ruin her for life. And she was never going to be the same as time went on.
"This is lovely," Jamie started to say but he needed to know if she was going to be alright in the long run, "But... I am wondering something."
"What?"
"I'm wondering if you're going to be okay..." Jamie started to ask, "With everything that has happened to you."
"This is lovely," Jamie started to say but he needed to know if she was going to be alright in the long run, "But... I am wondering something."
"What?"
"I'm wondering if you're going to be okay..." Jamie started to ask, "With everything that has happened to you."
Isla could understand what he meant. She didn't want him to have to worry about her, because she wanted to be able to take care of herself. But she didn't know if she was able to.
"Isla... talk to me..." Jamie started to say, hoping he could get a word from her. Isla didn't say anything she just looked at Jamie for a moment and then looked down at the ground. Not saying anything else.
"Of course... it's not going to be easy moving past it..." Isla said, "It's been going on with me for ten years, perhaps it's good to carry a facade"
"It's not...trust me...i've been there..." Jamie said, but then he started to think about everything that he went through. He wanted Isla to be aware so she didn't have to live in fear, and she didn't have to keep hiding how she was truly feeling.
"Let me tell you something..." Jamie started to say, he didn't know what he was going to tell her, "I had an affair with the wife of one of my closest friends in the military. I acted like everything was alright, it wasn't...I felt guilty after he committed suicide the moment he found out... his wife got ill weeks later... it was not my proudest moment, I kept acting like everything was great, and I was doing alright with everything, I wasn't...I was so angry at myself..."
"You never got any forgiveness?" Isla asked him, "If you could do it all over again, what would you do?"
"I wouldn't have pursued it, and I would have pursued Mabel instead..." Jamie said being honest and vulnerable. Isla looked at Jamie's face and she could immediately tell that he was not proud of that moment in his life. He started to think about Silas and then Ciera and how he had failed them both, but he needed to move on, because that is what they both would have wanted from him.
"What are you saying?" Isla asked,
"I'm saying I want you to not be afraid to say how you really feel." Jamie answered, "In any types of situation... and if you're still feeling like everything is inside of you...please... tell me..."
"I will..." Isla said sitting down, "So much for me staying away from men like you..."
"So much for that..."
Jamie then looked over at a few of the flowers and picked one off, Isla looked at him and was about to ask why he did what he did and then he offered the flower to Isla, she smiled and accepted it. Isla looked at the rose that was in her hand and smiled at it, then finally smiling at Jamie. Jamie didn't know what was going on in his head, but spending time with Isla was all that mattered to him.
"Is Mabel going to get jealous?' Isla asked,
"She knows I'm here..." Jamie said, "But nothing is going to happen between us..."
"Right..." Isla said smiling at him
She was starting to feel even more comfortable in herself with him around but she didn't want to admit to him, or herself. But Jamie wasn't going to have any feelings for her, that she was starting to develop for him. He was with Mabel and she didn't want to get in the way of that because she knew that Mabel would be angry at her if she tried to pursue him and that was something she had no intention of trying.
YOU ARE READING
A Spring Times Kiss: An Imperial Love Prequel
Historical FictionJamie Hamilton was a soldier trying to figure out who he was and he was getting nowhere fast, a troublemaker in the military who was caught breaking all of the rules. He returns to New York City to figure out his own life and possibly get back to fi...
