La Belle Swan

ChapterOne

ChapterOne 

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1815 

I have been to the theatres and, of course, have my own box as any Duke would. As the Duke of Cumberland, my family owns a box at the Adelphi Theatre where I would patron as often as I wish. However, I have never been to one of those shows where the common people and nobles are allowed to watch together. An old boyhood friend of mine, Lord Wentworth Craven, has recently come back from India and has requested that I join him to one of those shows before he needed to return to India again.  

Wentworth is quite the reputed colonel, what with all the success of his regiment in India in fighting off the extremists and protecting the English ambassador. I haven't seen the old boy in years and was more than willing to join him at the show; after all, he did promise quite the spectacle. 

The show, it seems, was held in a makeshift tentage with wild lights shining from within. Men and women, mainly men -who were nobles as well as common people, swarmed into the tent.  

"Today must be our lucky night, seems like La Belle Swan would be performing." Wentworth said with a smirk.  

Seeing that I was befuddled, he rolled his eyes and continued. "Seriously Rhys, you haven't heard of La Belle Swan?" 

Pausing for my reply, in which my silence was in itself a reply, he shook his head and chuckled. 

"Jamie Rhys Owens, you better come off your high pedestal of dukedom and experience the world before you turn into a pile of bones! La Belle Swan is why everyone is here. She's an exquisite beauty, her beauty surpasses all in our dear fair land of England, and if dare I say the world. She has the voice that grips your very soul, more grace and elegance of any of those noble ladies you so set your eyes upon and my world, the body of the goddess Aphrodite herself!" 

Now it was my turn to shake my head at the besotted fool. There he was rambling on about a mere performer, an enchantress at best. 

"Wentworth, do you listen to yourself speak? Or has the long and unaccompanied army life in India and sun gotten to your head? Why, if I didn't know you any better I'd think you were in love." I mocked. 

"You think me a fool? No, I shall say not a word more; witness for you the beauty, La Belle Swan, then we'll see who the fool is." Colonel Wentworth challenged as he led me into the tentage to our seats.  

The crowd was wild with cheers. Men of similar standings of our greatly admired Colonel Wentworth were to be seen all over in their uniforms with their strong and commanding demeanour. All rose in standing ovation as they welcomed to the stage, La Belle Swan. She stepped on stage facing the ground, all I could see were her raven black curls falling from her creamy shoulders around her ample bosom. She was slender and tall, and clad in a very tight evening dress. It was nothing too showy like how I had expected, but a simple classy midnight blue evening dress that clung onto her every curve with every intention to seduce. The music started playing and I found that I could not tear my eyes off her, not that I tried very hard to. The crowd grew quiet, the cat calls and wolf whistles died down. The rowdy men that were as wild as Bengal tigers were tamed into domestic cats. A simple note, not even a word or a syllable of a word in any language I know, escaped her lips as she slowly lifted her head to us. With that very note, she stole me.  

Slowly she lifted her head, revelling herself bit by bit to her audience and me. I gaped at the sight in lustful adoration. She was beautiful. She was an angel incarnate. My soul begged for more of her voice as my eyes studied her. 

Her eyes shone in the lights, green and grey, clear and gleaming with youthful vigour and life. Her lashes were thick and black, making her eyes very alluring as she fluttered them. Her celestial nose was perfect. Her luscious lips were painted red, and they were most wonderfully shaped. 

Her voice filled the whole tent. From her voice, anyone could tell she was graceful as a swan and my word, was she a beauty. La Belle Swan, a name duly given. 

At the end of the performance, the entire tent roared in applause as La Belle Swan made her way off stage.  

"Quick Rhys, before the crowd forms!" hollered Wentworth as he snaked through the throng all the way back stage.  

I almost had to break into a jog to keep up with his pace, and we were backstage, facing the door of the tiny building. I suppose this was where the performers resided since the makeshift tentage could not have possibly housed them all. Wentworth was rapping on the door in front of us as he turned to give me a smirk, in which I replied with raising an eyebrow. 

"La Belle Swan, it is Colonel Craven. I have a friend with me, whom I wish you to meet." Wentworth said to the door. 

The door opened slowly, as I gulped in anticipation of landing my eyes on the ravishing beauty once again. With such grace she appeared from within, a charming smile on her face as she held her hand up for Wentworth to take.  

Wentworth took her hand in his and brought it to his lips with a bow and her in a small curtsey.  

"Colonel" She said in her sing-song voice, before lifting her eyes to me and raising an eyebrow in question. 

"May I introduce to you, Lord Jamie Rhys Owens, 5th Duke of Cumberland." I bowed in courtesy as Wentworth introduced me. "He's a boyhood friend of mine." 

She gaped, then caught herself and composed herself promptly. She quickly invited Wentworth and me to join her inside, away from the cold and soon to appear crowd. 

She poured us hot tea as we sat on a quaint settee in her little dressing room. She conversed with us and told me how honoured she was to have met a Duke, but judging from her behaviour, my title was of little regard to her. It seemed she knew Wentworth a fair bit by the way they talked with each other. From all my quiet observation of her movements and reactions, I had concurred the young chit was hardly even 16. She had fooled me with the air on which she carried herself, and physically, I would not have guessed her so. 

I was enchanted to have met her. And quite positively, I knew this was not to be the last time I would see the beauty La Belle Swan.