James held Gillian in his arms, watching the candles slowly burn down. He had been reckless, taking her like that, and yet he had not regretted an instant. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he knew he was going to have trouble convincing her to marry him. There were secrets in her eyes, and sorrow upon her lips and he wished he knew what it was that filled her with fear and hesitancy. He lived his entire life feeling distanced and alone from others, it was hard to find a young lady in society who would marry a man who wished to keep his mother close, a mother who suffered from an early onset of an illness of the mind. Many young ladies he had met had mentioned they would wish to see his mother retired to the country, out of sight, out of mind, but James co
