Page 2 of Alessandra (Chisholm Manor #1)

On a broad, wide land a little to the east of the town of Bath, a young man called Edward Chisholm was out riding on his beloved Beauty - a beautiful black horse with an almost dark blue sheen to it.

Edward grinned as he rode up the steep incline and reached the summit of the tall, broad hill on their land.

There he climbed down and secured Beauty's reins to a tree before sitting down on the ground and looking out over the estate.

From that point on their land, all of what his family owned could be seen. It constantly brought out in Edward a source of great pride.

For more than 200 years, the Chisholm family had lived on the land as farmers who provided tenants with opportunities for somewhere to live and to work.

Edward had grown up among the tenants.

He regarded them all as extended family, as they did him.

For as long as he could remember, they had spoken to him with affection as they called him 'Young Master'.

Now twenty years of age, Edward felt like he was neither a boy, dependent on his parents, or a man, completely independent.

He was the only living child his parents had, after several miscarriages.

Following his birth, his mother had been told she should never be with child again.

All responsibility would one day be on him to manage the entire estate. For the moment, both of his parents were alive and active in the management of the land, buildings, and tenants.

While Edward wasn't a sociable person, he had been well brought up with good manners.

Because of this, he did seem to make friends easily, although there were few instances where he could see them.

Everyone he knew, he'd met through his parents.

Being the future master of the estate, it had been explained to him very early on that he wouldn't go to school like other children. Instead, he would remain at home and be taught everything there was to know about the land before him. His father regarded that as infinitely more valuable than any schooling could be.

With a mother who'd been well educated, however, even being confined to the estate, she'd ensured Edward had a tutor who could teach him as well as any teacher in the school system.

As a result, not going to school was no loss to him academically.

He'd grown up well versed in literature, language, music, and bookkeeping.

Sitting on the summit, pondering the many aspects of his life, Edward could feel the chill of winter beginning.

The grounds were beautiful with leaves of various colours scattered around.

It wouldn't be long before winter truly set in.

He knew it would then get frightfully cold. He was thankful that he was fortunate to live in a home that was solid, and warm once all the fires were going. They would have enough people around in winter to be able to keep a good supply of firewood coming into the house, ready for use at all times.

The only negative thing he occasionally felt about his life was the aspect of sometimes feeling so lonely.

There were always many people he could see and talk to, but now and then he did feel alone.

His father had been telling him for a long time that he needed to get on and meet someone who could provide an heir for the family.

It seemed to have been left in Edward's hands to find that 'someone'. Nothing had changed so far. He never met anyone new, so no courting had ever taken place. Because he believed his parents weren't too old to leave this world yet, he didn't consider there was any rush.

After enjoying the tranquillity and beauty of the summit and its views, Edward stood up and started down the hill again toward the main house.

As he approached his home, he dismounted and watched as Beauty was led away to the stable by the stable hand.

Having grown up with horses, Edward sometimes considered them as good a friend as any man could have.

He'd seen and heard of horses doing things that saved men's lives. They were a constant source of wonder to him, despite him having been around them every day of his life.

Walking into the house, he immediately went up to his room to freshen up and change before going to find his mother.

As he entered the drawing room, he was confronted with his mother looking agitated while talking to his father.

"Charles, he needs to get married so our line - your line - can continue," his mother said.

"Why do you object to this so much?"

Both parents looked up as they noticed Edward had entered.

"What are you talking about?" he asked his father, who shook his head in reply.

"It does not concern you, Edward," his father replied.

Edward could see the dismay on his mother's face.

"Are you sure, Father?" he boldly asked.

"Who else needs to get married around here?"

His father was silent.

Seeing his mother also appearing hesitant to speak up, Edward went and sat beside her.

She appeared visibly upset, whilst an angry vibe seeped from her.

"Father?" he prompted, one more time.

Finally, his father looked at him and spoke.

"Edward, you know that it will be your duty to marry and carry on the family line and business," he said.

Edward quietly nodded in response before his father continued.

"Your mother has found someone who she considers suitable for you to take as a wife."

Edward looked at his father, his mother, and then back again.

He felt somewhat perplexed at the rather unusual conversation.

"And you do not consider her suitable?" he asked.

"She is a nobody, with no land or social status," his father said.

Edward was surprised to hear a sound of almost disgust in his father's voice.

"She has money! Exactly what we need!" his mother said forcefully.

"How can you call that nothing?"

"Oh, Mother," Edward began to ask.

"How has she come to have money if her family has no social status?"

"She is descended from a well-known family in Italy, with connection to Italian royalty," his mother replied.

"She is hardly a nobody!"

At that point, his father jumped back into the conversation.

Edward immediately began to see why they were disagreeing so much.

"They aren't known or respected!" his father exclaimed with passion in his voice.

"No-one has even heard of them!"

Edward looked at both of his parents.

He could see their individual levels of stubbornness that he'd witnessed on many previous occasions.

He knew they could have a stand-off for days, or even weeks, if they both felt strongly enough about their own points of view.

"Mother, perhaps you could tell me how you have learned about this young lady, and why you see her as a good match for me," Edward suggested in an attempt to calm his parents down.

He watched as his mother took a moment to consider her words.

"I know that they are a family who do not live in society, and they have very little land," she said.

"They live as though they are common people, but in this girl's heritage there is history and honour.

They have contacts who are the equivalent of dukes and duchesses, even if they do not live like that themselves.

The young woman is to inherit a very large dowry now that she has turned eighteen."

Edward could see his mother's point of view.

She was a romantic soul.

She'd ideally prefer a marriage to be more than just an exchange of money or land.

In this instance, however, he could see that money appeared to be a major contributor to her enthusiasm.

"And Father?" he asked.

"What is your argument against this young lady?"

"I have no particular argument against her," his father replied, beginning to look worn down.

"I have never even met the girl or her family.

But your mother's argument that her ancestors had some kind of standing in Italy makes no sense to me.

She would bring a cash injection to the estate, but she won't bring land or social status to you. What real purpose would she be?"

Edward looked at his father and could see stress on his face.

That worried him.

"Would her real purpose not be to be my wife, and to give me children?" asked Edward.

"I do not think that she needs land or a title for that.

All I could wish for is someone who I can get on well enough with, and who will work with me to keep our home together and running smoothly."

As his parents looked at each other, Edward saw softening on their faces as they both appeared to relax.

"I understand that you have tried to leave it to me to find someone I wish to marry, however I am simply not in any position to meet new people," he said.

"To be honest, I would be happy to marry anyone who can think and speak, and is as eager to work at marriage as I will be.

So, Mother, if you think you have found someone suitable, even if just to secure more money for the estate, could we not at least meet her? What harm could there be in inviting this young lady and her family to stay here for a few weeks, so we can all simply meet?"