Jim's trip to Wales (Part One)

"Dad why are you taking me along with you?" Jim complained, thinking about the piece of meat he had been eyeballing the day before, his maid Sydney. He could think of someone he'd rather be doing then going on a trip to Wales where all those scheming Welsh lived. They were in a carriage pulled by two horses. They were going to their home in Manchester to Strata Florida Abbey, the Capital of Wales in the county of Ceredigion. The journey would be 230 km, taking the horses with good rest, five days to get them there. What a snore fest. There was a lot of just traveling and seeing hills, lots of hills...

"It's good for you to learn the business." His father, Phillip, pipped up.

"I'm not first born though, why not Marie?" He would rather not follow in his father's footsteps. What he did not realize though is that he already was in many more ways than just this one.

"The times might be changing, son, but I still do not think Ladies should be in charge of businesses."

"Why do you have to take me to the Playboy prince's place?" Jim rolled his brown eyes, scoffing at it.

"Please, you have the right to call him a playboy? Pot calling kettle?" His father laughed. He put his hand through his combed grey and brown hair. Phillip smirked. Father doesn't have a right either, he's way worse than I, Jim thought. "Edward the Seventh is what he is. It's hard to keep a stable relationship going all throughout his country on campaigns. It gets lonely not being with someone consistently.

"You're one to talk, I guess, you're always playing around with the maids..." Jim sneered.

"You are too, now that I've got you into it."

"You're being totally unfaithful to mom, I'm not the one that's married."

"You try being married to a women who only wants sex for children." His father frowned.

"Why'd you bother with her then?" Jim stared straight at his father.

"It was arranged by your grandparents, both sets. My parents had the family business, and hers were a large part of the Church of England, more specifically, St. Luke's. My mother went to church and thought very highly of her family. Let's say I was forced into the contract." Phillip frowned further, looking side to side, he didn't have complete loyalty to the woman, he didn't love her whatsoever any longer

His mother, Rose was married to God, his father married to his business. Tragic, not being able to determine who you belong to yourself, Jim thought.

"Did you ever love her?"

"I thought I did, she was pretty once upon a time." His father winked. "As the years went on, though, her love for the lord grew and dismay at the family and our own misdeeds got to her, she started to become ugly to me. Before she was pure, and beautiful, but with age, her looks got worse, and I wasn't attracted to her emotionally or physically. That's why I'd been with all those beautiful maids, but that's that son. I don't want you talking to Marie or Jules about it."

The rest of the day's carriage ride was completely silent, both left to their own thoughts about love, women, and business. Jim thought mostly about Sydney, how it did not seem possible to ever be her's because of his class difference and possible inability to chose who he was with. At the end of the day, he did not control his own fate, his parents did. He did not like that. He decided right then and there that he was determined to do what he wanted, not what his mother wanted. He was sure his father would see eye to eye with him.

The carriage ride ended at a Inn and pub with a stable.

"We have to let the horses sleep for the night good sir." The carriage driver had opened the window between them.

"Right, we're getting pretty sleepy ourselves." His father yawned. "I suppose fresh food and drink would be good too. It beats the cheese and hard crackers we had today on the road."