Prologue

18th July 1817

“It’s ugly.”

At six years old, Adrian wasn’t a particularly eloquent child but definitely a curious one. He had pushed his little blonde head around his father’s long legs, just to see what all the adults were looking at.

“That is a little baby girl, not an ‘it’,” admonished his mother, Lady Charlotte “and Charles Adrian Campbell, ‘ugly’ is a very mean thing to say. Now apologise to your godfather for insulting his newborn daughter.”

“I’m sorry Uncle William. A gentleman should never insult a lady,” he repeated from routine. Though pink-cheeked, he sent a sceptical look to little bundle in Mrs. Lily Russell’s arms, doubting that ‘a lady’ could ever be that small. To his young eyes, the baby looked like nothing more than a pudgy, red-faced, sleeping thing with fuzzy black hair. The proud new father, Major William James Russell, took no offence and just patted Adrian on the head. Then he bent down and kissed his first child on the forehead.

“No matter what you might think Adrian, she will always be my little princess.” He gazed down lovingly at his small family and then gently took the baby from his wife’s arms.

“I think she’s rather cute, with such tiny hands and feet.” This came from fourteen year old Samantha Elizabeth Russell, who stood to the left of Lady Charlotte in the close circle around Mrs. Russell.

“Of course you have to think she’s cute. You’re her aunty, you don’t have a choice,”  interjected Anna-Marie. Adrian sent a scathing look to his sister who, though a full two years younger than himself, had full control of her vast verbal prowess and was well on the way to being the most annoying four-year-old in existence.

Lord Gregory Campbell, known to most of London as Viscount Newham, tried very hard not to laugh at his daughter’s remark and disguised it quite well by clearing his throat. But then, everyone turned to look at him with expectant faces.

“Have you…ummm…have you thought of a name for her?” he asked rather randomly, fishing for something that would deflect attention off himself. Major Russell looked suspiciously up at the young lord. He had first met him at Eton, when they were just eleven years old and had been best friends ever since. He knew Gregory better than anyone else, knew that his natural shyness was often mistaken for arrogance or snobbery, and also knew that he was the most loyal friend any man could ever hope for. That is why the Campbell family, though far more superior than the Russells on the social scale, were the first to visit his newborn daughter.

“I think we should call her Amalie-short-for-Amelia” suggested Samantha.

“Actually, I wanted to name her Janet, after our mother,” said Major Russell, rocking the baby in his arms as he looked down on his sister.

“Hmm…Amelia Janet Russell. It has a very nice ring to it. I like it very much,” as she said this, Mrs. Russell’s usually soft voice had a tone of finality in it, that broached no argument.

“Well, I think we should all let the new baby and her mummy rest,” said Lady Charlotte, ushering everyone out of the nursery and winking at Mrs. Russell as she left the room. Once they were all in the North Salon, which ironically faced the back of the house and opened up into the garden, Lady Charlotte turned to her two children and said “Adrian, Anna, you both look a bit peachy. It’s a nice sunny day, why don’t you go play in the garden. And play nicely!” but she was too late, the children were already half-wild before they reached the garden door. “And you two,” she said turning to Major Russell and her husband, “keep an eye on them. Make sure they don’t kill each other. In the mean time, I’m going to go and see about dinner and Samantha will accompany me.”

“Umm…maybe I should do that, seeing as it is my humble house,” said Major Russell, feeling that he should be a good host while his wife was indisposed.

“Nonsense. This is something that requires a woman’s touch. You can go play ‘man of the house’ with Gregory over there. Come along, Samantha.” With that Lady Charlotte and Samantha left the room, heading towards the kitchen.

“You have been thoroughly dismissed, my friend,” said Lord Gregory, patting Major Russell on the back.

“Has Lady Charlotte ever been in a kitchen before?” Lord Gregory just shrugged. “You know, sometimes she reminds me so much of my mother that it’s slightly frightening.”

“I remember when I first met your mother, William.” Lord Gregory shook his head in silent laughter. “She really was a remarkable and kind woman, and yes, a little frightening too.”

“I remember, once she remarked that you were more of a Russell than I was.”

“True. But in all fairness, I think of you as more of a brother than my own.”

They both sat down in the lawn chairs and watched silently for a while as Anna-Marie was chased around the garden by Adrian with a ball in his hand.

“You know, I was just thinking,” pontificated Lord Gregory as he turned back to Major Russell, “Wouldn’t it be nice if my son married your daughter? Then we really would be a family.”

“Hmm … It is a nice thought. As with any father, it would be reassuring to know that my daughter was going to a safe and loving home. But, given Adrian’s recent … elegant observation on Amalie’s appearance, well, we have no idea if the two will suit once they grow up.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait to find out.”

***

Twelve months later, the Russell family was blessed with another baby. They named him Lucas and Adrian was greatly pleased to learn that this time, the baby was a boy like him. As time went by, Adrian, Anna-Marie, Amelia and Lucas became childhood playmates. They spent most of their summers together, running completely wild in grounds at Newham Park. The glorious, 16th century Abbey at the centre of Newham Park was the ancestral home of Viscount Newham.

While at the Abbey, the foursome shared tutors, horse riding lessons and trips into Beckton village. However, the children’s favourite pass-time was to play two-aside cricket. But it was no ordinary cricket. They often would add their own rules just to make things interesting. It was fun and loud and they probably lost more than a hundred cricket balls over the years. Though, for obvious reasons, whoever had Adrian on their side was sure to, eventually, win the game. On rainy days, they usually spent their time playing hide-and-go-seek. They could spend hours and hours playing this because, after all, the Abbey had many places to hide. Adrian, being the oldest, knew the Abbey really well and was the best seeker around. Amalie, on the other hand, was a rather ingenuitive hider and never hid in the same place twice.

There were also times when they played apart. Anna-Marie took Amalie in as her own little protégée and taught her all there was to know about dolls and tea parties. She also had a cat named Coocky, that Amalie loved dearly and played with whenever she got the chance. In the mean time, Adrian and Lucas became well versed in the art of terrorising the Abbey staff and aggravating their respective sisters.

But unbeknownst to children, change was on the horizon.

In 1824, soon after Amelia’s seventh birthday, Major Russell received an urgent missive from General Fitzwilliam. His division and all the regiments within, were moving to Hindustan on behalf of the East India Company. Major Russell was to accompany them. Orders were orders and must be obeyed. Loathed to be separated from his family, Major Russell, Lily and Samantha decided together that they would all move to India and settle there, despite the fact that the newest member of the Russell family, Zachary, was hardly two years old.

And so, one fateful August day, the Russells and the Campbells said their final goodbyes, not knowing if they would ever see each other again.