It was almost expected for someone of Adelaide's heritage that she should only find love within her own class, and it was this very expectation that the woman absolutely could not stand. Of all the men that she'd had the displeasure of meeting that were near the same "monetary value" that her mother and father expected her to find appeal in, not one of them had proven to be worth the spare change in a homeless person's pocket. Not in the fierce sage eyes of the young woman anyway. Perhaps to other women with such desires, those men might have been the closest things to perfection as a human could get. Some might even dare to call her foolish, turning each and every one of them away without so much as a second glance, but when all it took was one, why would she waste her time when they weren't change? Others might say that she should just settle, that if she could not see herself happy with any of them, what was the harm in settling for contentment?"Besides, you'll have their money and yours. Surely that would be enough of a consolation?", Melody had once said to the dark-haired French woman when she'd sent yet another man away with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs."You're suggesting that I settle for a life of disappointment simply because of financial comfort?", she'd responded that afternoon to the blonde woman who seemed to see absolutely no problem in marrying a man simply based off of the wealth that he carried. She'd seen nothing wrong with that very idea, and needless to say, that had been the last day that Adelaide affiliated herself with the blonde woman. If ever the young woman were to marry, she wanted it to be for all the right reasons. She wanted it to be something real. To settle was to stifle that fire in her heart that made her the strong and independent woman that she was, and that was something that she would never do for anyone. Not even for the approval and praise of her own parents. For her, there would never be any settling, especially for such foolish things as a man's wealth or power. They were all so trivial when held up to the measure of what she believed a truly good man was made of.

Unrealistic. That had been the very word that seemed to always follow Adelaide as she grew up behind those guarded iron gates that enveloped the LaBelle Estate. Even though she loved her dear mother, looked up to the woman like most all daughters would if only for the fact that her mother had the patience and understanding of a saint, she could see in those gentle eyes, there wasn't the same fire and light that illuminated Adelaide's. While her mother would listen to those dreams that the young girl would spill out endlessly to the older woman, she would only tell her young daughter that the world she wanted to live in and the reality that surrounded her could not be more different. That one day, there would come a time when there was so much more that was to be expected of her, that one day she would be expected to find love and continue the "proud and noble lines" that raced through her veins in each and every heartbeat. It had been a heavy disappointment to Adelaide, thinking that the woman she surely had to have gotten that fire from was nothing more than obedient housewife to a man of deceit and manipulation. She refused to believe that her fierce will and spirit could have ever come from the likes of such a monster, and it bothered her to no end how everyone around her were practically nothing more than playthings for him. There were always stories of parents disowning the child, but in this particular tale written at the hands of the young woman, it was the daughter that refused to bend as they so wanted her to. While there was only a love in her heart for her mother that would never fade with the passing of time, she could not be that daughter that sacrifice herself just for the sake of the older woman. Perhaps it was selfish to some degree, but she was not a little girl anymore and she was ready to take to the skies and see what lay beyond that distant horizon. After all, shouldn't any good parent want only for their child to find the very things they desired even if it was not what they hoped for that grown son or daughter? Unrealistic or not, Adelaide knew what it was that she wanted most in this world, and the life that was expected for her to lead was the very last thing she would ever want. She would never settled for anything less than happiness, and if that meant that she'd never find love her way instead of through arranged "play dates" with deceptive men, then she would be happy to wander the world without a hand holding her own. There was so much to this wide and wondrous world than just finding love in another, so why determine one's happiness with there they find themselves solely on if they'd found that other half of their heart?

No, Taylor was not the type of man that her mother and father would approve of. Not by a long shot, and despite the most miniscule touches of satisfaction knowing that should they ever somehow catch word of the man that their darling daughter had taken such an interest in, that was not one of the reasons that the dark-haired woman felt herself craving to know what else might hide beneath those hunter greens and that easy smile that he offered her, only bringing to her own lips a warm and genuine smile in turn. It was strange to think that they'd hardly known one another very long as yet he'd managed to somehow encourage for her to open up all those guarded thoughts and dreams as easily as she had with Townsend. There was something more that flickered through those hunter greens whenever she caught him looking at her and she wanted to know what those seemingly soft and fleeting flames held. There was no denying that there was certainly a near instant connection between the two wayward spirits, it was impossible to think of this as anything else besides fate but in the end she supposed it would all depend on what he believed in. Everything happens for a reason, this she'd once read in one of her many books, and she couldn't help feeling that there was an unexplainable and unseen tie that kept drawing her closer and closer still to Taylor. It had been so long since she'd last felt such softness towards a man, since she'd felt like more than some conquest. She wanted to know him, be around him, explore this unfamiliar city with him and that very want was something she'd been so certain she would never feel yet here he was, unknowingly bringing down those walls she'd place around her heart. If she wasn't careful, she might just...

Pushing away that train of thought as they made their way towards the kitchen, Adelaide moves over to the granite counter where the beginnings of breakfast lay sprawled out over the stone surface as she begins to work on preparing them. He replies to her words, speaking of how if Townsend would have been there that night when the drunkard had decided to lay his hands on the young woman, Taylor would never have gotten the chance to save her. Those lips curl into a smile as a gentle note of laughter trickles past them for a moment."Had Townsend been with me that night, he would never have allowed from me to step foot within that establishment", she replies with amused confidence. Indeed, the Englishman would have not budged an inch on refusing to let the French woman enter a place where loud music shook the walls and women danced on that stage hardly dressed in anything at all. It is after a fleeting pause that sage eyes glance up from their task for a moment to look into those hunter greens that belonged only to Taylor."So, I am glad that he wasn't there. How much I would have missed if not for you", she says almost affectionately. His next words encourage another warm smile then."If you were able to win me over in a night, I expect it won't take too terribly long for you to do the same with him", she answers, her gaze glittering as she recalls that night after stepping out into the cold night air to stand before Taylor, remembers the exhilarating rush she'd felt from that ride through the streets on that Harley last night. It causes that smile of hers to grow into something brighter."I would certainly enjoy another chance to ride that motorcycle of yours, if you might ever care to indulge me again", she remarks, accented lyrics becoming almost daring as they returned to their usually bold nature that spoke of the clear fact that she had enjoyed it far more than she'd expected. It was entirely normal for one to feel some sort of subtle apprehension when it comes to trying something entirely new and so far from anything that was within the limits of one's comfort zone, but she wouldn't ever allow that ever so brief moment of uncertainty to sway her from doing something she'd never done before. She knew that Townsend would certainly try his best to convince her otherwise on wanting to experience that Harley of Taylor's again, but the young woman knew she would win that argument quickly. Maybe she might just sneak out with Taylor. Needless to say, that very thought amused her and she found hers left considering it rather seriously. Especially since once Townsend returned from his errands, which was likely to be any moment now, they'd hardly had a moment to themselves. She'd have to steal away with the roguish man if she wanted such adventures.

That playful smirk finds its way to the man's handsome features as tenor tones reach out to her and she can't help the gentle chuckle that falls from her."I can assure you that I only had good things to say about my champion", she purrs playfully back to him before looking back to the cutting board. She had always enjoyed helping her mother in the kitchen where she could and when she glances back up to the man, she notes the interest in those hunter greens and while she says nothing of it and only suggests that he could help her with the cheese, she would almost dare to say the man might have once been in the kitchen at some point in his past. She gives the occasional side glance to Taylor, admiring the focus on his face with every stroke of that block against the grateful. When he finishes, he separates them into two piles on a plate and gives her a playful yet proud smirk that brings a coy smile to her face."That'll do. For now", she teases through lilted lyrics like milk and honey, sage eyes glittering daringly. That look shifts to amusement as he playfully replies in a sulking manner at her words of caution, cutting the last pepper up and moving it to join the rest of the assorted ingredients. Once the vegetables are cut, she places them in the skillet on the stovetop and begins cooking them only to look over and see Reginald clearly enjoying the man's touch, already able to see the companionship developing between the two of them while Rose continued to remain where she'd settled. Taylor's reply brings another chuckle from those lips as she turns back to the skillet as she added the scrambled egg mixture and begins to fold them into the sizzling vegetable. There is thoughtful silence then as he contemplates her words and wastes little more time as he shares with her that he'd not finished school. Maybe for some, they would have faltered or reconsidered their previous thoughts of him.

Yet, if there was one thing that Adelaide had surely shown him in the short moments they've spent together. She looks over to them then, a soft and genuine smile upon her elegant features."I'm sure there's more to that story, reasons for what you chose", she says reassuringly and with no hesitation. It was her turn to share something now and so as she turns back to stir the eggs that were nearly done, she contemplates for a moment."I've grown up most of my life being told that everything I wanted was unrealistic. Not even my mother believed in me", she begins, glancing over to Taylor. Unbidden, her sage eyes betray her, daring to show the faintest tinge of pain that was only a fraction of what she'd felt amidst the defiant flames that only ever urged her harder to prove her parents, prove the world wrong."You wouldn't think a life of wealth and all things material would be so empty. Other than Townsend, I've never really had any true friends or relationships. I was... lonely. I felt... trapped", she says almost quietly now, those nights threatening to rise to the surface of her forethoughts then."Here, I can breathe. I just want to feel, you know? I want to see the sun set over the ocean for the first time, experience so many things, and maybe even find someone that doesn't just look at me and see what I have...", she continues on with that defiance chasing away the melancholy of those feelings that had risen unexpectedly as she finds herself nearly spilling a part of her heart out to him that no need else had heard, though there is a softness towards the end of those accented syllables. Not even Townsend knew that loneliness she'd kept away from the eyes of the world. Again, she gives him that same apologetic smile from last night as she removed the cooked skillet from the burner and to the other side of the stove."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say so much. Truthfully, I've never shared those feelings with anyone before", she confesses to Taylor, sage eyes searching his hunter green gaze for something. For what, she didn't know... Maybe anything to show that he wouldn't look at her like everyone else in her past had before she turns to reach up into a nearby cupboard to retrieve a couple ceramic coffee mugs to pour the coffee into. For the first time in longer than he could remember, she was afraid to see what would come to life in Taylor's gaze, wanting to believe that he would show her he truly wasn't like the rest of the world.