Chapter 5.

A marriage that their father ventured into for the enrichment of his duchy, with his mother’s renowned dowry.

The only daughter to Count of Fatima, Portugal. A Portuguese Emissary to England back then. However, the boys begun to see the truth behind their parents' relationship, as they grew.

Feeling foolish for taking the comfortable silence that their parents shared as love. And they each vowed for better marriages.

The brothers were close, growing in love. Inseparable, sharing each other’s pains and happiness. Attending private tutorials together. Playing with their friends.

Talking about their dreams and aspirations. And when they reached their adolescent age, they were sent off to Eton, where they explored the world of education.

Learning to blend aristocracy and education. Turning them into British most refined.

But woe soon knocked on the door, shattering everything.

It was at the start of the season; Jacob, an eighteen-year-old man. He just graduated from Eton, after five years of agonizing drills to turn them into polished gentlemen.

Young, tall and extremely athletic. Favoring his beautiful mother in her looks, but his father’s ocean blue eyes, tall frame, fair complexion and hair color; Jacob’s handsomeness couldn’t be faulted. Just like his brothers.

On that night, their family was invited for a ball at The Duke of Wifordshire’s London mansion. Jacob protested when his mother informed him and Jonathan about the invite; Joseph being at Eton at the time.

But his love for his mother preceded his own reservations and he accompanied his family.

Led by their father, while their mother was flanked on either sides by both her elder sons, Jacob was greeted by the heat of the ball room.

He frowned, trying to rein in his displeasure as they greeted their hosts at the receiving line.

The Duke and Duchess, close friends to his family greeted him enthusiastically, after not seeing him for so long.

Their reception warmed his heart, knowing the arrogance of his father's ilk.

A few glasses of champagne later and Jacob was standing alongside his brother as well as a few friends, all raking their eyes about the ballroom, admiring the debutantes.

Beautiful ladies, all draped in nothing but innocence, neither of the young men could escape the charm of their beauty.

Yet they all found themselves unable to accept the pressure of being entrapped by any of these girls and their determined mothers in a marriage alliance. Because that is what these girls were here for.

That is all they had been trained for until this moment. An introduction into formal society and possible prospects of a good marriage alliance with titled gentlemen or a well settled other son.

But none of these men wanted these alliances.

All young men, fresh from Eton and Oxford, like himself, they still grappled with the responsibilities of being educated gentlemen of the realm.

Some of them balancing these responsibilities with their need for debauchery and vain pursuits.

Not ready to succumb to the other responsibilities expected of them. Marriage. Siring heirs for the continuity of their lines. And Jacob stood there, watching the fear of commitment in the eyes of these titled men.

Amusement choked him as they each grumbled around him.

It was then that he caught sight of one diamond of the first water.

A beautiful fairy; hair the color of bronze, held up in a Roman style. Diamond baubles scattered in her hair, catching the light. Their sparkle making her enchanting. Her skin, the tone of porcelain was alluring. The soft, golden glow from the chandelier above her head, accentuating her beauty.

Her lips as she smiled, were plump and held a playfulness to them. She was standing a few steps ahead, talking with Miss Camellia Stewart and her elder sister, the Duchess of Hanover.

Both the Stewart sisters, daughters of a rich, landed gentry, famous for the generous dowry he provided for his two daughters.

Every fortune hunter’s dream.

Luckily the Duchess of Hanover, the former Emilia Stewart had caught the eyes of an honorable man, the Duke of Hanover. Rather than the fortune hunters that prowled every ballroom for vulnerable preys.

Jacob frowned. He wasn’t in the circle of Miss Camellia Stewart. As a matter of fact, they hated each other all their lives.

Friends to his family, the Stewarts and Wilsons had once wanted a marriage alliance amongst their kids.

But after many futile attempts to pair their kids up as friends, and possibly more, their parents had given up. Choosing to maintain a friendship among themselves.

Ignoring the distaste that crawled at that memory, Jacob, enthralled by the beauty before him, pushed himself through the small crowd, until he was beside them. Asking her for a dance after the introductions.

He ignored the seething glare from Miss Stewart as he escorted the fairy; The Hon Maryann Winnows to the dance floor.

Daughter to Viscount of Castleton, she was a beauty. One with such radiance that rivalled every young miss in the ballroom.

Her second season, she told him, having had her come out the previous year at age 16.

As they danced, he was entirely enamored by her.

Her manner, her voice. Her beautiful eyes, the color of the clear, blue sky. A graceful dancer.

Both of them fell into a comfortable conversation as they danced. Their ease, palpable.

And when the dance ended, he promised to call on her the next afternoon.

And he did.

For days on end, Jacob found a reason to wake up in a life surrounded by uncertainty and boredom.

A young Lord. A second son to a duke with nothing more to offer than his considerable inheritance, he found reasons to venture outside his circular life as a younger son to a Duke.

He called on Miss Winnows every day. His presence welcome to the Viscount and his wife. Or so he thought.

Every day, their chaperoned outings were magical. Outings that brought him comfort. Laughter. A purpose for his existence. And he found himself aiming for more achievements in his life than just being Jacob.

He discussed his dreams, his desires, his fantasies with her. And she was a good listener. A good companion to him.

Offering him words of solace and advice.

And he in turn a great friend. A budding romance.