Belonging To The Earl

4.

The day was balmy with a light of breeze, the sunshine brilliant, the field of thoroughbreds choice. It was the kind of afternoon to put anyone in good humour. And once he found  'her', Jason thought as he walked into the large hall of the Brighton estate, he just might attain that state.

He'd missed the first day trying to iron things out with his brother, he had no idea why he had agreed to his brother's absurd proposal, but he intended to see things work out for both of them, after all, they have only each other to lean on right now. He obviously still had no intention of marrying the lady his brother was talking about, he had no intention of doing that, he had already found the woman of his dreams, and he doesn't really even his brother could make him lose her to just marry the other lady.

He grinned as he remembered his encounter with his brother's lover yesterday, as he filled a glass with scotch, his brother obviously had a good taste for women. They're supposed to be stepmother who had turned to his brother's mistress, who was now carrying his brother's baby. How ridiculous does that sound? But he had no intention of judging his brother for doing what he had done, nor was he going to blame him for falling for the witches' seduction. Their father had obviously been the man without principle, a man without dignity. After all, a man his age shouldn't have married a woman that age.

Even though his twin brother hadn't been very clear about the situation, Jason realized that he had had a rough childhood, their father's physical abuse hadn't really stopped after their mother had left him, he had continued his abusive behaviour on his little brother. God help him! If he had found their father alive, nothing would've stopped him from giving the old tart a piece of his mind. One way or the other, he was proud his brother had taken something from their father apart from the inheritance and the earldom.

And he was damn pleased his brother hadn't grown up with their mother. He shuddered at the thought of his childhood. Jordon might think he had endured a lot, but it was nothing close to what he had gone through. His stepfather hadn't been the easy type, pleasing him had been trouble, coupled with the s****l abuse. He shuddered again at the thought and quickly dawned a glass of scotch he had been holding. His throat burned at the unexpected drink, he wasn't much of a drinker, but there are moments one needs to improvise.

"Are you okay?"

He turned quickly towards the sound of the voice. It was Jordon's, and beside him was their stepmother; oh, their supposed to be stepmother turned lover. He smiled, and left the table, approaching them slowly.

"I was just figuring out something, but I'm fine," he extended his hand towards Alyssa, and she placed her gloved right hand into his. He kissed the hand softly, his eyes wandering over her body carefully.

"How do you feel, My Lady?" He grinned at the pink taint on her cheeks and turned to his brother. "She's a shy one."

"I don't really think so, brother," Jordon said, yesterday had been a swirl of emotions for him. A brother he had no idea existed came to him, and Jordon knew he truly was his brother even before he had said so. The resemblance was there. Loud and clear. "You're too intimidating for her liking."

Jason's eyes widened at his brother's comment, and he lifted a dark brow. Does his brother also thinks he's too intimidating?

"Well, I suppose that is true," Alyssa began, a nervous chuckle escaping from her lips. She was carefully laying her head at Jordon's side, her left hand laid on his chest. Jason looked away at the gesture. "I didn't want to sound so rude, hence, the reason I didn't vocalize it. But you really are intimidating."

Jordon knew he and his brother looked alike. Their facial semblance was really there, but with a slight difference. Jason's jaws were more defined, more carved, more manly, Jordon thought. His brother's body build was also entirely different from his. While he had an average body build, Jason towered on them as they stood. They have thesame eye color. Brown. The large wide span of his brother's shoulders were well defined, and Jordon had no idea how he was able to maintain a body that good. Would Emily easily note those dissimilarities? Good thing was, Emily had only seen him once, from afar.

"I know what we're asking of you is uncalled for, but you need to help us. You are our only hope, Jason," Jordon heard Alyssa said. He had been so carried away with accessing his brother that he had no idea they were talking about the situation.

"I don't know how you expect me to betray a woman that way," Jason began, as he drew in a thick breath, his hand going through his soft curly dark hair, and the hair on his forehead messy. "She'll easily see through my facade, don't you see that?"

"You don't have to marry her. All you need to do is make her hate you, that way, I can get myself out of her clasps before the wedding. We were to get married in six months time, and she doesn't really know me. We both have no idea about what we like and what we don't. Besides, I have only met her once, at a distance if that is safe to say. So, there's no risk involved of her seeing the subtle differences between us."

"And what of the people around? There are people all around that knows you. People you grew up around, you think no one will notice? You can't have grown like me in a span of few days, Jordon."

"We can get help regarding that. Aunt Agatha is here, she can help us. She had always been a source of help to me. Now, before we get into what will work out and what wouldn't, see her first and decide for yourself how you want to approach her. Once that's done, I'll leave for America with Alyssa until she has given birth, and I can come back as you, who had met Alyssa and married her without knowing I had a father who had married her before me. And that's all, you can be Jordon and I get to be Jason."

"That won't work!" Both Jason and Alyssa blurted out.

"That's one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard of, Jordon. You can't possibly switch and become each other," she stepped away from Jordon's embrace and faced him more clearly. "You all have different likes and preferences, and you don't expect people to just assume you're Jason in a few days. For now, since the ball tomorrow involves wearing of masks, no one will notice who Jason was. After he sees her, we can then decide how to introduce him to society. And we can find a way around our problem. We don't even have to leave for America to do that. As you said, we can go see Aunt Agatha."

So they really did have an Uncle, Jason thought. The man he had met two days back at an inn had truly been his Uncle. And soon, he was going to meet his wife. Slowly, the family he had craved to have were finally starting to come together.

But, nothing would be perfect without 'her.' He has to find his beautiful lady with red raven hair, and deep dark brown eyes. His mystery lady. The lady whose name he had no idea of.

But whom he so much loves.