Belonging To The Earl

5.

The ride to the Earlington estate was fruitful, even though Jason hated how Alyssa sat so close to him. He had no idea what she had in mind, but he had finally come to a decision.

He did not like Alyssa Carling.

After all, his brother was the one head over heels in love with her, not him. Now, as he weighed on her actions yesterday, the way she had batted her eyelashes at him and had tried to inconspicuously rub her body against his as she passed him, Jason discovered there must be something terribly wrong with their so-called stepmother.

Their Uncle's estate was just off the strand in a building that had once housed an Elizabethan grandee. Their Uncle owned the entire complex, but his quarters were on the main floor, six large rooms he kept for private gatherings that involve his family. He was the owner of a large estate, and also a Viscount.

Jason was tellingly quiet as the carriage came to a stop, and when he helped his brother's lover alight, he could feel her softly brushing against him. Jordon had already started waddling ahead of them, and as Jason looked on, he realized that a middle-aged woman was standing at the entrance with a glamorous smile plastered on her lips.

"Jordon," he heard her call, and Jordon bolstered his pace.

"Aunt!"

Jason glanced left and right, taking in the sizeable property surrounding the estate. Indeed, Jordon had been right. The estate was one of the largest he had seen ever since he arrived in England, excluding theirs of course.

Alyssa had stayed behind, and he knew she wanted him to acknowledge her presence. She was more like a w***e, and Jason had an inkling of doubt whether the baby she was carrying was truly his brother’s.

"Have you and father been together for long?" he heard himself ask, without bothering to glance at her.

"Two years. Rather dull, if you ask me. But enough about that. Would you like to know more about me?" And Alyssa waited with a degree of apprehension for his answer.

"Very much," he began, waiting for the right opportunity to put her in place, "and I apologise for my surliness. I must be tired."

She smiled. "And now I'll be surly about the cause of your tiredness; without reason, of course."

He laughed. Even though he hadn't wanted to. "I'm constantly amazed by my reaction to you."

"While I like that Jordon had found his brother, there's something much more attached to that.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Well, there’s really no better way of putting it. I want you and don't want you in equal measure."

"Our principles will be tested, then. I dislike the intense emotion of any kind. Especially one that involves so many secrets."

"In amour, you mean."

While he hesitated over how to answer the question, she took his hand and drew him toward the ornate gate.

"You needn't reply, Jason." His silence had been answer enough. It was clear that he wasn't as quick to please as his brother was, but she wasn't a moonstruck maid with unrealistic expectations. Once Alyssa Carling set her mind to something, she achieved it by any means necessary.

"I find myself apologising again." He'd found it uncomfortable to be around her, and it bothered him so much that she was trying to openly admit it.

"And here he is!" The voice was foreign to his ears, but he felt his heart swell at the idea of having to call someone besides his brother a part of his family. The woman lurched at him happily, a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Good God!" she clamoured, as she scrutinized him from head to toe, her blue eyes wide like saucers. "He looks exactly like you, Jordon. What am I saying? Of course, he’s meant to look like you." She was holding him at arm's length, trying to notice the difference between them if there was any. "Oh! But his eyes are a slightly brighter shade. Certainly more mesmerizing than yours, I’m afraid. And he sure is built more than you." She turned her gaze to face Jordon. "Don't you think this brother of yours will break hearts and become a rake? Way more than you have been?"

"Aunt Agatha!" Jordon hissed, clearly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. "I believe you were supposed to offer us some drink. Besides, you and I have a lot to sort out." His stance suddenly turned defensive, "You knew I had a twin, but you never said so. You never even gave away the idea of knowing that mother was never really dead like father had said. All this time, I had a brother I had no idea existed. And you knew!" The thick vein on his forehead was suddenly visible, and Agatha realized that he was really angry.

However, instead of apologizing or saying something to comfort her nephew, Agatha dragged Jason and shoved him towards the house.

"Come; come on in. Your Uncle and Ethan have been away for three days now." She clamped Jason's hands in hers and kept dragging him through the large hall until they arrived at the spacious living room. She guided Jason towards one of the chairs, her hands still clamped with his while she completely ignored Jordon, who had been brooding and sulking. "Oh God! I can't wait for Ethan to come back and see you," she added, the joy at the prospect of her son and Jason meeting clearly evident. "He'll be so delighted. I hope both of you get along. He and Jordon are always at each other’s throats."

"I suppose I mean nothing to you now that my twin brother is here, right?" He meant that as a joke, but he could easily notice how his brother's shoulders tensed, and the soft gasp from his aunt.

"Jordon!" Alyssa said softly, entwining her hands with his and resting her head on his shoulders, "Be careful what you say. We need her to make things work," she whispered slowly.

Agatha's eyes magnified at the scene before her. What was this hurling, disgusting scene she had just witnessed? She narrowed her eyes at Alyssa and huffed. Deciding to take things slow, Agatha rang for her butler, before settling beside Jason.

Jason had noticed his aunt's scrutinizing gaze towards Alyssa and was deeply relieved to find out that he was not the only one who didn't really like her. However, he looked away like their Aunt had done and pretended as though he hadn't seen anything.

He felt her soft hands gently squeezing him again and returned his gaze towards her. "You both look like your mother. The only difference clearly visible is your body build, and the colour of your eyes. You have your mother's eyes," she said to Jason, "and you have your father's," she added, turning to Jordon.

Jason knew he had his mother's eyes. He had been told that time without number. Almost painfully, he could recall the day his stepfather had asked him to pleasure him, simply because he had eyes like his mother's. He had grown to hate the shade of his eyes. And his face entirely for looking like his mother's.

He quivered at the thought and tried to shove the painful memory away from his mind.

A sudden movement at the entrance caught his eye, and he saw a man who was clearly the butler his aunt had ringed for a stroll into the room.

"My Lord," he inclined carefully, confusion written clearly on his face as to who he was supposed to greet.

"Over here, Richard," Jordon murmured, pulling Alyssa away from him. "Meet Jason, my twin brother." The shock on the butler's face suddenly cleared, and Jason realized that he had also known about it. "Don't tell me you also knew, Richard."

"I'm sorry, My Lord," the butler added, without adding more. "What would you like, My Lady?"

"Get the boys some drink," she said. Jason chuckled at the way she had referred to them, and Jordon huffed.

"Do not bother, Richard," Jordon cut in. "We'll call for you when we need something. For now, just get some tea for Alyssa."

The butler's brow furrowed at the order, and the visible affection the earl had shown towards his stepmother. But he said nothing, and his expression quickly turned sour. "Of course, My Lord," he inclined carefully and left the living room.

As soon as he had gone, Agatha looked at them and said as calmly as she could, even though her heart was thudding furiously against her ribcage, "Can any of you just tell me what the problem is here? What are you doing, Jordon?" Agatha sat up straighter, her blue gaze cool. "I want to know what is going on, right this instant."

Jason and Jordon exchanged glances, suddenly uncomfortable with the turn of events. Jordon hadn't thought of the outcome in confronting his aunt with what he had done. But there was no way things could work out without her rendering some of her help.

"Aunt Agatha...,"

"Spit it out, Jordon." Agatha was slowly getting agitated with the situation. 

Noting that none of them was ready to speak, Alyssa took the liberty of doing that.

"Your nephew got me pregnant, My Lady."