WHERE DREAMS BEGIN
Chapter One
Some ten years before we start our story in earnest…
Ethan Aldercy, Earl of Burnell was bursting with excitement as he arrived to London from New York. He had been gone for almost two months, and though he had had fun with his myriad of crazy American cousins, he couldn't wait to be back home. Besides he had a whole new realm of responsibilities and opportunities open to him, now.
Not that he was glad for his grandfather's death, but Ethan was the Earl now, and he was determined to make his mark in the world. Perhaps even fall in love like his Grandfather had done all those years ago… falling madly in love with an American heiress. So much they had loved each other that his Grandfather had requested to be buried next to her in New York.
He had to admit, he admired his grandfather for it. For loving someone so much that he was willing to spend eternity among strangers just to lie next to the woman he had loved so much. Sometimes Ethan wondered if he could ever love like that.
Still, he was young – only twenty – and full of life and we wanted to have it all. Even in these changing times his family fortune remained quite large, he had inherited Montvale –a great town house in London – and Alder House in Yorkshire, true, he had already lost his father and grandfather, but he still had his mother and, of course, Eloise.
Eloise's family – the Sterlings – owned a large propriety next to his in Yorkshire, growing up she had been the only kid for miles and miles, and close in age – she was two years younger than him – and they had been best friends since he could remember. She was completely opposite to him, all proper and prim, but he adored her with every bit of his mischievous heart.
"Ethan, you're back!" His mother said with some surprise when she saw him striding into Montvale's front hall. "I thought you wouldn't be back until next week!"
"I caught an early ship." He said. Eloisa had wrote to him that her mother was forcing her to have a coming out party and she, being as shy and reserved as she was, couldn't think of braving such party without him so she had asked him to come back a little earlier if he could. And he had done his best; the party was the following night.
"I suppose Eloise's coming out party had nothing to do with it, right?" Deborah, Lady Burnell asked waving in front to him what he supposed was the invitation to Eloise's party.
"Nothing at all, mother." He answered dutifully.
"She'll be happy you're there." She added calmly.
…
The following night Ethan was doing one of his least favorite things: Going to a coming out party – he had seen his share of them – and he was feeling nervous on behalf of his dear best friend. However, upon entering the ballroom of Sterling House, Ethan saw that he shouldn't have worried. The party was clearly a success.
He scanned the room and quickly found his best friend; she was standing amid a bevy of young men and she looked more beautiful than ever. He had always known Eloise was beautiful, but tonight her gold and white beauty was shinning, and he actually caught his breath when Eloise saw him and she smiled at him, leaving her admirers and coming to him.
"Ethan! You're here!" She said and clasped his hands with her much smaller ones.
And as he looked down at her the girl he had known all his life, he could see his past, present and future in her eyes… and so, Ethan Aldercy, Earl of Burnell knew he was in love…
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Ten Years Later, where our story begins…
London, 1904
Ethan stared cynically at London as he made his way to his Town residence.
"Home again, naturally." He murmured dryly.
In the last three years he had avoided London like a plague, he hated the place with all what was left of his heart, which wasn't much, Ethan would be the first one to admit. Looking down at his son's blond head Ethan knew Evan was all he had left to function as a heart. It had taken him and Eloise almost five years to conceive… and now that she was gone, Evan as all he had left.
It was because of his son he had returned to London in the first place. He would have been happy living away his life among his paternal grandmother's family in New York, running his business from there, but Ethan knew he was an earl, a peer of the realm, and someday in the future his son would take his place, and if he was going to do that, Evan needed to get a sense of his legacy and family's history and all the other things that made his family so powerful.
"Look, Papa!" Evan said excitedly pointing an automobile, which were becoming somewhat commonplace at big cities; they weren't for the poor, that, was for sure.
"I'm looking," He said gently.
London would never be the same without Eloise. She had loved Town Life, where she was popular, a belle each season even after they had married the week after he finished his studies in Cambridge after a year-long engagement; he had proposed a week or so after her coming out party. Since they marriage, they had remained in London through the year, Eloise had never liked country life so when he had to go to Yorkshire to manage Alder House, Eloise usually remained in London and he came and went each week.
They had tried so hard to have a baby and when Evan had been born, Ethan was sure his life was perfect. Six months later Eloise had died after being thrown off her horse at Hyde Park. Ethan had remained for her funeral, but the day after Eloise's burial he had packed his son and left the country all together.
Upon arriving to Montvale Ethan was greeted by his long standing butler, Jennings.
"A pleasure to have you back, my lord." The elderly man said.
"Thank you, Jennings." He said distractedly. "Is everything as I requested?"
"Yes, my lord."
Ethan had closed the old family wing, and had a new master suite and rooms for Evan built in the other end of the house. A breach of tradition that undoubtedly would cause his mother a heart attack when she returned from the continent, but he didn't' care. He was the earl and he could very well decide where the family wing was to be located.
Walking into his house, Ethan took his son up to his new room and let him explore around and showed him what room was his and answered all his son's questions about the house.
"Do you like it, Evan?"
"Yes, Papa." The boy answered, looking up briefly from the pile of toys Ethan had ordered to be bought and put in Evan's room.
"That's good." He said and with a nod to the nursery maid, he went to his own room.
The new master suite was spacious, well lit and well ventilated. A new bed, a new mattress, new paintings on the walls and nothing to remind him of the old… of his dead wife and what could have been.
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A few days later, Ethan found himself at Evencort & Covington Shipping. He was to meet with the president of the company and negotiate a shipping agreement between Evencort & Covington and his foundries back in America. So far the meeting was going very well, Michael Evencort, the marquis of Danforth was an intelligent man just a few years older than himself –Ethan actually remembered him from their days at Eaton though Michael had been several courses ahead – with a very sound business sense and they were getting along fine.
"I think we have a deal." Lord Danforth said after about an hour of negotiations. "I'll have my assistant drawn the contract and send them to you.
"Very well," Ethan said and made as if to stand but was caught mid motion when another man came into Danforth's office. By his looks the other man should be Danforth's brother, Lord James Evencort.
"Michael, Jenny just called, she said she went over budget by two hundred pounds or something like that."
"Tell her it's fine." Michael answered tiredly. "And tell her to remember to get Lily's present."
"All right." James Evencort called over his shoulder, already retreating from the room.
"I apologize. It's just that my daughter's birthday is this weekend and my wife is planning a party for her."
"That's quite alright." Ethan said evenly, he understood, he always went crazy with Evan's birthday, showering the little boy with toys and books and other amusements.
"Do you have children, Burnell?" Michael asked suddenly.
"A son, he's three, almost four." Ethan answered, his voice softened with love and pride for his only son.
"You should bring him to the party, there will be children a plenty for him to play with."
"I would not like to impose."
"Nonsense! You're new in Town and every child needs playmates. And it's not a formal event at any rate."
Ethan thought it for a moment. He didn't want Evan to grow up alone, making friends would be good for him. "I think I'll take you up on the offer."
"Excellent, it's at Penhurst, Saturday at noon."
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There was one thing Sophie Evencort loved about having a big family such as hers: there were always plenty of birthdays coming up and when there was a birthday there was cake, and when there was cake it was a very good day indeed.
She particularly enjoyed the children's parties. They reminded her of when she was small and could still climb into her Papa's knees and eat his dessert. I mean, sure, Luke would have let her sit on his knees and would have cuddled her like he used to do when she was younger, like he still did with Maddy but Sophie had grown too tall – compared to her mother and sisters, anyway – and she felt awkward more often than not.
Her Papa and brothers kept telling her she was a beautiful young lady, but it was difficult for her to adjust to her own body and the fact that at some point in the last few years her life had changed and things would never be the same.
At some point after she finished school, she had stopped wanting the same things Maddy-and-Nikki wanted –toys and dolls and candy – and began to wish for the kind of things her sisters– Lita, Jenny and, the newest addition, Eddie- had: A husband, children and all that went with it.
She was growing, she supposed.
Anyway, it was Saturday, at noon, and she was at her brother Michael's house moving around trying to help Jenny as much as possible with Lily's birthday celebration.
Her main occupation was to keep and eye on the kids.
That's why she noticed a small blond head – belonging to a kid she didn't recognize since among her nephews and nieces, the one with fairest hair was Nikki, and she could never be called a blonde- sneaking into a side corridor chasing a house cat, completely drawn by the twitch of the cat's tale as she moved down the hallway.
Knowing as she did that kids always managed to summon trouble out of thin air, she decided to follow the blond little boy into the hallway and she found him crunched under a table, wailing piteously and holding his right hand with his left. She knew at once the cat had scratched him when he had tried to pull on her tail.
Sophie couldn't help to smile, and she crouched down next to the boy and gently told him it was okay and pulled the boy into her arms.
"It hurts!"
Sophie smoothed the boy's blond curls and kissed his little hand to make it better. "There, there," She said gently. "If you stop crying I'll show you something lovely."
The boy struggled to control his tears. "Okay."
"Very well. What's your name?"
"I'm Evan,"
"Well, hello Evan, I'm Sophie. And I'm going to show you some kittens, would you like that?"
"Will they hurt me?"
"No if you're very gentle." She said, tugging him towards a small basket that had been left by the fireplace and showing him a litter of stripped kittens.
"Oh!" Evan said in wonder. "Can I have one?"
"I don't see why not," Sophie said and let Evan pick one of the kittens and pulled it out from the basket and gave it to him.
"He's so soft!"
Sophie smiled. "Lets go back, I'm sure they are about to cut the cake! And we don't want to miss on the cake, do we?"
"NO!" Evan cried, tucking the kitten inside his little vest, and taking Sophie's hand. "I like you Sophie." Evan said.
"I like you too, Evan." Sophie answered with a smile as they reached the main room. "Now, darling, where is your Mama?"
"In heaven." The Evan answered as if heaven was a common place for mothers to be.
"Oh, and your Father?"
Before Evan could answer a deep male voice startled Sophie with a resonant "Evan!"
Sophie spun around to find herself face to face – or at least eyes to mouth – with a tall, apparently fit (if the way he filled his coat was of any indication), gray eyed and blond haired man.
Sophie and Ethan held each other gaze for along time, staring at each other as if spellbound.
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End of Chapter One!
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Hope you like! This is the fifth of the Evencort stories, It's Sophie's turn. I hope you guys enjoy it. I'll do my best to make it good!
And please, give me some feed back!
Love,
C-