Disgraceful

odness! He is Lord Magnus Hyde, his family has owned this land for hundred of years. The ruling duke is his cousin. Lord Magnus is third-in-line of this little empire." The lady

ably short. A locks of silver covered his forehead just above his eyes. He was unusually tall, broad shouldered yet his whole figure was lithesome. He dressed in a simple, black well-tailored suit. There was nothing extravagant in his clothing, yet he looked unmistakably regal and elegant in the understated apparel. He was truly a sight. A mind blowing one. But all his physical riches were not the most significance that made him so conspicuous. He possessed an inherent power and dominance that radiated all over him, along with a natural grace. Surrounded by good looking, dandy gentlemen, he stood out among them all. It was the way he gazed nonchalantly over the crowd. Or it was the way he held his head. Ava didn't know why she just couldn't take her eyes off of him. "Ava, dear! We finally found you!" A familiar voice interrupted abruptly. She turned to find Lady Byrne and Polly approaching her. "Where is Magnus? Oh, look!!! The duke is over there. He looks exceedingly handsome, doesn't he?" Lady Byrne babbled cheerfully. "Smug blueblood" Polly snorted with a strong dislike. "His conceit is insufferable. He couldn't touch Lord Magnus' charm, could he?" Ava wished she could agree with Polly, unfortunately she couldn't. "I heard somebody called my name." Magnus came with a glass of champagne. "Well hello, ladies. I should bring more champagne. But, will you excuse me sweetheart," he winked to Ava. "I shall give this one to the most beautiful lady first" he handed the glass to Lady Byrne. "Thank you, darling." Lady Byrne said elegantly as she took the glass and gave him an appreciative smile. "I'll get you another one soon. Both of you." He corrected quickly as Polly glared at him. As he left, Ava turned to see the duke again and found his gaze on her. Her heart skipped a beat as she met those beautiful eyes. They were cold, freezing like the frosty breath of the Northern wind. They reminded her of an arctic wolf in a frozen land, the glimmering snow in winter, glacial mountain and sculpted ice. On the instant, Ava discovered that there were no warmth in those eyes, not the very least hint of kindness or tenderness. They were beautiful yet ironically dull. She wondered if they had ever been light with joy. His gaze lingered on hers for a second more, his expression unreadable. If he thought she was lovely to see, he showed no outward signs. He looked away and moved to another direction. Being used to outright admiration in men's eyes, his indifference made her amused and offended at the same time. "Your champagne, my sweet." came Magnus' deep, sexy voice. Turned to face him, she managed a smile and took it. He gave another one to Polly. A moment later, they were listening Lady Byrne's enthusiastic chatter. Suddenly Lady Byrne cried in shock "Ooohhh! It's almost nightfall! There's something I want to show all of you! Quick!!!" The lady rushed to the open door led to the garden, practically dragging Ava in the process. Magnus and Polly followed behind them. "Where are we going?" Ava nearly stumbled, the old lady was unbelievably fast. "The fountain, you don't want to miss it. Now is the magic hour." "Magic hour?" "Yes, the time in the evening when the sun dissapears and the daylight fades. It's the magic hour when your wish shall be heard by the universe. Oh, you should cast the magic spell too! I will tell you later. Quick! We don't have much time." "What are you talking about?" "We're almost there... Look! That is what I'm trying to tell you, my dear. The Twilight Fountain!" Before them a beautiful fountain in its quiet grace. Somehow, the fountain's surrounding held a magical ambience. "So, this is what you're going to show us? I have been here for all my life since I started to walk. This was one of my favorite place to play." Magnus grinned at the old lady. "What are we supposed to see in this... fountain?" "Do you know its legend?" Lady Byrne replied in a dramatic tone. "Legend? Ah, the 'make-a-wish' thing, something like that... nobody remembers it again since the last time people do it here was probably one or two hundred years ago" "You are wrong, young man" Lady Byrne glowered at him, "Now, listen to me..." she gave them all an unarguable look. "There is an old tale about this fountain. It is said that if a girl wishes for true love wholeheartedly in front of the fountain at twilight, the first man she sees after saying her wish will be her future husband. Almost two hundred years ago, it was a tradition at Vermont Manor's party, young ladies bring their lovers and preferably suitors here and make a wish. It is said that it never fails. However, as time goes by, the tradition had been forgotten. But the magic remains." "Wow" Polly arched her brows. "Interesting" "Now that you know it" Lady Byrne focused her gaze on Ava and Magnus. "I want you both to relive the tradition." "What?" Magnus laughed "It's ridiculous... I don't believe it, not even a bit, not at all..." Magnus halted at the lady's lethal glare. "All right" he sighed. "Besides, all I have to do is just standing behind you" he smirked at Ava "and do nothing but waiting" "Exactly!" The satisfaction in the old lady's voice was unmistakable. She turned toward Ava, drew her hands and held them in her chest. Instantly her expression changed, her voice slightly trembled when she said "I really want you and Magnus to be happy, to be together at last. I know it seems impossible, my dear. But if you believe, there can be miracle... Promise me you'll never give up on hope..." Felt her eyes heavy with tears, Ava nodded then hugged the old lady. "Now, here is the spell. You cannot make magic without the right spell. Listen carefully, my dear..." Lady Byrne whispered the spell in her ears, repeated it three times to make sure she already memorized it. Then he pushed Polly with her, leaving just Ava and Magnus by the fountain. Soon the two women disappeared from their sight. "Well" Magnus shrugged as Ava turned to him. "Maybe we should give it a try." "Stay there" Ava turned toward the fountain. "Let's see if magic truly exists." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She contemplated for a while before she started. Suddenly a tingling sensation ran along her spine. She cast the love spell. "By this fountain I do pray May my true love finds its way Bless me to be brave and wise As I turn and open my eyes Make the first man whom I see Be the one to marry me" Done. She did it perfectly well. Feeling glad she didn't make any mistake or forget a word, she turned around to see him, the love of her life. She really wanted to look into his warm and loving eyes. She opened her eyes to meet... no one. Only the lush scenery of the garden. He was gone. No signs of his presence around here. She nearly called him, but she held her tongue. What was the point of calling him when he was not in sight. He might have gone far. Silly Magnus. She gripped her skirt and started to walk along the garden. The garden was quiet and serene in the dusk. Soon she was embraced by the tranquility of the surroundings. Instantly a sudden awareness struck her, made her alerted as if someone was watching her from somewhere unseen. Her eyes chased relentlessly in alarm to find the stalker, over the scene and up high... She froze as her eyes met him, a distant high above in the balcony. Their gazes locked and she could hardly breath. It was the duke, the master of the manor. His eyes beheld her without the least sparks of amusement. Yet her heart was beating wildly. Ashton Hyde, the fifteenth Duke of Vermont was observing the latest potential trouble his reckless cousin would throw himself into. Of all the young women of nobility across the country, even some foreign princesses, Magnus chose this one. An infamous, scandalous chit known as an offspring of the Duke of Livingston and his mistress. So typically him, to be such irresponsible and senseless. Once again, it was his duty to stop his cousin before everything went too far. He knew this woman. He had seen her in London before. One evening in a soiree, he was sitting in the corner in a weary mood, surrounded by some gentlemen fellows. The dull conversation was getting tedious when a vision caught his eye. It was her, walking down the grand spiral staircase in a perfect grace, dressed and bejeweled as fine as a princess. She was such a vision. A sight to tempt the most jaded appetite. The next thing he knew was Roger Irving took her hand and swept her away to the dancefloor. Now that she dressed humbly like some lady's companion, Ashton could still recognize her perfectly. Hers was not a face a man would soon forget. At that time he had heard about this woman. Her recent engagement with Roger Irving had been talk of the town in London. People rattled on and on about her beauty, and as soon as he saw her, he knew it wasn't exaggerated. But to fall into blind attraction based on physical beauty was intolerably stupid. Apart of her indecent lineage and her family's disgraceful name, she had gained her own reputation as well. A trusted source said that she ran off from Irving for unknown reasons and stole his family's heirloom. Her betrothal to Irving was already a shocking scandal, rumour had it Irving was in a terrible financial straits as a result of his gambling habit, and the Duke of Livingston offered him a solution that came with terms and conditions. So the betrothal was simply a bargain. Whatever made this chit broke the deal and ran away was none of his concern. Looking down at her from the balcony, Ashton could not deny her innocent beauty. From all the stories he heard, at first he envisioned her as a seductress with blatant sexuality. Instead, she was all the opposite. Her expression, her gestures showed no signs of wickedness. She looked like a young girl freshly graduated from women's boarding school. But he won't be deceived by illusion of innocence. He had seen many of her likes before, face like an angel, yet they were the most cunning, beguiling females existed. She was no different from them. With his credulous nature, Magnus had been easily taken in by her convincing look. She was walking alone in the garden, gazing around like she was looking for somebody. Suddenly she looked up at him, her eyes met his. She looked even more enchanting. It evoked a surge of anger within him. How a woman of her sort, the worst kind of woman, was generously endowed with such great beauty and charm. How easily she could allure any men without even trying to. She was a perfect manifestation of the unfairness of life. A moment seemed eternity before distant noises interrupted, awakened Ava from her trance. The guests started to flow into the garden. The moon flowers started to open their white, trumpetlike flowers. It was the end of the twilight, the sky was getting dark. Ava forced herself to turn away from the duke's spellbinding gaze. She walked away with an odd feeling of uncertainty, careless about her direction. Her unsteady legs led her into a maze, safe from the curious eyes that attracted to her beauty. Unable to get her mind off the master of the house, she tried to unravel the bizarre feeling that suddenly rushed over her. His Grace Duke of Vermont was a very handsome young man indeed. To be particularly impressed by a man like him was natural. Any other woman of her age would have the same reaction. Nothing was wrong with it. It was pure admiration. All of a sudden, somebody arose at the junction, she startled and gasped. Magnus stood before her, hiding his right hand behind his back. "Magnus! You startled me!" He smiled "That's exactly what I intended to do. To surprise you." He brought his hand out, surprised her with a bouquet of beautiful wild flowers. "I hope you like it." "Very much. Thank you." She took the bouquet and br