Part 2 of "Hello"
For Part 1: https://www.wattpad.com/story/58655676-hello-wattys2016
All covers for "Hello" stories made by @Hipster_Rain
Sophie Delaney was just minding her own business seeing in the new year from the peacefulness of her own...
Daniel Whitaker, unknown outside a certain social circle, is soon a name you all will be more than familiar with. The ruggedly handsome lawyer, with his laid back demeanour and casual conversation, can charm even the most unsuspecting admirer. On set, Daniel had practically every female- and male- under his spell. An easy confidence, a 'Call me Daniel' and a heart-stopping smile was all it took for everyone to fall in love with this dashing Earl. Not that Daniel is a man who cares for the title he carries, nor the one he will inherit- Duke of Kendal.
"There are certain obligations when it comes to being an Earl, or even a Duke," he says over drinks one particularly sunny March afternoon. Looking off into the distance in the way he does when he's over analysing matters, his thumb circles the rim of his glass as he contemplates whether or not he should say his piece. After a few brooding minutes, he continues. "When you're titled, people have expectations of you and it's not always possible to live up to them. Being an Earl limits what you're able to do, who you're able to be. I hate it."
On the morning of the photoshoot, Daniel arrives looking casual in a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt, all from Topman, a far cry from the bespoke Huntsman Savile Row suits he wears on a day to day basis around his law offices in Central London. Prior to his arrival, many of the assistants on the shoot are anticipating his arrival, wondering what it will be like to meet a 'real life' Earl.
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"I can't believe we're meeting an actual Earl," says our wardrobe assistant, all a flurry with the impending arrival.
"Will he be as handsome as everyone says he is?" One asks, while another says, "Well, I've heard that he's very cold and distant and that he hardly speaks to anyone."
As someone who has known Daniel Whitaker for a few months, I can assure you that, yes, he is as handsome as everyone says he is, and he is neither cold nor distant and he's rather vocal. Too vocal, in some respect. Opinionated to the hilt on matters he's passionate about, he is, on the other hand, very guarded around those he doesn't know. Quick to go on the defensive, you have to delve deeper into his past to understand why Daniel is as he is.
Born to Laurence Courtenay, the present Duke of Kendal, and his wife, Veronica, Daniel- or Henry Daniel Edward James Courtenay, to give him his birth name- is the eldest of two sons. Raised in the Wiltshire countryside, he attended a local preparatory school near Amesbury, a stone's throw from the famous Stonehenge. His time as a day student at Chafyn Grove School meant that he was able to spend more time at home on the family estate, enjoying the company of his grandfather, Geoffrey, the man he adored and looked up to.
Daniel's relationship with his parents was 'distant,' he admits, and he was never particularly close to either. Instead, he found a substitute father figure in Geoffrey. The grandfather-grandson duo were practically inseparable, I was told, and if they were to leave the house together early in the morning, you wouldn't see them again until late in the afternoon, if not sometime in the evening. Fishing in the family lake was a favourite pastime and it was here that Daniel learnt of his privileged position.
