Jessica Howerty fell for her brother's best friend when she was a young girl, and never quite recovered. Now, all grown-up, she knows that a disreputable rake like Jacob Hurst is the last thing she should want. After two seasons in London, she's tir...
Jessica Howerty had an embarrassing secret. One she didn't want anyone to know. Ever.
At the age of eight, she had fallen head over heels for her brother's best friend, Jacob Hurst, and she'd never quite recovered. She'd been standing on a low stool while a maid pinned up a new frock that was too long—a good three inches needed to be taken off—when her brother entered the parlour together with his friend visiting Davenhall for the first time. Jessica took one look at the handsome sixteen-year-old, gasped, and promptly toppled off the chair. The first sight the young earl got of his friend's sister was her legs flailing wildly among her white petticoats.
Not exactly what one would call a good first impression. And things only went downhill from there. Normally the most tranquil of her siblings, Jessica's temper always seemed near the boiling point around Jacob, and her otherwise rather remarkable sense of balance—and distance—seemed to vanish. On the whole, it was a rather disconcerting experience to be around the young earl, and so she tried to stay as far away from him as possible.
This did not mean that she did not like Jacob. She did. A great deal, as a matter of fact. It was difficult not to like the charming young earl, who seemed to instinctively know how to speak to and charm women. However, she was not blind to his faults. Already at sixteen, he was devastating to women, and as he grew older, he became quite the rake. His immediate success, teamed with the fact that his father was a duke, rendered him rather arrogant. Yet he was so charming that most people forgave him. Jessica, who at thirteen had fallen badly in love with him, was not as forgiving. Seeing him from time to time with a woman on his arm cut her like daggers, and she quite despised him for being such a cad.
This was another reason for her to stay away from him. The biggest reason for keeping her secret. She would be mortified if her brother should ever find out she'd fallen in love with his best friend. As she grew older, she convinced herself that she'd grown out of her infatuation with the earl. She pretended not to notice that around him she acted like a clumsy, graceless ninny. She ignored the fluttering in her stomach whenever he was near. But most of all, she ignored the stinging feeling that always appeared near her heart when he glanced at her with no interest. Worst of all was the stab of jealousy whenever she saw him at balls and parties with a new lady on his arm.
No, this was a secret that Jessica never intended to share with anyone. Least of all her brother, and most definitely never with Jacob himself.
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