Declare: This is work is purely fiction any connections to real names and titles are only coincidental and just all of this is just the author's wild imagination.

Chester, England 1812

"Thank you for your cooperation, Lord Thayer." Jonathan Dunning, the Duke of Grosvenor beamed with delight as he shook hands with the Robert Thayer, Marques of Cotswolds.

"It's not like we haven't been discussing this topic the moment your daughter was born." Robert, a tall dark haired man, joked and drank the last drop of whisky. The blond man seating across from him looked so serious that Robert had to break the trance.

"What's troubling you, Jon? Everything is written in black and white, so there wouldn't be any mistake and—"

"What if they both hated each other?" The blond man of the two rubbed both of his hand together in anxiety, Robert's brow raised at his friend.

"What's this? Are you the same cold, heartless Jonathan Dunning I know of from Cambridge?" Robert laughed and tears were forming around his blue eyes.

"I don't want her despising me for this." Jonathan said in a whisper but Robert heard him and gave his friend a hard look.

"Having a daughter really does make a man soft. " Robert poured both of their empty glass another whiskey shot.

"She looks so innocent and bargaining her whole life for a just a piece of land." Robert must had took that statement as an insult as he slammed the half full glass down on the coffee table.

"What you're implying, Grosvenor, is that my son isn't good enough for your daughter! He maybe only an Earl at the moment but I assure you. He will be a gentleman in all of England. I wouldn't raise a half bastard son like my father did." Jonathan raised both of his hands in defence and was about to explain when they heard stomping and loud shouts from the hall. The wooden door of the study was suddenly pushed opened with much force that it hit the wall with a loud bang.

"Papa! Julie was throwing stones at the cat and her kittens again." A blond haired boy around the age of seven came into the study, dragging a screaming little blond haired girl. Robert smiled as he took notice of the young girl. She was in a white dress and her shinny blond hair was tied in a blue ribbon. Even though her face was distorted from the tears and crying and her shriek was ear piercing, she still looked cute and he now understand a little why his friend was being an over protective father.

"I w-was not." The young girl whined. She tried escaping from her older brother's grip of her wrist but in vain. He was older and much stronger than her, so she sorted to crying.

Jonathan exhaled and looked at both of his blue eyes children.

"Michael, please let go of your sister. You're hurting her." Michael was about to protest but did what his father said when he was given a stern gaze. Jonathan then turned his full attention to his whimpering girl.

"Julie, dear, why would you do such a thing?" Julian Dunning, better known as Julie to her family and the 'banshee' to the rest of the household staff, just stared at the floor.

"What would you feel if someone throws a stone at you?" Julie suddenly turned her head up to face her father with concern in her blue eyes.

"I would be angry and get hurt. But I know papa would fight that mean person away from me." Robert coughed from his drink and stared at Jonathan. Jonathan sighed again raised his hand to stop his son from interrupting him.

"Yes I would but you have to remember this Julie. No one will hurt you if you didn't do anything bad."

"But the cat scratch me, see" She showed her father a small cut at her left hand, "So I have to punish it."

"By throwing a stone? Is that a bit harsh?" Julie felt guilty from the man's comment, seating behind her. Jonathan gave a glare at his friend for him to shut his mouth.

"Julie, the cat must be just protecting its kittens. You should know this by now"

"But papa, you said I should be patient at approaching them. Its been a week! Why are they still afraid of me?"

"Because you're loud and mean." Julie glared at her older brother.

"You're the meany Michael."

"At least I'm not throwing stones at defenceless cats." Julie's pale face turned red in anger and stumped her small feet on the floor. "They started it!"

"Enough!" Both the Dunning children fell quite and Jonathan stood up from his chair and rang the bell for the butler.

"Both of you will learn to like each other. Michael, be more gently in handling your sister. You're the older brother, you should be the one taking care and guiding her." Michael frowned but mumbled a 'yes'. Then Jonathan turned to his daughter.

"And you Julie, you need to hold your temper. You're a Lady for goodness sake. You should be acting in grace and gentleness. Not showing to the world your anger." Julie was frighten at her father's word and how his gripped on her arm was iron tight. She wanted to cry again but her father just scolded her and she fear she might get a spanking later if she disobeyed him again.

A small knock was heard and all the head turned to look at the house butler.

"Your grace."

"Quenzy, please escort my children back to their nursery and tell my wife that we'll be having an afternoon tea at the garden at 3." The butler gave a polite bow and guided the terrified children out of the room.

Once the room was left only to the two gentlemen again, did Robert comment again on his parenting.

"You were a little too rough on them Jon." Jonathan groaned, he finished his glass in the process.

"It's not the first time Michael complains about his sister and Julie," He sighed in exhaustion. "I love her but she can be a hand full sometimes."

"And you still have a second thought in our agreement. You must really love her." Robert chuckled and stood from the couch.

"I have another proposition to help ease your worry for your daughter." Jonathan looked up at his friend.

"You have a house in London, and I have a house in London. We send our children as playmates every season so that their arrange marriage will turn to mutual friendship and let nature take its course." Robert smiled as he finishes his speech. Jonathan smirked at him and nodded his agreement.

"You do know that your son wouldn't be a Duke for marrying my daughter."

"We can't have everything, but I know you want my land and I want yours. It's a mutual agreement."

Both friends laughed and talked some more before Lady Dunning came to fetch her husband on their afternoon tea.

~ A few months later ~

Julie was strolling along her family estate garden in Chester, England. Her golden hair was tied up into a bun and her black shoes were getting dirty with the mad formed from the rain a few hours earlier. She didn't care that her new pink dress was getting dirty from the hem as well. Too cot up inside her nursery had made her restless to explore the world.

A small 'meow' had stolen her attention into jumping in a puddle. She followed the weak but continuous crying of a kitten into a bush. Julie pulled her skirt up a little and crouched down to see a wet and frighten black and white kitten. She immediately recognized it as one of the newly born kittens a few months ago.

The kitten stopped its whaling and turned its blue eyes at the new comer. Shivering from the cold, it crawled out of the bush and went to cry at Julie's feet.

Something in Julie's heart had changed that day, she took pity of the kitten and pick it up and run back inside her house.