Catherine Hamilton was the unwilling belle of Wilmington, NC. Each day was the same to Catherine, just an endless parade of suitors waiting upon her porch to proclaim their undying love for her or to praise her beauty.
Catherine didn't consider herself beautiful. When she looked into the mirror she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, she thought she was rather ugly. Apparently, her opinions were not shared by her 5 sisters. At night, when Catherine would lay down on the big eider-down bed that she shared with her older sister Emma, she would hear her younger sister Constance crying in the whiney way of hers about how unfair it was the Catherine had all the suitors and to add insult to injury, she didn't even like any of them. It was at times like these that Catherine just wanted to box Constance's ears, but she didn't for fear of reprimand from her mother.
Catherine had been born into a world of wealth and privilege. Her father, Thomas Hamilton was the royally appointed protector of the eastern part of the British colony of North Carolina. Thomas's half-brother, Weatherby Swann had been appointed the governor of Port Royal in the Caribbean.
When the inhabitants of Wilmington heard that this important man was to be sent to them, they decided that he needed a place to stay. A site just outside of Wilmington on the flood plains of the Cape Fear River was drained of the marsh to build the house. The townspeople also took up a donation to import the finest marble from France.
When Thomas arrived, the house was not complete, but since he was single and a bachelor, it didn't bother him. One day he would find a fine women to grace the halls of his home, but at the moment he had business to take care of.
Within two years of his arrival, Wilmington was thriving. A major port town for it's time, Wilmington attracted a multitude of immigrants. It was among this group that Thomas would find his beloved wife.
Anneliese von Dohnanyi had just arrived in Wilmington from Budapest at the tender age of 17. Her father, Miklos von Dohnanyi, a sailor in his own right was attracted to the newness of this riverfront city. Along with his wife Ilona, they packed up their six children and left.
In Budapest, the von Dohnanyi family was influential. Of German and Hungarian blood lines, the earliest members of the family had been the roaming pusztas or cowboys of the Hungarian plains. Wild and industrious, they were considered outlaws by the early Hungarian nobility. Many attempts to capture the heads of the family were made, but they always managed to hide and weather out the storm.
One day when the local noble was out riding on the plains, he came across a women attempting to tame one of the local wild horses. When she turned around and he got a clear view of her face, he was stricken by her beauty. He came down from his horse and told her that he must have her for his wife. The woman refused, saying that the only way she would become his wife was if she were kidnapped.
That night there was no breeze on the plain. Every move made echoed a hundred times louder. Laying on the pile of fur that constituted her bed, she heard the slow predator like footsteps outside the hut. Her father stirred from his sleep and also heard the footsteps. The woman stood slowly, silently, like a wolf hunting it's prey. Barefoot, she walked outside, looking for what she knew lay in the dark. She had not even made it three steps outside the door, when a hand, much bigger then hers, wrapped around her mouth. Her natural instinct was to fight back. Her teeth dug into his hand and she tasted the irony taste of blood. The man was taken aback by the response of the woman, jerked his hand away. Seeing her opportunity to escape, she took it, like a caged animal seeing the open cage door. She bolted, surprising her assailant and took off into the woods. The rocks and branches hurt her bare feet, but she couldn't stop. She heard the crunching of branches and shouting, he was gaining on her. All of a sudden her vision went black.
She awoke in richly furnished surroundings, with her family dressed in clothes as rich as the surroundings. This was the beginning of the rise of the von Dohnanyi family.
The dwelling that the von Dohnanyi family occupied in Wilmington was below standard with what they had previously occupied. Although not a ramshackle hut, it was a medium sized dwelling on the banks of the Cape Fear River. Anneliese though it was rather exciting, somewhat "roughing it" in the great unknown. Just because they were living in somewhat drab conditions does not mean that she was not raised with manners, on the contrary, Ilona made sure that her daughters had all the ladylike manners and charms that would be sure to attract a husband. Anneliese was fluent in four languages: English, Hungarian, German and French. Even though she came from money, she wanted to marry for love. Ilona scoffed at the thought, marry for love? Silly girl, she thought, your beautiful, have money and are talented, don't worry you'll catch a husband, if you love him or not.
One humid summer night, a ball was being held at Thomas's house. The magnolia trees were swaying in the breeze and the salty air coming off the Cape Fear River was invigorating. Thomas was happy tonight, if only it was an artificial happiness. He had been in Wilmington for three years and still had not found the women he had wanted to marry.
The air that night held something. An almost static feeling. Since he was the host, he had to greet his guests when they pulled around the gravel drive in their gilded carriages. One of the last carriages to pull up was a red one with gilded flowers and the initials VD in cursive script. Out of it stepped six girls. Thomas noticed this and took notice of the first five girls, but to his disappointment saw that they were nothing special. But the sixth girl took his breath away. What a remarkable creature, he thought. Who was she? Who was this Athena who was walking up the stairs of his mansion? Forgetting his duties, Thomas rushed up the steps and into the grand entrance way. Where was she? Had he lost her? He started to worry about losing this great beauty. Ah, no, there she was. With a heedful of dark brown hair, curled and pulled up onto her head, with red ribbons entwined in it, and eyes that were a light blue that complimented her almost olive colored skin and her well formed breasts that were pushed up by the corset that she was painfully enduring totally enthralled him. What sent him over the edge was the burgundy colored dress that she was wearing. Low-cut (as low as it could go, and still be considered a lady) that showed her bosom nicely, elbow length sleeves that were trimmed with white lace and bows, the dress was beautiful, but what really made it stand out was the flowers that were embroidered in gold thread. This was Anneliese von Dohnanyi. Thomas went and introduced himself, and within two months she became Mrs. Anneliese Hamilton. Six children were born in quick succession.