Chapter One

They stood side-by-side, hands tightly clasped, in front of the fresh grave. The warm May sun beat down on them, but they were still cold. Cold and numb. Muffled sobs punctuated the morning silence, but they did not hear, did not notice the grieving mourners who surrounded them, trying their best to comfort the two young people.

Sean Cassidy squeezed his sister's hand, wanting to comfort her, reassure her, let her know that they were in this together. Somehow, they would get through. Rhianna smiled back at her brother, the fear and uncertainty she felt diminished greatly by his presence. Yes, somehow they would get through this.

The twins stood stoically in the receiving line, grateful smiles plastered on their pale faces. They shook countless hands, endured suffocating hugs, and listened to many words of condolence.

"Och, ye poor dears!" cried a distant relative. " 'Twas bad enough your sainted mother had to leave this earth when ye were just wee babes. Sniff Now your father's gone too!" She continued melodramatically while blowing into an embroidered handkerchief.

Sean and Rhianna continued to stand, smiling graciously as the old woman prattled on dramatically. She made a big show of cupping their faces as she spoke most sincerely, "If ye ever need anything, my dears, do not hesitate t' ask!" She finished with a grand flourish, and walked on.

As the parade of people passed them offering their condolences, Rhianna grew aware of a strange sensation, like the feeling of someone's eyes burning into her. The feeling grew until she could no longer ignore it. She glanced up and to her left and immediately locked onto the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

Those same eyes gazed back at her with an intensity that stole the breath out of her lungs. She stood there, momentarily paralyzed, while she studied those eyes. Strong emotions whirled in the blue depths; anger, pride. And a softer emotion just beneath the surface that she couldn't name.

She forcefully tore her gaze away from those frightening eyes and briefly glanced over the man who owned them. He stood tall in a proud, defiant stance. He was tanned and muscular from rough, physical labor, yet his face was handsome, beautiful. He had wild, wavy blond hair with glints of red fire. He was tall and lean, with broad powerful shoulders and narrow hips.

She finished her study of his fine physique and again met his eyes. He smirked condescendingly and Rhianna blushed to realize that her intense study of the strange man had not gone unnoticed. He cocked a blond eyebrow as if to ask, "Do ye like what ye see?"

Her blush deepened to a deep burgundy as she felt his eyes begin their own tour of her body. She could actually feel where his eyes touched on her softly rounded curves, even though they were hidden by her heavy black dress of mourning. She turned furious eyes to the scoundrel who dared to take such liberties with her, only to find him laughing mockingly at her discomfiture.

Sean soon became aware of his sister's distress and glanced at the source of her anger. He placed a soothing arm around her shoulders and whispered quietly in her ear. "Don't mind him, Ree, that's just Sheamus Brady, a rogue if there ever was one. Don't let him rile ye."

Rhianna put the haunting blue eyes out of her mind and turned to her brother. "Sheamus Brady?"

Sean nodded. "Ye remember, Mrs. Brady's son."

"Ye mean, our housekeeper?" Rhianna tried in vain to picture the kindly Mrs. Brady raising such a nasty man.

She didn't have long to ponder the mystery of Sheamus Brady, when she felt another set of eyes burning into her. She instinctively knew who was gazing at her with such wanton lust in his eyes, and suppressed a shudder. Cold ice ran in her veins and her stomach twisted with nausea at his approach. She looked over to her side to find that Sean had left to converse with other guests. It looked like she would have to deal with him alone.

She straightened her shoulders and plastered a smile on her face. "Mr. Dimera." She greeted him as cheerfully as she could stomach. She swallowed the sudden revulsion when he kissed her cheek, the vile touch resembling the kiss of a snake.

"Ah, my dear Rhianna, call me Alexander. It is only right that you call me by my Christian name, after all, we are to be married."

Rhianna smiled uncertainly. "Of course, Alexander."

The graying gentleman took her hands in his. His coal black eyes glittered as they bore into hers. "My deepest condolences on your dear father's death. He was a great man, a respected rival, and a dear friend to me. He gave me the greatest gift in the world when he gave me your hand in marriage."

Alexander Dimera paused briefly, his eyes flitting over her figure. He could not disguise the lust and desire that flashed in his eyes. He quickly composed himself and continued playing the part of the concerned friend.

"Now that your father is.gone, have you given any thought to what you will do? Besides the running of the castle and its grounds, there is also the managing of the factory. It was hard enough for your father to manage; now with his death, you and your brother are quite alone, and at such a tender age, too."

Rhianna bit her lip in anxiety. She had done nothing but worry for the last three days. What would they do?

Dimera laid a cold hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "My dear, let me remove this burden from your frail shoulders. Allow me to take over the factory. You know it was your father's intent that our two companies would merge into one. Marry me, and I will take care of you and your brother. My fortune will provide the much needed repairs for the castle and the surrounding lands, will allow your family's business to grow and expand, to once again become the success that it was, and more."

Rhianna's mind spun from worry and uncertainty while he continued his plea.

"I know, Rhianna, that I am many years older than you. You are barely sixteen, and I, well, much older. But I promise you, that no one will love you as I do. I will cherish you, adore you, and take precious care of you. If you will but allow me."

Rhianna stood as tears formed in her eyes. The idea of marrying this old man terrified and sickened her. Yet, what choice did she have? Her father had already promised her to him; the bans had already been read. Besides, she had responsibilities now, an aging castle that was quickly falling into ruin, and a factory that was the life's blood of the people of Dublin. She had servants, and the poor to look after, as was the duty of the noble class that she had been born into. Rhianna tried to stall him, to buy herself time to consider her options.

Fortunately, Sean came to the rescue. He came up to her side and took her hand in his. He then turned cold eyes onto Dimera. "Mr. Dimera, we appreciate your kindness, but we must refuse your gracious offer. 'Tis still too soon for Rhianna; we are still in mourning."

Dimera gifted the brash young man with a frosty smile. "Your father and I have an arrangement. Legally binding. Your sister and I will be married. The Church has so agreed."

"I accept that. But the arrangement takes effect on the day of her seventeenth birthday, and not a day sooner."

Alexander continued his cold smile. "Yes, I know. I just thought that recent events might have changed that."

Sean smiled again and gripped his sister's hand even tighter. "Nothing has changed, Mr. Dimera. When she's seventeen."

"And what are you going to do in the meantime. Surely you don't mean to manage the castle and your father's ailing business?" he suggested with a haughty laugh.

"We mean to, and we will. Now good day, Mr. Dimera." Sean dismissed him.

Rhianna let out a relieved breath and glanced up to find Sheamus Brady eyeing her speculatively. Their eyes held for a moment, when the young man suddenly turned and walked away.

"That family is cursed."

Sheamus Brady turned to his side where an elderly man was tidying the area around an old headstone. "I'm sorry?" he asked with mild curiosity.

The man straightened up and nodded in the direction of Rhianna and Sean. "Cursed. They're all cursed." He repeated. He sidled up to Sheamus and dropped his voice to a raspy whisper. "Tis cause of the banshee blood that runs through their veins."

Sheamus turned disbelieving eyes on the old man. "Banshee blood."

"Aye, That's what the legends say."

Sheamus turned his gaze back to where Rhianna stood in front of her father's grave. He gazed at her, struck by her wild beauty. {Rhianna Cassidy. No.} he corrected, {Lady Rhianna Cassidy.} He could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her or her brother in his entire life even though his mother was their devoted housekeeper/cook/nanny/whatever else they needed done. He'd never thought much of them; they were just the spoiled kids of his parents' employer. And Rhianna was just a scrawny little girl with flaming red hair and wild green eyes who looked like she'd rather be climbing trees than studying etiquette. Hardly someone to inflame his passions. Until this afternoon.

He could hardly believe his eyes when he saw her standing forlornly in front of the fresh grave. It hadn't been that many years since their last meeting, yet a great deal had certainly changed. The scrawny kid was now a blossoming girl on the verge of womanhood. She had grown into her long, leggy body and softly rounded curves were visible under her heavy black dress of mourning. The wild red hair had calmed a bit and fell in becoming waves down her back. Stray ringlets framed her heart-shaped face and became airborne in the occasional gust of wind. Her skin was milky-creamy and a smattering of light freckles danced across her cheeks. Her greatest feature though were her amazing green eyes that stood out sharply against the pale backdrop of her face.

But even more that just her physical beauty, which was considerable, there was something else about the girl that attracted him, called to him. Something that made him unable to tear his gaze away from the beautiful creature before him.

He could see it in her stiff posture, in her eyes when they locked gazes. There was just something about her deep green eyes.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. "So, how are they 'cursed'?" he asked distractedly. He watched with interest Rhianna's conversation with Mr. Alexander Dimera.

"Look around, laddie." The old man replied gesturing to the headstones arranged neatly around them. "A long line of Cassidys rests in this place and I guarantee ye not one of 'em lived t' see fifty - most didn't see forty. Ye wonder why the twins - orphans now - are left on their own? 'Cause there's no kin left t' care for them. Mark me words, laddie. Don't be getting yourself mixed up with them." The man cried wildly.

Sheamus looked at Rhianna who was just ending her conversation with Mr. Dimera. Their eyes locked for a moment and Sheamus felt a strange attraction to the girl. Which he quickly buried.

"Don't worry about that." He replied calmly and turned and walked away.

She stood later brushing her red-gold hair in front of the large mirror on her wall. Her long, thick cotton nightgown doing little to dispel the chill she felt. It was partly due to the drafts that blew through the cracks in the old stone walls. But mostly due to Dimera, and her impending marriage to him.

{I still have some time. Almost a year.} she thought. She wondered again at the cruelty of fate that would condemn her to a life of marriage to a man over twice her age. Just his mere presence made her feel dirty, slimy all over. When her father first told her of his decision, she had cried and cried, but her tears were wasted on him.

"The Cassidy family is one of the oldest of the noble families in Ireland." He had told her, repeating an oft-heard lecture. "We have titles. When ye are grown, ye will be Lady Rhianna Cassidy. And your brother will be Lord Sean Cassidy."

"But being of nobility means responsibilities. In the old days, when this castle was new, the Lord Cassidy was responsible for the castle and all who lived within its stone walls. And that included the village which is now the town of Dublin."

He had paused then. Rhianna recalled her father's red, watery eyes and the familiar odor of Brandy on his breath. He had then continued sadly.

"But nobility isn't what it used to be. Our family fortune has been dwindling for some years. Now all that remains are the castle itself and the land, which represents a fraction of the old estate. But we are still responsible for our handful of servants. And while we no longer directly care for the people of Dublin, our factory is the primary business in town. If it falls, the town will fall."

Her father had gone on to tell her that her place was to marry well, to infuse the family with new wealth, and that he had done her the favor of choosing that man for her. He expected her respectful obedience in his wishes. And she had agreed. What choice did she have? Arranged marriages had been the procedure for women of high birth since the dawn of time. This was her duty, it was her birthright.

{Sean, of course, could marry whomever he wanted.} Rhianna thought with a wry smile. She wished, as she had done many times since her birth, that she had been born a man. Or at least in a lower class. She sighed and placed her brush on her dresser.

She didn't jump when she felt arms wrap around her waist. Sean laid his cheek against her shoulder. As always, ever since they were babes, he had sensed her emotions. He could feel her pain and fear. And sadness.

"It'll be okay, Ree." He said with an optimism he didn't feel. "We'll make it. Somehow." He comforted her as she cried in his arms, his own tears falling from his brown eyes. Tears for their mum, tears for their da, tears for two orphaned twins left alone in a hard world.

They crawled into bed together for the first time since childhood, and held each other as they cried themselves to sleep.