Chapter 1: Fiances, Secrets and Reunions
Introduction
AN: Most of the titles came from Judith McNaught books. I own nothing but the plot. I hope you guys still like it even if I did change it!
Duke of Stanfield - Li Syaoran
Dowager Duchess of Stanfield - Li Yelan
Countess Langston - Li Meilin
Earl of Langford - Eriol Hiragizawa
Marquess of Wakefield - Touya Kinomoto
Duke of Atherton - Fujitaka Kinomoto
Dowager Duchess of Claremont - Sonomi Daidouji
The Duke of Stanfield sighed impatiently as he waited for his cousin to alight from her ostentatious high-perched phaeton.
"You could have offered to assist, you know."
"That's what the footmen are for, Meilin." The duke replied dryly before offering his arm.
They exchanged pleasantries as he led her up the steps of his newest estate, Grand Oak.
"How is my Aunt?" she asked as they reached the top of the steps.
"Still miffed about my marital status, or lack thereof, but I'm sure you plan on remedying that."
"I intend to." Meilin replied with a meaningful glint in her ruby eyes.
"No more matchmaking." He warned her implacably. "I simply meant that your engagement would keep her pre-occupied."
"My engagement?" she asked, nonplussed.
"Yes, to the Marquess of Wakefield."
Meilin angrily snatched her arm from his. "And when exactly did my engagement become known to the Dowager Duchess?"
Her cousin sent her a quelling look, forcefully placed her hand back on his arm, and continued into the house.
"She nearly learned about it two weeks ago from the Dowager Duchess of Claremont had Eriol and I not intervened." He replied darkly as he led her into a small salon. "I decided that rather than risk her finding out about it from outside sources; she would rather hear it from you."
"You haven't told her then?"
"No. I have no intention of getting any more involved in this than I have to. That means I will sign the betrothal contract, make the proper announcements, host an engagement celebration, and walk you down the vestibule. Anything other than those things is not of my concern." He stated bluntly.
Meilin threw her arms around her cousin, knowing that he meant to say it kindly. "Thank you, Syaoran, so, so, so much."
He patted her head affectionately on the head and rang for the butler.
"Nordstrom, send my mother down at once and tell the kitchens we will be having tea earlier than usual."
"Yes, your grace." The butler said with a bow.
Meanwhile…
"The Countess Langston?! Really, brother?"
"Yes, really brat." Touya Kinomoto, Marquess of Wakefield replied imperturbably.
"She's the Earl of Langford's distant cousin, you know." Tomoyo Daidouji, only daughter of the Dowager Duchess of Claremont, added in her quiet way.
"Really, 'Moyo, I don't see why you use such formalities anymore! We all know that the earl is absolutely besotted by you." Sakura said as her brother helped her dismount from her mare, Lightning.
"Sakura, you shouldn't say such things!" Touya reprimanded censoriously.
"Well, it's true!" Sakura said sticking her tongue out childishly.
"I can see that your years in France haven't robbed you of your childish charms, my lady."
"Oh Eriol, it's you!" Sakura said taking both his hands in a sign of deep and comfortable friendship.
Eriol took her hands briefly before shaking hands with Touya and shocking everyone by shyly helping Tomoyo down from her mount.
"I trust France hasn't cheated you of anything either, Lady Tomoyo?" Eriol asked meaningfully in a voice so low only she could hear.
"Only my first dance as a debutante, my lord." Tomoyo said, shyly lifting her gaze to meet his. His answering smile was dazzling.
"Tomoyo, Eriol, come sit down and let us be cozy as we once used to do here." Sakura said invitingly motioning to the blankets (and banquet) spread beneath them.
Once they had all settled down comfortably , Sakura and Tomoyo started to distribute the plates and serve the food and wine.
"I heard congratulations are in order, Wakefield." Eriol said lifting the glass of sherry that Tomoyo had just poured for him.
"The rest of the ton seems to have heard it as well." Touya replied sardonically raising his glass to meet Eriol's.
"Everyone except your future aunt-in-law, based on what I heard from Stanfield." Eriol replied sending a calculating look his way.
"Gods! You needn't bother to see if I break this glass, Stanfield and I have put that nasty quarrel behind us now." Touya said in a flippant tone that was meant to end the conversation.
"Good, I'd hate to get in between both your pistols once more." Eriol replied with a shudder, forgetting he was in the company of ladies.
"You said that duel didn't happen!" Sakura said, her emerald eyes blazing.
Touya gritted his teeth and sent a death glare in Eriol's direction before turning to answer his sister's accusation. "It didn't, I deloped."
"You what? But that constitutes a public apology which means…" Sakura let her voice trail off as she pieced together what little she knew about the cause of that duel.
"Did you really, brother?" Sakura asked after a short silence.
"Yes, and I paid my price for it but not in the way you think."
"In what way, then?" Tomoyo said with quiet determination, eager to have it out in the open so that there would be no more secrets.
"I nearly lost the only slip of a girl who could possibly make me happy." Touya said, looking away so that they not see the pain in his eyes.
"Oh Touya! I had no idea it was like that. I'm sorry for misjudging you." Sakura said laying her hand on his.
"Thank you. I hope that your attitude towards meeting her changes considerably after this." Touya said, pleading with his sister to not make it more difficult than it already had been for him and his beloved.
"I'm sure she's a lovely person if she can still bear to love you though you are horrible." Sakura teased, effectively lightening the mood.
Eriol flashed an apologetic grin at Touya and Touya accepted with a regal nod of his golden head.
"I heard there are more than enough fops in France who are all-too-eager to endure you to replace your last name with theirs, Lady Sakura." Eriol drawled playfully.
"Not to mention the prince from Russia." Tomoyo said, adding to Sakura's mortification.
"What prince from Russia?" Touya asked, his attitude changing from relaxed and happy to angry and indignant.
"It was nothing Touya. Besides, he was already spoken for by the princess." Sakura said trying to calm her brother's ire.
"But it's true about the other suitors?" he said glaring at her.
"Well, yes, but Aunt Sonomi turned them all down like I requested." Sakura replied tartly.
It was Eriol's turn to ask a question then. "Why? Were none of them to your liking?"
"None at all, they were all vain, ill-bred and unintelligent peacocks who cared more for my dowry and my face than my intelligence." Sakura replied distastefully.
Touya nodded approvingly before switching the topic to something everyone would be slightly more comfortable talking about.
"The Season is just around the corner, I'm sure you ladies are excited to conquer London as you did France?"
"Oh yes!" Tomoyo exclaimed to everyone's surprise. "I've just about finished all the designs for Sakura's new gowns."
"That's not really necessary, Tomoyo, I could wear whatever I wore in France." Sakura replied, her lips twitching because of the rapturous expression on Tomoyo's face when she said gowns.
"But you wouldn't do that, because that would hurt my feelings." Tomoyo said in a sing-song voice.
"And what would happen if I did that?" Sakura asked humorously.
"Eriol would have to call you out and I would have the pleasure of standing as your second." Touya replied, enjoying the banter and ignoring Tomoyo's colorful blush.
"But that would be murder! Everyone who knows Sakura knows that she is the most lethal person in all of Europe when given a pistol!" Eriol said in mock horror.
At that Sakura smiled sheepishly while everyone recounted tales of Sakura's unusual requests as a child.
She insisted that she learn to ride astride, to shoot a pistol, to fence, and to everyone's surprise to speak Spanish, German, Latin, and French.
"The only lessons she hated were the ones in Mathematics!" Tomoyo put in good-naturedly.
"Okay, I think we've all picked on Sakura enough for one day." Touya said standing up and offering his hand to his only sister. "Shall we ride back to our homes? No doubt Stanfield would like a word with you Langford."
Sakura accepted the offered hand and made sure her riding habit was not damaged, it was the least tiresome of all her gowns and, therefore, her favorite.
"I'll escort Tomoyo to her home, it's on the way." Eriol said to Touya with a meaningful inclination of his head as they helped the ladies mount their respective horses.
Touya nodded and the two pairs rode off in opposite directions.
AN: I'm not changing much in terms of the plot but I needed to correct slight errors. Since I just graduated, I have a lot of time on my hands now and I hope to finish this story. I'll write about 10 chapter, 12 being the maximum number.