Hey! Sorry about the slight wait but things came up. Yeah that's my excuse. Lol. Enjoy the update!

-UltimateGammy91

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Chapter Nine – Make the Best of Things

Rogue followed John reluctantly up the stairway from the servant's quarters, grateful for the silence as she fumed angrily inside. She wondered if Lord Black was keeping tabs on her whereabouts, for this was probably the third time he had known precisely where she had been. Never mind his suave excuses- he was keeping tabs on her! A frown drew itself across her face as she silently cursed herself. She should have kept her eyes opened wider. How could she not have realised it until now? Was this constant watching of her actions and whereabouts going to continue once they were married? Rogue dreaded the thought. She would never be at peace again, not even when it was clear beyond clear that she was alone.

John, who stepped in time with her footsteps at her side, turned his gaze towards her but kept his face face-forward. He took note of the frown almost immediately. It was most obvious that she was far less than pleased than being in this situation. Who could be happy in such an arrangement? She barely understood the truth behind this match. John felt a twinge of guilt as he continued to lead her back to her fiancée. However, not a moment after the pang had occurred, an epiphany brightened his eyes and spread a small smirk across his lips. He turned casually to meet Anna-Marie's gaze.

"We haven't been properly introduced- I'm Saint John Allerdyce, ma'am. At y' service."

Rogue raised a brow at John and jolted slightly at his sudden introduction. She recovered coolly, and shook the hand he offered her politely as she gave a meek nod. A hint of tease erupted from her voice as she replied.

"Are ya really a Saint, St. John?"

John grinned in the most unsaintly way possible. Like an impish devil with flaming red hair and forest green eyes. He gave a low chuckle and waved his hand as he denied her accusation.

"Me? A Saint? Ha! Hardly. Though, mind you, I know what's right an' wrong sure enough. That you can be sure of ma'am."

Rogue found her anger subsiding as John's pleasantly honest responses eased her irritation. However, despite his gentility and light humour, she remained a little frigid as she smirked and replied.

"An' ah suppose ya think its right that ya have t' follow meh around for ya master?"

John's smile faded as they continued to walk, the echoing of the party chatter becoming louder as they made their way. John was silent for a moment, turning his gaze away from her to hide his slightly guilty expression. He bit it back and turned his head to reply some memorised excuse but one look into her blazing emerald eyes left him flabbergasted without words. He opened his mouth to speak several times but on the third time, he shut it and gave a silent sigh of defeat. Would it honestly endanger the plan to tell her just a little section of the truth? After all, weren't they trying to gain her trust rather than not have it at all? Finally, once his mind was made up, John gave an audible sigh and gave an expression that put him at fault as he spoke.

"Afraid so, ma'am. But like I said, orders are orders. But believe me, my master means no harm on me keepin' an eye on you. He just wants to know you're safe."

Rogue lightly snorted in disbelief. John smiled feebly as he tried to ease the opinions the woman clearly had for his master. His voice grew gentle as he continued to speak.

"Though I might not be able t' change y' opinion o' m' master. From the years I've known 'im, I know him t' be a good man. Once y' get t' know him."

Rogue's tongue was dipped in sarcasm as she replied coldly, her gaze set on the floor as they continued to walk.

"Ah'm sure he is Mister Allerdyce-"

"John- ma'am, if y' like."

"Right, John. Well, ah'm sure he's a good man but there is nothin' good about this situation."

John shrugged as he turned to reply.

"It might not be an…ideal situation. But, if y' don't mind me sayin' ma'am-"

"Rogue."

John furrowed his brow at her in bemusement so Rogue smiled and replied gently. Her frigidness was fading again as she replied.

"It's only fair if ah call ya John, ya call meh Rogue. Everyone but mah Aunt an' Grandfather do."

John smiled and nodded before he continued. They had passed the doors to the ball room now and continued on in the dimly lit hallways as they made slow tracks towards the doors the led to the gardens.

"Anyway, If y' don't mind me sayin', it's not completely bad once y' look at it a lil' deeper."

Rogue raised a perceptive brow at him so he continued.

"I mean, look at it this way, once y' marry m' Master, y' free o' your merry ol' family an' if y' want, y' don't have t' see 'em again either."

Rogue rolled her eyes. It seemed like everyone had the same scheme locked in their minds about the good part of her situation. Did no one but herself see this as a bad thing? She knew it wasn't uncommon for arranged marriages to happen in this day and age but many of them were also wrecked by pain and misfortune. Wives were forced to produce heirs if they married a man of noble birth and if they could not, they were cast away while her husband took his interests else where. What did Lord Black expect, she wondered. Did he expect to impregnate her with his brood until she withered away with age? And what if she couldn't produce children? What happened then? Though she couldn't care less of what he decided to do outside of their marriage, a broken marriage was a broken marriage in the eyes of the public. There would be no mercy for her. Rogue offered her excuse, that most arranged marriages ended with misfortune, but excluded her thoughts on when and if she and Lord Black had children. She did not need John to retell such thoughts to his master as she was sure he would once she was out of sight. John merely shook his head sincerely and replied.

"Lord Black is an honourable man, Rogue. If it didn't work out, there's no doubt in my mind he'd do everything in his power to make it right."

Rogue gave a slightly aggravated sigh as she raised her hands to emphasise her annoyance, pointing at the air irritably.

"Ugh…does no one see how badly matched this engagement is? Ah hardly know him, John! An' he barely knows meh!"

John nodded feebly but offered an explanation nonetheless.

"Like you said b'fer, arranged marriages are like that. An' pardon my sayin' this, but you're pretty lucky, Sheila. Some folks don't see each other until the day o' their marriage. At least y' have a lil' time t' get t' know each other."

Rogue huffed irritably. The exhale of air caused the tendrils of loose hair to blow away from her face. She crossed her arms defiantly, causing John to chuckle lightly with amusement. She narrowed her gaze at him as she replied.

"How long have ya served under Lord Black?"

John gave a thoughtful expression, hiding away the slight panic he felt at the question. It was totally innocent and easy to answer without giving too much away but he hadn't expected it. Without a moment's hesitance, he replied.

"Been his attendant since I was fifteen. His Pa hired me off the docks of London he did. Been with Lord Black's family ever since an' I don't regret a minute of it."

Rogue heard the emphasis he put into his last sentence of words and though she was grateful for his efforts, it wasn't any help to her opinions of Lord Black. She could assume he was an honourable man to his staff, it was evident enough but what of his behaviour around women, she thought. He was a handsome, exceedingly wealthy, young man. The first quality alone would hand him a silver platter of women with a half-glance. There was no doubt in her mind that he was no stranger to wooing a woman or two to his bed. However, it was where she stood in that area that bothered her. Rogue shuddered slightly at the thought as it sent anxious tremors down her spine. She would not think of that yet. Not until the time arrived…when she was obligated as a wife to…

"Are you alright?"

Rogue blinked and turned her head only to come face to face with an anxious looking John. She smiled feebly and nodded but said nothing else. Her arms fell to her sides again. Before she knew it, John stopped them and opened the glass door that suddenly appeared before them. Rogue had to blink a few times before realising that they had arrived at the mouth of the gardens. A pair of tall, glass and metal doors stood before them. Rogue felt chills run down her spine again as she stared through the glass. The tall garden hedges that outlined the gravel path were bathed in darkness.

"'Fraid I have t' leave y' here Rogue, he's waitin' out there on one of them benches. Jus' follow the path, he'll find you."

Rogue felt her stomach twist with nerves suddenly as her expression turned anxious. She turned to meet John's gaze and he smiled kindly, offering his reassurance. She smiled feebly before thanking him for his efforts to cheer her up. He gave a short bow and told her he was happy to help. However, before he departed, he held out something to her that she took wordlessly without realising what it was. When she spread apart the dark material in her hands, she realised it was a coat. She thanked him quietly before slipping it on. It was a dark navy colour, velvet and instantly warm against her exposed skin. She pulled it close as John opened the door before stepping out into the cold. John's last words rang out into the night as stepped onto the loose gravel.

"Don't be too hard on 'im Rogue! He means well!"

Rogue grumbled silently but did not call back any reply. She followed the path wordlessly, her breath turning to fog in the air. She felt her ankles become chilled slightly as the gravel crunched under her shoes but she continued onwards. Unexpected nerves began to erupt in her stomach as she continued through the maze. She didn't understand why she was nervous, she knew she had no reason to be. Perhaps it was the fact that she was walking around alone on a freezing, silent night with her ambiguous fiancée out on the look for her. "No." She shook her head at the thought. It wasn't that, was it?

"Hello again mon chére."

Rogue felt her heart stop for a full two seconds as her eyes widened in surprise. She felt a warm hand set itself on her shoulder while the familiar voice sent chills over her skin. Within a millisecond, she turned on her heal only to come face to face with her grinning, and not to mention highly amused, fiancée. He chuckled lightly, his breath turning to fog as he spoke up again.

"Désolé mademoiselle if I frightened y'."

Rogue's widened eyes turned to a narrowed glare while her icy cheeks turned warm in a flush of pink. His grin broadened as he towered over her smaller frame, his unusual eyes glowing like flames in the dark. Remy hadn't meant to frighten her of course but even if he had, he would have expected her to yelp, not glare at him like he had killed her dog or something along those lines. When she spoke however, her tone was ice cold compared to her burning gaze and heated cheeks.

"Ya didn't frighten meh."

He raised a perceptively questioning brow at her while his smirk remained in place.

"I didn't, huh?"

He watched with satisfaction as her cheeks flushed a little darker at his words. She glared at him again and in a defiant notion, she folded her arms across her chest, cocked her hip to one side and replied.

"Look, ya had John drag meh out here, what is it that ya want wit' meh?"

Remy raised his brow, if possible, a little higher while bemusement marred his face. He continued to grin that crooked grin of his as he began to circle her and talk at once.

"Now, now mon chére. No need t' be upset, I just want t' talk. An' seein' as how our party guests jus' wouldn't leave y' alone, I figured dis would be an ideal place."

"An' what? Freeze t' death while we're at it?"

Remy's grin did not fade but there was a calculating look in his eyes. Rogue furrowed her brow at him as he remained silent for a couple of moments but not a moment later, he wordlessly grasped her gently by the hand and led her further into the maze. Rogue was surprised by his gentleness but forgot about it as it dawned on her that she had no idea what he was doing. Frowning at the back of his head as he led her away, she asked.

"Where are we goin' exactly?"

"Y'll see. Jus' trust moi for a moment."

Rogue rolled her eyes irritably. "A moment. That's all ah'll give ya."

A few moments later, Remy had led Rogue down the path way only to stop them in front of a glass and metal marquee that stood in the middle of a stone, circular court. It was completely surrounded by the tall hedges of the garden, while yellow rose vines entwined the outer railing of the gazebo, giving the small space some seclusion. Rogue had forgotten this place had even existed. However, when she took a second glance at the small building, she noticed the flames that flickered from behind the glass. She wasn't able to question Lord Black, for not a moment later he was gently leading her towards it. When they reached the door, he opened it graciously for her to enter first before closing it behind him. Inside the gazebo stood a set of four chairs while in the middle of the stone floor stood a rounded fire place where a healthy fire hissed and crackled. The glass room was warmer than she had anticipated and so she began to take off her coat. However, before she could even slip out an arm, she felt the same pair of warm hands clasp her shoulders. Gently, he took off her coat wordlessly and hung it over the back of a nearby chair along with his own, long trench coat (1). He turned back to her and took one of her gloved hands and again, wordlessly, he led her towards a vacant chair and set her down before taking up the seat beside her. When they were comfortable, or in Rogue's case as comfortable as she was going to be in the given situation, Lord Black spoke.

"Are y' comfortable chére?"

Rogue shrugged. Her gaze remained icy as before while she replied.

"Ah'm not exactly comfortable with our situation, this is as comfortable as ah'm gonna get, mah Lord."

Remy's smirk faded somewhat and Rogue was surprised to find she felt a slight pang in chest for causing such a reaction. She didn't let it show of course. She watched as Lord Black leant back in his chair, his strong arms leant casually over the chair arms as he let one leg rest over the other. When he was seemingly comfortable, he met her gaze again and began to speak. His voice was considerably more sincere than his prior tone of speech.

"Y' were comfortable talkin' t' moi dat day in de forest, non?"

Rogue raised a credulous brow at him as she replied.

"That was before ah knew about our…engagement."

Remy nodded, finding no other response as appropriate. Rogue was surprised he wasn't trying to justify himself already but was not left unsatisfied by her expectations for long.

"If we be getting married chére, don't y' t'ink it would be easier if we got along a little more?"

Rogue turned her gaze away from his and set her gaze on the flames of the fireplace. The light was warm against her skin, soothing perhaps under normal circumstances, but she felt no warmth. "Get along? How can ah possibly get along with him!" The idea was, she would admit, reasonable but her pride wouldn't have it. She wanted nothing to do with him.

"Says the woman wearing the clothes he gave her."

Rogue slammed back the voice of reason to the back of her mind as soon as the words escaped but they had done their damage well. She shifted uncomfortably, the sound of her frock rustling against the floor cutting through her pride.

"It'll be harder on both of us if y' don't try."

Rogue stubbornly refused to look at him but his words struck true. She was making it harder on both of them. Her pride began to loosen its hold on her reasoning as she pondered over the idea. Everyone had told her a version or part of the same thing, to make the best of the situation. But how could she submit to this? She let a deep sigh escape her as her pride hung by a thread. A moment hung and she felt that same hand clasp her own in a gentle hold. Her gaze turned quickly from the flames only to meet a deeper set of flames. They were liquid pools of embers, both burning and soothing at once. Rogue felt her pulse quicken slightly as she realised that he was kneeling before her, his hands wrapped around one of her own as he stared up at her and kept her gaze locked with his. Rogue gulped silently as she stared back at him. A moment passed before he spoke again.

"Y' could trust moi Anna-Marie. Not right away but a lil', non? Dat's all I ask of y' chére."

Rogue opened her mouth to speak once but closed it quickly. Silently, after a few short moments, she gave a soundless sigh and reluctantly nodded. The string her pride had been clasping for life, snapped instantaneously. However, when a jubilant, genuine smile spread across his lips, she almost felt like losing her pride was worthwhile. Gently, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly while his gaze never drew away from her own. When he let her go, his hand remained locked with her own as he replied.

"Merci chére."

"Rogue."

"Pardon?"

"People call meh Rogue. If we're gonna get along, ya may as well start off on callin' meh that. None o' that chére business."

She watched as he began to chuckle amusedly before replying.

"D'accord, Rogue. Mais, "chére" seem t' be fittin' for y', non?"

Rogue frowned down on him.

"Ah ain't ya dear."

Remy smirked.

"Not yet."

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-ugh- my fingers are so numb from writing this! REVIEW!

-ultimategammy91