Hello my dears. I would like to thank Guest for the lovely review. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured since my last update
So here is the next chapter, I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
Penelope smiled at the duke as he guided her through the steps of the minuet, making sure she kept her attention on her partner and ignored all the eyes that were following her every move. It was hard, blocking out all the stares and conversations being held behind fans as they moved down the room. Hard trying to exude an air of relaxation, as if it was nothing for her to be dancing with a duke at her first ever London ball. Hard to give the ton the impression she was determined to show. But she would do it. Because this was for Gabriel. This was why she was there. She had a role to play, and she would do it to the best of her ability. But even that steely determination could not let her mask the relief she felt as the dance ended and she curtsied to her partner for the final time.
"You did very well, Lady Penelope. I must say. You are making my son, and I, very proud." Chuck said as he guided her back to Gabriel, her hand resting on his arm.
"Thank you, your Grace." Penny replied humbly. She understood what he was saying with those words. Understood he knew how hard it was for her to be the centre of attention that he had just put her in. Just as she knew he was congratulating her on her bravery at facing down London society without a flicker of unease.
"No need to thank me, my dear. Just enjoy the rest of your night with your fiancé." Chuck responded giving her hand a squeeze before taking it off of his arm as they reached Gabriel's side. "I thank you for the dance, Lady Penelope. You are as graceful as you are beautiful. My son is a lucky man." He said loud enough for all to hear, though making it seem as if he was speaking only to her as he bowed over her fingers.
"That I am, father." Gabriel agreed moving to take her hand from the dukes and placing it once more on his sleeve as he smiled down at her with a look that could only be described as love on his open features. Or at least that was how every person who saw it choose to interpret it. Which was exactly what Gabriel wanted them to do. He needed to make these people think he loved Penny more than life itself, that he needed her like he needed to breathe. And it was surprisingly easy to do so.
"I believe I am the lucky one, my Lord." Penny responded returning his smile, though with less emotion showing. She was a lady, and there were rules that she had to follow. But they did not stop her eyes from warming as she looked up at Gabriel, nor the smile from softening into a real expression.
And Chuck who was watching noticed how they looked at each other as if no one else was in the room. Ah young love. It really was beautiful thing.
"They truly love each other, don't they?" He asked quietly to his younger son a smile of his own gracing his face at seeing his eldest son and heir had finally found his one.
"They do." Castiel agreed, though he kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. Because while it seemed it was obvious to all others in the room, he would bet good money that the two of them still could not see it for themselves. But they had a season to work it out. And he knew Gabriel wasn't a simpleton. He would figure out the fact that his perfect bride was the one he was already engaged to, in time.
When it came time for the next dance to start, Penny found her hand being asked for by Castiel. She was more than happy to dance with him. she knew she would be under less scrutiny of the ton this time round, or maybe it was more a case that she had gotten used to the eyes following her every move. Either way she found herself relaxing with Castiel, laughing at his insightfully dry humour, showing without thought or meaning to, just how close a bond she had with her fiancé's brother.
And all who knew the Haynes siblings well, couldn't stop the indulgent smiles from appearing on their lips. To see Castiel back again was a god send, to see his brother's fiancée happy and friendly with him was a blessing all had hoped to see when they read the news that morning. The ton knew of the love Castiel and Gabriel had for each other, and they were so very glad to see that the lady Gabriel had chosen to be his wife, would not come between them. In fact from what was shown from that dance alone was that the Lady Penelope could well be the one that would help bring Lord Castiel Haynes out of the shadows and back into the light, where he belonged. They truly hoped she would have that power over the man who was to become her brother-in-law. Truly hoped that the combination of her and Gabriel would bring back the much loved younger son of such a great house.
The dances that followed found Lady Penelope on the floor again and again. First with Captain and Major Winchester, and then Lord Claymore. That was followed by the respectable friends of Gabriel's, who had come to offer their congratulations with their wives or sisters in tow. These were the ladies of the ton who were happy for Gabriel, and who wanted to meet and make friends with the lady who had captured his heart. These were his peers, the ones who believed Penny would soon be joining their ranks and as such opened their arms to her. Their corner of the ballroom was soon filled with laughter and the gayety of friends reuniting, and Penny was introduced to another side of the ladies of the ton. The brighter side, the one she wanted to be part of. She met the ladies she found she could become friends with, people she would happily spend the season in the company of. It caused the time to fly, and it wasn't until the strained sounds of the waltz were heard that Penny realised this was the dance before supper. And it wasn't until that moment that she realised that she yet to dance with her supposed fiancé.
Turning to Gabriel she was about to try and find some subtle way to suggest they dance this together, only to find he had pre-empted her.
"Lady Penelope, may I have this dance?" Gabriel asked with a cheeky smile as he held out his hand. He had been waiting for this. Waiting for the waltz before taking Penny onto the dance floor. Because there was no way he was letting any other man dance this dance with her. This was their dance. Their first dance as an engaged couple in the eyes of the ton. It really was the only dance they could possibly perform.
"I would love to." Penny responded instantly, smiling up at him and completely forgetting the show they were going to be putting on. In fact she had forgotten all about the arrangement they had made in her enjoyment of the evening. All she remembered was how she had felt dancing the waltz with him when she was learning it. It was the most beautiful of all the dances, and she couldn't wait to dance it again, with him.
As soon as Penny stepped into Gabriel's arms, the world seemed to melt away from the both of them. They saw nothing of those around them watching, nothing of the smiling faces or melting hearts of the ton watching their every move like a hawk. No, all that existed to either of them at that time was each other.
"So, how are you enjoying your first ball then, Pen?" Gabriel finally asked, breaking the silence as they started on their second rotation around the room.
"It has been an enjoyable experience." Penny replied smiling up at him, though there was a slight hesitation in her words which Gabriel caught with ease.
"But?" He asked prompting her to tell him the rest of her thoughts on their evening's entertainment. Wanting to know what she truly thought of the ton's idea of social gathering.
"I'm not sure I would be able to do this every night of the week." Penny responded simply. It was not that she had not enjoyed meeting new people, nor a relaxing time in their company. It was more she would prefer to meet them over dinner, or in a music room, rather than in a crowded ballroom where you had to nearly shout to be heard. She could not see how anyone found this sort of entertainment the perfect way to spend an evening.
"I agree. Another reason I am so glad you are here, Penny dearest." Gabriel responded smiling down at her, enjoying her refreshingly honest words to him. It still surprised him that she did not think before speaking when they were alone. That she allowed herself to treat him as she would a friend.
"Oh? How so?" Penny asked in slight confusion. Why would her wish not to attend balls every evening be something he would be glad about? Surely it was counteractive to his objectives. The ones she had forgotten for the first few minutes of the dance, and yet came back to her now they were talking.
"Well now I only need to attend those balls which my fiancée is attending." Gabriel responded his eyes twinkling at the pleasant unforeseen side effect of his plan.
"How is that supposed to help you finding your perfect bride? I do believe to look over the ladies of society, you actually need to go out into society." Penny replied with the raise of an eyebrow, a teasing note in her voice, even if her words were completely sincere. He was paying her to play a role, paying her handsomely. She needed to make sure she fulfilled her end of the agreement.
"I will not find my wife among the debutantes and those young girls making their first bow, trust me. No the lady I want as my wife will need to be older than that." Gabriel responded without thought, his eyes not leaving her as he thought over all the other things his future bride would require. Like an intelligent mind, clever wit, and sparkling eyes which reflected her emotions. Not to mention a lack of artifice and the ability to treat him as an equal, a friend. The list was getting longer the more time he spent with the lady in his arms. And he was not an idiot. He did realise that the items on his list seemed to be all the ones she possessed.
"Any other requirements I should know about? I will keep my eyes open for you." Penny answered back with a quirk of her lips as her eyes sparkled green, showing how well she could keep up with him. How easily she could spar with him with words. So few could do that, or more to the point, were willing to try.
"Many. But I do not believe it would be polite to share them with you." Gabriel responded with a smirk, removing any thoughts of properness from his words by the expression on his lips. Instead he made it seem almost as if he was daring her to dig deeper, to get him to tell her more.
But Penny was not going to fall for that one. Therefore she simply replied, "Very well, Lord Dare, if that is what you wish." In an innocent tone as she looked up at him demurely, the perfect lady.
"Back to using my title I see. Well we can't have that now, can we?"
And that was all the notice Gabriel gave before he pulled Penny closer and pushed them both into a dizzying array of spins down the room. The spins were just on the polite side of wild, and Penny loved them. They made everything else fly from her head just as her feet flew across the floor. Made her think of nothing but the exhilaration she was experiencing in Gabriel's arms. They made her breathless, but in a good way and made a true smile appear on her lips as she stared into his eyes, everything else a blur as they moved. All she could do was follow where Gabriel led, trusting him completely to keep her safe. It was a strange sensation to her, to put her safety into another's hands so literally, but she was wise enough to see how it paralleled with the rest of her life. She was his to do with as he wished, his to command. But just as she did in his arms for the waltz, she knew he would do nothing but protect her in life as well. It was the perfect way to dance in her mind, and she soon forgot to think about why she was there or what she was supposed to be doing. No all she did was just be, relaxing in the arms of the man who had saved her. The man who was quickly becoming her friend. The man that if she wasn't very careful, she knew she could fall in love with. But she did not think about that then, no instead she just let herself feel.
When Gabriel finally took them out of the spins and back to the almost sedate pace of the rest of the dancers, he made no move to release their closeness. Instead he spent the rest of the dance holding the lady in his arms as close as he acceptably could, staring down into her eyes watching as they turned from sparking green to a soft brown. He spent the rest of the dance drowning in them. Drowning in the fascination of watching them change. Of watching her soften. It was an awe-inspiring sight. And it did not cross his mind once that maybe he really shouldn't be feeling that way, not considering he wasn't really engaged to the lady. No all he could think about was how she was the only lady he knew who could stand a chance of matching all the requirements he needed from not just a bride, but a wife. The only woman he had ever met who could keep up with him in every arena, who rose to every challenge he gave, pushing him to be more, to be better. She truly was unique, and for now she was his. What he would have to decide was whether he would be willing to let her go when the time came, he was starting to think that maybe he would not. That could well be a complication he had definitely not foreseen. But now was not the time to think on it. No, now was the time to enjoy being with her. He would have time to think more later, much later.