So here is the next chapter for you. Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
Lady Penelope Coburn, daughter of the former Viscount Simmers sat in the breakfast room of Dryton manor with her three sisters looking the picture of the perfect lady. No one would know that underneath she was a bundle of nerves. She had only four weeks until the start of the London season, and the time her and her sisters had to remove themselves from this house. When her uncle had told her the news before Christmas and pulled out the marriage proposal she had refused, she had been sure that another solution would present itself. And it had, in a way.
Two days after the letter from her uncle a Major Castiel Haynes had come to call. The major had come to inform her that her brother had died saving his life. He was kind and courteous, and somehow she found herself unburdening herself of her situation onto his broad shoulders. She still did not know how he got her to speak of it. That was not the sort of person she was. Of course later when she discovered he had been one of the best intelligence officers in wellingtons army she didn't feel so bad at revealing her secrets. She imaged many a French man had betrayed his country unknowingly to Major Haynes.
He had turned up a few days after that initial meeting with another man at his side. This time it was a Major Winchester, whom it seemed was his friend. They talked and the major seemed nice, he was friendly and warm to Penny, but she could see behind his eyes a shadow that no matter what, she knew that she had no power to remove. It was a shame, the man was all happiness on the outside, but underneath demons lurked. No doubt a result of the war. When he had proposed she had almost laughed at the absurdity, and when Major Haynes had explained that it would save her and her sisters from their current situation she couldn't believe him. He expected her to marry a stranger on his recommendation purely to make her and her sisters lives more comfortable? She had of course politely refused and major Winchester had seemed rather relived about that. No doubt he was. If she didn't want to marry a stranger to save her family, he surely didn't want to do it to save the honour of his friend.
The next time Major Haynes turned up he had with him a captain Fitzgerald. The process repeated itself and once again her hand was asked for and once again she refused. When this happened a third time she informed Major Haynes that she would not marry any of his friends and that she would find a solution to this situation without his assistance, though she thanked him for his attention it was obvious to both it was a dismissal. And so he had left and she had seen nothing of the major since that time. And now with her uncle wanting the banns to be read for her engagement to lord Rother in church this Sunday she suddenly wished that the major would return. At this moment she had a horrible feeling she would agree to marry any of his friends if it would save her and her sisters from there expected fate.
But she couldn't let her sisters know, she just couldn't.
"Penny, is everything all right?" asked lady Beatrice, she was the closet to her sister in age being 16 to Penelope's 24.
"Yes Bea, everything is fine. What are your plans today?" Penny asked pulling herself out of her thoughts and turning to her younger sisters, to little Elizabeth who their mother had died giving birth to and as such Penny had raised. Lizzie was more like a daughter to her than a sister.
The Coburn ladies then turned the discussion of the merits of various entertainments they could do that day. It was January and as such cold, but the sun was shining weakly and so they decided a brisk walk would do them all good after being coped up inside due to the rain they had had the past few weeks. And so lady Penelope put the thoughts of what to do to save her family from her mind and turned to enjoying her time with her sisters.
Gabriel and Castiel pulled up outside a small manor house on the boarder of Dorset and Wiltshire one fine winter's afternoon. They had come to stay with Castiel's friend Garth Fitzgerald the third, baron Warbon, who lived in his small estate with his mother and sister. It seemed though,that they were not the only guests. Upon arrival a tall man with short blonde hair and bright green eyes greeted Castiel as if he was a long lost relative.
"Cas." The man said shaking his hand as if the world depended on it.
"Dean, this is my brother Gabriel, the Marquess of Dare, Gabriel Major Dean Winchester." Castiel said introducing the two with ease. The name Castiel uttered was familiar to Gabriel. He had heard of Major Winchester from the reports in the papers as well as from his brother. He knew he was his closest and most loyal friend.
"Pleasure to meet you." He said holding out his hand with a smile for the man.
"You to, my lord." Major Winchester replied stiffly, he was never sure how to behave around the elite though he worked with many in his time in the army, he did not hold a title, and nor did he want one. In fact he had been rather surprised when Castiel had revealed he was in fact the younger son of a duke. They were not from the same world, but they fought side by side throughout the campaign, that was enough for Dean.
"So why are we all here Cas?" the Major asked turning back to his best friend.
"I have a plan to save Lady Penelope." Caspian replied simply making Dean stand up straighter.
"Then we will be all ears. We all owe her brother our lives." He replied gesturing for Castiel and Gabriel to lead as they made their way to the study where the others were waiting to see who had arrived and why.
Inside the study Gabriel discovered who else was staying at the barons home. There was Captain Samuel Winchester who was Dean's younger brother, an intelligent and polite man who seemed to take him in his stride, and Lieutenants joseph Williams and Michael Throne, both younger sons of earls that where of an age with his brother. Smiling round the group Gabriel was aware he was the oldest amongst them, and yet, some, like Dean Winchester, had an air about them of premature age. It was the air given to those who had fought and lost too many friends in the war. And looking round he knew that every man here had lost someone in the conflict. They may be heralded as heroes by the papers and the public, but the horrors they had witnessed where something he would never be able to understand. And for the first time he was glad that his father had stopped him from joining them, and that thought shamed him. He should want the glory and honour of war, but he knew, as with everything, there was a cost. And looking round the room he was not sure it was a cost he could have paid.
But that did not matter, what did was why he was here. It was his time to uphold the honour of his family, even if it was only to save the sister of one who had given his live for his brother. That was the honour he could fight for, and fight for it he would.
"I'm sorry Cas. But I don't think this plan is so great." Dean said into the silence that followed Castiel's explanation of the plan he had to save lady Penelope.
"Why not?" He asked, not in disbelief but as if he truly wanted an answer. He wanted to see what holes Dean had seen so he could fix them.
"Well for a start what happens if for some reason she refuses to end the engagement at the end of the season?" Dean asked, voicing the most dominate question in his mind. Not that he thought that the lady in question would do such a thing. But Gabriel was heir to a dukedom.
"Then I will marry her." Gabriel simply making all heads turn to him. He had not spoken while Castiel had laid out his plans and as such they had almost forgotten that one of the central people in this plot was with them in the room.
"And what happens to her when only a short time after she breaks your engagement you marry another? She will be tainted and shamed from society." Dean asked crossing his arms and staring at the Marquess. He was not backing down from this. He would not let the lady be hurt in anyway.
"I will not let that happen. I will behave towards her with the upmost respect and honour. At the same time I will make her the most desirable woman of the ton. When our agreement is over she will have the pick of men asking for her hand. I will not announce any engagement to another until I know she is settled to her satisfaction." Gabriel replied evenly, countering every objection the major had to the plan. Or at least he thought he had.
"No one will believe that a woman of lady Penelope's station would break her engagement with the heir to a dukedom." Dean replied with disbelief at this man's stupidity at thinking that any would believe that.
"I and the lady in question will make sure that ton is well aware that it was she who broke the engagement. I promise you this, the ton will have no reason to turn its back on her. She will come out of this unharmed and with her reputation intact, whatever it takes. On that you have my word." He responded with the slight narrowing of his eyes. This man did not know him, therefore he could not take offense at the stains he was levelling on his character, on his honour. He would give these men, as well as the lady in question, whatever assurances they wanted that he would never let anything happen to her. Once they were engaged she would become his responsibility, and as he said, if she did not break the engagement she would become his wife. He would have to treat this as a real connection to the lady in question.
"Very well. But you still have to get her to agree." Dean replied after staring at the Marquess for a moment more. He would not let anything happen to Lady Penelope. It was his job to protect her now her brother was gone.
"I believe between myself and Gabriel we can get Lady Penelope to agree. We will call tomorrow morning." Castiel said entering into the conversation now it seemed that Gabriel had alleviated some of Dean's concerned. Not that he had any. Everything that his brother had said he knew to be true without saying a word. He knew his brother and his strong sense of honour. Lady Penelope would be well in his hands, that he knew. Just as he knew with the right incentives he could get the lady in question to agree to the plan, especially as he knew that her time was running out.
