Hello my darlings. I would like to thank all of you who have followed and favoured since my last update. It's overwhelming to see how many people are interested in this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own supernatural.
The carriages pulled into an inn after a long uneventful day. They were half way to London, and this was where they would be spending the night. Gabriel had already organised rooms for Penelope and her sisters and when they arrived the lady in question found she had no energy to do more than heard her family up to them.
"I have booked a private dining room if you wish to join me." Gabriel said as she moved towards the stairs. He did not have much hope that she would. The travel had taken it out of her and her sisters, none of them being used to such a long journey. But he decided he would at least offer, it was the gentlemanly thing to do after all.
"I thank you, but I believe I would prefer to have dinner in my room with my sisters this evening." Penelope replied finding she did not have anything else to give to the gentleman with her. She needed to settle her family, after all this was the last night they would be together alone for a long time. She wanted to take every advantage of it that she could.
"Of course, I will have the innkeeper send up dinner for you all." Gabriel nodded. He would not take this time from her. Her life was about to change so much. He could give her one last night before London and the season… and his mother.
"Thank you Gabriel." Penelope replied with a smile, it still felt strange to her to call him that rather than my lord, but she would get used to it she was sure.
"You are welcome, Pen." Gabriel responded with a smirk turning to speak to the landlord before Penelope could reply to him once more calling her 'Pen'. It was a strange abbreviation of her name that no one had ever used before, most of her friends and family called her Penny, but she had a feeling that Gabriel was not going to be like most people. So she should probably get used to it. Though if him calling her Pen was the worse she had to deal with, then she would count herself lucky. Pen wasn't that bad after all.
The food arrived promptly, and Peter served them all was his role as personal footman to the Coburn ladies. Gabriel had made it clear that her staff were to stay with her and her sisters, as such Miss Hern had a cot in the room which the younger girls would share, and Emily and Peter had a small box room just off her own.
And so the Penelope settled down to the last family meal she would have for some time. Or at least the last one that consisted of only her family at least.
It was a pleasant meal, the food being filling, without being too much. And once they were done Penelope could see Lizzie and Lotty were falling asleep where they sat and as such sent them off with Miss Hern and Emily to get them to bed leaving her alone with Bea.
The younger sister had been hoping for this to happen. Waiting for a time she could speak to her elder sister alone. It seemed there were things they needed to discuss, things she needed to know. But now the time had come Bea found she had no idea how to start the conversation she wanted to have. Luckily Penny gave her the opening she needed.
"Tell me Bea, what do you think of Gabriel?" Penny asked, hoping her sister would be honest with her. She did not want the only family she had to feel that they had to offer platitudes at her choices. Even if Gabriel would not be in their life forever, he would still be there for some time. And even when they parted Penny wasn't stupid enough to think she would never see the man again. The agreement they had arranged after all made her and her family dependent upon him from the rest of their lives, even if he claimed he would give her complete control. There was still the chance he would want to oversee how they spent his money, and oversee who it was her sisters married. There was always a chance he could change it that way, especially now they were at his mercy. She should have got it written down before she left Drayton Manor, but it was too late now to think like that. She hadn't and that was that.
"He is a very charming gentleman, and I believe he truly cares about us all." Bea replied with a smile as she tried to think of a way to ask the questions she wanted to, and make sure her sister gave her honest answers. This was not something she was used to after all, Penny was the oldest, had always been the oldest even when Jimmy had be alive. Their brother had separated them in age being one and twenty when he had died.
"Of course he does Bea." Penny replied with a smile wanting to reassure her sister that Gabriel would look after them. She just hoped her reassurances where true. No she had to believe them to be true. Gabriel was a gentleman and he would not go back on his word.
Bea took deep breath at that before she found courage enough to reply with the words she hoped would make her sister see she knew some of the truth. "You do not have to lie to me… Pen."
"What did you just call me?" Penny asked sitting up straight no one called her that… except… Gabriel had called her that twice, the question was which one her sister had overheard. She hoped it was the one in the inn, but from what she could remember, Bea had taken Lizzie up the stairs by the time Gabriel had said that. There was no way she could have overheard. Oh good lord, what did her sister know?
"You heard, just as I heard the conversation you and Gabriel had in the carriage." Bea replied confirming Penny's suspicions. Oh no. She had not wanted any of her sisters to know the truth. What was she to do now that Bea did?
"You were not truly asleep." Penny responded absently as she tried to think of what to say. And therefore confirming to Bea that what she had overheard had not been a mistake or a dream. That conversation had been real.
"I was nodding off when you started speaking. I thought to give you some time alone with your betrothed, but he isn't really that is he?" Bea asked not sure how she felt knowing that they were going to London, to live in the house of the family that they would not be truly joining. She was confused and upset about why her sister would do this. But she also knew Penny, and she knew that she would not agree to such a thing without a very good reason. Bea wanted to know what that reason was.
"No." Penny answered not sure what else to say. She felt trapped, maybe she should have taken Gabriel up on his offer of dinner after all. But she could not change her choices now, and it was better to have this conversation here rather than in the Duke's home where servants could overhear. She did not want anyone in Gabriel's family's household to know the truth. That would not be a good thing.
"Why Penny? Why have you done this?" Bea asked with a puzzled frown on her face while she kept her voice calm. There was no need to get angry at her sister to get answers after all.
"You do not have to worry Bea-" Penny replied trying to think of something she could say to alleviate the fears her sister no doubt had from what she had overheard.
"I am not worried. I just want to know why." Bea replied completely wrong footing Penny. She tried to remember what she and Gabriel had discussed that would make Bea so calm about this. But she could not remember any of what was spoken.
With that Penny sighed as she turned to watch the fire in the grate as she tried to find the words to tell her sister things she shouldn't have to worry about. Things she should not have to know. She wished she could tell her some sort of platitude, but she knew Bea. She was not one who sort the centre of attention, but she was quietly relentless in finding out what she wanted. Her sister would not let this go.
"Our uncle gave me an ultimatum. Marry Lord Rother or move out of the house before the being of the season." Penny finally replied moving her eyes from fire to her sister in time to see the disgusted look upon her face.
"Lord Rother is an old goat, you couldn't marry him." Bea said without thought. Though she did hang her head when she realised the words that had come out of her mouth. They were not lady like, even if she was only talking to her sister.
"My thoughts exactly." Penny responded with a rueful smile making Bea look up at her with a cheeky grin at knowing that she had not spoken out of turn. That Penny also found Lord Rother disgusting. With the confidence that gave her Bea refused to he dissuaded from what she truly wanted to know.
"So how does the Marquess come into this?" she asked calling him by his title rather than his name, after all he would not be her brother-in-law it seemed. She would need to remember that. He was a Marquess and she was a Viscount's daughter, and that would be the end of their relationship, unless something changed. But she knew her sister, she was stubborn when she wanted to be. It was a trait that ran in the family.
"Do you remember Major Haynes? He came to see us-" Penny started to say but was interrupted by Bea. The younger Coburn lady remembered when the major had come to see them, come to tell them that their brother had died fighting for his country. Yes, she did not need her sister to remind her of that time, it was burned into her mind.
"Yes I remember him."
"He is Gabriel's brother, in return for Jimmy saving the majors life he made me an offer." Penny responded understanding Bea wish to not remember that time. None of them wanted to remember that time, there was nothing worse than hearing your brother had died. Well that wasn't true. Having your father follow him only a month later was definitely worse.
"What kind of offer Penny?" Bea asked pulling her sister from the horrible memories of that time with the innocence in her voice. There was no malice or judgement in her question. Just a want to know.
"I am to pretend to be his fiancée for the season, when it is over he will give us a house, a home, wherever we wish it, and make sure we are finically independent." Penny replied, not voicing any of her doubts about how independent she truly though they would be. But it would still be better than Lord Rother, being under Gabriel's protection would be much better than that, anything would be better than that. And at least they would have the illusion of freedom, it was all any woman of their station had after all.
"That is…" Bea finally said, though she had no idea how to finish that sentence. She had never heard of anything so… outlandish as the proposal her sister spoke of. It was… well, there were no words.
"Yes. But I could see no other way out of the situation we were in, so I took it. Do you think badly of me for doing so?" Penny asked gently wondering how her sister would take her agreeing to fool the ton. To her agreeing to pretend to be thinking of a marriage to a man she had no intention of going through with.
Bea sat there for a while not answering her sisters question, and glad Penny didn't press her to do so. Instead she sat and thought through all she had told her. Tried to think of other ways out of the situation Penny had found herself in, but all she could come up with was marriage to another man, and there was not a lot of unmarried men in their part of Dorset. And after some time she came to the conclusion her sister had done the only thing she could save them all. She had seen the way Lord Rother had looked at her and Lotty, and she was more than glad that they were not being forced to live with him.
"No, I believe had I been in your position I would have chosen the same. He is a nice man, a gentleman, he will not let anything happen to any of us." Bea finally said with a nod. No Gabriel would never do anything to harm her or her sisters, or at least she hoped he didn't. With that thought she turned to the one sister she felt that could get hurt from this arrangement. She turned to Penny.
"I hope so." Penny replied with smile, unaware of the turn her sister's thoughts had taken. About how Bea was worried that Penny would indeed fall in love with the man she was pretending to marry. She had seen how they were together and she had heard their words. Including Gabriel final ones to her sister, asking her which Lady Penelope Coburn she wanted to the ton to see. And Bea knew, if she was Penny, she would find it very hard not to develop feelings for such a man. She just hoped her sister was made of stronger stuff than she was.
"Thank you for telling me the truth Penny, and if you ever need me, I will be there." Bea said with a smile, hoping that Penny would come to her, if she needed it. She may well be eight years her junior, but they were still sisters, and they were still family.
"I know you will Bea. Just please, don't tell the younger ones." Penny asked with a smile. She did not think they would understand why she was doing what she was, and as selfish as it seemed, she would prefer to keep the imagine they had of her as a future duchess. It had made them so excited to here she had agreed to marry Gabriel. Lizzie especially, she did not want to ruin that.
"Of course not. I will let them believe that you are to marry Gabriel, they already like him." Bea responded instantly. She too had seen her sister's faces when they had heard the news, she herself had found herself overjoyed at the idea of becoming a future duke's family. But she knew better now. Of course that did not mean she would spoil the pleasure for her sisters, any of them.
"Yes he seems to be able to charm anyone." Penny replied with a faint smile as she remembered the look Gabriel had given them all as they stood on the steps of their old home just that morning. Was it really so little time ago? It seemed much longer to her. Or maybe that was because of what was to come. At present they were in limbo, but soon they would not be. Soon they would be into the charade, even if she felt Gabriel had already started it with the smile he gave them all.
"Even you?" Bea asked cheekily. If only her sister and Gabriel would fall in love with each other. It would be like a fairy-tale. Not that she thought it would happen, but everyone was allowed to dream, were they not?
"My betrothal is not real Bea. Do not try to make it into a romantic tale." Penny replied with a look that Bea knew all too well. It was the look that told her to get her head out of the clouds, but Bea didn't care. She was a romantic at heart. Always had been, and always would be.
"I will try, but I make no promises, he seemed very amiable in the carriage." Bea responded cheekily smiling at sister to see what response she would give to that sentence.
"I have a feeling that that is just the way he is." Penny replied dryly. She would take Gabriel's flirtations with a pinch of salt. She knew what they had agreed, and nothing would change that.
"We'll see. Goodnight sister, I will see you on the morrow." Bea said getting up deciding it was time for her to retire. They still had a long way to travel on the next day after all, and then they would be meeting a duchess. Yes she needed to make sure she had a proper night's sleep before that, and she was sure Penny would need one too.
"Goodnight Bea, sleep well." Penny replied to her sister, watching her walk through the adjoining door to the room next door. And when she was alone Penny knew she should think about getting herself ready for bed, but instead she stayed sitting by the fire as she thought over her and Bea's conversation, and wondered what was to come.
