Hi guys! I hope you liked the last chapter, the beginning was slow but at the end the Sebastian fluff made me grin ear to ear as I typed it. Please, please, please, review I really appreciate it! And I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews that I have already been getting! Over 31? You guys are freaking amazing! Ok I personally have no idea what I am doing but I think that I have a general idea where this chapter is going. I don't own anything, and I apologize for a slightly awkward scene.
Several days later.
I walked down the stairs for the first time in months. No wheelchair, no crutches, just me and my legs, and my arm which was laced inside Sebastian's. As we entered the dining hall, Ciel stood, slammed his arms down on the table, and pushed himself up, the silverware and glasses rattling as he did so.
"What the hell Sebastian!" Ciel exclaimed angrily. To be honest, I hadn't seen Ciel since the day of the party, granted it was only a few days later but still. "You left me at the ball, disappearing without a trace! I had to ask Elizabeth and her parents if I could stay the night at their manor, because I didn't know where you had gone!" Ciel looked about to explode, this was the angriest I had ever seen my brother.
"It was my fault." I said quietly eyes downcast. I never really thought about what happened to Ciel when Sebastian took me home. I wasn't really thinking anything, after my encounter with Druitt I was just thankful that I was alive with my virginity intact. Ciel didn't pay much mind to me when I cut him off, he probably didn't hear me very well.
"Catherine, this conversation is between me and Seb-" I cut him off again.
"Sebastian saved me and took me home." I looked at him right in the eye, never before had I been so bold with my brother.
"Saved you?" he gave me a questioning look, "What do you mean?" he had taken on a tone of interest, but I didn't want to make him worry.
"It was nothing sir, just, the Viscount Druitt tried to…." I paused trying to find the best word to describe the situation. "Assault me."
"She's not showing you the real severity of the situation, he was trying to molest her, and he could have raped her!" Sebastian explained still severally disgusted by the behavior of the Viscount. Well less disgusted and more murderous.
"He tried to molest my little sister… I'll kill him!" Ciel exclaimed suddenly his eyes taking on the look of Sebastian's, "I'll kill that bastard for touching you!" I was surprised that Sebastian didn't have the torches and pitchforks on standby, along with some wiling villagers to make up the angry mob.
"No!" I yelled while Sebastian and Ciel hunched over trying to make battle plans for the great war of 'Let's fucking kill the Viscount'. They both looked up surprised. "I don't want to have more blood shed on my part, kill him if you want but don't tell me about it." I confirmed.
"O-okay." Ciel said surprised. Finny came in and waited with a slightly scared expression on his face. I nudged Ciel, and pointed in Finny's direction giving him a broad smile.
"I have a letter sir." Finny said his hand shaking a little bit as he slowly passed the letter to Ciel.
"Let me see that." Ciel snatched the letter out of Finny's hand. He sweat dropped. All three of us, (Me, Sebastian, and Finny) crowded around him trying to get a look at the letter.
"Well what does it say?" I asked after 5 minutes of struggling, to try to see the letter.
"It's from someone at that ball," he turned to address me, "claims he saw you and was taken by your beauty." Ciel snorted. I gave him a glare that could turn men to ice. He sobered up, "Anyways, he said that if you could meet him sometime. With my permission of course."
"He wants to meet me sometime?" I repeated.
"Yes that is what I said." Ciel seemed exasperated, "Only nine years old and you already have someone who's read to court you." Finny looked vaguely upset, but I didn't have time to notice.
"Well it would be beneficial for her to at least get to know the boy." Sebastian stated, not seemingly all that interested. He acted as if they were talking about tomorrow's lunch menu not my possible future boyfriend. Not to mention that I didn't need or want to be courted! Not by anyone at all! Well no one except maybe… no he and I were just fond of each other for now.
"That's true, schedule for them to meet," he paused to think about it, "tomorrow." He decided finally. Sebastian stood up.
"Well, I suppose that means that I need to go make menu preparations for tomorrow." He stalked off muttering under his breath.
"What!" I exclaimed jumping out of my chair.
"Tomorrow you have a meeting with this boy, William Penning American born." He mused skimming over the letter once more. He turned to Finny. "You need to have the garden looking perfect for him." I actually think that it would be good for you to be out there during the meeting, just to appear busy, are we understood." Finny nodded his head vigorously.
"Yes sir!" he saluted and walked away, leaving me alone with no one to talk to about how I felt about this whole affair.
Finny's POV
I finished my daily chores fairly quickly after that. I practically uprooted a tree though I was so upset. I mean come on! It was very clear that Cat didn't want to meet this guy, and she was far too young to be courting anyone anyways! God, just the thought of somebody else dating Cat made my blood boil. It was kind of pointless to say, but I was in a sour mood when I came into the kitchen. I sat down heavily at a chair around the table placing my head in my hands. Bard had stopped cooking whatever he was cooking and shook out the towel he had had around his neck, and walked over to the table I was sitting at. I glowered at him, something that was quite out of character for me. Bard didn't notice and plunked himself down in the chair next to mine.
"You're done early Finny." He stated taking out a cigarette and lighting it with a match that I think he combusted on his hair. I didn't comment, resolving just to sit there and not move. He tried again. "What's wrong mate? Got in trouble with Sebastian?"
"No." I responded dryly.
"Well then I don't see what there is to be so sullen about." There was nothing to be sullen about? There was everything to be sullen about!
"Cat has a date." I said my face in the table.
"What? I didn't hear you mate." Bard said teasingly cupping his hand around his ear. I slammed my fist into the table.
"Cat has a date with a rich aristocrat!" I exclaimed miserably. Then I noticed that I left a fist sized hole in the table with splinters out the side. Oh well. I was royally pissed off. And I didn't even use that word.
"That can't be right! The Lord Phantomhive would never have Cat date someone at this age. To be honest, I don't think that Sebastian would actually want her 'dating' either." He had a point and I may have over dramatized it a bit.
"Eh…more of a meeting…" I said sheepishly. "But it could still develop into a date later on!" I exclaimed my voice escalating back into what could almost be considered yelling. I lowered my voice again this time to a whisper, "What if they fall in love and get married someday and she forgets all about me."
"Isn't that a bit of a worst case scenario?" He asked logically, which seemed weird because Bad was almost never logical.
"Yes," I admitted sheepishly, "But it really could happen!"
"Well, you seem rather put off about it." Bard stated obviously. I glared at him some more. Then Bard leaned forward and wrapped one of his burly arms around me. Just great. Brotherly advice time. "Okay, so you're pretty upset yes?" he asked stupidly. He didn't wait until I answered and barreled on. "Then you have to do something about it!" He exclaimed patting me on the back.
I looked up at him surprised, "Like what? Sabotage the meeting?" Bard held his hands up in the universal 'stop' sign.
"No you idiot you can't do that! It'll make her think that all you want is attention, and a demanding man never is good." Bard stroked his beard/ scruff/ five o' clock shadow/ whatever you call the hair on his face, as if he was going to hatch a plan.
"When Cat gets old enough for someone to court her, I would treat her with the utmost respect, I'd always make sure she was comfortable." I said quietly out loud. I don't know if I was talking to myself or not, but either way it confirmed something in me. That when Cat was ready, was when I was ready to be a man for her.
Cat's POV somewhere in the woods in a barn, wherever you think this scene would take place, use you imaginations people!
I hurled daggers into the practice dummy, quick as lightning, hitting all the vital regions, the head, (impaled in the neck), the chest, (right in between the ribcage to pierce straight through the heart, the stomach (need I say more?)And the….ummm…male parts… (Clean off, go me.) I even got one right in the center of the dummy's forehead. I growled as I pulled it out, and went back into place where I pulled out my pistol and shot the head off. Mey-rin stood to the side looking a little bit scared.
"Ummm, Cat?" Mey-rin asked.
"Yes?" I answered not turning from the dummy that I shot in the intestines.
"Do you have something on your mind, something you want to talk about?" I guess I could say yes, but what's talking as a release as compared to shooting the stuffing out of a poor practice dummy. He was on fire now…I probably should do something about that… "You seem out of sorts today, plus poor Rufus (the name we gave the dummy) probably has had enough for one day." I looked over to the now quickly burning dummy, doused him in water, and went to sit on a bale of hay next to Mey-rin.
"So what's on your mind?"I must say that it was way easier to take her seriously dressed in an all black assassin's uniform without the glasses than in her maid uniform.
"It's just that Ciel's arranged for me to meet with some man who saw me at the ball we went to a couple of days ago, and apparently he wants to court me." She played with my hair a bit, and nodded in understanding. She didn't say anything and just let me continue. "I'm not ready for that and even if I was, I don't think I'd want to go for some snobby rich lad."
"I understand what you mean about not being ready." She continued to toy with my hair.
"I mean I never thought that I'd have to deal wit' all this, I never thought that me out of all us street folk, from jack tars to rum coves, that I would have blue blood runnin' in me veins." I slipped into the accent of the street, a cockney accent that I've always had, it didn't come up very often, but I had a sweet lilt of pure street cockney in my voice. I think the best part of Mey-rin, being here was that she listened until I was done talking and then she talked only to confirm or give subtle advice and ask questions, to my surprise.
"That must have been a shock to you, but you seem like you have your eye on someone else." I blushed.
"I-I-I do," I blushed a deeper red over stammering out my sentence. "But I don't think he'll ever notice me…" I looked down, Fin- I mean, crush who shall not be named was older than me, and I highly doubt he's ever go for a thin young girl like me. Mey-rin smiled knowingly and hugged me, letting me lay my head in her lap.
"I know luv, young love is hard. But I'll tell you what, wait till you're older." I looked up at my assassin mentor.
"Does it get any easier?" I asked my little voice full of hope.
"Nope." Pop! Went my bubble of hope that had developed inside me within the last 5 seconds. "But at least then you know what you're doing." She touched the tip of my nose playfully. "What time is it?" she asked listening to the constant ticking noise that came from my pocket watch, I carried it everywhere now. I clicked it open.
"We're late!" I exclaimed as two of us hightailed it out the door, me scooping my kitten up as I ran him mewing in surprise, "Why didn't you warn us Erik?" I asked my puzzled looking pet. Mey-rin got to run into the kitchen, where her room was right down the hall and she could change quickly. I didn't have it so easy. My room was past Ciel's study, which was probably where Sebastian resided for the moment. I took off my shoes hoping not to make any noise. I couldn't think of anything to say to Sebastian to explain where I had been since breakfast, much less why I was wearing my current clothing. I was almost positive that I was going to get a scolding at the very least, more likely a spanking. I had after all been warned. I was over the half way point, or what I like to call past the point of no return. Three fourths of the way there! Just a couple steps more…I could feel the (metaphorical) wind of freedom through my hair. But then out of the freaking blue with no creaking noise what's so ever, the door to the study swung open and who else was there, but Sebastian. Well shit, I'm in for it now.
"And what do we have here? Hmph, it seems I've caught a Cat instead of a rat."
"H-hullo Sebastian, fancy meeting you here." I chuckled nervously scratching the back of my head fidgeting from foot to foot.
"Yes, now, what precisely were you doing sneaking by the study?" he eyed me up and down. "And what in the world are you wearing?" he gestured to my fight ware.
"Ummm…." I responded trying to come up with a good response.
"That's what I thought." He grabbed my hand and marched me to my room, my cheeks red with shame. He sat down in the wooden chair that he normally read to me in after closing the door. I just stood there unmoving. "Well come here." He said impatiently. I knew he loved me, but he looked pretty pissed off to me. I walked over to him carefully. He placed me across his lap, and just gave me five hard swats across my buttocks. Then he lifted me up, and looked at me. "See to it that you're more careful to get home on time okay?" he asked seeming tired and a little bit exasperated, as if he'd been through a lot today.
"Yes sir." I looked down. "It won't happen again."
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, "You are just lucky that you weren't late for something more important, now please change and wash up for supper." He pinched the skin between his eyes.
"Sebastian?" I asked. He looked up. "Are you okay? You seem so tired, and worn." I stated, this could get me into more trouble, and it's not like I wanted a second spanking but, I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do for him.
"I'm fine Catherine, just a little… tired." Well that was obvious.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked him carefully, not wanting to want to damage his honor or whatever men thought they had.
He smiled weakly, "No, I'm afraid not, but thank you for the offer, sweetie." The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Sebastian instructed me to go to bed early, because I had a big day tomorrow.
The next day…
"Good morning Cat." Sebastian greeted me chipper this morning. It was like he was a completely new person than the man I saw yesterday. He got me up dressed and fed, telling me that there wasn't time for a formal breakfast. "Just too much to do, before your guest arrives." Oh yeah him. The hours began to pass quicker than I thought. Soon enough, too soon I thought, a carriage was pulling up our drive. Sebastian fiddled with my hair one last time, before instructing me to smile. I only pulled the corners of my mouth up mimicking one of my brother's half smiles. In walked a stately boy, who was probably around Ciel's age maybe older.
"I'm William Penning." He introduced himself. He looked to Sebastian, "And you must be the girls' father. How do you do?" he asked pompously extending his hand out for a shake. I took the time to notice that the lad had spectacles on the edge of his nose, and was wearing an immaculately tailored suit. But he was 12. Why in hell would a twelve year old need a suit? Rich people, spending their money on all kinds of things that they didn't need. "And you must be the young Lady Catherine." I nodded deeply and curtsied. Mary mother of Jesus this was weird. I never bowed to anybody before, and let me tell you it was awkward as all hell.
"You are such a lovely looking maiden." He stated. Was I supposed to be flattered? He didn't say it as a compliment particularly…he acted more like I was a horse on the market.
I said thank you anyways. "I'll introduce you to everyone. That is Sebastian, my father." I winked at him when he smiled at me. "That's Mey-rin, the maid, Bardroy, or Bard, if you will, the cook, and that is Finnian or Finny, the gardener."I smiled broadly at Finny. "Would you lead us to the lovely gardens of yours, my dear Finny?" I asked deciding to take the high road and pretend to be enjoying myself. Still, I couldn't help but giggle at the façade I was putting on, and for who? A spoiled prissy rich boy, who I could take a beating better than any day?
"Right this way." He led us through the back door used for guests, (in other words not through the kitchen…) I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see. Lilies of the valley and roses, were everywhere! (I have mentioned several times previous to this one that they were my favorite flowers.) I ran to Finny leaving my escort surprised to say the least. I embraced Finny in a hug which he welcomed (what I didn't know was how largely he was grinning over my shoulder.) When I finally released him, I looked into his lovely turquoise eyes and told him what a magnificent job he had done, we probably could have kept talking, until my escort of course cleared his throat. I excused myself and went to sit down at the table.
"That was quite a surprising display." He commented. "I don't think that I have ever seen anyone embrace a servant before, especially not a young lady." If I was anything I was certainly not a lady. I was starting to like this guy less and less. I quickly changed the subject.
"What sort of hobbies are you into?" I asked him. He puffed himself up like a peacock to answer that one. I'm just going to take a wild guess and say that he was going to brag about it.
"I quite enjoy polo." He started, "In fact, I do believe that I am the current junior champion of polo in all of England." He continued to brag about how one time this almost happened and he won the game anyway, and then so and so and such and such, you get the point right? He ran on about it until I'm sure he told me about every polo game that he had played in. Ever. I considered giving him a gob full of claret, but then I remembered that I was supposed to at least try to be nice to this man. "What are you interested in?" he finally asked me, "Nothing too boisterous or unladylike I hope." Well I suppose that ruled out dagger throwing, shooting, and the fact that I could Irish jig my way out of anything.
"I enjoy singing," I said truthfully. I wasn't starving all the time you know, just a majority of the time. "I like to read as well." I noted thinking that this would satisfy him.
"Ah, I assume that Sunday hymns are a pleasure for you to sing." He sniffed at the thought of me reading though, " I think that a bit of reading for a woman is fine, but if you read to much and you'll start getting ideas." This insufferable pompous flea on a rat's bum! How dare he call women unintelligent! Because if we start reading and then we'll get ideas. And after a woman gets ideas everything just goes downhill, and it all goes to hell. Stiff upper lip, Cat, you can do it! Thank god, Bard brought out the food, otherwise he would have left me with nothing but insults up my sleeve, and believe me you I learned from the sailors.
"Thank you Bard, I'm sure it's delicious as always." I winked at him, knowing that it was probably Sebastian who cooked the meal. He gave me a sly wink back and then said in a completely solemn totally not Bard way,
"I hope the meal is to your liking young mistress." I almost started choking on my lemonade, this was too funny, and it was even better that I saw Sebastian, Bard, and Mey-rin watching us intently from the kitchen widow. I also knew that they could hear everything we were saying. Sebastian and Mey-rin were still frowning about William's take on women. Sebastian look angered because surprisingly enough he does have quite a bout of respect for women. Mey-rin just look pissed off, and that she wished she could blow the pompous asshole's brains out. I gave Mey-rin a 'help me' look, and she mouthed back, stay strong young one. I chuckled.
"Do you find me amusing?" William asked me. I realized that he had been talking to me the entire time.
"Oh no, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, you were saying?" I asked pretending to be interested.
"You certainly are distracted easily, and not very attentive." He commented. And I heard him mutter under his breath, "You're lucky you're pretty, your other qualities don't seem fitting for a proper wife." Grrr…I fumed inside in agony. "You are quite lovely looking though, I hope you don't get irrational ideas about your place and station from all of this 'reading' you do." He continued to eat calmly, while I got up suddenly, pushing my chair back. He looked up. "Where are you going?" he asked me, "I don't remember excusing you." Okay that was the end of the line for me, there was only so much rudeness I could take from a single person.
"I'm sorry but I'm done here." I started to walk away.
"Wait!" he called. I didn't stop walking. "I order you to stop." I whirled around and stormed back toward him. Quickly looking to Sebastian I asked him with my eyes 'Can I please tell this bastard off?' he nodded.
"You order me to stop?" I asked him my eyes glinting dangerously. "You can't order me around, I don't answer to you, I answer to myself." And Sebastian I added quietly in my head, but that was different, Sebastian was my parent. "You're so pompous!" I exclaimed in disbelief. He looked shocked, no one had ever stood up to him before. "You rich people think you rule the whole god damned world because you have money, but you don't! And you especially don't own me you gimcrack hog-grubber!" I insulted him several more times, my natural cockney accent I mentioned earlier slipping out. I then told him to leave, and while his back was turned, made several rude gestures behind his back. Asshole. As soon as he left, everyone came out of their hiding spot, except for Finny who I expected would join us later though I think I knew where he was now. Bard came and spun me around.
"That was bleedin' amazing!" he exclaimed chewing on a toothpick. "I never thought that you could do something that awesome, you really told 'im off didn't you?" I nodded with glee. Then Sebastian turned and made me face him a stern look on his face. Oh no.
"Catherine."Sebastian said in a tone to match his facial expression, "Do not ever, let some louse like him court you, or better yet, don't let us, let him court you." His face broke into a big grin. I smiled, but then after a congratulations from Mey-rin, I ran out to find Finny. He was just barely letting William go, I did however notice that William had a big black eye and several marks that'll turn into great purple bruises tomorrow. Finny saw me and jumped back in surprise.
"Cat! I didn't mean for you to see that! I was just so angry at him for disrespecting you that…" I brought a finger to his lips to silence him.
"Thank you." I whispered in his ear, he picked me up and whispered back, 'your welcome.' And with that we walked up to the house, me in his arms the sunset behind us. After dealing with that…jerk. I was happy to finally be with the person I did like, even if he didn't know it yet.