Alright here we go. So did Ciel manage to get Sebastian back so he could save the day? I guess we'll see. Hope you enjoy; much love for you all. Keva

xx

He sighed again and nodded. "However here is where you have the chance to get out of it."

"Which is?"

"The marriage will run on a three month probation period. If at any point during those three months the bride and groom can't reconcile their relationship they can petition to have the marriage annulled. However both parties involved must agree that the relationship cannot and will not work."

I sighed deeply in thought. "And what are my odds here?"

"Slim." He shook his head and frowned. "Your future husband has a strong preference for girls like you. Plus he has a harem meaning if you make things bad enough for the two of you he could just lock you away. He'd only really need you in the public eye for important social occasions where it is absolutely necessary for you to be there."

Any hopes I had of breaking the marriage after the wedding were just dashed; that was if I intended on being around for this wedding. Somehow I was going to escape this and with any luck be with Sebastian. "So I have no say in any of this at all?" I tried looking for another avenue to escape this before it happened.

"No." He shook his head. "You have no more say in any of this than I do or any other woman in an arranged marriage. Just know this son if I could stop this I would but I have little to no options to help you. The best I can do for you is to coach you along and work with you to try and figure out a way for you to end this once you're married."

"Alright." I sighed deciding to just play along until I could get away. "So if I manage to break the marriage can I go and live wherever I want?"

"And where would you go?" He arched a dark brow at me.

"Does it matter?" I countered. "The point is I don't want to end up in this situation again and being here I fear I will be."

He nodded at me. "Well if you can find somewhere to go where you feel safe then you can go but I assure you I would never let something like this happen to you again."

"I'm not sure I'm willing to take that risk." I nodded right back at him. "I will make sure this sham of a marriage ends as soon as I possibly can." I hissed determinedly.

"Well we'll do what we can." He walked over and patted me on the shoulder. "However in the mean time you will learn to act, dress, look, talk, and anything else like a proper young lady. You are to never refer to yourself as a boy and if you are caught doing so in front of others you will be punished again. Elise and Nelly will be your maidens teaching you everything you need to know to be wife proper to young Lord Aleister."

I was getting the sense that he was acting this all up to keep me complaisant but I couldn't be sure. I was never really good at reading people for if I were I certainly wouldn't be in this mess. "Fine." I agreed once again thinking I just had to wait until that one right moment to make my get away.

"Good." He nodded at me. "Now that that's all straightened out I've sent word that you have been found and if my guess is right your future husband will be here within the next two weeks or so." He moved around to behind his desk. "Madame Red is already working out the details for the wedding so if there's anything specific you want for your big day she's the one you will need to speak with."

"The only thing I would want is an escape." I huffed.

"Don't we all." He answered. "Also just a forewarning when dealing with your aunt," he shook his head sadly at me. "just nod and agree with her as much as possible. It'll be easier for you in the long run if you do."

"Honestly if my mother's side of the family is such a pain why keep her around?"

"Because she's half owner in the family cattle business." He shrugged. "I could have bought her out if it wasn't for your mother robbing me blind."

"Oh." I frowned deeply. "I hate that woman." Finally realizing why the slaves I was with hated so easily."

"Don't we all." He nodded in agreement. "So tell me son where is your mother?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I sighed deeply. "We were on the move when she sold me so where she is now I couldn't say."

"And how much did she sell you for?"

"A bottle of whiskey; remember?"

He shook his head. "That's right you told me that yesterday." He drew his brows. "Why would she sell you for so little I wonder?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "I mean if I was heartless like her and could sell my kid into slavery I'd want money especially since we had none."

"Now that makes no sense at all." He drew his brows deeply. "Why would you need money since with what she took from me and your dowry the two of you should have been set for life?"

"If she had money she hid it really well." I nodded seriously. "We were always the poorest family in every village we lived in."

He stared at me thoughtfully for a long moment. "Son, what did your mother look like?"

I found that to be a rather odd question and answered with a confused tone to my voice. "She had black hair and green eyes." I nodded and watched as his eyes widened. "What?"

"Son that wasn't your mother." He moved to the book case, pulled a book off the shelf, flipped it open, as he moved to stand in front of me, and showed me the small painting inside. "That is your mother."

"That's not my mother." I shook my head and looked up at him. "Or at least not the woman claiming to be my mother."

He pressed his lips together into a tight thin line as he turned the book back to himself. "Well I can assure you that this is who gave birth to you and ran off taking you with her." He nodded at me.

"Then who was the woman claiming to be my mother if that," I pointed at the book in his hand. "is my mother?"

"I have no clue." He sighed and returned the book to the bookshelf. "I've been trying to find your mother for some time now." He turned back to face me. "However it seems she disappeared into thin air about two years after she ran. Not one single person has claimed to have ever seen her. So I wonder if your mother was either killed and you were given away or if she gave you away to make it easier for her to disappear or did she just dump you somewhere and someone found you."

I suddenly felt very ill and moved to sit in the chair and instantly regretted it. With a hiss I shot to my feet and gave my father a deadly glare getting a dismissive shrug out of him. I just couldn't believe that any of this was really my life. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." I whispered.

"Yes well maybe you should go rest." He nodded at me. "I'm sure you're still tired from the trip here."

I really wasn't but I did need some time to myself really absorb all of this. "Yes I am." I nodded.

"Alright," he smiled at me. "take the rest of the day for yourself and I'll fetch you for dinner."

"Thank you." I nodded then turned and left his study heading for my room without giving him a chance to say another thing. I was too shocked already with what I had so far found out plus I needed to speak to Nelly and Elise about trying to get in contact with Sebastian. I just had this sinking feeling that if I didn't get a hold of him within the next day or two I was going to be married to another man and somehow there'd be no escape for me.

xx

A week and a half later, word was no one could locate Sebastian and my husband was due to arrive any day. My father and I had wracked our brains trying to figure some way out of this mess and only came up with one possible solution.

It wasn't a great idea but it was an idea none the less. All I had to do was try to make the man dislike me from the word go. That was a little easier said than done seeing as how everyone just knew Lord Aleister was going to love me the second he saw me.

However that was still a day or two away and I could work that out then. Right now the most important thing was trying to figure out where Sebastian disappeared to and how to get a hold of him.

"Still nothing." Nelly shook her head at me. "No one can find him anywhere."

"Well he couldn't have just vanished into thin air." I frowned as Elise buttoned the back of my dress up. "I can't go on like this." I huffed.

"Well we're doing the best we can." Nelly nodded at me. "The last time someone tried to get a hold of Sebastian it took nearly three months and that was when your father needed him to find you." She nodded.

"Three months?" I gasped wide eyed. "I'll be married by then if I can't somehow stop it." I cringed.

"If only we could get you out of here." Elise sighed deeply. "But ever since the last time you tried to run your bitch of an aunt has you being watched constantly." She jerked her head towards my bedroom door with the guard on the other side.

"I swear if I could I'd but a knife in that woman's back." Nelly hissed.

"Don't let her hear you saying that or you might end up with the knife in your back." Elsie pointed at her with the brush in her hand.

"She'd have to catch me first." Nelly snorted. "With that big head of hers it's a wonder she doesn't topple over with every step she takes."

"I wonder," Elise started thoughtfully as she continued to brush my hair. "if life was better before she got here?"

"Probably." Nelly nodded. "But what I want to know is if her sister was the same way that's why she robbed Vincent blind then ran off with you." She nodded at me. "That family must be out of their minds and I wonder how your father could have married such a harlot."

I just shrugged at her not knowing any more details about my family than she did. As far as I was concerned out of everyone I knew the least about what went on with this family. Not to mention I was the one suffering the most. "I still think I'd be better off with her then where I'm at now." I pointed out and scowled over at the wedding dress hanging on the dummy.

"True." Nelly agreed. "However from what I understand is that Lord Aleister is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet if not somewhat dimwitted." She grinned. "Which means it could be a lot easier for you to get away from him then your aunt and father."

"And he's handsome too." Elise swooned as she fastened the flowered hair clip into my hair.

"Then why don't you marry him." I huffed.

"I would if I could." She nodded at me. "However I'm of the wrong sex for his liking." She wrinkled her nose as she stepped back and looked me over. "At least for a wife anyway and I'm too selfish so I couldn't be his whore either."

"Maybe we could disguise you as me." I nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh honey you're lacking some very noticeable important parts and everyone would notice if you suddenly had them." She pointed at my chest.

"Not really." I nodded. "You stuff my dress with fabric to make me look like I do so I doubt anyone would really notice."

"Except," Nelly walked up behind me, reached around, and palmed my fake breasts. "yours won't be so big. We have to keep them as small as possible on your big day." She gave the fabric one more squeeze before she let me go.

Every turn was a dead end and I was getting quite tired of it. "Who do I have to kill to get out of this?" I huffed.

"Well your aunt for one." Nelly nodded as she clipped the necklace around my neck. "Possibly your father, your future husband, and his parents more than likely." She sighed. "And probably yourself."

"Thanks." I scowled then looked at the door when there was a knock.

"Cielly darling!"

I couldn't help but groan at hearing my aunt's voice on the other side and wrinkled my nose at Elsie. "Tell her to go away that I'm sick or dead." I nodded. "Yes dead would be nice."

Elise rolled her eyes at me and turned to the door. "Can I help you Madame?" She called. "Cielly isn't feeling so well today and doesn't want to be disturbed." She winked at me.

"Oh." She called back sounding disappointed. "Well. tell her that her bridegroom has been spotted and he should be arriving just before dinner."

"I will Madame and thank you." She turned to me and sighed. "Well now what?"

"Should I fling myself from the window?" I wondered aloud as I eyed the opened window.

"I still say just go through with it, pretend everything's great, and when your husband isn't looking run." Nelly nodded at me. "If he thinks you're happy he's likely to keep his guard down unlike here where everyone knows you don't want to do this and where you're guarded day and night."

"That's easy for you to say." I cringed. "I'm going to be Lady Ciel Chamber who is definitely not a lady."

"Well unless you have another idea you have no choice." Elise nodded.

I slumped in the shoulders and sighed dejectedly in agreement. "I guess as long as I can take you two with me afterwards it won't be so bad then you can get away from here too."

"Now I wouldn't mind working for Lord Aleister." Elise brightened. "He's easy on the eyes, sweeter, and no bitch of an aunt."

"I agree." Nelly nodded. "But the question is would your father let us go with you?"

"I don't see why not." I shrugged. "You're my maidens after all and what woman," I cringed deeply. "can survive without her handmaidens?"

"Good point." Elise agreed. "However in the meantime we'll just have to keep everything going as is and get you ready for dinner tonight with your fiancé."

"Don't say that." I wrinkled my nose. "He's just the man I'm being forced to marry because my parents made bad decisions."

"Alright alright." Elise sighed then moved to the closet. "So for dinner tonight should we go with black?"

"Yes." I nodded. "This isn't a time to celebrate this is my funeral."

"Oh Ciel if we ever part ways I'm going to miss you." Nelly chuckled as she hugged me from behind.

I couldn't help but smile in spite of myself for when I was parted from Nelly and Elise I'd miss them too.