Okay so Sebastian will be coming back soon I swear it! I just can't bring him back until Ciel's life is completely out of control and we're not quite there yet. I mean there's a wedding being planned I just can't throw a wrench into it and ruin everything... can I? Well maybe I can. It'd just be a shame ruin all the hard work Elise and Nelly put into Ciel's wedding dress. Ah well I guess we'll see what happens now won't me. Especially since Ciel is finally going to meet his fiancé and his possible future in-laws so let's see where this goes. Much love for you all. Keva

xx

I watched with veiled disgust as my aunt and father excitedly greeted the people that if they had it their way would be their new in-laws. Again I had to wonder as I watched my father, how much he really didn't want this versus how much he was acting it up. I was beginning to think as each day went by that he was definitely acting it up for my benefit to keep me complaisant.

"Where is she?"

I heard a voice from the foyer call and could only assume that that was Lord Aleister. It took everything I had not to turn tail and run but with the bulky guard standing right behind me I doubted I'd get very far.

When the tall blonde man came rushing into the receiving room right towards me I took a step back right into my guard. "Save me." I hissed as I stared wide eyed at the man rushing towards me.

"Cielly darling!" I was suddenly wrapped up and swung around in a tight hug by the blonde man. "I have waited a lifetime for you." He set me on my feet before him holding tightly to my hands.

I could do nothing but stare up at him in shock and disgust.

"Cielly say hi." My father ordered from behind Lord Aleister.

"Hi." I muttered with a small jerk trying to pull my hands back.

"That is not a proper greeting." My aunt hissed at me with a glare.

Aleister waved her off. "I don't mind she's probably just in shock and nervous." He squeezed my hands comfortingly as he looked back at the woman.

I really wanted to slap him and everyone else every time they referred to me as a she or her or girl or any other feminine title.

"Cielly," he pulled me close to his side and led me over to his parents. "I'd like to introduce you to my father Aleister Thornton James the third; we call him Thor or James which ever you're more comfortable with."

I gave the man a small bow of my head in greeting only to have him wrap me in his arms, hug me tight, and plant a kiss on my cheek. I knew enough about the elite upper class to know that that was definitely not a proper greeting.

"It's a pleasure my darling." He grinned at me as he set me back down.

"Oh father." Aleister sighed like he was exasperated with the man. "I told you not to do that."

"Ah she doesn't mind; do you luv." He grinned cheekily at me.

I just gave a small shake of my head not wanting to cause a scene.

"I guess." Aleister nodded then looked over at his mother. "And this darling is my mother Maria."

"A pleasure as well." I mumbled with another small bow of my head.

Maria grabbed me by the chin and forced me to look up at her. "You are a beautiful one." She nodded approvingly at me. "I certainly hope we don't have to worry your honor constantly."

"Oh she'll be fine mother." Aleister nodded. "Once we're wedded and everyone knows she's my wife they'll know to leave her be."

"I certainly hope so." She nodded and released her hold upon me then turned to my aunt and father. "So how soon can we have the wedding?"

"I'd say about two days is the soonest we can get everything settled," he nodded. "and it would give them time to get to know each other some before their big day."

"I suppose that's acceptable." Maria nodded and looked back at the two of us. "Aleister darling why don't you take your fiancé out for a walk in the gardens until dinner is ready. We need to discuss the details of this marriage and I'm sure it would just bore the both of you."

"Certainly mother." He pulled me close to his side and gave her a small bow before tuning and pulling me towards the door.

"Oh and Aleister," she called drawing us to a stop as we both looked back at her. "you will be honorable won't you dear."

"Yes mother." He nodded then looked over at me and rolled his eyes. "Come my darling let us go spend some time alone together."

What could I do but nod as he pulled me through the door? I spotted Nelly and Elise peeking at us from the doors to the sitting room and mouthed at them to help me. They were no help only giggling and mouthing encouraging words back at me.

I sighed figuring that now was a good as time as any to get to know this man so I could determine how easy it would be to escape. If what everyone said about him was true then it should be as easy as pointing out a bird in a tree and running for it. By the time he was done raving about how beautiful it was or what a melodious song it sang I'd be long gone. Well could be if it wasn't for the beast of man of a guard following me around.

"So Cielly luv," Aleister started as he led me out to the gardens. "I know this arrangement must be hard on you not being prepared for it as I have been my whole life."

Now that was an understatement if I ever heard one.

"But you have to know," he brought us to a stop, moved to stand in front of me, and cradled my hand against his chest. "I will do whatever it takes to make you happy." He nodded seriously at me.

I sighed deeply at that. "Look I know you know I'm not a girl," I narrowed my eyes upon him causing him to close his mouth when he made to respond to that. "and you have to know that I don't want to do this. I'm sure you're a nice guy and all but I'm a guy too and it just isn't right."

Instead of seeing my logic or even being angry with me he just smiled brightly at me. "I know this is hard for you and had your mother not run away with you you would have been raised proper to be my wife." He placed a kiss on the back of my hand. "In time you'll learn and see that as my wife is the only place in this world for you." He moved back to my side and stared walking again pulling me along with him.

"Aleister," I drew my brows deeply. "was this arrangement my mother's or my father's idea?"

"Why both of course." He nodded. "It's been planned since your birth that you would one day be my wife."

"Wait." I pulled him to a stop. "I was arranged to marry your sister first." I pointed out with a nod though my brows were drawn deeply.

"Sister?" He drew his brows as well. "I've never had a sister." He nodded at me. "It didn't matter whether you were a boy or a girl we were going to wed either way."

"But I was told that I was to wed your sister if I was a boy and you if I was a girl." I frowned down at the ground as this all started falling into place.

"No." He shook his head. "It was always whoever your mother gave birth to was to wed me that was the deal our parents made when you mother became pregnant." He moved us to the bench under the tree and sat us down. "I see you haven't been told of why we are in this situation."

"Clearly not." I mumbled trying to take this little bit of information in and not sure I wanted to hear it all.

He sat down next to me and sighed deeply. "You see from the moment you were born I was groomed to be your husband and you were to be groomed to be my wife. However as you know your mother ran off with you so you weren't trained proper."

"But why would they continue on training you when I was gone?" I questioned already feeling sick with where this was going.

"They thought for sure they'd have you back within days of your mother running." He shrugged. "Clearly they didn't but that didn't stop them from continuing to look."

I sighed deeply at that. "There was no guarantee they would ever get me back." I pointed out. "So why keep on ever after a year passed by?"

"Well," he laced his fingers with mine causing me to glare down at our hands. "it was all a matter of life and death." He looked over at me. "Our marriage is the product of a wager that went very wrong."

"What?" I stared wide eyed at him.

"You see when it was discovered that your mother was pregnant it was decided then and there that if you were a girl we would wed to unite our families." He nodded. "However a wager between our fathers was made that you would in fact be born a boy because of the arrangement."

"So how is that life and death?" I questioned with a small jerk of my hand trying to get him to let go.

"Well it wouldn't be life and death until you were born." He nodded. "Both our families were there to bear witness to your birth and to settle the wager. My father lost clearly since you are a boy by birth and the loss was significant. He couldn't pay the wager off without putting himself and us in the streets. Your father demanded that he either paid up or they duel to the death."

"Well they didn't duel obviously." I snorted.

"Oh they did." He nodded down at me. "However your father was about to lose when another deal was struck that would unite our families. You see my family owns the richest thick grasslands to the north that boarder your father's lands. Your family owns the largest stock of cattle so it only made sense for the two families to unite and to share they wealth but they didn't want just a handshake deal."

"By blood or marriage." I growled mostly to myself.

"Exactly." He nodded. "It didn't matter that we were both boys because of the laws King Edward passed."

"So my mother took me and ran because she didn't want her son to marry another boy."

"No." He shook his head at me. "Your mother ran with you because your father was excluding her from the deal. He was to get everything from this deal including you and she was going to be put out because she was caught having an affair with your father's best friend."

This was too much and it only proved that my suspicions about my father were correct. He was playing all this up to keep me agreeable until it was too late to stop it. "And what about you?" I questioned. "Don't you have any reservations about marrying me? Me, a boy."

He sighed deeply at that. "I would had I not been raised to be the husband to a boy." He nodded at me. "I was allowed to pursue and fulfill my needs of women but always told that in the end I would be married to you a boy no matter what. I didn't mind though," he shrugged. "especially when I discovered how much more attractive a boy dressed as a girl was." He trailed the fingers of his free hand across my cheek. "Like you; you're beautiful." He whispered.

"But I'm a boy." I whispered as I stared into his captivating blue eyes too shocked by all of this to think of anything else to say or do.

"Yes you are." He smiled and placed a light kiss on my lips.

It was enough to snap me out of my shock and shoot to my feet. "We can't do this." I shook my head at him. "It's not right."

"Why?" He questioned as he stared at me. "It's not the first time this has been done and it certainly won't be the last."

"You can't honestly tell me this is what you want." I argued.

He just smiled at me. "Actually it is what I want." He nodded. "I was a little nervous about meeting you and if you would be ugly or not." He stood up and palmed my face. "But seeing you now and how beautiful you are my only wish is that your mother didn't run away with you and we were wed a long time ago."

I just stood there in complete shock even as he leaned down and placed a loving kiss on my lips. Were all these people completely insane? Did not one single person see anything wrong with me being forced to marry another man? Not that him being a man was the problem it was the fact that I was being forced to marry him.

I was running out of time to get out of this mess and the fact that no one could reach Sebastian was only making my anxiety worse. I just knew without a doubt that if he heard what was happening to me he would come. He would save me first out of pride and spite to show that no one would ever own my soul but him and secondly because I owned his even if he never admitted it.

"Come my love let us walk the garden and learn a little more about each other." He grabbed my hand and tucked it inside his arm. "We are going to be spending the rest of our lives together after all."

"Not if can help it." I whispered quietly to myself as we began walking down the path.

xx

"You lied to me!" I pointed a sharp finger in my father's face.

"Excuse me?" He questioned with an arched brow.

I narrowed my eyes deeply as I stared at him. "You said you were being forced to marry me to Aleister, that you had no choice."

"And I don't." He nodded.

"Because of a wager." I hissed.

"Wager?" He drew his brows. "What in blazes are you talking about?"

Either he was a really good actor or he really didn't know what I was talking about. "Aleister told me that you and his father made a bet and it ended with a duel and you offering to marry me to his son to save your life and to increase your wealth and there was no sister!" I said in one long breath causing me to huff afterwards.

"Well now I'm sure that would be a good story to hear sometime." He nodded. "However I can assure you there was no wager and no duel and nobody's life was on the line for any reason. As for the sister I can only go by what I was told so if she didn't exist then I was unaware of it." He sighed deeply. "If I only had known what I know now I would have had your mother locked up the second you were born."

I was getting so confused and didn't know who or what to believe anymore. The only thing I was definitely sure of was that someone in this castle was lying. I just couldn't figure out who. The issue was they all had nothing to lose or gain by keeping me in the dark so why lie to me about it?

It wasn't like I had any real freedoms here so this would be happening anyway even if I did know the truth of how this all came about. Actually the only reason I could think of that my father might lie to me is to keep himself in my good graces; but why?

Once the marriage happened I wouldn't be here any longer or should I say were this marriage to happen. I was still going to find some way out of this I just wasn't sure how. I was quickly running out of time and getting no ideas.

"Look son," he sighed. "I don't know what Lord and Lady Chamber told their son or anyone else. I just know that this was not the destiny I wanted for you and it seems there's no stopping it."

"I just don't understand why they would tell him that?" I huffed and plopped down onto the chair not caring that I was wrinkling my dress. "What is this wedding really about that everyone has a different story to tell about how it came to be?"

"I have no clue." He shook his head. "All I can tell you is to just let it happen and work to end it afterwards."

That's all I had heard from him for the last two weeks. It was like he didn't really want to try and had just given up straight away. It was quite apparent that I was on my own and was going to be on my own from here on out.

"Now I suggest you go get some sleep your fiancé has requested to take you out for a ride tomorrow."

"On a horse?" I stared wide eyed at him easily forgetting my predicament as my fear of heights reared its ugly head.

"I can't imagine any other way to go for a ride in the country." He drew his brows. "Son are you okay?" He rushed around to kneel in front of me. "You're as white as a winter's snow."

"No I'm not alright." I gasped. "I can't ride a horse." I shook my head.

"Why not? You were brought here on one."

"Not by choice." I took some deep breaths to calm my nerves. "I'm terrified of heights." I nodded in all seriousness. "A ride in the country will not be enjoyable."

"I see." He nodded thoughtfully. "Well then a carriage will have to suffice." He stood up, moved to the bar, poured a glass of wine, and brought it back to me.

I took the glass and slowly sipped the wine and whispered an apology to him. "Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride the day before the wedding?" Now why would I bring that up bad luck for a wedding is just what I wanted; wasn't it?

"So the theory goes but it has never been proven." He waved a dismissive hand through the air. "Plus Aleister is insisting on spending the morning with you and if he doesn't get his way his parents will be banned from the ceremony." He sighed deeply. "A spoiled brat is what he is much like your aunt."

I stopped with the glass mid air and stared at him with brows drawn deeply.

"What?" He questioned as he stared at me.

"Nothing," I shook my head. "just the aftereffects of my fear." I lied as something just clicked in my head. Madame Red was a piece of the puzzle I couldn't quite get to fit. She was the one pushing the hardest for this marriage and I wasn't sure why. A far as I could tell was this marriage would do nothing more than increase her wealth and not by much. So why was it so important for her? "Father why does Madame Red want this marriage to happen so badly?" I questioned tentatively acting like it was just an odd question.

"To increase her wealth of course." He nodded with a shrug. "She is a greedy sort so any chance she has to get more gold in her coffers she takes it no matter who she has to step on to get it."

It sounded a reasonable argument but not entirely believable. "Oh." I frowned and stood up after finishing my wine. "I think I'm going to retire it's been a long eventful day."

"Alright," he smiled at me. "get a good night's sleep you have two busy days ahead of you."

I grimaced at that. Knowing that the wedding was going to happen in two days made my stomach churn miserably. I was running out of time to get out of here and it wasn't looking like I was going to have much of a chance to escape this.