I feel there's a much overdue thank you for the reviews and favourites! THANK YOU! I really appreciate it 3
I will update as quickly as I can, so I hope you enjoy this chapter and the ones that follow!

Ciel had chosen one of the many parlours within his home for his lunch appointment with Lady Ashford. It was a comfortably sized room that was well lit with the copious amount of windows. It had plenty of lace trimmings on the said windows as well as a ridiculous amount of fresh flowers Sebastian had picked from the garden. He was sure it would be a fresh and sweet smell for the young lady; however the sheer amount of pollen was threatening to suffocate him. He figured it would surely be to her taste, but as he sat across from her around the circular table laden with a lavish lunch her expression was completely blank. She ate with all the airs and graces a lady such as her was supposed to possess, however her composed expression was putting him on edge. And if there was one thing that Ciel truly detested, it was lack of control. His grip tightened around his wine glass subconsciously – He had no control over Aveline Ashford and it infuriated him.

"You're not eating, Earl Phantomhive?"

Her sudden question startled him. They had been eating in relative silence these past ten minutes. He gave her a beautiful smile that would have most women weak at their knees. However, she appeared unmoved – much to his distaste.

She will be like all the others.

"I must admit I haven't been incredibly hungry today."

She gave a small hint of a smile. "Is that so?"

"I have never had an appetite of lunch." He took a taste of the dark red wine, savouring the taste as he took his time to take in her features over the top of the crystal glass.

She was a pretty little thing, he would admit with no reluctance. However, it was a … pathetic type of beauty. He felt an almost insistent need to protect her; she looked so fragile... so helpless.

As he absorbed her features in more detail, he began to notice small things. Her blonde hair was pulled up tightly at the back of her head, small ringlets escaping the up-do that was beyond his comprehension. Those hairpins look most uncomfortable…

The baby blue gown she was wearing didn't look any more accommodating to her comfort than her hairstyle. It looks as though she may be struggling to breathe.

That wouldn't have surprised him, Lizzie had complained often enough about the limitations and constraints of corsets. He could vaguely recall Lizzie collapsing the odd time from some incompetent handmaid lacing up the corset with too much force.

Something glinting on her neck caught his attention. A crucifix? He barely smothered a chuckle. Oh but of course the fiancée of Alois Trancy would be religious. That must have been a great source of amusement for the psychotic blonde lord.

Her dark grey eyes suddenly met his visible eye. She had probably noticed the intense gaze upon her. Up this close, her eyes were much more impressive than at the Gala where he had first made her acquaintance. Charcoal grey with thick eyelashes shrouding them. Such a peculiar colour…Taking one more swig of his wine, he set aside the wine glass and leaned his arm onto the table before him.

"You wished to discuss business, did you not? How may I offer my services?" Ciel began, resting his chin on his hand, gazing at her with slight amusement. He couldn't wait to hear what she was going to propose as a potential business venture. Perhaps it would be as laughable as her current profits.

With no rush, she raised a napkin to her mouth to dab away any hint of her lunch before sitting up straight against the back of the chair. She was tense, very tense. It made Ciel feel oddly at ease. There came a light knock on the door before Sebastian let himself into the room – not that either of the nobles in the room paid him any mind. "Yes. I feel it would be very beneficial for us to work together. From what I have heard, you offer a huge range of products within your company – you must pay a phenomenal amount to ship it all around the world. I can offer you a much more competitive rate to ship it anywhere in the world of your choosing. I am also situated closer to your main company than most other shipping companies."

Ciel nodded where it appeared appropriate as he absently watched Sebastian clear away the plates before leaving the room silently. He had heard more than enough proposals from various shipping companies about how apparently their shipping service would be much better than what he currently had. "I'm sure you have a well thought up proposal Lady Ashford, but I'm afraid the numbers speak for themselves." Somewhat carelessly he tossed down a pile of papers on the newly cleared table. It startled her somewhat. There was a nervous glimmer in her eyes as she glanced between him and the pages. Ciel felt a hint of satisfaction as he watched her gingerly reach for the pages that had been thrust before her. Finally he had thoroughly unsettled her. She looked carefully through the first page and Ciel could see little sparks of anger in those grey eyes.

Oh this will be quite interesting…

She hastily flicked through the other pages before she threw them back down on the table with disgust. "You went through my finances?" She demanded sharply. Ciel smirked, leaning back against the plush chair and crossing his legs languidly. "Well, you were proposing to have a joint venture in the future, weren't you? It would only be in my best interests to make sure my potential business partner is worth doing business with."

Her eyes were raging.

"Did you do this only to mock me?" She bristled, indicating down to the pages containing her dire finances with indignation. When he did not immediately respond, she stood up suddenly and glared down at him, turning to leave the parlour. She only managed to turn when Ciel grab her wrist across the table. He had to admit begrudgingly that her skin was incredibly soft.

"Now, now Lady Ashford, do sit down again, please. I am deeply sorry if my precautions offended you, please believe me it was not my intention. I merely need to ensure that my investments are secure."

With clear hesitance and reluctance, she sat down again. She crossed her arms and edged away from the pages as though they would spontaneously burst into flames and burn her. "It would appear as though your company's profit margins have been quite… tight."

She sighed softly at the comment, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly as she uncrossed her arms and gazed down at the pages once more. "That is … one way of describing the current financial circumstances of my company."

"It seems as though this decline in profits has occurred since you inherited the business." He commented, pointing to the date on the page from when she inherited the company, watching her reactions closely. She won't like that jab I would imagine.

And he was right. Her mouth tightened to a hard line. "It would appear… that… that I am not as gifted in business as my father would have wished. George would have been much better suited for this job than I would. But… but when needs must…" She trailed off, swallowing thickly as she continued to gaze over the pages once more, guilt clouding her eyes.

How unfortunate that she is forced to continue something she had so interest or ability in.

"Is this why you were quite happy to be wed to Alois?"

She flinched as though she had been struck – which caught Ciel utterly by surprise. She surely doesn't mean to say she did love him…

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Earl Phantomhive." She refused to meet his eyes as she clasped her hands together on her lap, seemingly to try and stop them shaking.

Oh I've really hit a nerve now haven't I?

"You wished to marry Alois so that he would take control of your company as your husband and thus relieving you of your burdens as the heir. It was quite an ingenious plan, it would be completely unfit to have a young married lady running a company after all."

For a brief moment, she stared at him as though he had suggested that she should stand up, sprout wings and begin to fly around the room. She thinks me a fool. The realisation came upon him with abruptly.

Suddenly she laughed.

It was a sight that baffled him entirely, but a beautiful sight none the less. She covered her mouth politely as the soft giggles escaped her. "Oh Earl Phantomhive, forgive me, I did not wish to laugh. But your suggestion was so preposterous I couldn't help myself. No, no my lord, I loved Alois. I loved him quite dearly." There appeared to be genuine happiness in her dark eyes, genuine love.

But as quickly as it appeared it vanished.

"Not something I imagine you would fully understand."

Ciel thought it would be best to ignore the slight from the infuriating little bitch. He smiled charmingly at her – knowing it would only aid to make her feel more insecure. He refused to relinquish the upper hand that he currently had. "Hmm… No, admittedly, I can't fully appreciate your love for the Earl."

She suddenly seemed far more relaxed than she did moments ago. She eased herself against the seat, taking the wine glass in hand and taking a long drink. He copied her, watching her with suspicious eyes. "He was not the most … amicable of companions." She raised a delicate eyebrow at the comment.

"Is that so? He held you in very high regard." She returned, her eyes locking with his. He found his grip tightening on the wine glass once more. He felt as though she suddenly had some advantage over him; she was neither afraid nor enamoured with him as most women would be in her position. She was quite the opposite – confident. It bothered him to no end. No doubt a confidence she obtained by being the heir to her father's company instead of her brother. She ought to know her place.
She was no longer the shaking, angry creature she had been mere moments ago. He found her far more agreeable then.

"Is that so my lady? If I knew that this was to be his unfortunate fate, I would have appreciated his friendship more when I had the chance."

"That would have made him very happy, but alas my dear fiancé is dead – it seems silly talking about the 'what ifs', does it not?"

Before he could retort a knock came on the door, Sebastian allowing himself into the parlour once more. "My Lord, it's time." All the tension within his shoulders seemed to dissipate at the words. He gave the lady before him an easy smile. "My sincerest apologies, Lady Ashford, but unfortunately I have another matter I must quickly attend to. I shall be a few minutes."

With that, he swept out of the room with Sebastian in tow, running his hand through his hair. Sebastian shut the door behind him firmly, smirking at the sight of his lord. "You appear rather disgruntled my lord. Is she not as easy to sway as you first assumed?"

Ciel sighed in response, throwing him a reproachful look. "Let's get this done with. I need this after dealing with this Alois-loving menace." They both walked briskly down the hallway – making sure they were well out of earshot before Ciel would have his meal. After all, it would be incredibly rude to poor Lady Ashford if she were to hear all of the screaming about to ensue.