New WIP Fic Love Will Lead You Home Part 3
Title: Love Will Lead You Home
Author: Glenda
Summary: Gwen Cooper
doesn’t want to marry Captain Jack Harkness so she sends her cousin
Ianto in her place. The only problem Ianto didn’t agree to help, and
Jack is expecting a woman. What happens when things do go as planned? An
AU that has a bit from everywhere most of it is my own creation but any
characters you recognize belong to RTD, and BBC. I am making no profit
from this.
Warnings: Swearing, schmoop, man love, big AU, cross dressing,
Chapter 3
Ianto stared at the man before him. He kept waiting for Harkness to
laugh indicating the punch line of the joke but the man just stood there
his arms folded over his chest.
“You aren’t serious, are you?”
“You are standing there, Mr. Jones in a horrible yellow dress asking
me if I’m serious. I think the only one here who is serious is me. I
was promised a marriage and I intend to get married in one month.”
“But that’s to Gwen not to me,” Ianto insisted.
“I don’t see Lady Gwen here, do you?”
“No, I don’t but I’m sure you would know better than I would where she is hiding.”
“Why would I?” Prince Jack asked.
“This is a joke that she obviously set up. I know she doesn’t want
to go to Cardiff but we all have our duty to do, don’t we? So, where is
she keeping herself?” Ianto looked around. He glanced up. He saw a large
balcony with a full length window. She was probably up there watching.
He
didn’t recognize the house they were at but it could have been one of
Gwen’s many friends that she had before coming to stay with them after
her parents were killed.
“Mr. Jones, may I call you Ianto?”
“Not sure I could stop you.”
“No, you couldn’t,” Jack agreed. “Now did you bring any luggage with you?”
“How the hell would I know? I didn’t pack for a kidnapping,” Ianto
snapped. He figured being polite wasn’t working; maybe he would just let
his Welsh temper do the work for him. God knew it had gotten him his
father’s backhand more than on one occasion.
But instead of anger Harkness just laughed.
“You are going to make my life very interesting, aren’t you, Ianto?”
“All right, that’s enough,” Ianto said. “I have no idea who you are,
and what Gwen is paying you for this little joke but I have had enough.
Now, where is my dear cousin? We have to get some sleep so we can
travel to the real Prince of Cardiff’s castle.” He looked back up at the
balcony.
“Gwen, get down here. Enough is enough.”
Ianto looked at all the people standing around. They all seemed to
be giving respect to the man who had to audacity to propose marriage to
him and seemed to think he was quite mad. Ianto for the first time began
to worry that this wasn’t a joke, and that the man in front of him
really was Prince Jack Harkness of Cardiff.
“You can’t marry me, I am a man,” Ianto shouted.
Harkness leaned forward, a feral grin on his face. “I had noticed
that in spite of your wardrobe choice. It doesn’t matter to me, why
should it matter to you that you’re a man?”
Ianto couldn’t stop himself; he rolled his eyes. Harkness gave him
another chuckle and it was almost enough to make him punch the smug look
off the prince’s handsome face. He pulled the horrible dress off and
was glad to see that he was still wearing his suit from earlier in the
day.
“Ah now that’s more fitting don’t you think, Miss Toshiko, for the
future consort of the Prince of Cardiff? Red is most definitely your
colour.”
Ianto couldn’t stop himself, he blushed even more. “Please,” he said. “I
don’t understand what’s going on. I was to bring my cousin to Cardiff
tomorrow so that she could me you, and finalize the wedding agreement. I
was to be her guardian.”
Jack dropped what Ianto supposed was his charming smile; all teeth.
Instead, he reached out and took Ianto’s hand in his. “I’m not sure
where she is, but I need a spouse and your father promised me one of his
heirs. I have already sent him a sizeable dowry, but I’m sure he or you
will be able to replace if there is no wedding.”
Ianto shook his head. He knew his father had already spent most of
the money in new inventory and equipment for the factory. Not to mention
what he and his cronies had managed to drink down at the local pub.
“I didn’t think so. Since Lady Gwen is not here, it’s up to you to hold up your family’s honour Lord Ianto.”
Inspiration hit. “I’m not a lord.”
“So?” Jack asked.
“You have to marry someone of noble birth. Gwen was a lady because
her mother, my aunt married Lord Cooper. My father is a merchant.”
“Toshiko?”
“Yes, your highness,” the pretty Asian women said.
“Contact King William and Prince Owen, see if they have a spare
title lying about. They wouldn’t want me marrying beneath my station,
would they?”
“Consider it done.”
Jack walked over to the back of the carriage. “I don’t see any luggage. So have my tailor summoned. Ianto will need clothes.”
Ianto threw his hands up in frustration. “Why aren’t you listening to me?”
“Oh, I’m listening,” Jack said, with a grin. “I’m just ignoring you.
I told you I will be getting married in a month. It was to be to your
cousin but since she isn’t here and neither of us knows where she is,
you are a perfectly acceptable substitute. I have already agreed to a
marriage contract with your father.”
“But I have been promised to someone else.”
“Papers have been signed?”
“Well....no, not yet. My father was going to meet with Mr. Hallet tomorrow after he saw us off.”
“I will make sure to give the driver here a letter to take back to
your father.” Jack nodded up at the man on the top of the handsome cab.
Ianto was quick to recognize the face of the man holding the horses. It
wasn’t their usual driver. He reached up and grabbed the blond by the
foot and tried to drag him down.”Where the hell is she?”
“Let go of me,” the driver shouted. “I did nothing.”
Before Ianto could get a good grip of the driver Harkness wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him away from the driver.
“Let me go,” Ianto demanded realizing how strong Prince Jack was.
“I’ll let you go when you tell me why you were attacking him.”
“He’s a friend of Gwen’s. Well, more exactly a friend of the man who she thought she should marry.”
Jack put him down on the ground but kept his a strong hold of his hip.
“Come down here, now,” Jack ordered, in a tone that Ianto wouldn’t think of disobeying.
“Yes, your highness.” The blond scampered down. “What can I do for you?”
“What’s your name?”
“Brian.”
“But he’s better known as Banana Boat,” Ianto said, trying to pry Jack’s hand off of him but he wasn’t budging.
“Stop squirming. Now, Banana, what can you tell me about Lady Gwen’s whereabouts?”
“If you’ve done anything to her,” Ianto said, trying to take a swipe
knowing Jack would prevent him for actually doing any damage to the
blonde ape. He tried not to think about how nice it felt having Jack’s
arm around his middle.
“I done nothing. She and Rhys told me to brung ya here.”
Jack gave him a squeeze and pulled him closer. It felt strange, but kind of nice.
“Why did she ask you to bring Ianto here?” Jack asked.
“So she could get married to Rhys.”
“What?” Ianto shouted, feeling his hope of going home disappear.
“Yeah, I was to bring ya here. She and Rhys were heading to his
family’s holdings in Swansea. They should be there already. Once they
got there they was getting hitched. Rhys has a cousin who’s a priest.”
Ianto would have fallen to his knees if it wasn’t for Jack’s grip.
“Thank you, Banana,” Jack said. “You better get home. Tell Mr. Jones I will be sending the final contract for him to look over.”
“But I’s supposed to take Master Ianto home. That’s what Gwen told
me. Once you’d figured out what was going on you’d send Ianto home with
me.”
“You tell Mr. Jones Senior, that I expect him to keep to his
bargain. He promised me one of his charges to marry and since they are
all otherwise spoken for but Ianto I accept him as my future spouse.”
“Mr. Jones ain’t gonna like that.”
“He has a month to find Lady Gwen and have her here intact and without husband.”
Ianto winced. He was pretty damn sure that Gwen hadn’t been a virgin in a long time.
“I’ll pass the message along.”
Ianto thought about running after the coach as it pulled out of the
courtyard but he could feel Jack’s arm around him like a steel band.
“Well, now that we know where Lady Gwen is we can see about getting
you some clothes, and getting to know each other,” Jack said, finally
letting go of Ianto, who so surprised to be on his feet he almost fell.
“There is no getting to know each other. I insist you let me go. I
will go to Swansea and bring Gwen back here myself. I will not let her
embarrass my family like this.”
“Would marrying me be such an embarrassment?” Jack said. Before
Ianto could reply, explaining that no it wouldn’t be but he had never
thought about marrying another man, Jack turned and headed back to the
house. He whispered something to Lady Toshiko before going insides. He
never looked back. Ianto couldn’t explain it but he felt bad for what he
said.
“Mr. Jones, please follow me. I will show you, your rooms. I’m sure
you would like to get freshened up before you meet with the tailor.”
Toshiko turned on her heel like a good soldier. He felt waves of cold
coming off her. Ianto knew that if he had any hope of getting through to
Prince Jack, and to survive his time here it was to have this pretty
woman as his friend.
“I’m sorry,” Ianto said. “This has all been a bit of a shock for me.
I was hit over the head, only to arrive here and be told I’m getting
married. Married to a man nevertheless. Forced to marry a man even.” He
was afraid he was getting hysterical.
“You will find no better man, than Prince Jack,” she said. “Now, follow me.”
It was going to take more than a few apologies, but he was a patient
man and a smart one. He was not going down without a fight. His father
would be at the door tomorrow demanding his son. Not out of love or
concern but because Huw Jones wanted him to marry another merchant
family. He was as much a part of the factory and the wool they wove.
He had no choice for now he followed Lady Toshiko into the great palace.
~~\\~~
TBC