New WIP Fic Love Will Lead You Home Part 5
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 5
Jack finished affixing his official seal to the letter that would inform Mr. Huw Jones that his son would be marrying Prince Jack Harkness in one month unless Lady Gwen Cooper appeared before him unmarried and a virgin or the previous dowry of 10,000 pounds was returned. He handed the cream coloured envelop to his manservant. Lionel.
“Make sure the Jones’ driver get this letter and tell him to take it directly to Mr. Jones. I’ll be expecting an answer right away. But then again given Jones’ temper, I’m likely to hear him the minute he reads the letter.”
Huw Jones’ temperament was a poorly kept secret in Wales. This first time Jack and Jones had met the other man had been striking a chamber maid outside his chambers at King William’s palace. He had accused her of being clumsy and had somehow managed to scuff his shoes. Apparently she had tripped over Jones’ feet when she had been cleaning the room. She had managed to make it to the hallway hoping to get away from his anger.
Jack had intervened allowing the young girl to get away, taking some of Jones’ wrath on himself. Of course, the fact that he would have no trouble hitting back or that he was best friends with Prince Owen might have prevented the older man from using his fists on Jack.
Jack eventually was able to track down the poor maid and ask what happened. At first she had been reluctant to speak badly of a superior but Jack was able to calm her down and she told him that ‘Jones had deliberately stuck his foot out and tripped her when she was carrying the chamber pot out of the room, laughing when the waste had splashed all over her. It was only after she had gotten up and apologized did he hit her saying she had ruined his shoe and since she couldn’t afford to buy him new ones he would take it out of her hide. If Jack hadn’t appeared she was sure he would have killed her.’
That had been the first time he had caught a brief glimpse of the younger Jones. He had arrived just at the end of the court’s meetings bringing the family carriage to take his father back to their house. He had been quite taken with the young man’s youthful beauty and the lack of confidence he showed when dealing with his father; his father had no problem yelling at the younger man about how useless he was. It was something he wanted to fix. He wanted to show Ianto how wonderful life could be without his father trying to beat him down.
“Will there be anything else, your highness?” Lionel asked, breaking through Jack’s thoughts.
Jack looked up and saw Tosh hanging by the door. “Yes, tell Cook I want something special for supper. I want Mr. Ianto Jones to know that there is nowhere else he could ever hope to get as good a meal as here.”
Lionel bowed his balding head. “It will be done, sire.”
“Oh, before you go one more thing. Set a table up in the garden for dinner. Just for Mr. Jones and myself. Flowers and candles everywhere.”
“Anything else, sire?”
“That’s it for now. If I think of anything else I’ll call for you.” Lionel gave a nod at Jack and Tosh before leaving the room with the letter and his orders.
“How is Ianto settling in?” Jack asked, rising from behind his desk to meet Tosh.
“The tailors are with him now,” Toshiko said, moving past Jack and sitting down on one of the easy chair by the fireplace.
“Is something wrong?” Jack asked. “Did Ianto tell you something was wrong?”
“You mean besides being kidnapped and held here against his will?”
“It’s not like that,” Jack said.
“Then what is it like, Jack? I’ve never known you to be a cruel, mean or petty man but I have to wonder-”
“Is that what Ianto thinks?”
“He’s a little concerned why you are keeping him here. Frankly, I have to wonder too. You didn’t want to marry Gwen Cooper a few hours ago but now you’ll do anything to marry Ianto Jones. What’s changed in a few hours?”
Jack smiled. “Have you seen him? He’s gorgeous and funny and he’s the first person I’ve met who isn’t so taken with my title that he’s hidden who he is and what he thinks.”
“And that’s enough to build a marriage on? Seems a little one sided.”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s Ianto getting out of the whole marriage thing?” Toshiko said.
“He gets to keep his family’s honour, and they get to keep a lot of money and get even more when we’re finally married.”
“Sounds like you’re buying him.”
“That’s what Huw Jones was doing with Gwen, and you didn’t seem to have any problem with it.”
“Of course I did. I want you to find someone who makes you happy, and it would be nice if you could make him happy to.”
“We’ve just met, Tosh, give us time.”
“So you aren’t just doing this to stick it to Huw Jones? I know you don’t like him and never have since that first meeting at court. You didn’t want to marry Gwen but you felt bad for her the way he was trying to sell her to the highest bidder. Is it the same thing for Ianto, a chance to get him away from his domineering father?”
“I will admit being able to stick it to Jones was my first thought but it’s not all that I’ve been thinking about since Ianto arrived. I can’t explain it, Tosh; there is something about him that sings to me. Maybe there is hope that I can marry for love.”
“Good. He is a nice man, but he’s been very sheltered. I wouldn’t want him to get too over his head.”
Jack pulled Tosh up and gave her a big hug. “I’ll do my best to keep him safe and teach him all about the world. He’ll never want for anything ever.”
“First, you have to get him agree to marry you,” Tosh reminded him.
“I plan to start tonight. There is one thing I know and it’s how to seduce a man with or without his cooperation.”
Tosh laughed.
“What?” Jack demanded.
“It’s just that you sound like you’re leading a campaign to conqueror a country not win the heart of a man.”
“It’s not all that different. You find your target, decide the best way to capture your goal and then engage the enemy. In this case, I want to win Ianto’s heart and loyalty. The best way is to have him fall in love with me and how I intend to have this happen is to shower him with all my attention; give him the things I know he never got at home such as travel, education and affection. Let him be the true gentleman his father kept him from being.”
“Not that I believe she will come back but what if they do find Lady Gwen before she is married. You will be expected to follow through on your promise to marry her.”
“I don’t think it will happen either. I’m sure by now the lovely Lady Gwen is happy living with her new husband. Even if he doesn’t want to marry me I want to get him away from Huw Jones’ influence. It’s the least I can do for him.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to try too hard to get his interest.”
“Oh, how do you know? Had he said something?”
“You’re worse than the girls in the house I grew up in, wanting to know which boy was interested in them. Let’s just say that I think he’s open to the idea of falling in love but a little scared of the idea.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Just a feeling.”
“Did you do that damn card reading thing again, Toshiko?”
“I did one before Lady Gwen was to arrive. The cards were trying to tell you to wait that your true heart was nearby. Well, I was right in a way that love was coming and you were right to push. According to the reading I just did before I came in, your love is here but it will take care and you may have to negotiate wide quick rapids.”
Jack rolled his eyes but gave Tosh another smile and a hug. “I hope you’re right, my lady that my love is here. I better hope that my swimming technique is up to scratch.”
There was a gentle knock at the door. “Enter,” Jack shouted.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ianto said. “I didn’t realize you were busy.” Ianto started to shut the door but Jack raced over to Ianto and pulled him into the room.
“You weren’t interrupting anything. Tosh and I were just chatting. What can I do for you? Is that a new suit? I think it’s wonderful,” Jack said, running his eyes up and down the dark blue material. The purple and red flecked tie set his eyes off nicely. He touched the tie. “Silk? Very, very nice.” He would like to spend a lot more time feeling Ianto, preferably without the suit but scaring him off wasn’t the way to win Ianto’s heart.
“Ah thank you. You’re tailors are amazing. They were able to put it together for me in a very short amount of time. It was almost like they had my measurement’s already.”
Jack hoped he wasn’t blushing but he felt his face turning red. Just because he might have taken notice of the man’s size and build and committed them to memory the first time he saw him, wasn’t a reason to feel ashamed. He’d always had a good eye for the male form.
Of course the suit the tailors were making to be for his wedding to Gwen but now Ianto could wear it to their dinner.
“Paul and his sons are amazing. They should be able to make a wonderful wedding suit for you,” Jack said.
“Ah yeah, I’m sure they could,” Ianto stammered.
“I think a dark grey, or maybe a black. But we can decide colours later. The wedding is still a month away.”
“I think that’s something we should talk about, don’t you?” Ianto asked. “I have not agreed to anything.”
“Oh but you will, my dear Ianto,” Jack said, caressing his cheek. “What choice do you have? You wouldn’t want your family to be accused of reneging on a deal. I think you told me before that your father wouldn’t be able to pay back the money that I had already given him. So I need something back in return and that is going to be you.”
“Is blackmail the only way you can get someone to marry you? If it is then you can count me out,” Ianto snapped before heading for the door.
Jack tried to reach out for Ianto’s shoulder but the younger man slipped away and hurried away.
Toshiko came over and slugged him in the shoulder.
“What was that for?” Jack demanded, rubbing the sore spot.
“I told you to be careful and what’s the first thing you do, make him feel like a whore.”
“That wasn’t what I meant to do. It’s just somehow he makes me... I don’t think well around him. In fact, I don’t seem to think at all. All the blood in my brain seems to go south. Sorry, you probably didn’t need to know that.”
“Probably not,” Tosh agreed. “But if you don’t start acting like the gentleman I know and respect, the only way you’re going to get Ianto to the altar is to tie him up and drag him down the aisle.”
“Not the most romantic idea but if that’s the way I get him.” The anger in her eyes stopped him right there. “Fine, I’ll keep with plan A; romance. I’ll start with the dinner I had planned in the garden.”
“Good,” Tosh said, giving him a quick kiss. “I’ll go get started on monthly reports from the farmers, while you plan how you are going to win Ianto’s heart.”
Jack watched Tosh leave before sitting behind his large oak desk. He took out a pad of paper and a fountain pen. He began to plan his campaign to win Ianto Jones.
~~\\~~
TBC