A/N: Images used is just found from google searches (unless otherwise stated as fan art given to me).. I don't art well

[A/N: Ciel was born in 1875...this story isn't about him......just so everyone is aware]

-France-

Year: 1827

~Lucille's Point of View~

At the age of fifteen, almost sixteen, my father was trying to find the correct noble suitor to ship me off to, much to my dismay. Though I was hopeful my father wouldn't intentionally send me anywhere dangerous or to anyone he didn't think would treat me to the pampered life I was accustomed, the fear and uncertainty of it all had me on edge. Doubt lingered in my mind, my father was a businessman first, if he thought my marriage would benefit him, he wouldn't care for my circumstances as much.

The idea of marrying someone I'd never even laid eyes on was appalling. It wasn't because I had grown up some hopeless romantic reading romance novels, like most other girls at my age and status. My father made a lot of his fortune in the underworld, as many called it, black markets and illegal trading grounds for the filthy rich. Because of my father's often shady deals he thought it best I spend my time learning useful skills. Instead of sappy love novels, I read strategy books and studied anatomy so I'd know the essential arteries and where to strike an attacker to bring them down. Rather than sewing doilies, I learned how to sew stitches. While other girls my age played with their dollies, I was learning to use a blade and honing my skills.

My father wanted all strong boys, he'd never dreamed of having a daughter, I had three elder brothers who all kept to the family business. Shortly after I was born my mother passed away; my father and my elder brothers had no idea what to do with me. The maids raised me and paraded me around in the socially expected frills and taught me etiquette, but my father and my brothers treated me like one of the boys. When I turned twelve, my father decided it was time I acted like the lady of nobility I was. He hired Silas, a young man of sixteen to be my bodyguard, though I'd thought it was unnecessary. For the first year I was an absolute terror and often snuck out to try and get him in trouble, but he was skilled at his job and I never made it out of the courtyard.

"Lady Lucille, your father requests your presence." Silas entered the courtyard silent as the grave and offered me a graceful bow. His long silver hair that he always wore in a neat ponytail fell over his shoulder as he bowed. My gaze was transfixed on the shimmering strands as a few stray strands fell over his enchanting eyes. They were a beautiful shade of green that often looked gold in the sunlight due to the deep golden flecks within his irises. He had a beautiful porcelain face, perfectly chiseled and breathtakingly flawless.

My stomach churned uneasily. Had father found a suitor? Maybe he had given up and decided to let me choose for myself. As I closed the dull book of poetry I had been struggling to read through, my fingers ached from stiffness and cold. It had been getting chillier lately; the crisp fall air had a wintry bite to it already though it was only mid-October.

"Milady?" Silas straightened himself up and looked to me inquisitively his beautiful woodland eyes staring at me intently.

"Did he say what he wanted?" I asked in a bored drawl as I stretched out my legs and stood from the stone bench I'd been occupying feeling numbness on my thighs and backside from the cool stone. It would soon be too cold to leisurely stroll and read outside. I'd soon be confined to the manor. My heart sank as a terrifying thought crossed my mind, or eternally confined to the home of some rich lord. A shiver rolled down my spine, whether from the brisk air of the debilitating fear of what marriage had in store for me.

"Lady Lucille, are you alright?" Silas asked concerned.

I waved him off, "I'm fine, just a chill." Silas was avoiding my question, I could tell by his downcast look and his clenched fists at his sides that I was not going to like what my father had to tell me. "Did he find someone?" My voice shook unsteadily as I asked.

Silas pursed his lips, confirming my worst fear. "Milady." He offered me his arm to escort me to my father.

Hesitantly I set my book on the bench I had been occupying and slowly made my way to Silas. My hand trembled as I reached for him. His strong warm hands clasped over top of my frail trembling hand spreading warmth throughout my entire body as he gave a gentle tug and folded my arm into his with practiced grace.

"I will always protect you, Lady Lucille." He vowed giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am your shield."

"What if my intended has no need of your services?" I asked shakily.

"Then I shall strike him dead for my mistress." Silas responded simply. "For my mistress must not be without her shield."

My nerves steadied at this. Even if my father sent me somewhere undesirable, Silas would be with me and Silas would see to my care. If I asked him sincerely, Silas would run away with me, but if I did that my father and brothers would send every assassin in the family arsenal after us and we would never be able to live in peace.

Silas guided me into the manor and I paused as I spotted the portrait of my mother's uncle Napoleon Bonaparte. He died 6 years ago leaving behind a son one year my senior. Though the war was over, things were still rocky between France and England. Often times Englishmen traveling to France would end up dead or missing, and vice versa. The war may have ended but the French and English were not on good terms.

"My lady?" Silas lightly shook me from my daze and waited for me to resume walking to guide me to my father's study. My father wouldn't think to send me to England would he? That would be much too dangerous even by his standards.

We reached the study and I grew anxious as Silas released me from his hold and reached for the door. My heart pounded thunderously loud in my chest as he reached for the pristine carved doorknob. Silas offered me a small reassuring smile and pushed open the heavy wooden door to my father's study. As the door opened I was immediately hit with a wave of warm air, the smell of burning wood, whiskey and cigar smoke. I took a deep breath of the fresh crisp air before entering the warm smoky study.

My father, a man in his late forties with dark hair and the same unusual rose-colored eyes as myself, sat at his oversized desk buried in his calculations. Silas cleared his throat to get my father's attention as I swept into a polite curtsy.

My father looked up from his paperwork and his rose-colored eyes lit up as he offered me a warm smile, "Lucille, my angel, where have you been all morning?"

"I was reading in the courtyard." I responded softly trying to remember all the stupid etiquette lessons the maids had drilled into me a lady must speak softly and only when spoken to.

"And how goes the poetry?" My father asked.

"It's dull." I huffed as I straightened myself up from my curtsy and threw my father a plaintive look, "What did you want to discuss, papa?"

My father laughed a deep booming laugh that would have startled any normal individual. He was a rather large man his body comprising almost 85% of pure muscle. His bicep was larger than my waist. "Right to the point, my little spitfire." He grinned, but his rose-colored eyes dulled as he sobered up and motioned for me to have a seat at the plush chair positioned in front of his desk. "I have a task for you."

"A task?" I pondered cautiously as I plopped into the chair in a not so ladylike fashion causing my father to smirk.

"Think of it as an undercover assignment to help your dear papa." He beamed.

"So, we're not here to talk about marriage? "I asked hopefully.

"Well that's part of the mission." My father smiled.

My heart fell. "You want me to marry someone to gather information on them as a spy?" I asked skeptically. There was no way that was what he was intending for me to do, that was much too dangerous, especially if it was a foreign diplomat of some sort in Russia or Germany, even with Silas that would be a long way to trek home if things went sour.

"Precisely right." My father confirmed.

"What?!" I immediately jumped to my feet defiantly, "Father, that's absolutely preposterous, what if I'm found out?! They'll kill me!"

My father gave me a stern look, "Then you need to make sure you are quicker on the draw."

"You're drunk." I spat, that had to be the only reasonable explanation as to why he would even conceive such a notion, "Where are Lucca, Lucian and Laurent?" My brothers would surely be able to speak reason to my father.

"Sit down, Lucille." My father slammed his great fist down on his desk creating a loud thundering noise that echoed through the room causing me to jump.

I fell back into my chair and folded my hands together in my lap keeping my eyes downcast. "If I fail?" My voice was calm and collected.

"We'll extract the information through other methods." My father shrugged.

"Do I have any say in the matter?" I met his gaze.

"None." My father was stern once more.

I clenched my fists in my lap. "Where are you shipping me off to?"

"England."

"They hate us!" I was on my feet again in a flurry.

"Lucille!" My father had lost his patience.

"This is suicide!" I snapped.

My father rose from his chair easily towering three feet over me at his full height and backhanded me with enough force I fell into my chair and it slid back a good two feet. The sting of searing pain from the force of the impact was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. My father was shipping me off to England on a suicide mission to spy on a noble posing as his bride. I'd be beheaded for sure.

"Have you calmed yourself?" Father's voice was an animalistic growl by this point.

Stubbornly I lifted my gaze to his glaring defiantly knowing my eyes were burning with a similar fire to his own. I bit my lip to keep from arguing with him and further agitating him.

"You'll be marrying Lord Cyril Phantomhive, he's the watchdog to the royal family and has been making our lives a little miserable in the underworld." Father explained as he seated himself once more.

I nodded my head a fraction acknowledging that I had heard what he had said as I stared past him to the roaring fireplace watching the flames dance.

"At present I just want you to get close to him; we'll be in touch with specifics later on once we're sure he's not suspicious of you." Father continued.

"How do you propose to communicate, I assume he'll be smart enough to read my letters before I send and receive them." I asked flatly.

"Servants can always be bought." Father smirked.

"Aren't the English all about honor and loyalty?" I quipped.

My father shot me a glare, "You'll be leaving within the week, it'll take you some time to get there by carriage. Roughly around 2 weeks if the weather is good. Do you have any questions?" He asked

"My intended, he's not some dirty old man is he?" I grimaced.

My father chuckled at this, "He's young, probably has about three years on Silas." He noted, "Don't worry my little spitfire, he's an Englishman he's more concerned with frills and fashion; you won't have any trouble with him."

Those Englishmen lasted in a ten-year war with us; I didn't think they should be taken so lightly. If he was three years older than Silas that'd make him twenty-two and seven years my senior, which considering one of the girls the maids often forced me to have tea with just found out she was intended to a man the same age as her father, I suppose it could have been worse.

"May I be excused now, father? Or did you have more to discuss?" I asked dryly.

"You're free to go." My father waved me away.

I swiftly rose to my feet and avoided meeting Silas' gaze as I removed myself from the room. Silas was at my heel following silently as I stomped to my bedroom.

"Lady Lucille?" Silas' voice was strained with a mix of concern and broiling rage once we were well out of earshot of my father's study. "Are you alright?" He quickened his pace as I took longer strides to get to the solitude of my room faster.

I was nearly jogging as I hit the spiraling stairwell just past the library; I took the stairs three at a time with big bounding leaps. Silas matched my pace with ease.

"Lady Lucille?" He called again as I blindly pressed onward.

I had to escape. If I asked Silas to go with me he would be in danger, but I had to get away. This was a suicide mission. I'd surely be killed, and Silas would die protecting me.

As I reached the top landing, I broke into a sprint for my door.

Silas caught my wrist lightly in his hand as I reached for my door and gingerly spun me around to face him. His wild eyes darkened as he looked upon my stinging face and he tenderly reached up and brushed my pale golden auburn hair from my face to look at the bruise already forming. He swore aloud as his gaze scanned over the mark my father had left me.

"Silas, I'm fine." I forced myself to smile, "This is nothing."

Silas grimaced, "I nearly drew my sword." He indicated the sheathed sword at his hip.

"And my father would have ripped you limb from limb with his bare hands." I noted, "You were right not to act."

Silas didn't seem satisfied with my response.

"I've had enough excitement for the day; please inform everyone I am retiring for the day." I took a reluctant step away from him and offered him another reassuring smile, "Thank you, Silas."

His wild woodland eyes widened for the briefest of moments as I moved away from him and ducked inside my bedroom.

For my plan to work I'd have to wait until night fell to take my leave, which meant I needed to prepare myself. I found myself a satchel big enough to carry everything I would need to make it for a few days. After I was sure Silas had left, I began gathering things I would need, a purse with a decent amount of money, a change of clothes, a map, two daggers, an assortment of throwing knives, a vial of poison to cover my blades if need be, a few personal items and a spare pair of shoes. I kicked the satchel under my bed and flopped onto my bed to rest up for my escape.