Sunlight blinded her eyes as Elizabeth awoke from her slumber. As always her body ached for sleep, but she willed herself to stay awake and greet the woman in front of her.
"Paula..." She groaned as she wiped the sleep out of her eye. However once her vision came into focus, she only found Meyrin.
Oh, my mistake.
Once again she bit her tongue to fight off the red. Even after all those years she still couldn't convince her half-asleep self that Paula was dead, just like the rest of them. She was sixteen, she should be done grieving over a servant, even if she had been like an older sister.
"Morning, Young Mistress," Meyrin replied as she always did, not showing any sign of the fact Elizabeth had called her something else. "Mistress Phantomhive said you wore yourself out last night, dancing with the Young Master-"
So that's the excuse Aunt Rachel is using.
"-She suggested you sleep in today if you want."
"I'm sorry, but tell her I can always sleep when I'm dead. There's no rest for the wicked, Mother used to-" She paused as she noticed Meyrin's movements seemed less fluid than usual. "Meyrin?" The Chinese maid looked up at the sound of her name. "Are your glasses holding up? Don't lie to me."
"Ah, well you see," She fidgeted with the mentioned article. "They aren't in perfect condition, can't lie. But please don't tell the Mistress! I don't want to trouble you."
"Too late," Elizabeth allowed a smug grin to settle on her face. "You're getting new ones again."
Meyrin finally let go of the formal act she put on in the morning and started bemoaning her fate and the Young Mistress' cruel nature. Elizabeth loved moments like these, where the servants showed their real selves, and she couldn't help but laugh softly at her antics. Once Meyrin's tantrum quieted down into soft grumbling, Elizabeth got out of bed and started to dress for breakfast. As Meyrin helped her, she turned to mindless rambling that let Elizabeth organize all of her thoughts.
Let's see:
1. Work on the Diviny case with Uncle Vincent some more.
2. Make sure Ciel isn't thinking of doing anything stupid again.
3. Set up an appointment with Nina for a new dress.
"Nina is probably coming over on Wednesday or so," At the name of the seamstress, Meyrin froze mid-brush. "I'm sorry, but that day you'll be absolutely busy. You and Snake will be out all day running errands."
"Oh," She tried to hide it, but she saw Meyrin let out a sigh of relief. "That's a shame." She went back to brushing Elizabeth's blonde hair merrily.
Alright:
4. Make sure to pop by with Aunt Rachel so she'll stop worrying so much.
That leaves 5.
The last item left on her list every day since the last six years. Red always haunted her when she thought of them, but she fought through the pain.
5. Continue the investigation for the murderer of Alexis, Francis, and Edward Midford.
Elizabeth stared at her reflection in the mirror.
No rest for the wicked, indeed.
Once she was finished getting dressed, Elizabeth headed for the dining room and found breakfast to be in full-swing. Ciel and Aunt Rachel were alone, chatting amicably about Bard's latest accident.
"The bacon was ruined, but I'm glad the eggs were fine."
"They seemed a little more fried than usual."
"Well, I like them that way so all's well that ends well."
"Morning," Elizabeth cut in as she took the seat to Ciel's left and grabbed a piece of toast off his plate. "Where's Uncle Vincent?"
"Good morning, Lizzy," Rachel smiled. "I thought I told Meyrin to let you sleep in today. You must be tired after last night." While the Phantomhive's were surprisingly open about their line of work, they still kept things vague, which could be slightly annoying sometimes.
"Sleep is for the weak," Lizzy replied as she shoved a plate of eggs in her mouth. "Where's Uncle?"
"Out working, he said he wouldn't be home til tomorrow evening."
"Damn it, why didn't he take me along?!"
"First watch your mouth," Ciel teased as he slapped her hand away from taking another piece of toast. "Second, don't forget you're only sixteen. You're no Watchdog."
Elizabeth was tempted to make a sarcastic remark back, but she stopped after remembering last night's incident. The Phantomhive's tended to just ignore outbursts like that, but it didn't sit well with her. She didn't want Ciel feeling anymore useless than he already did. She could be blunt sometimes, but that didn't mean she was totally lacking empathy.
"Still, the Queen assigned us both to the Diviny case."
Rachel shot her a look for specifying a name. "Vincent mentioned that he was mainly dealing with paperwork and other bureaucratic things. He probably didn't want to bore you."
"Fine," Elizabeth sighed. It wasn't odd to be left out, she was still a "lady" left under their care. But it still bugged her she was kept from her own work.
"Pass the tea please," She smiled politely. It wasn't worth the fight though. She had other matters to take care of. No need to cause more trouble than usual.
"By the way, when can we schedule another appointment with Nina?"
"Ciel!" Elizabeth shouted as she tried to catch her cousin as he left his room. He had slipped away from her during breakfast, and she had to catch him before he took his morning bicycle ride. After getting it for his birthday last winter, he had fallen in love with the thing. He never rode too far for Aunt Rachel's sake, but she had seen the way he smiled while flying across the estate.
Blue eyes blinked in confusion at the sound of his name. "What's the problem?"
"Oh nothing, I just really wanted to catch a game of chess, that's all."
Another teasing grin spread across his face. "My is our hermit crab peeking out of her shell? And on her own? I think this qualifies as a miracle!"
"Doesn't that joke ever get old with you people?" She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Sorry, but you're always so serious. You act like an aged spinster when you haven't even reached adulthood."
You're one to talk.
While Ciel was very childish at heart, he was the one who seemed eager to grow up and be taken seriously. At times he was worse than her about 'acting like an adult' and wanting to participate in investigations.
"Come on, are you afraid I'll beat you?"
"Lizzy, I've bested you at that game since we were eight."
"Every empire has to fall."
Ciel laughed at her comment, and she couldn't help join in. He didn't know how much she liked the childish side of him. The one that was bright and excited about life. She didn't want him to lose that once he joined investigations. It was selfish of her, true, but it didn't change the fact that sometimes she needed to spend time with a lighthearted person like him.
"Well get used to this empire, 'cause it isn't gonna fall anytime soon." They went back into his room and set up the chess board. Although this was a normal habit of them, Elizabeth made sure to leave the door open a crack. While they might get into sensitive territory, they were still two unmarried teens. Engaged teens to be exact, waggling tongues would correct.
Elizabeth looked at her fiance out of the corner of her eye. It was odd remembering they'd someday marry. They'd had known each other since the crib, and his 18th birthday seemed so far off.
Besides there were more pressing things.
Bringing justice to my family's killer. Keeping my other family safe.
And so as they played, Elizabeth tried to discreetly study Ciel. It could be hard reading his mood, and she wanted to keep from stepping on any of his toes. He kept his word about being able to best her though. It was hard keeping up with him while waiting for the perfect moment to bring up last night.
"Check," She was brought out of her pondering by his sly expression.
Lizzy looked down at the board. She still had her queen, but she was missing a lot of other pieces, while Ciel still was going strong. It wouldn't be long now before her defeat.
Gotta spit it out.
"Check," Her rook took his knight. "By the way, Ciel?"
He shot her a quizzical look. They had barely spoken a word after the game had started. "What do you want that can't wait a few turns?"
Ugh, I forgot how arrogant he can get while playing.
"I wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Well fire away."
"Are you planning to drag Finn into some sparring thing again?"
"What?" Blue eyes lost their mischievous spark and grew serious. The German servant adored him, and when he was thirteen, he had convinced him to organize secret "fighting lessons" for his Young Master. It hadn't ended well for either party.
"You heard me. Are you trying to learn how to make explosives from Bard again either? I want you to be honest with me."
"I don't get what you're trying to say?"
Always trying to slither out of these talks. He'll be the death of me.
"Last night you were mad and I want to make sure you aren't cooking up another stupid plan."
"Well I'm sorry for wanting to be treated with a little respect," His tone grew sharp and cold. "You were like me til Father finally let you join him."
At his words, memories of those days appeared in front of her. She had been thirteen and still very bitter over losing her family. She thought she knew everything, as children do, and swore to Ciel that any day now, they'd be off investigating what had happened.
Vincent must have been afraid she was getting ideas about running off or something because one day, he brought the two of them in a wide room she had never seen before.
"Now I've heard whispers of puppies wanting to dip into Watchdog work," Brown eyes remained cool and indifferent. "We're hesitant to bring children into horrible work like this, but you two won't remain children forever. If you really are ready to fight the scum of England, then you'll have to prove it." He gestured around the room, and sharp green eyes caught several startling things; shiny kitchen knives, a shovel, rope, and vials of liquids she could only vaguely identify.
"In an hour, the one who comes out will be the one who I take under my wing. If both of you come out, then neither will be able to start their training as a Watchdog. It all depends on who wants it more. Your hour starts now" And with that Vincent walked out.
Years of seeing worse acts of cruelty, not to mention the knowledge Tanaka had been watching the spar to make sure that nobody was seriously hurt, had dulled Elizabeth's shock at her Uncle's action. Still Ciel had not forgotten a single thing. Of course the child still innocent and naive didn't make it out. Of course the child trained from birth in Watchdog work, the one with a mother that knew what her child would be put through after marriage despite her gender, was the one to make it out. Elizabeth didn't harm him beyond giving him a few bruises, but she had unintentionally wounded his pride in the process.
Most days she thought he had moved on from that, but days like these she was proven wrong. Dead wrong.
"Don't you understand that one day I'll be the man of the house? How can I be content to be handled with kid gloves like a strong breeze will knock me down?"
"Ciel.." It wasn't that, the true horror of investigations had taught her the truth. He had the rest of his life to get used to the killing and blood. There was no need to make him lose his light before the proper time. "You're their only son. Why wouldn't they be protective of you?"
'I know, I know," He groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "But I'm not a child anymore. You may be stronger than me, but I could fight if I was just taught too!"
"I don't doubt you either, just promise me you won't try to learn til Uncle thinks it's time."
"Ok, promise," Ciel sighed as rubbed his temple. "By the way, checkmate," He tipped over her king. Elizabeth gazed at the board in surprise, and then she decided to do something that might be stupid and was sure to be unproper.
She walked over to her best friend, pushed back his bangs, and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead.
"We do this because we love you very much. Understand?"
"Understand." She looked at him and knew he really did.
With that, Elizabeth marched out of her without looking back. While she knew there was nothing wrong with her actions, a part of her was currently screaming at herself for reverting back to Lizzy again.
I wanted to comfort and coddle him. Like we were children again.
It was irrational, but she hated opening up to be so vulnerable. They were her family, yes, still she felt like she was inviting every criminal in Britain to come stab her while her guard was down. Lizzy was a nice, happy girl, and she wished she could be her more often, but she couldn't if she wanted to bring justice to her family's killer.
Red came back, but Elizabeth kept marching on. She needed to do something, anything, to take her mind off idiotic matters like these. Preferably something that involved sharp objects and the chance to stab someone/something.
Instead, she turned a right down the hallway and a few other turns to get to her study. As she entered it, the smell of ink and wax overwhelmed her, calming her nerves,
Here Elizabeth shined best. Here she could forget herself as she poured through countless papers and memorized unbelievable amounts of data. As she took a seat at her desk, she ran a finger down the latest list pinned next to it.
"Arsenic- found in rat poison and cosmetic products. Laidanum- made from opium, used as cough suppressant," On and on she rattled off various poisons, only peeking at the list a few times. It was relaxing habit and helped her focus before getting to work. Plus there were many, many things a Watchdog would benefit from knowing, types of guns, the newest slang and code names for illegal things. She was rarely without new information.
However as Elizabeth looked over her various files, she found none to be urgent. That left her going back to her most frequented file.
She pulls up a list of all fires reported in 1884, the year the red first came to haunt her. It's always painful looking through these records, but she had to do it, no one else would. Vincent, while grieving as well over his sister's death, was always busy with Watchdog work. And even though she had read the file multiple times, she always came back to them in case she just missed a connection or there was another angle she hadn't noticed.
Elizabeth tighten her bun as she read the first familiar name on the list. She'd be here for the long-haul. But in the end if it meant she'd find her family's killer, she'd endure this and more.
Soon Elizabeth was lost in her world of paper and ink. She barely noticed it was lunch til Meyrin knocked on her door and delivered a plate of roast turkey. While Elizabeth berated herself for not keeping track of the time, she went right back to her work, picking at her lunch absentmindedly.
She stayed like that til she heard the clock down the hall ring five times. That managed to break through her bubble of information. Item 4 on her to-do list came back to her.
4. Make sure to pop by with Aunt Rachel so she'll stop worrying so much.
A string of unladylike curses escaped her mouth as she slapped the side of her head in frustration. She dropped the latest file she had been examining, one concerning Diviny's family tree and various ties, and practically took off for the tea room.
Once she reached the door to it, she stopped to catch her breath and preen herself.
Aunt Rachel knows I can be a lady, I don't want to lose any privileges for being sloppy.
While the Phantomhive's gave her more freedom she could ever dream of getting outside of their home, she was still a young lady under their charge. Combined with the fact even Vincent was hesitant to let her dip too deep into Watchdog work, she had faced several suspensions for misbehavior before.
You can admit you love her and want to please her you know?
Elizabeth waved away that thought, put on a pleasant smile, and opened the door to find Tanaka pouring Rachel tea.
When she asked to join, her aunt warmly received her. There were no hermit jokes which Elizabeth was grateful for, though she was sure the thought to crack them had occurred to Rachel. Still nothing serious or potentially offensive was brought up. Instead they kept to harmless small talk such as Ruth Ayre's 18th birthday coming up and Lady Burland's dress which was really as horrid as Ciel had said. While Elizabeth had grown rusty in this skill, she found conversing relaxing in a different manner. She could see that her aunt was enjoying herself as well, turning her forced smile into a real one.
Everything was going fine until she mentioned the date.
At those words, Rachel's easygoing grin slowly turned into a frown. It was so strange coming from the woman who seemed like a constant ray of sunlight.
"What is it?" But no sooner were the words out of her mouth, she understood her mistake.
Today's the anniversary of Aunt Angelina's death.
"I'm sorry," Green eyes could only stare at her blue dress. Red had already haunted her when the news came her childhood playmate was dead, taken in a carriage accident. The fact only added the strength of her personal demon.
"Don't apologize Lizzy," Rachel recovered a fragile smile. "I was just thinking that she'd be outraged how we're raising you," She chuckled softly. "I'm sure she'd love you the same, but still imagine her finding out you stuffed letters in your corset?"
That caused Elizabeth to join her in laughter. Leave it to Aunt Rachel to put a positive spin on such sadness. She was no stranger to it, losing her nephew, sister, and brother in law then shortly her sister. Still she managed to figure out a way to heal some and helped others do the same.
She's the one who taught me Lizzy wasn't bad, and that it was ok to be her sometimes, open and emotional.
"I promise to be careful, whatever I do," She could feel the worry already seeping into Rachel's mind. "And you can bet I'll keep Ciel out of danger, I swear it."
"That's sweet of you, but I'm not a fool," She started playing with a strand of amber hair. "I know his fate and it's not pleasant. And I know your's as well. The only difference is you're a fighter by necessity and I'm not one for the same reason."
Elizabeth cocked her head in confusion. This was unusual behavior and she wasn't sure what to say.
"Now don't look at me like I've grown another head," Rachel covered a biscuit with jelly. "I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I know my family won't remain safe, but that doesn't mean I won't do my part to try anyways. I just work in different methods than you."
Just then, Tanaka spoke up.
"Excuse me Mistress, Young Mistress," The two were both startled by his presence. "There's been an incident in the gardens. If you may, will you look into it?"
"Of course, right away," Rachel got up and Elizabeth went to follow. "Don't worry about it Lizzy, you go on and get back to your work. I can handle this."
Once again, Elizabeth was left unsure what to say. She realized her aunt was a genius at the innocent fool like she used to be, it was almost like looking in a mirror.
An 'I love you' or something wouldn't hurt for now.
However the words came out choked and strangled. It was easy to say around Ciel, but Aunt Rachel was too similar to Mother. She couldn't say it yet.
So she went with a simple nod, which was returned back.
Then Elizabeth was back to being alone with her thoughts.
Unable to focus on her work, Elizabeth decided there was only one other solution for her restless mind. She made a stop in her room to change into her fencing uniform and to pick up her epee. Unfortunately there were no other swordsmen in the Phantomhive household, Ciel's lessons had ended before the red. Still, they had a fencing hall, and she'd have to be an idiot to not practice when she could.
Got to keep my skills sharp.
Yesterday came back to her then, the feel of the poker as she stabbed the brute. It wasn't her first kill, and it wouldn't be her last. Despite that, she wondered if the chills would ever go away.
Why am I so stuck in the past?
She sliced the air in anger. Elizabeth prided herself in being able to remember the past, but not be trapped by it. It's what kept her from wanting revenge, only justice. It's what made her able to care about other cases and investigations. She was focused and dedicated, but not blind to what was happening now, right?
Elizabeth lunged to stab an invisable enemy.
Stop being so distracted. Just focus on what's in front of you. What's real.
So she dedicated herself to swordwork as she did studying. Completely, without holding back. She was Alexis and Francis Midford's daughter, she would not waver at the slightest tremor. The hot summer air made her sweat like mad, but that didn't stop her. She needed to be prepared for any situation, and she'd make sure she would.
In the middle of backing up as she fought imaginary foes, she heard bells ring seven times.
Dinner
Of course she was filthy, covered in sweat, but she had messed up every other meal today, might as well try to get three for three.
She came and there were quips made at her, but she didn't care. She finished her meal early and then retired to her room to read A Tale of Two Cities. She had promised Ciel she'd finish a month ago to discuss it with him, but the prose was so dull. She managed to hold out for an hour but soon her mind was wandering again. It made her angry for some reason, and she had to keep from throwing the book in frustration.
Maybe I just need sleep.
Elizabeth was a night owl, but she wasn't sure what else to do. So she washed up, changed into her nightgown, and tried, tried to close her eyes and get some sleep.
Why am I so tired when I've done nothing all day?
Vincent hurried through the dark alleyway as he tried to arrange his words. He always hated dealing with this associate, but he needed his help, badly. The papers Elizabeth flinched last night were very helpful, but it wouldn't be enough to sniff out all the others involved with Diviny. No if he wanted to catch them all he needed more.
Which is why I'm having to deal with him.
The only person who could ruffle him like so. It was strange the calm, unflappable Aristocrat of Evil could be affected so by one man. He couldn't pinpoint one reason why. Maybe it was his mysterious background, or the fact Lizzy was the one to contact him first, and as a child no less. That was probably it, he was fond of his niece and unsavory men like him, were only one of the reasons why he was wary about including her in his line of work.
"Lord Phantomhive?" He tried to hide his shock at the calm but so unsettling voice. He turned to see a man with blond hair and face and smile so very, very similar to his own.
"Sebastian," He recovered a friendly mask, but it couldn't completely cover his true feelings. "I have another job for you."
A.N. Surprise, surprise! First off, I'd like to thank you for the positive feedback I've gotten, it's been more than I could dream for. Sorry for the long update, but this will probably be the norm, just remember I won't abandon ya'll. I'm so excited so many people are interested in this and have made predictions and everything.
