The Arrest

"Did you 'ear 'bout the break in on Whitechapel road. The bobbies reckon it was one of us lot so keep your wits 'bout you. They migh' come after us an' find the other stuff we've been doin'." This boy had called a meeting with all of the street kids about Jenny's break in and she feared if they found it was her, the value may have her killed. The large group of kids stood crouching in the back of a pub and as a group they didn't look too clever. Almost like they were trying to plan a burglary itself. With their brown caps and bare feet, with ragged, holey clothes with missing buttons and threads.

It had always been the boys and Jenny and she seemed to fit in more with them. It may have been the fact that it provided her some company as being ostracised by her family was not convenient. She preferred not to think of her family. It had upset her at the time but over the 5 years they had been apart she had grown accustomed to being on her own. They had abandoned her when she had told them of how she found females more preferable to males and that she would not be getting married to a man. Her parents had been mortified, and her siblings just looked hurt and betrayed; by her or her parents she wasn't sure, but she hadn't seen any of them since and hardly wanted to.

"All in boys. Don't tel' even if it was you." The boys all filtered away leaving Jenny standing alone with the lead boy who looked at her questioningly, but she did not move and seemed perplexed and lost in her thoughts. After a while she moved and wandered out of the pub and back to a lodging she had managed to rent with the profits of the thefts.

However she was still in regret of her distractions and annoyed at the fact she had left such petty mistakes. Normally she would have been out of the house in a shorter time and would not have left the window open or dusty fingerprints on the office desk. She retraced her steps on the floor to reveal the mistakes she had made, the meeting had hit home about how she needed to be on edge about the police finding out; if she was already in the suspect area inquiry.

She had seen the woman, look away and then crept around the corner to the back gate and had slipped through without a noise. So far, so good. She had opened a window at the back of the house and had climbed onto the kitchen counter, leaving the window open. Then she had turned towards the door having stepped onto the tiled floor; which had been dusty. Once in the hallway, she had turned towards a door marked 'study' and had brushed the dust off her feet, then touched the door handle with it. Upon entering the room, she had noticed an open desk draw, and reached inside to look for particular objects of value, but whilst searching the draw she had left fingerprints on the top of the desk with her other hand when she grabbed hold for balance. She simply had not been her usual, careful self.

Having failed at finding anything useful in the open draw; she left the study, missed searching the rest of the room and looked for any place where a safe may be concealed. She observed the thickness of the wall and wandered into the next room along. A long, slender room; perhaps a drawing or sitting room, Jenny had supposed. She had spotted a locked box beside the fireplace, she had knelt next to the box and had picked it with an extra long hairpin she had acquired when pickpocketing a lady with the most extraordinary centrepiece hat.

The box revealed a shed load of bank notes, which she bundled up and stored in a small bag inside her clothes. She had relocked the box but had left some dust on the lid, then retraced her steps back to the window, forgetting to shut it on the way out. Finally she had walked home rather pleased with herself not having realised the minor errors planted throughout the break in.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door that released Jenny from her thoughts and she almost had to wake herself up, to realise what was going on outside her body. Another loud bang echoed around the room, almost shaking it. She got up, walked to the door and opened it to find Chief Inspector Abberline staring her straight in her tired, bloodshot eyes.

The events of that night were ingrained into her mind and Jenny had thought about what she would say the next day when she appeared before the court. Having stolen a large sum of money she would be put away in prison for 18 months for the length of her crimes but would hardly be able to cost the fee of leaving prison itself; but would also be subjected to harsh, physical labour while she was there. She decided she would have to come up with something good or she'd never be free again, as the cleanliness of prisons was not good and she was likely to die in one, from the spread of cholera or dysentery.

She looked up from her place, on the wooden bench, outside the courtroom; to find a friendly looking face staring back at her. The face of a kind man, who was young in appearance but seemed to have age written in his eyes. He sat down next to Jenny and said.

"It'll be okay you know." His voice calming and confident. Quite a contrast from the panic and frustration inside Jenny's mind.

"Wil' it though?" She replied doubting whether he knew of the crime she'd actually commited. The man confused her greatly, he seemed familiar and reminded her of someone, she had no idea who, but just someone she knew. Perhaps her father, but again perhaps not; there was no way of knowing. He had the sort of fatherly look about him but appeared outwardly far too young to be a father of an 18 year old, inwardly he could have been as old as the oldest oak tree in Epping Forest, but on the other hand he could have been the sapling just starting to sprout leaves, or the baby crying in the corner. He could have been anyone but he provided comfort for her and that was all that mattered.

"I think it will, if you believe it will. Also I have found the most brilliant detective to defend you." Jenny wondered why such a person would be so kind as to provide support for a person as desolate as herself. It reminded her of the kindness that had been shown to her by the mystery woman so many months before, and the selfless act had actually lead her to the position she was in now.

"Why? Why bother? I'm guilty."

"Yeah, but they don't know that, do they? To them, you are a desperate girl who is likely to have done it. If you plead innocent who's to say you actually did it. It happens all the time." His kindness shone through him and she felt the warmth he provided her; both physically and mentally.

"I don' know wha' to say. Thank you?"

"Don't thank me. Thank this fabulous lady." He got up, poked his head around the courtroom door and ushered someone over to the corridor. Then turned back to Jenny followed by a woman, tall, and mysterious sporting a black, laced veil. Jenny's mouth gaped with shock; this was the last person she was expecting to see right at this moment. But was pleased to see her. The man ignored the shocked state of her face and held out his hand and said. "Sorry, what's your name, because this bit is easier when I have something to call you." His humour made Jenny smile and she felt instantly better about how the day was going to go.

"Jenny, sir. Jenny Flint." She replied feeling the need to finish his conversation.

"Oo sir, now it is getting professional. Anyway, Jenny may I formally introduce to you: Madame Vastra, or The Great Detective as she is sometimes known. Madame Vastra this is Jenny, who you will be defending today. She is up for grand theft but just between us we're trying to keep her out of gaol and she is definitely innocent. Am I right ladies?" The man now had a smile on his face too and then The Great Detective found her voice at last.

"Oh do give it a rest Doctor, the jokes are not funny. And I know the case, I was first on the scene." On the surface her voice had seemed to have changed. It wasn't quite so smooth and effortless anymore; like it had become a hassle to bother with such a tone. But underneath the voice had the same quality, the same calm and trusting nature as before. Maybe she was tired, or that was the tone she saved for talking to this man, this 'Doctor' that she seemed to already know.

The case went quickly and well as Madame Vastra's skill set seemed to be well adjusted and accurate for the job of defending guilty parties. She made it seem like Jenny had had nothing to do with crime at any point in her life, which even Jenny herself had started to believe by the end of the trial. She was offered a warning as she left; of if ever she was to be pulled up by the court for a similar crime she would have to defend herself and would not be let off so lightly but apart from that she was free to go about her daily life as per her usual manor.

Jenny felt free and like the world was at her disposal.