A/N: Reviews! Please guys! I want to know your thoughts! Anywho, here's chapter two! That rhymed.
Chapter 2
"Bobsy-die - a great deal of fuss or trouble"
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Evelyn gasped out as Alice, her maid, tightened her corset.
Alice giggled, "It's not that bad, Mi'Lady!" She said sweetly.
Evelyn grunted, "It's horrific, now hurry up!" She shouted, bracing herself against the wall of her room, behind her dressing screen.
The ties of the corset tightened and Evelyn groaned, feeling her ribcage constrict and her breath being forced from her lungs. A torture device; that is what Evelyn thought of corsets and their stupid necessity of this fucked up society she lived in.
Of course, Evelyn could afford to bitch and complain, unlike many other ladies in Britain.
"I swear to God, Alice, if you don't hurry up I'll-" Evelyn was cut off by a light knock on the door of her bedroom.
"Yeah?!" She hollered to whomever decided to pay her a visit at the most stupid of times. Seriously, Evelyn thought, who the fuck would call on her whilst getting changed?!
"My Lady? The Young Master is waiting for you downstairs." Came the velvety, if not muffled, voice of one Sebastian Michaelis.
Oh, Evelyn thought, that's who would disturb her.
The Lady Phantomhive huffed as Alice helped her into her blue and black dress, excluding a bustle because Evelyn hated them, whilst Sebastian dutifully awaited her reply. Ciel had ordered him to bring her back with him, not to leave her in her to her own devices, a mistake that Sebastian had made before.
Finally, Evelyn opened the door, Alice attempting to wrestle a clip into Evelyn's hair before the young woman waved her away and made her escape.
"Alright, Sebastian," Evelyn said, taking the lead, "where are we going and why is Ciel so determined to bring me with him? Is he hoping I can intimidate a particularly nasty woman that dare comment on his height?"
Sebastian smiled pleasantly, though Evelyn didn't see it, "We are travelling to London, the season is upon us and the Young Master also wishes to collect your new sabre, Mi'Lady."
Evelyn grinned happily, a bounce in her step, "Oh yes! I forgot Ciel had another sword commissioned for me!"
The demon butler held back a snigger, "Yes, please refrain from throwing this one in the Thames this time, Mi'Lady."
Evelyn barked out a laugh, "I didn't do it on purpose!" She grinned at Ciel, waving vigorously at him from the top of the stairs, "Besides, it was either that or have the police catch me with the murder weapon. And I had no alibi."
The pair had reached the Earl Phantomhive and Evelyn swept him into a tight hug, wrapping her long arms around his small frame and placing a gentle kiss into her brother's dark hair.
"Let go!" Ciel hissed, pulling himself away from Evelyn and glaring up at her. His sister merely smiled fondly, draping her arm around his shoulders, a form of contact that Ciel was less fussy about, and guiding him out of the manor.
The carriage was lovely, it always had been as far as Evelyn could recall, as she quickly shrugged into her dress coat. Sebastian would be acting as the coachman, a usual thing in the Phantomhive family as he would constantly be performing duties beyond or below his station as a butler, and Evelyn climbed into the carriage, delicately grasping Ciel's offered hand.
"Who would kill a prostitute? It's not like they're rich or anything…" Evelyn said, frowning at the young boy selling newspapers.
He shrugged, "I dunno, Ma'am, maybe it God enacting 'is vengeance or summin' like that."
Evelyn chuckled, "Heard that in sermon did you?"
"Yeah," the boy grinned, revealing his gapped teeth, "mah' preacher bein' sayin' it all week, he 'as."
The noblewoman smiled, "Any do you believe him? Jesus used to consort with prostitutes all the time, you know. Thieves too."
The boy wrinkled his nose, "'Am not sure what to fink, ah jus' go wiv wot others are sayin'." Evelyn frowned at his response but at least he was truthful.
"Perhaps you should start thinking for yourself," she said, giving the boy some money in exchange for a newspaper, "No new ideas are born from similar thinking."
The boy grinned at her once again, "'Ah'll keep tha' in mind, ma'am!"
Evelyn walked away, following Ciel and Sebastian into the smithy, and loitered in the doorway for a time before the smith brought out her sabre.
"My baby!" She exclaimed excitedly, rushing over the smith and quickly taking the sword from his hands, "Oh she is beautiful!"
"Alright, Evelyn, calm down." Ciel said bluntly, dropping a bag of coins heavily onto the table as Evelyn inspected her sabre.
The smith looked bewildered, "A sabre? For a woman?"
Evelyn frowned at him, "Yes, do you have a problem with that?" She was ready to start a fight, Evelyn was always ready to start a fight.
But Sebastian was a party-pooper, in Evelyn's opinion, and spoke, "Her Ladyship enjoys fencing, it's a little hobby of hers."
The lady in question grinned, waving the sword around a few times to test it out, "I'm very good too, I can stick anyone." Ciel side-eyed her, "But I don't, obviously."
The smithy was still bewildered, though slightly more nervous now, "Yes, well, you enjoy your sabre, Mi'Lady…"
"Oh, I will!" Evelyn grinned at him, leading the trio out of the shop.
"Honestly, sister," Ciel began and Evelyn rolled her eyes, "you need to be more subtle about your love of fencing, and that's what it is, or people will begin to question."
Evelyn was still fiddling with her sabre, designed specifically to be disguised in her parasol, "I don't care, really, as if people aren't talking already."
"Evelyn." Ciel said, annoyed.
"Ciel," she said back, sticking her tongue out at him, "if someone, perchance, does question it negatively then I'll simply charm them back and pretend I'm a sweet little girl playing around."
Ciel rolled his eyes at her, grumbling, "You're six foot, not exactly 'little'."
Evelyn chuckled, "At least I'm taller than you~!" She sang teasingly.
"Shut up." Ciel deadpanned.
Ciel and Sebastian started conversing, about Ciel's new cane, but Evelyn wasn't paying attention again, instead she chose to read the newspaper she bought from the boy.
Of course, the Phantomhives were called to London not only to partake in the season's festivities but also under the request of the Queen to deal with the murders of the prostitutes. A strange and curious thing that Evelyn was uncertain to feel about.
Before she knew it, Evelyn and Ciel had once again entered the carriage and Sebastian had lead the horses to the Phantomhive Townhouse.
Though not nearly as grand as Phantomhive Manor, though very few things were grander, the townhouse was still a luxurious accommodation that boasted wealth and superiority with its long hallways and expensive décor.
"I hate this." Ciel grouched, "There are too many people in London." They walked up the stairs to the front door, allowing Sebastian to open the great doors for the noble siblings.
Sebastian smiled pleasantly, "There is no hoping it, My Lord," he shut the door, following the Phantomhives upstairs, "It is tradition for the nobility to migrate en masse to town form the country every season."
"The season, eh?" Ciel said bitterly, "A waste of time if you ask me."
Evelyn snorted back a laugh, "That's because you're an introverted child." She beamed a smile at Sebastian, "Don't you agree, Sebastian? The season is full of opportunities! One can accomplish many things if they set their mind to it."
Ciel grunted, "And who do you intend to manipulate this time?"
"I don't know what you mean." Evelyn said coyly, pulling at a loose thread on her sleeve. She frowned, Alice would have to fix that.
"Getting away from the manor could provide a nice change of pace," Sebastian said, "it's a break from those four at least. We can enjoy a little peace and quiet for a time."
Ciel nodded before looking at Evelyn, "And Miss Wendy? Are she and Alice already here?"
Evelyn grinned, "I think so, at least they should be, Wendy was visiting her family briefly and Alice has been preparing for our arrival."
The Lady Phantomhive employed two individual staff separately from the manor. The first was Miss Wendy Evercott, the daughter of Lord Evercott of Parliament, she was a young girl with large green eyes and straight dark blonde hair. Wendy had a mischievous trait to her and was seldom seen without Lady Phantomhive, employed to be the Lady's Companion.
The second staff Evelyn employed was Alice Monaghan. Alice was Evelyn's personal maid and would see to her and Wendy's needs. As the daughter of a lawyer, Alice was frequently subjected to her father's lectures of propriety and etiquette, especially when she first met Lady Phantomhive. Of course, Evelyn didn't care, so long as Alice laughed at her bad jokes and did her duties efficiently.
"Some peace and quiet does sound nice." Ciel commented quietly.
Sebastian smiled again and gently opened the door to the first floor's drawing room, expecting the peace and quiet they all craved and deserved.
But he didn't get peace and quiet.
Madam Red, Mr Lau, and Grell Sutcliff were rummaging around, mumbling about tea and complaining about its supposed whereabouts. Alice was attempting to calm the intruders while Wendy merely giggled in good humour.
"Where do they keep the tea in this house?!" Madam Red ground out.
Evelyn laughed, "Have you tried the kitchen yet?"
Ciel was not happy, "Madam Red!? Lau!? What are you doing here!?"
Madam Red smiled at him, "Ciel, Evelyn, you're early dears."
Lau, ever watchful, spoke up, "Your sudden appearance here in town must mean…"
"The Queen's Guard Dog has a new scent to follow." Madam Red finished.
Alice quickly strode up to Evelyn, her expression upset and her hands wringing themselves nervously.
"I'm sorry, Mi'Lady! I tried to stop them, to have them await your return but I couldn't!" She cried, her eyes downcast as she waited for a scolding.
Evelyn grinned, "I don't mind."
"Excellent!" Alice said brightly, "Then I shall prepare you and our guests some tea, Mi'Lady!"
"He struck again," Ciel took as sip from his tea, "another prostitute was seen gruesomely murdered in Whitechapel. This is far from normal; the level of violence seen is unprecedented."
Alice had successfully made a pot of tea, tea that could rival Sebastian's brew, and Evelyn had successfully calmed Ciel down so she and Wendy could 'entertain' their guests, as is the duty of the Lady of the house.
"The most recent victim was a woman named Mary-Ann Nichols. It appears a special type of blade was used on her; she was torn up beyond recognition." Sebastian reported, serving pear and blackberry cornmeal cake. Evelyn grimaced, she'd never been fond of the sweet cake.
Ciel spoke, "The murderers unique style of killing has earned him a distinct nickname from the press; Jack the Ripper."
Evelyn frowned, "I thought someone had posed as him and wrote a letter to the Scotland Yard? Isn't that where the name came from?"
The Earl glanced at his sister sharply, "When did you hear that?"
"So I'm right then?"
Ciel said nothing, opting to glare at his older sister instead.
"A frightening name," Lau chimed in.
"That's why I'm here earlier than expected; I hurried into town to look into the situation myself." Ciel said, sipping his tea again.
Lau smiled at him, "But are you sure you'll be brave enough to stomach the crime scene?"
Ciel glared at him cautiously, "What do you mean by that?"
"The sight of the dismembered body will certainly be horrific, and one can only imagine the stench," Lau teased.
Evelyn cracked a grin, "With all that opium clogging up your nose it's a wonder you can smell the stench."
Lau ignored her, "Blood and gore everywhere, surely it would be enough to drive someone mad; are you sure you're prepared to see such a thing?" He grasped Ciel's ear, resting his thumb on his cheek, "You're just a young boy after all."
Evelyn bristled, watching cautiously as her little brother tensed at Lau's words and his touch. Ciel did not like to be touched by anyone, even Evelyn was a mere exception at times.
"I am the Head of the Phantomhives in service to my Queen; don't ask foolish questions." Ciel ordered Lau with acid in his tone.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes slightly, watching Sebastian observe Ciel. There was always something off about their butler, something that Evelyn felt was never quite right about the man. The Lady had never questioned him, not even after she awoke in their rebuilt manor after what appeared to be weeks since Sebastian rescued them from the cult.
And why had he done that? Why was he there? And why had he risked his life to save that of two young orphans he didn't know? It wasn't clear at the time that they were Phantomhives either, just two children, one a young boy full of terror and vengeance, and the other a teenage girl covered in the blood of the cultists she'd massacred.
And that was what she had done. Evelyn had massacred everyone who had been a part of that cult, even the new initiates who had no full idea what was going on. But, most of all, how on Earth had she managed that?
Yes, Evelyn was tall and had training, but she was slim and had little muscles mass. She was also half-dead at the time and had killed those who could easily have overpowered her with a stolen dagger. Perhaps the dagger itself, currently tucked beneath the folds of her skirt against her thigh, had something to do with it.
And what of the demon the cultists were trying to summon?
"Evelyn?" Her Ladyship was pulled out of her reverie by the inquisitive, and impatient, voice of her brother.
She smiled, "Yes, darling?"
Ciel narrowed his eyes, "Change into something more…comfortable, we are heading to the crime scene in half an hour."
Evelyn grinned, standing from the sofa she shared with Lau, before bowing her head to the room's occupants.
"Please, excuse me." She said sweetly, gesturing for Alice to follow her.
Evelyn left the drawing room, Alice lingering behind her as she walked through the townhouse's corridors and finally reached her bedroom. Again, not nearly as grand as the one in the manor but it was suitable enough for a Lady of her standing.
Quickly, Evelyn strode over to her trunk, opening the latches and rummaging around for what she considered her 'comfortable' clothing.
Tight, black men's trousers, the kind that her Aunt Francis disapproved of, a dark blue silk blue blouse with complementary waistcoat, and, finally, a long black dress coat.
It was this outfit, completed by knee heeled boots, which Evelyn frequently wore when she helped Ciel on cases. A dress is just not practical enough for running away from criminal or across rooftop, a strange habit that she found herself repeating occasionally.
Alice helped her undress, the ties of her dress, corset and many undergarments, which she hated, falling to the floor. Carefully, Evelyn dressed in her other outfit and wrapped her belt around her trousers, holstering her new sabre in its scabbard to her hip.
There was a knock on the door, "My Lady?" Wendy inquired from the other side.
Evelyn grinned, "Yeah! I'm ready! One moment!" She called out and ushered Alice away to help clean up the dishes in the drawing room.
Finally alone in her room, Evelyn glanced around shiftily before dropping to her knees in front of her trunk.
With delicate, gloved hands she felt along the seam of the inside of the trunk, gently pressing around before she heard a click. Evelyn grinned in triumph and carefully pulled back the secret compartment, revealing the dagger she had taken from the cultists.
No one knew about it, not even Ciel.
Evelyn stood and slipped the dagger into her boots, successfully masking it from anyone who didn't know it was there.
She waltzed out of her room and down the staircase, greeting her brother at the bottom and ushering him out of the house and into the carriage.
The crime scene was pretty packed, nosy individual hovered nearby in hopes of catching a glimpse of the body or hearing more news of the victim or murderer.
They parted like the red sea for the six people striding confidently, led by the little lord.
"Sorry, my boy," said one of the inspectors, "I'm afraid a crime scene just like this is no place for a child." Evelyn scrunched her nose, 'So a different crime scene is alright?' she thought. "Now why don't you just run along home?"
Ciel was not disturbed, "I'm here to see the victim's body."
"The body!?" the Inspector shouted in shock, staring at Ciel with wide, horrified eyes. 'To be fair,' Evelyn thought, 'It's a bit weird a kid would want to see a dead body', "Surely you're kidding me!?" Of course, Ciel is boring and never jokes around, at least, in Evelyn's opinion.
"Abberline!" Sir Arthur called. Evelyn fought back a scowl, she had never really liked Sir Arthur, he seemed a bit pretentious to her.
"Well," Sir Arthur said, waltzing up to the trio, "if it isn't Lord Phantomhive, what are you doing here?"
Abberline looked surprised, "You know this kid, Sir?"
Ciel looked smug, "I'm here to help, Sir Arthur, it seems your investigation is dragging of late." The Young Lord held up a letter with a distinguished seal, "You know who sent me of course."
Sir Arthur looked furious, his brow was creased and his eyebrows drawn low with a pursed mouth. Of course, the Queen received what the Queen wanted, and Ciel plucked the case files out of Abberline's hands, inspecting them himself.
"It seems you haven't found any major clues yet." Ciel commented.
Sir Arthur snatched the documents back, "We at Scotland Yard are more than capable of handling this case; we assure you."
Evelyn snorted, 'If you were so capable then you'd have solved it by now,' she thought bitterly.
"There's no need for you to interfere." Sir Arthur said.
Ciel smirked smugly again, "Splendid," he flashed his eyes at Evelyn, "Sister, Sebastian, shall we go?"
Evelyn chuckled, "Sure, I have no qualms about it."
"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said, dutifully following the Phantomhive siblings, quickly followed by the other three of present company.
Madam Red spoke up, "Now what, dear?" she asked Ciel.
"Now we go see someone who may be of use to me." The little lord replied, taking the lead once more. Evelyn smirked in amusement, eyes downcast as she thought of the strange man they would be visiting.
"My Lord!" Lau exclaimed, "You mean…?"
"Yes, indeed." Ciel said.
The Undertaker's shop was as macabre and unsightly as one would expect, hidden in the backstreets of London and away from prying eyes of nosy shoppers. Evelyn was strangely fond of the place, even if the Undertaker himself was a little…odd to her.
"So," Lau said brightly, "where are we?"
"You don't know!? Then what was that all about!?" Madam Red cried in anger, glaring at Lau. Evelyn knew what Lau was doing, what he was always doing, to gain knowledge and insight. Pretending not to be aware of what was going on was one of her tricks too, something that worked time and time again to get others into a false sense of security.
"It is a Funeral Parlor run by an acquaintance of My Lord's." Sebastian explained.
Madam Red frowned, "The Undertaker?"
Sebastian opened the door to let the others inside, flanking his master and mistress who waltzed in casually.
Evelyn grinned, looking around the familiar place again, many times Ciel had sent her to gather information from the Undertaker and many times she'd stayed to have a cup of tea, out of measuring cup, with him. Evelyn always thought that the Undertaker seemed…lonely.
There was an indirect cackle, "Welcome," the voice said, "I thought I'd be seeing you before long." Evelyn grinned as she recognised the voice.
Lau, Madam Red, and Grell looked terrified but Evelyn and Ciel were undisturbed as the Undertaker moved a coffin lid and began to greet them.
"My Lord and Lady, how wonderful to see you again." He grinned manically, "Do I finally have the pleasure for fitting you for one of me coffins today?"
Ciel looked unimpressed, "No, that isn't why I'm here. I wanted-" he was cut off by the Undertaker.
"No need to say," he said, "I'm already aware, very well aware. One of my recent customers was a bit unusual shall we say. I helped though; I made her look beautiful again."
Ciel remained passive, "I would like the details please."
"I see now," Lau said, "so the funeral parlour is only your cover business. How much is it," the Undertaker perked up, his attention on Lau, "for information?"
Instantly, the Undertaker stepped up to Lau, looking him directly in the face, "I have no need for the Queen's coins, there's only one thing I want from you!" He turned his attention to Ciel, bounding over to him, "Please, My Lord! Give it to me and I'll tell you anything!"
The Undertaker was breathing heavily in excitement as he spoke to us all, "Give me the extraordinary gift of true laughter! Just one joke and all me information is yours!"
Evelyn grinned mischievously, "Oh my God! I know something that'll make you laugh!" She cried happily, "When Ciel was six-"
"No!" Her brother shouted, whacking Evelyn in the stomach, "Not that!"
Lady Phantomhive laughed, rubbing her stomach, "But it was hilarious! The funniest thing I've ever seen and I'm hilarious!" She nodded, grinning widely.
"Leave it to me, My Lord," Lau said, "Here is my joke, it's a classic; on which side does a tiger have the most stripes? On the outside!" HE declared.
Evelyn frowned, "That was dreadful, Lau, even by your standards."
"You wound my, My Lady." He replied, faking hurt.
The lady snorted, crossing her arms, "Then get better jokes."
No one laughed either, proving Evelyn's point further, as she sat on one of the coffins against the wall, a foot or so behind her brother. She could see everything from her seat.
"My turn!" Madam Red declared, "I live for gossip so this story will make you laugh so hard you'll simply curl up and die!"
Evelyn grinned again, attempting to fold her long legs beneath her, "Wait!" she said, "Is this the story about Alice? And the 'incident'?" she asked.
Madam Red grinned at her niece, "Of course you know it, Evelyn."
The woman in question merely grinned cheekily, shrugging her shoulders at her aunt, before looking at Sebastian, "You may want to cover Ciel's ears for this one, Seb, it's not suitable for a child."
Ciel scowled, "If it's inappropriate then why do you know about it?"
"Because I'm a grown woman." Evelyn retorted.
"You're nineteen!"
She stuck her tongue out, "Yeah, which is older than twelve!"
Madam Red had begun regaling the Undertaker with her tale, who didn't appear to be amused in the least from what Evelyn could tell. In fact, he was bearing a slight blush over his pale, grey skin and appeared to be slightly bashful. Not really that unusual, Evelyn thought, considering the nature of the gossip.
He quickly shut her up, "Now, My Lord, looks like you're the only one left. I gave you a special discount last time but I'm not gonna do it again."
Evelyn huffed, "Well, if Ciel would let me-"
"No!" He called to his sister again, "Stop talking, Evie!"
The older Phantomhive's eyebrows shot into her hairline with wide eyes, "'Evie?' Oh man, you're serious."
"Yes, now shut up." Ciel bit back.
Sebastian walked between the bickering siblings, "Well, it can't be helped," he said forlornly.
"Sebastian?" Ciel asked in surprise, glancing at his sister for clarification of what he'd just heard. Evelyn merely shrugged, looking back at the butler.
"Everyone," Sebastian said, "please wait outside." he turned to look at the others, a dirk aura or warning surrounding him, "Whatever happens do not attempt to listen to this." He narrowed his eyes at Evelyn, "Especially you, Mi'Lady, I know what you're like."
Evelyn scrunched her nose, "You couldn't possibly know if I intended to listen in."
Sebastian sighed, "Were you?"
"Yes, but that's beside the point." She grinned innocently at him.
"C'mon," Ciel said, grasping his sister's forearm and leading her out of the shop.
They waited outside for a time in complete silence, not even the bickering Phantomhive siblings were teasing or arguing with each other. Before long, a booming hysterical laugh burst out of the shop and Evelyn jumped in surprise, latching her hand onto Ciel's shoulder, who shrugged it off in annoyance.
The door opened and Sebastian greeted them with a pleasant smile, "Please do come back in now, I believe he'll tell us everything we want to know."
Evelyn grinned, entering the shop first and ignoring the Undertaker's mumbling. Soon enough, they were all seated and the Undertaker made some tea.
Evelyn inhaled the steam deeply, "Is this the rosemary and thyme one?" she asked the Undertaker.
He grinned at her, "Of course, My Lady, I keep it for your special visits." Ciel shot his sister a disapproving look but she ignored him.
The lady laughed, "Thank you! I do love it!" Evelyn cradled her beaker, for that was what her tea was served in, as she settled herself on the coffin again.
"An interesting pattern I'm seeing these days," the Undertaker began, "I often get customers who are incomplete."
"Incomplete?" Sebastian questioned.
The Undertaker was cradling a surgical doll, "Yes, the uterus is missing, which is quite odd…" he said.
Evelyn grimaced, "You don't say…" she murmured.
"The killer makes a big mess of the body," he continued, "but that particular part is always precisely excised."
"He did it on a road that was public though not high traffic," Sebastian input, "wouldn't an amateur have difficulty carrying out such a complicated procedure quickly enough."
The Undertaker grinned at him slyly, "You're a clever one, butler." He placed the surgical doll back on its feet before facing the others, "That is exactly what I was thinking."
He waltzed over to Ciel, wrapping an arm around the Earl's shoulders and bending to his level to speak in his ear, "You see, first he slits her throat with a sharp weapon," he acted out the motion on Ciel, "then he rips right in here," with his other hand he pretended to take out Ciel's 'uterus' and takes her precious womanly part."
He stood up, letting go of Ciel, "There will be more slain, I'm certain; sadistic killers like this don't stop 'til someone makes 'em."
Ciel eyed his sister, "Are you alright, Evelyn? You're looking a little pale."
Evelyn nodded grimly, "I'm just imagining someone taking out my 'precious womanly part' and it's not a good feeling."
Her brother frowned, "He won't come after you; you're not a prostitute."
"Oh really?" she said sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed…besides I can't help but empathise, my uterus is a bitch when she wants to be."
Ciel groaned, burying his red face in his hands, "That is not something I need to know, sister!" Evelyn joined in with Madam Red's laughter at her brother before she felt Sebastian's tight grip on her shoulder.
"My Lady," he ground out pleasantly, "are you in need of more etiquette lessons on appropriate conversations?"
Evelyn frowned at him, "Are you serious? We're talking about murdered prostitutes not flower arrangements."
The Undertaker eyed Ciel, "Can you stop him? Can you sniff him out like a good little guard dog?" he questioned the young earl.
"I am bound by the honour of my family, I'll eliminate any threat the Queen asks me to." Ciel said stoically, his blush having died down significantly, "By any means I find necessary."
The carriage ride back to the townhouse was filled with plans and discussion as Grell acted as the coachman.
"This information narrows down our suspects." Ciel pointed out, seated between Madam Red and Evelyn.
Sebastian looked thoughtful, "First of all, we look at those with the necessary skillset, crossing out anyone with an alibi on the nights which the murders occurred. Removal of the organs would suggest some kind of gruesome ritual, we should concentrate our investigation on those involved in secret societies."
Evelyn nodded, "Yeah, but only the uterus was removed, a bit of an unusual organ to use in a ritual. Perhaps the murderer is a misogynist?"
"Another valid point." Sebastian said.
Madam Red cut in, "As if that narrows the field! Why even I have the medical skills for this!"
"Well we could always arrest you if you wish." Evelyn offered with a cheeky smirk.
Madam Red shot a glare at her, "Anyway, the season is ending soon, any doctors that follow nobles to the city will be returning to the country and then-"
"So we will have to conclude the investigation quickly." Sebastian cut in with a fake smile.
"Impossible." Lau said.
Sebastian merely smiled at them, "I should be able to do this much at least, otherwise what kind of butler would I be?"
"A normal one?" Evelyn suggested.
Sebastian smiled at Evelyn, "Naturally," he looked at Ciel, "I'll write up a list of suspects and begin questioning them immediately, My Lord."
The weird butler then opened the carriage door dramatically, "Now if you'll excuse me," he said before jumping out of the open door.
Evelyn scoffed, "He's such a show off."
Madam Red and Lau peered out of the window in disbelief, "He knows that we're moving right?!" she said.
"Yeah," Lady Phantomhive said, "he just doesn't care. If only he was that nonchalant about my etiquette…" she grumbled, causing Ciel to nudge his sister with an elbow in the ribs. Though, in Evelyn's opinion her brother rarely needed an excuse to bother her.
"Sebastian will take care of it for now, we can head home and have a cup of tea while we wait." Ciel said, leaning on his elbow while staring out of the carriage window in boredom.
Back at the manor, they were greeted by Sebastian, who was bowing, much to the surprise of everyone bar the Phantomhive siblings.
"Welcome back everyone, I have awaited your return." The butler said, taking Ciel's hat and cane, "Your afternoon tea is waiting for you in the drawing room."
Evelyn grinned at Sebastian as she walked passed, handing him her coat and patting his head in greeting, falling into step with her brother.
"Ciel?" she said quietly, not wanting the others to overhear her.
He looked up at her curiously, "What is it?"
Evelyn quickly glanced back, content with their guests being distracted by Sebastian, "I have a theory, but you're not going to like it."
Ciel glared at her, "If this is another terrible idea of yours-"
"No, well, yes," she said, "but bear with me, alright? I've got stuff to back it up-"
Evelyn was interrupted by Madam Red wrapping an arm around her tall niece's shoulders, "My dears!" the older woman said happily, "I've got a brilliant idea!"
Ciel frowned, she sounded a lot like his sister when she said that. And that was not a good thing.
Evelyn really didn't like Vicount Druitt. At first she thought he was alright, but after spending a few agonising hours with him at a ball her parents had thrown her mind had quickly changed.
And Ciel was about to discover first hand why she didn't like him.
He was dressed in a pink dress, one of Wendy's actually, and Evelyn had bound her breasts and donned a suit of their father's, one that had yet to be removed from the townhouse, and together the Phantomhive siblings acted as the nephew and niece of Madam Red's from the countryside. Not too far from the truth but just enough that no one would suspect them.
Of course, they did have to be careful no one discovered their identities or the Phantomhive name would be ruined.
While Ciel was mortified to be dress as a woman, Evelyn didn't mind crossdressing. In fact, she frequently did so whenever she wanted to, undisturbed by society's disapproval, and occasionally was a trendsetter.
"Oh shit!" Evelyn whispered, she glanced at Ciel, "Lizzie is here!"
"What?!" Ciel said back, using Evelyn's tall body to mask himself as much as he could, "I don't see why you couldn't be the one to do this." Cie grumbled.
Evelyn scoffed, "Because last time I saw the Viscount I swore at him and threw a cello out of the window."
Ciel looked at her incredulously, "And he still invited you?!"
His sister shrugged, "I'm charming, beautiful, and powerful. I get invited everywhere."
"Sir! Mistress!" Sebastian said quietly, "Please calm down, let's move quickly!" just as the trio began shuffling ambiguously away from Elizabeth she spotted them.
"You in the pink! Your dress is just beautiful!" Elizabeth cried.
Evelyn shivered, "I love Lizzie but she has the worst timing!" she looked at her companions, "Right, I'll distract her, you two get out of here."
Ciel went to object, "She'll recognise you!" He said.
Sebastian looked down thoughtfully, "That might just work, Lady Elizabeth knows about Lady Evelyn's crossdressing habits…"
"Everyone knows about Evelyn's crossdressing habits." Ciel said sourly.
Evelyn scowled at him, "Are you just jealous because I'm handsomer than you?"
"Shut up." Ciel retorted.
"Please, Master, Mistress, we need to go." Sebastian separated the bickering siblings, ushering Evelyn to distract Elizabeth.
Evelyn rolled her eyes but did as requested, sashaying her way around the party and successfully garnering enough attention to distract Elizabeth, not an easy feat in Evelyn's opinion.
"You there!" Elizabeth pointed at Evelyn, her green eyes wide with excitement, "You were with the girl in the pink dress! Have you seen her?"
Evelyn crossed her arms and smiled down at Elizabeth cheekily, "Not even going to say hello to your favourite cousin, Lizzie?"
Elizabeth squealed, "Evie!" she shouted, wrapping her slim arms around Evelyn's waist, "What are you doing here?!"
Evelyn grinned, guiding Elizabeth to the refreshment table and picking up a glass of champagne for herself while Lizzie sipped her lemonade, "Ciel sent me," she said, "The Phantomhives must make a public appearance every now and then and I'm much more likable than my dearest baby brother."
Lizzie slapped Evelyn lightly on the arm, "Don't say such things! Ciel is a wonderful person!"
"He's also a very grumpy, unfriendly person." She teased.
Lizzie harrumphed at her elder cousin, nibbling on a mini quiche as Evelyn stuffed a full one in her mouth.
"Is Edward here?" Evelyn asked in reference to Lizzie's older brother.
Lizzie shook her head, "No, he's working right now."
Evelyn frowned, "And your parents?"
She shook her head again, "No, it's just me and Paula."
Lady Phantomhive observed her young cousin, noticing the worry lines that dotted her young face and the sadness that hid behind her large green eyes. Evelyn pitied Elizabeth. The young girl had always vied for Ciel's attention, always attempted to live up to her mother's expectations and had always fallen short of them. Evelyn suspected that her Aunt Francis held such a high hopes for everyone and everything that the pressure must crush Lizzie and Edward at times.
"I'm sure they'll come next time." Evelyn lied.
Lizzie nodded sadly, "I hope so."
"Look," Evelyn said, "if not then I'll accompany you, how does that sound?" she offered.
The effect was instantaneous as a large grin broke out of Lizzie's face, "That sounds wonderful! Thank you, Evie!" She hugged Evelyn again, and even attempted to pick her up and spin her around but Evelyn was far too tall and heavy for that.
"There!" Lizzie said suddenly and dashed off before Evelyn could react.
Lady Phantomhive mused that she should probably follow her cousin and attempt to continue distracting her but realistically she knew that Lizzie wouldn't care if Ciel was dressed as a girl, she'd even keep it a secret.
Why Ciel insists on being so uptight around Lizzie, Evelyn never knew. It seemed he really only let his guard down when he'd crawl into her bed during night-time storms.
And that was something no one could know. It would ruin the Phantomhive name if someone found out that the Earl spent some of his nights in his sister's bed, even innocently.
Shaking her head to get rid of thoughts she'd rather not think, Evelyn surveyed the room, her eyes briefly landing on Sebastian performing a magic trick with Lau, before settling on one person she'd rather not see.
Viscount Druitt was attempting to seduce her brother, who was turning a rather sickly green colour, and take him out of the room.
Evelyn worried a lot. Despite her casual, playful personality she was often worrying about Ciel, the only person in her life she'd honestly do anything for, and seeing him so vulnerable and with the Viscount was giving her goose bumps.
Placing her empty champagne glass down, Evelyn began tailing Ciel and the Viscount, slipping from the ballroom silently and following the two down a long, dark corridor.
Truly, Evelyn despised that man.
"My Lady?" Evelyn jumped at Sebastian's voice.
She was about to shout at him when the butler suddenly grasped her waist and clapped a gloved hand over her mouth, pushing her into a very small, very tight alcove with him.
He was so warm, Evelyn noticed, and he smelled divine.
After several moments, Sebastian removed his hand from her mouth but still clung to Evelyn, his chest meeting her own every time either took a breath.
"Sebastian," Evelyn chided coyly, looking the man in the eyes, "I haven't even batted my fan at you yet,"
The butler grinned at her slyly, "I doubt the etiquette of courting interests you, My Lady."
She grinned back playfully, "Quite right, and as lovely as out little conversation is, I think we should save my brother."
"Right." Sebastian said seriously, stepping out of the alcove and striding down the hall. Ciel had called him through their seal, but he didn't tell Evelyn that. She didn't need to know.
The room that the Viscount was auctioning people in was dark but Sebastian and Evelyn didn't need a lot of light to fight in.
They quickly dispatched the people in the room, knocking them out, and Evelyn strode over to Ciel, eyeing the Viscount before Sebastian forcefully put him to sleep.
"Really, Sir," Sebastian said, sighing, "are you good for nothing other than getting yourself captured?"
"As long as the contract remains in place you'll follow me everywhere, whether I ask you to or not." Ciel said coldly.
Evelyn frowned, attempting to wrench the bars of the cage open, "Honestly, Ciel, he's only human, you expect too much sometimes." She missed the look shared between master and butler.
Sebastian lingered behind Evelyn, handing her the key to the cage's door, and watching as she opened it to reach in and lift her brother from the ground. He loosened the ties binding Ciel.
"I suppose this solves the Jack The Ripper case." Ciel declared, staring down at the unconscious Viscount, "Well that was easier than I had expected."
Sebastian smiled, "I imagine Scotland Yard will be here before much longer, we should take our leave."
Evelyn nodded, "Agreed, I'll go and inform Madam Red and Lau." She placed Ciel back on his feet and walked out of the door, back towards the ballroom.
"My Lord," Ciel turned his attention to Sebastian, "this type of contract is sealed by a mark a demon places upon his prey, the more noticeably placed the mark the tighter the demon and prey our bound to one and other. The demon serves…"
Ciel removed his hand from his right eye, the mark shining brightly, "And in exchange the prey can never escape."
"Yes," Sebastian said, "I will be with you everywhere, until the end. I shall be at your side no matter what, even in this would should I perish; I'll be there in the very depths of hell, My Lord. This is how I differ from humans."
Ciel placed his eye patch on once more, gathering Evelyn's sword from the ground.
"I do not lie." Sebastian said.
"Good," Ciel said, "You will never lie to me, no matter what, understood?" He ordered sharply.
Sebastian bowed his head, "Yes, My young Lord."
The small boy wandered over to the large window, showcasing the view of London's night and the stars twinkling in the sky. The moon was high and cast an ethereal glow over the city.
"And my sister?" The Earl said.
Sebastian inclined his head, "What of her Ladyship, My Lord?"
"You are to follow her orders as you would mine, unless…" Ciel trailed off, watching from the window as Evelyn and Madam Red danced stupidly together by the carriage.
"Master?" Sebastian inquired.
Ciel's eyes narrowed, watching Evelyn rebuke a Lord attempting to scold her and his aunt, "Unless her life is at stake, only then are you to ignore orders."
Sebastian observed Ciel curiously. He himself had never felt event he ounce of love or affection that his Lord held for Lady Phantomhive, Sebastian doubted he could even fathom it. Ciel was willing to go to any lengths to protect and care for Evelyn, even in the event of his own death. It was a remarkable trait that only humans seemed to possess and even then it was an incredibly rare one.
"Yes, My Lord." Sebastian said.
But what Ciel didn't know was that Sebastian had his own reasons to protect Evelyn.
A/N: Oh man I'm so tired! I just want to go to bed! So I will, night guys
