"So your butler is mysteriously in the news these days," a woman sitting to the right, Baroness Francis Bass, said as she scooped part of her goose into her fork. "That must be as shame. He is rather handsome."

"I am not sure what his appearances have to do with him being in the paper for being accused of a murder he didn't commit," Earl Phantomhive said. "He is somewhere recovering from the ordeal."

"I thought he still was on the run," Lau said. He brushed his bread into the sauce and fed it to the young woman beside him. "He was always so quiet and secretive. I'm not surprised he is not here."

"Sebastian is making sure every piece of evidence the police have is accurate. They are simply accusing the wrong man."

Mey-Rin walked around, picking up dinner plates and smiling as they gave her the curtious 'thank you' and 'that was wonderful' as if she had anything to do with the meal. She placed the plates again on the cart and wheeled it to the landing. Sebastian was standing like a guard and smiled, pushing the cart with desserts at her, as he had done with the previous courses.

"Anything useful, Ms. McCaw?"

"Just that the latest theory is you have run away to avoid being detected and have gone on a murdering spree in Jamaica."

"Pretty island," he mused. "But now, I am not."

"I can attest to the location, not the spree."

They shared a moment of looking at each other and Sebastian moved the cart of empty dishes back toward the dumb waiter. "Next course is the last one."

She nodded and walked back, pushing the new cart into the dining room.

"…So they found the bodies?"

Mey-Rin groaned; had she missed the best parts to figuring out what was going on with Sebastian?

"They found a trail to the bodies," Charles Grey said. He held his fork in his hand and eyed the cart as it passed. "But the bodies were not there. No body, no murder."

"Missing people are so tiresome," Lau said, sighing.

"They are not missing," Earl Phantomhive said. "And we know where they are." He gazed at each of the people around the table. "You know where I stand with society. And with each of you. Trust me when I say this: My butler is being accused of a crime that any of you could be easily accused of - and perhaps even have dabbled in executing at one time. He may be a bit odd, but Sebastian is loyal and would not tip the underbelly into the polite societies lap as he is accused of doing."

Mey-Rin stood by the cart again, watching each of them once more look at one another and the Earl. She was sure of one thing: after this, she had to get a hold of all the information the police had on this case, and speak to both the Earl and his butler.

The party members walked out of the dining room and soon cleared out of the home. Mey-Rin was washing dishes. And didn't mind. She shuttered at how domesticated she had become in less than eight hours.

Sebastian came out of the shadows once more, making her start and splash water all over the floor as she yelped.

"Jesus, have a bell on! You move so quiet like a cat," she said, backing into the steel table.

"Thank you, I take that as a compliment. I like cats," Sebastian said, stepping closer to her again. "I sense you have many questions still."

"Yes, I do."

"What do you wish to know first?"

"Did you hurt the men you told me about earlier? The ones you said you knew where they are…"

He nodded. "I can show you where they are."

"And you will not do that, Sebastian," the Earl said. "I'm sorry Ms. McCaw, but we still have some business to take care of."

"Oh?"

"As a private detective, you still have resources in the police force, yes?"

"Of course. Not everyone hates me."

He smiled and came over to stand beside his butler. He was shorter than Sebastian and had delicate features compared to Sebastian's very angular and strong ones. She looked at them both for a moment longer. "I don't have a contract for you to sign," she finally said.

The two glanced at each other. The Earl finally sighed and stood in front of her.

"Mey-Rin McCaw, I must press upon you a burden that we have been carrying. Sebastian is a loyal Phantomhive servant, and tonight you have demonstrated that you are very discreet and loyal as well, despite not knowing either one of us. I called you because my trusted contacts in the police said you could be trusted with the, let us say, unusual cases and those that have delicate natures to them. I have been verbally attacked, brought to court, questioned, examined, and had vicious things done to me, all because of my associates and those who I employ. I have found many of the reasons they do these things to my family, and my family name is because they think they understand who I am. What I really do." He sighed and looked at her for a moment. "Surely you have heard the rumors, of an evil Nobleman, one who patrols the underworld and cleans out the thieves, child traffickers, and keeps the balance?"

"Yes, the Robin Hood of our time," she said, trying not to roll her eyes because she had a sinking feeling. She had a feeling that the rumors were not only true, but…

"I am the Queen's Watchdog."

The memory of the letter he had handed her earlier made her reach into her apron and pull out the envelope. She turned it over and looked at the seal. It looked real. It felt real. "You? You are the Queen's Watchdog?"

The Earl nodded solemnly. "I am."

"Oh, okay," she ventured and looked back at the two men. "So if you are the evil Nobleman, that would make you," she pointed to Sebastian, "his butler? Evil Butler?"

"I can be."

Mey-Rin suddenly regretted running to answer the phone that afternoon, as his eyes seemed to be suddenly ice cold on her own.

"Sebastian is trustworthy, and above all else, he is loyal to me. I need someone of your skills to help Sebastian and myself finish what has ben started. Someone has attacked me, and I will repay in kind," the Earl said, his eyes dark and hard. "Can I be your employer for the duration of the investigation? You may have to do some questionable things, along with clear my man's name."

A light shiver traveled the length of her body. She would have a steady pay check, or at least good food. She would have something to do, even so the description of what it was, was particularly vague at best. She would be working with two very, very good looking men, which could get her into real trouble.

"I thought I was coming here to get a client, not be hired to be an employee," she said at last. "But if you are willing to throw in some really good meals and enough to cover the rent on my flat, I would be willing to switch roles."

The Earl smiled suddenly and looked like a young boy in an instant. "My name is Ciel. Please, call me by my first name."

She took his hand and smiled. "Mey-Rin."

"Welcome to the Phantomhive staff, Mey-Rin."