I think the abundance of light was what startled me. I counted light by cost – oil for the lamps – and once night fell the darkness held sway in my world. This was not the case here. The manor was lit all the way along the green by rows upon rows of lights and more brilliance poured from the open doors onto the gravel. Lady Francis didn't look terribly impressed but Lady Elizabeth was about to tumble out the door as soon as the carriage stopped moving. A servant escorted us inside and I was hard-pressed to keep up with Lizzy as she darted through the door and slipped seamlessly into the crowd. I lost sight of Lady Francis almost immediately. There were so many people! It was a tumult of color and light and sound. Voices washed over me like fog and I was distracted by the sound of a small group of musicians in some remote corner. There were too many details to take in. I felt lost and adrift. I had trained myself to notice things that were out of place but in this setting, everything was unnatural. I had never seen so many finely dressed people in one place, so many servants, so much jewelry, and so many small details that could be important that I could no longer sift through them.

"M'lady," a cool voice murmured in my ear, "Would you care for a glass of wine?"

And the world stilled and calmed itself. My attention narrowed in to the intimate presence of one person who was even now putting a gloved hand to the small of my back. The touch was light – just brushing the cloth – and I felt like my skin was on fire. Then the world resumed spinning and I started breathing again. The ball continued to whirl around us but I was no longer lost in it.

"Yes," I said quietly to Sebastian, "If only to blend in."

He remained close, escorting me with his hand just at my back. It was a possessive gesture, quietly indicating to all the men nearby that I was owned. I noted that they didn't seem to care. Of course not. Even with all the work we had put in, I was no great beauty, and nothing worth contesting another man over. I did note that the women watched with narrow eyes. Did they wonder who I was to attract such a handsome fellow? I demurely accepted the glass of white wine Sebastian took from a servant for me and used the moment to run my gaze up and down the demon, taking in his appearance. He was dressed as one of the gentry in a finely tailored suit and jacket with a ruby pinned at his neck.

"I lost sight of Lady Elizabeth," I said.

"I see her. It's too early in the party, anyway. The guests haven't drunk enough wine to be careless. Might I steal you away for a moment? There should be a quiet room nearby."

"Pardon?"

Lady Francis had said to not let him get me alone.

"The mark," he whispered and he leaned in when he said it, one hand brushing the tips of my curls and falling to rest over my arm. I hissed at the flare of fire and he gave me that slight smile.

I let him lead me away. The sounds of the ball were muted in the tiny library he found and I stood in the middle of the room, watching him as he closed the doors behind us. Strange. The thought of him taking advantage of me hadn't really crossed my mind. Oh, there were darker thoughts lurking in my mind that I dared not address, but the fears and hopes of everyone I was around hadn't taken root. Marriage would never happen. I did not fear he would force himself on me. There was something too refined in his nature that made me believe brute force was not to his taste. Not at all.

But was he trying to seduce me instead?

Ridiculous. Yet – no. I dared not consider it. There were dark thoughts in that direction and I could not entertain them, not as a proper woman.

"Let me see your arm."

"It's a bit difficult," I muttered, tugging at the hem of my sleeve.

"Unlace the neckline a hair. Here."

He moved quickly, thin fingers quickly unbuttoning the back and pulling some slack into the ties. My cheeks felt flush and I stared resolutely at the wall, this time successfully tugging my sleeve down and baring my shoulder and upper arm. This was far more skin than was proper. I was already daring much by simply wearing this dress to begin with. But Sebastian was only showing interest in one thing and I watched him idly as he inspected the mark on my arm. It hadn't changed much, still vivid red and swollen hot.

"Clean it well tonight," he said, "Soap and water. When we have more time, I can see to it better. It'll scar if it takes too long to heal."

"And if it does?"

He just gave me a lazy smile and slid my sleeve back up and fastened the buttons to my dress.

"I'm surprised Ciel did not come," I commented.

"He dislikes parties." Sebastian took my arm as we returned to the party. He navigated us expertly through the crowd and I paused here and there to look about, pretending to sip at wine to hide where I was staring. "The last one he attended here in London he found... most unpleasant."

"Who hosted it?"

"The Viscount Druitt."

I coughed. Oh bloody hell. Was he at the doomed party too? I noted that Sebastian was giving me his curious look – the one where he slightly raised his eyebrows and the smallest of frowns tugged at the corner of his lips. He disliked having to be curious, I thought.

"The one that was raided, wasn't it?"

"Indeed."

"Our mark is targeting guests from that party."

And he responded by moving again and I had no choice but to follow. Was he straying towards the dance floor? God help me if he was. He did not look pleased. Was he unhappy that I had figured this out before him? I shook myself. I was here for a job, not to gawk at Sebastian and wonder about his motives. One could not reason out the motives of a devil.

He was terribly distracting, however.

"Corey Lueder, correct?" he said, stopping just short of the handful of dancing couples. I swallowed hard. He did seem intent on the dancing.

"Yes. You know him?"

"Of course. There, on the other side of the hall, standing alone. Here. Just follow me."

And he put one hand upon my waist and took the other hand in his. I drew in a startled breath and then he stepped into the dance and eased me along with him. His grip was nothing like before. Sebastian was careful about touch – polite and discreet – but now he held my waist firm, fingers digging into the skin and I shied away from it. And apparently it herded me exactly where I was supposed to step next in the dance. The pressure relented. A pull on my raised hand and he twisted so that my wrist turned and I moved to follow the motion, stepping beside Sebastian and then before him. Both his hands were at my waist.

"Cover mine with yours," he whispered. I did so, my fingers over his own, the fabric of my gloves catching on his. "Step right."

He tapped my ankle with his toe and I obediently stepped in the direction indicated. He grabbed my hand and raised my hand above my head, twining the fingers so that the body naturally followed the turn of the arm and my skirts flared out as I spun once – twice – and then Sebastian was back in front of me, catching my waist and pulling me along. I noted dizzily that we were crossing the dance floor quite quickly and would be quite close to Corey in a moment.

"Act winded," he said, "And bow out."

The gentle guides were gone. I misstepped with no lead to go by and stumbled. Sebastian's arm caught me about the waist and I fell into him, shocked by the sudden closeness and the heat that seemed to originate from the devil's mark I bore. I stepped back and away, laughing to cover my unease.

"Sorry," I said airily, "Give me a moment."

Sebastian bowed and walked away. I laughed again, shaking my head in dismay I only had to half-feign. Had I really managed that? My heart was fluttering and my hands were shaking slightly. I noted that Corey was looking at me in mild interest.

"Not one for dancing?" he asked wryly.

"No, I am not," I replied, trying to bludgeon my speech into some manner of refinement. Avoid shortening words. That seemed to help. "I'm from the countryside, so I don't go to many parties."

"You're not missing much. If you've been to one, you've been to them all. If not for my friend – Druitt – I'd not be here at all. He insisted."

Corey frowned dourly. I tried to think of some way to draw him out more but the silence stretched on between us. My thoughts kept drifting away and resting on Sebastian, which was maddening, and I tried to suppress them. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Forgive me, I've forgotten my manners," Corey said abruptly, turning and giving me a modest bow, "I am Corey Lueder. You are?"

"Bridget Therris. I am pleased to meet you."

His gaze was distracted. I followed where he was looking and saw that he was watching Sebastian, of all things. My thoughts fell into turmoil.

"That man you were dancing with," Corey murmured, "Who is he?"

"I-I'm not quite sure," I managed to reply, "He didn't introduce himself properly before whisking me off. He's rather – forward."

That was certainly true. For a butler he took a lot of liberties, but then again, the butler was only a role he assumed.

"Seems familiar."

I felt light-headed, an euphoric sort of feeling as all the connections started to fall into place. It was like watching the first bit of ice fall slide down a roof under the sun, the last seconds where it glittered in the light before crashing to the cobblestones below and shattering to shards. When I spoke, I barely felt like it was my voice, that I was just watching remotely and pulling the strings to make my body do what I wished.

"He did mention," I said, "That the last party he was at was hosted by Druitt. That it hadn't ended well – the Yard had raided it."

Corey's face grew focused and hungry.

"Excuse me."

He took off across the floor, heading towards where Sebastian had last been in sight. I let out a small breath and leaned against the wall. That was it then. I'd solved the case. Now it was just a matter of finding enough evidence to convince the authorities. Of course, if Corey harassed Sebastian a bit too much, it'd be solved that way, but I preferred to let justice be done. The memory of how Sebastian handled things was a bit too difficult to bear.

I let myself wear a triumphant smile. Regardless of how things fell out from here, I'd figured it out. Corey was indeed a copycat and was finishing up Druitt's last fateful party. He'd been making people disappear from his balls one at a time and when the Yard shut that down, Corey was picking up the pieces. Who's to say why? I had never quite grasped what made criminals do what they did and I often wondered if there was something different in the nature of their souls, some little piece of hell lodged in there that corrupted the moral code. Regardless of motives, Corey was hunting down all the people that had been on that guest list. Lady Elizabeth. Sebastian (although his name hadn't been formally listed). And Ciel?

Curious. Why hadn't Ciel been a target then?

"I worked so hard to put you two together," Sebastian said as he approached from behind me. I turned. "And you go and chase him off."

"I've solved the case."

He looked surprised – but only for a moment. Then he smiled and his red eyes seemed brighter somehow. I dismissed it as the candlelight.

"Do tell me then."

"Corey is hunting down everyone that was on the guest list for the party of Druitt's that was raided. That includes Lady Elizabeth. And you said Ciel was there – how come he hasn't been targeted yet? Are you protecting him?"

Sebastian chuckled softly. "My master was in disguise. I'll say no more."

Then he turned, like a dog sniffing the wind, his eyes darting back and forth. I tried to catch what he saw but I only saw the whirl of skirts and the abundance of light. Everything glittered.

"Elizabeth. That door, there. Go."

He pointed and I was off like a shot. I hurried as fast as propriety allowed, one hand gathering up my skirts and lifting them up to my ankle. The door was slightly ajar and I darted in, shutting it behind me and holding still while I listened. There was a man's footsteps dwindling in the distance but nothing more. Damnit all, how had we been so careless? She'd been left unattended while Sebastian harassed me and I was drunk in my own cleverness in figuring it all out. I pulled the skirt up to my knee and slipped my gun out of the holster. Then I trotted down the corridor, cursing my shoes that wouldn't let me move quietly. Where was Sebastian? Heading Corey off, I hoped.

The hall took a couple twists and turns and each time I was barely able to keep up by the echo of receding footsteps. Whoever I was chasing was encumbered. That frightened me and the fear made my hands shake. I finally reached a servant's exit and burst out into the yard, pistol at ready. There was a carriage already gaining speed as it headed towards the London street beyond. Where was Sebastian!

My mark flared blindingly hot. I stifled a gasp and then there was someone grabbing me from behind, spinning me and slamming me against the wall. The gun fell from fingers rendered senseless by the impact.

"Hello little robin," Corey sneered, slapping his hands over my wrists and pinning them to the brick, "I've got it all figured out now. Two guests unaccounted for all this time... and now I've got it figured out. It's you. You're the little robin that slipped away. But now I've caught you... and I can finish what my dear friend started. All these preparations... everything is ready for you... now come!" He yanked hard, staggering me forwards towards the carriage. It had slowed and stopped and was waiting for us, just at the gate. "We've got a party of our own to attend, just the two of us."

Author's Note: I love dancing. When I first learned how I found that having a good partner can guide you through the steps even if you're not sure of what you're doing. Now that I've been doing it for a while now I'm the partner that gets the guys that don't know how to dance yet. They're sweet, even when I have to grab their hand and pretty much drag them up the hall. When I get to dance with someone else that knows the steps... that's the best.