note: I used Victorian slang throughout the story, I will post a glossary before each chapter so you can scroll back and say, "what the heck does THAT mean?"

Here it is:

'something short'-shot of liquor 'forever gentleman'-a man in whom good breeding is ingrained 'rotgut'-swankey, small beer 'crank'-gin and water 'bit o' stuff'-lovely woman 'mot' - whore 'sling a slobber' -To kiss, or rather sling a kiss 'gal-sneaker'-man devoted to seduction 'ogles'-the eyes 'half hour gentleman'-a man who's good breeding is superficial 'kick up a breeze'-exciting a disturbance

"Can I interest ya in something short?" She asked. The pretty blonde barmaid smiled at William. He could see that her smile was ingenuine-she was hiding surprise at seeing him here. She knew him, and he knew her, but she couldn't acknowledge it.

As for William, he expected to find her here but not behind the bar serving drinks! He couldn't help but stare, astonished to see her like this. She was wearing a blouse that exposed more of her skin and a burgundy choker around her neck. Her hair was up as usual, but some curls were dangling loose lending an extra softness to her face. And there was a bit of rouge on her cheeks and faded colour on her lips! She gave him a knowing glare and tilted her head to her right to try to show him that the other barmaid might be tipped off to their acquaintance, and he should at least answer her question.

"Uh, yes, whisky, please," he stammered.

"So polite," says Maude, the other barmaid who stood next to Eliza, cleaning a glass. "We may have a forever gentleman here, Liza." Eliza gave William a deep stare. What was he doing here? she thought.

William paid for his drink and downed it. Eliza lifted an eyebrow.

"Another?"

"Oh yes," he replied, his face showing a storm of warring emotions as he continued to stare at her.

Eliza obliged and snuck a look over at the entrance of the saloon where Moses was acting as the doorman, taking admissions and keeping the riff-raff out. She glared at him when she caught his eye and he just shrugged his shoulders lightly. Why didn't he stop him from entering and finding us here?

The place was called the Royal Oak and was packed with people. The band played various polkas, waltzes and jigs and well-dressed men and women crowded the dance floor. Waitresses served beverages to couples and groups seated at tables, booths, and sofas surrounding the dance floor. While it seemed to be a tasteful establishment, William knew that certain things could go on in alleys or behind closed doors in these places. He needed to find a way to speak with Eliza away from the crowd. Or better yet, drag her out of here.

She placed the whisky in front of William and gave him a huge smile. He put his hand on the glass and leaned in. He was about to say something but Eliza, through clenched teeth, quietly said, "Not now." William tried to scold her with his eyes.

Then she said so that Maude could hear her, "Are you here for the dancing, guv?"

William briefly exhibited another stunned look at hearing her speak, then decided to play along. "I'm not sure yet. It would depend on who my partner is." He paused for a moment then asked, "Are you up for a dance?" He asked, perhaps this could pull her away long enough to speak with her. He put on a dazzling smile.

Now it was Eliza's turn to convert a shocked face into something benign. What a flirt, she thought, I was right about his reputation.

"Oh I'm not available for dancing," she said coyly. William again gave her a look of mild annoyance. He was trying to pull her aside long enough to talk to her, didn't she realize that? So he decided to push back.

"What about your friend?" William nodded toward Maude.

Maude was a bit younger than Eliza, but taller, with pure, pale skin and beautiful black hair pulled back into long flowing ringlets. Her dress was a deep green, and her chest was only slightly more exposed than Eliza's, and her bosom was fuller. Eliza gave a pointed look at William being careful that Maude did not see her face. William smiled through his whisky glass at her dismay. Two can play this game, he thought.

Maude smiled and spoke up, "Us barmaids have our hands' full pouring rotgut and crank to have no time to be dancin'," and she proved her point by loading a tray of drinks for a waitress and then pulling a pint for another man at the bar.

"That's a shame," William said, upping his game with a smoking stare at Eliza as he took a swig of whisky.

Eliza stared back at him. She was smiling but shooting daggers at him as much as was possible without revealing herself. He's done this before, she thought. How can I get rid of him? They continued to stare at each other, trying to see who would back down first.

Suddenly a man's voice came from behind Maude. "If the gentleman wants a dance, Liz, we could spare ya a moment".

It was Charlie Green, the owner of this saloon. He had been standing by his office door which was to the right of the bar, watching the women work, and he noticed the exchange between William and Eliza. He was not a tall man, a bit thin and even though he wore a suit, he still didn't appear gentlemanly. No matter how well dressed he was, Eliza felt he could never look dressed-up. When Eliza had met him two days ago to obtain a job here at his saloon, he explained to her that his employees performed their duties to the expectation of the customers. Which sometimes meant other duties could be asked of them. Maude had told her that while Charlie tried hard to make the saloon appear respectable, most of the ladies on the floor were prostitutes. And he hired barmaids instead of men because they worked for less and could flirt with the customers. It increased liquor sales. "We pump up the tires, Luv, let some other lady ride the bicycle home," she'd told Eliza. But now Charlie was offering up Eliza as one of the dancing doxies. Eliza just wanted William gone so she could work the case she was hired for.

"Maudie has the experience to tend the bar by herself a bit if the gentleman has set his sights on ya."

She was about to object when William spoke up:

"Well, boss, I had somethin' else in mind," his brogue thickened. Charlie stepped around the bar and leaned into William who whispered into his ear. Charlie smiled broadly.

Eliza didn't hide her shocked face. She turned to Maude. She too was rendered mute by the exchange. This was a bit irregular.

"She is a bit o' stuff, ain't she?" Charlie said. " But she's not a mot. For half that amount, I'll let ya sling a slobber for five minutes. Then I need her back at the bar."

Eliza was horrified. William just negotiated a liaison with her for a PRICE!

"But...," Eliza started.

"Now, Liz, in my place, when a client sees somethin' he likes, I negotiates. .And I could tell from back there that he was a gal-sneaker and his ogles were upon ya." Then he turned to William and said, "You can use my office right there," and he pointed to the door that Charlie had come from.

William downed the rest of his whisky then held out his hand to Eliza to indicate he would escort her to the room. She stared at him and then his hand. He stared back, warning her not to deny him. He needed to speak with her now. Charlie scowled at her when she didn't immediately move. She had to 'keep the customers happy' or lose her job. She and Moses were undercover for a reason, and now, here with William, she had to oblige or blow the reconnaissance they'd managed for the past two nights. She reluctantly placed her hand in William's and he led her to the door.

Eliza entered first and William followed. As soon as the door shut behind them, they faced each other and started talking all at once in hushed whispers:

"For God's sake, Eliza.."

"Why did you come here…"

"Serving drinks like a working woman…"

"My God, you flirt like a sailor…"

The words all blended and they both suddenly stopped at the same time, faces flushed, hearts pounding, tempers rising.

It was very warm in this small office.

"What on EARTH are you doing here? And how did you find me?" Eliza hissed before William started again.

"You can thank PC Honeychurch for that," he said. "He came to me just before I left and asked me why you'd come to see Inspector Davies today. I told him you'd been to see me yesterday, but had not shown your face today. He set me straight and told me that you'd waltzed into Scotland Yard this morning and asked to speak to Inspector Davies. When I asked Davies what you wanted, he said you were asking about the next morality raid and if it would be occurring here at The Royal Oak. When he told you that it wasn't here, you handed him a basket of Ivy's scones. I deduced that you planned to be here tonight and wanted to avoid a raid again. So-WHAT, aside from serving drinks, are you doing here?" his brogue was thick with irritation.

"Well, I've been hired to 'sling a slobber'," she said sarcastically and crossed her arms.

William glared at her and his face turned a bit red, partly because he was angry and also because he didn't want her to think he would enjoy spending 5 minutes kissing her. "Sorry about that, but I took the opportunity to speak to you privately. Which, by the way, I could arrest him for soliciting your services on the spot."

"DON'T you dare, " she started loudly then dropped her voice back down. "It took plenty of convincing to attain this job."

"Yes, how did you manage that? But more importantly, what are you up to? And what does Moses have to do with it?" William was in full Scottish anger mode and his whispering was harsh.

"That's too many questions and we only have a few minutes," Eliza quipped back.

"Tell me or I will go out there and arrest the entire saloon!" William threatened.

Eliza huffed. "FINE. I've been hired by a high court magistrate who received blackmail requests from someone in this bar. He's been threatened with photos of him consorting with… prostitutes. He claims they are false, even though it looks like him in the photos he's received. He claims he doesn't engage in such activities. This magistrate asked me to investigate because he doesn't want the police involved. He must pay 100 pounds by Saturday or they will publish the photos in the Illustrated Police news. It could ruin him."

"Which judge?"

"I'm not obliged to reveal my clients to you. He came to me for discretion," Eliza said, lifting her chin in defiance. William scowled at her.

"What conclusion brought you to this place?"

"The photos sent were in envelopes that had a small insignia on one corner, a small acorn with a crown. That's this saloon's official mark."

"That doesn't seem very smart," William mused.

"No, well, no one here seems that clever, and I have no other leads."

"Inspector Davies organizes the morality raids. You wanted to make sure he wasn't coming here tonight?"

"And the past two nights. I told him I'd bring him scones if he could keep away from here for a few more days."

"You've been working here for the past three days?" William asked incredulously.

Eliza nodded. "This is my third night."

William looked surprised. It means that for the past two days, she had dropped in to see him, and nattered about whatever cases she may have been working on. He had not paid her much attention. Now it seems she was visiting him as a ruse so she could slip in and talk to Davies, except today. She skipped visiting him altogether. And then she was playing barmaid in a saloon where men could…well, might want to take liberties with her like he was supposedly doing now.

"I'm not sure how I feel about an officer of the Yard being so easily bribed, and with baking no less. But I do know how I feel about you being here working in this…this….place. " William stepped toward her and reached out his hand to place it on her elbow.

"I asked the manager at the Hotel Cavendish to have his barmaids show me the ropes on Sunday. He owed me a favour." She had previously discovered this manager was having an affair with a staff member. A barmaid at the hotel had shown her how to pull a pint properly and serve drinks.

"And Moses?"

"He's the one that recognized the acorn insignia. He talked Charlie into hiring him to keep out the riff-raff," she gave him a pointed look, "and I hired him to watch for clues and to also keep the 'half-hour gentlemen' from becoming untoward. Charlie doesn't know we are acquainted."

William opened his mouth to speak but found he was dumbstruck. Eliza had had a partly proper upbringing, and her father taught her how to be a detective. But her proper use of slang was impressive. He did not use it much anymore since he'd become Inspector Detective, as he felt it made one sound less intelligent.

He was struggling to keep his eyes on her face, as the dim lighting of the office made her quite fetching. He blinked a few times and tried to keep his mind in police mode: "Do you have any suspects?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, but I am focused on Charlie. He's not smart, but he has the morals for such a plan. He obviously has access to the saloon's stationery, but I have no idea if he has a camera or a notion on how to operate one."

They both stopped talking and stood looking at each other. The silence was awkward and yet comfortable when suddenly a banging on the door startled them both. "One-minute warning," Charlie shouted.

William spoke quietly, "You may want to rough up your hair a bit, muss up your blouse, give the illusion that we, uh…."

Eliza gave him a sardonic glare. She began to run her fingers through the sides of her hair and rumple her blouse. "How much did you pay for me, anyway?" she asked.

William sniffed and then looked behind him toward the office desk. "Charlie said this is his office?"

"You're changing the subject," she said, annoyed.

"Yes. Have you searched in here yet?" William asked, looking around. It was a small room with a desk, shelves lining the wall behind it. There was also a locked cabinet to the right of the door.

"Not thoroughly, Charlie is in here most of the time, counting money."

"This cabinet has a key. Could he have a safe?"

"Possibly. The photographs could be in there."

"It's where I would hide them," William said.

Eliza was about to say something when another knock came at the door. "Time's up!"

"No time to look now," he said. He stepped back to look at her. "You appear as if to have kicked up a breeze," William smiled, approving of her dishevelled nature. She just glared at him. William loosened his cravat so he also looked like they'd been kissing vigorously for 5 minutes. Eliza took a deep breath, placed her hand on the doorknob and opened it.

The office was a bit darker, so stepping out into the brightly lit hall caused Eliza to squint a bit. William followed, adjusting his tie to give the illusion of a sordid dalliance. He looked across to the bar and noticed Charlie watching them closely. He looked a bit confused. William realized that Eliza may not appear rumpled enough. In a flash, he reached out for her left arm and firmly pulled her. She gasped as he turned her around and she fell into him. Her right hand came out to stop her momentum and landed on his chest. She looked up at him and her eyes widened as he leaned his face toward her right ear. "Trust me," he whispered, his beard gently grazing her right cheek. Then he pulled back and planted a firm, possessive kiss on her lips.