I am so sorry for the huge wait between this chapter and the last. I had so much stuff going on in real life, mainly involving work and studies getting in the way. We're so short staffed where I work so I've been having to cover so many different shifts while completing even more training and exams at the same time. Then I went and got sick with that so called 'super cold' that's been going around. Ugh. It's been a nightmare. But thank you so much for your patience and for all of your awesome comments! Your support means the world to me!
6: More Than Meets The Eye
"Enter," the earl's voice called from the other side.
At the familiar coldness of his tone, Flora could feel herself instinctively shrinking back, however, Sebastian's hand tightening around her own reminded her that it was no use running. Her heart lurched upward, lodging itself into her throat as Sebastian opened the doors to the study, pulling Flora with him. She tried not to look at the earl as they entered, feeling very out of place and out of her depth in such surroundings. Shuffling behind Sebastian as best as she could, realising that despite how crazy the butler seemed to be, he was probably her only defence against this powerful lord. Better the devil you know, as they say.
Icy blue eyes remained downcast as they flickered across the intricate pattern of the wooden floor. The study was just as fancy as the bedroom she had been placed in. Everything was so clean and rich looking. Even the servants had appeared pristine. Flora scratched at her skin, hyper-aware now of just how dirty she was. She was so sure that washing was bad for you, but as she thought about it, the nobles always did seem to look much cleaner. It made the young blonde feel even more unworthy of standing in the very spot that she was now. Why did they have to bring her here? Why couldn't they have just left her alone?
"Miss Byrne," Ciel began, "I've brought you here because you are a suspect in our investigation."
Flora swallowed, her mouth suddenly becoming dry.
"In the past forty-eight hours, a precious item in her majesty's collection was stolen from the Tower of London, and one man suspected to be involved has turned up dead on the banks of the River Thames, a place in which you were sighted shortly before the discovery of the cadaver," the earl explained. "It turns out you are also familiar with one of our other primary suspects. They seemed to have believed that you were in possession of something. Do you care to tell us what that something is?"
The familiar lump began to form in Flora's throat. She still refused to look at the earl as she frowned down at the patterned wood. The steel shutters had come down again, and no matter how much Flora tried to force herself to say something – anything – that might get her out of this situation, nothing could get past that unbreakable barrier.
Ciel sighed in frustration. "Miss Byrne, I am sure you are aware that in refusing to co-operate, you are hindering a royal investigation?"
Flora cringed back. Yes, she was well aware. But what could she do? Her silence was always getting her into trouble with people, and now it looked like she was going to be getting into the most serious trouble of all. She knew that she would never survive in prison. The conditions in there were even more horrible than the slums. She would be stared and jeered at by visitors. The mere thought caused her to shudder, and her breathing hitched as Sebastian wrapped an arm around her waist to bring her further forward. She hadn't noticed just how much she had shuffled behind the butler, using him as a shield between her and the earl.
The young blonde bit her lip and continued looking down, her whole form beginning to tremble.
"Enough, Miss Byrne!" Ciel yelled abruptly as he stood and slammed his hands down on his desk. "I know you struggle to speak but your silence is only incriminating you further! I know that you know something! In failing to disclose this, you disrespect the earl of Phantomhive and you disrespect your queen!"
Flora's back slammed against the butler's chest as she almost fell backwards in fright. Sebastian let go of her hand only to wrap his arms around her waist as if forming a protective cage around her. His chest rumbled ever so slightly that Flora wasn't even sure if she heard correctly, or if it was just her starving stomach trying to embarrass her. All of her limbs locked in place and she was frozen with fear. Even the strange sense of comfort the butler sometimes gave her was failing to work. Her blue eyes drifted towards the window, wondering if she would be strong enough to smash through the glass. But would she survive the fall? That's if she even managed to escape Sebastian's arms in the first place...
"Master..." the butler warned from behind her.
The girl finally looked up to look the earl in the eye, and he stared back at her with destain, as if he believed her to be the foulest creature in the world. Lower than even a cockroach. Any moment, it felt like he would step on her and crush her beneath his polished shoes. It didn't matter that he was smaller and younger than her. In that moment, Ciel felt like a giant compared to her; both him and his butler. Flora was nothing but a little mouse that they could pick up, drop, and toy with as much as they wanted.
Disgust remained swirling in the earl's one eye, however, his body visibly calmed slightly as he mumbled something under his breath. He then cleared his throat to speak up. "The only reason you're not locked away is because my butler has taking such a... liking towards you."
Sebastian's arms tightened around her. Flora tried to glance up at him questioningly, only to have her chin gripped into place by one of his hands that had moved up to her face. Trapped in his grasp, Flora felt like a puppet, completely and utterly under his control. That feeling of possible safety with the butler disappeared as quickly as it came. She didn't like the way the earl had said the word 'liking'. It held so many implications that made her feel sick to her stomach. Was she to be his whore until he got bored of her? A little bit of bile made its way up her throat and she began to choke. Choking soon turned into a nasty dry cough, startling everyone in the room.
Oh no. Not again. Not now!
Her knees collapsed under her own weight and she would have fallen to the floor had the butler not been holding her so tightly. Who was shaking? Was it her or Sebastian? Either way, the soothing circles he rubbed onto her back helped slightly, and her coughing fit soon began to subside. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but she swallowed it down with a grimace. She gasped and heaved, praying for it all to be over.
"Sssh, it's okay, I'm here," she was vaguely aware of the butler whispering in her ear as he pressed his cheek against her own. The contact sent tingles throughout her body. Startled, Flora began thrashing, trying to push him away. The butler sighed and relented slightly, pulling back to give her enough breathing space while still keeping at least one arm firmly locked around her. She heard the earl sigh impatiently at the display.
"If we could get back to the matter at hand," Ciel commanded as he pushed a piece of paper across his desk, "if you cannot speak, can you at least write down your account?"
Flora was pushed closer to the desk by Sebastian while Ciel sat back down, leaning back in his chair as he interlocked his fingers together. The frown never left his face as he watched her. Meanwhile, Flora eyed the piece of paper and – pen? – she had been given in confusion. This was a pen? Flora had never seen one before. She had been so used to using charcoal or lead. Everything about it was finely crafted with what appeared to be the Phantomhive family crest engraved on it.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Flora glanced down at the paper again before gently placing the tip of the pen to it. Black ink oozed out, spilling over the paper and leaking over her hand. Ignoring it, she began to draw as best as she could with this strange new device. Her hand was shaky, and she bit her lip in concentration as she tried not to break it. Finally, she pulled back, revealing a small sketch of her house – drawn as best as she could under the pressure anyway. But luckily, it seemed that Ciel and Sebastian easily recognised it.
"Your home?" Ciel questioned.
Flora nodded.
Ciel scoffed before rubbing two fingers against his temple. He looked even more impatient than before, his little nose scrunching up as his one visible eye squeezed itself shut. He leaned back in his chair again and crossed one leg over the other. Meanwhile, Flora shakily put down the pen as gently as she could, making sure it was straight and in line with the paper. Dirty finger prints were now visible on it, and Flora cringed, waiting for the moment she would get told off over it.
"I'm afraid, my dear, that we can't allow you to go home," Sebastian spoke up.
The young woman froze.
"It's much too dangerous." His grip on her waist tightened.
Flora was about to try and push herself away from him again when Ciel spoke again.
"Since you fail to realise the seriousness of your situation, and your refusal to co-operate, let's see if this friend of yours will be willing to finally reveal something."
Mary, Flora thought with wide, fearful eyes.
"She wanted something from you, something that she believed to be in your possession. Sebastian searched you when you arrived, but could find nothing. Have you perhaps hidden it or handed it over to somebody else?"
The blonde girl's eyes widened even more at the earl's words. Her face erupted into flames as her mouth hung open slightly. What?! What?! He... he... ? Flora wanted to slap them both. How dare they do this to her! She may have been from the slums, but she was still a lady, and propriety such as that extended across all classes of people! They had kidnapped her and taken away her dignity. The butler had gazed upon areas of her body that nobody should ever be allowed to see! These people truly were crazy!
Flora began angrily thrashing around in response, wanting nothing more in that moment than to claw the butler's eyes out and wipe that stupid scowl off the earl's face. Propriety be damn! They hadn't shown her any respect, so why should she show them any?
"My dear, please, it's not what you think," Sebastian tried to explain as he kept her pinned. He shot Ciel an ungrateful look while the earl merely rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "You were going to freeze to death had I not changed you, and we had to make sure that you were in possession of nothing dangerous or stolen. I promise I did not look or touch anything inappropriately."
Flora didn't care. It was still weird and disrespectful. Plus, she wasn't exactly going to take his word for it.
As if reading her mind, Sebastian sighed and let her go. Flora scurried across the room as fast as she could, standing in the furthest corner of the room, away from the other two. She was panting from all her thrashing around, and her blue eyes remained wide with horror. Unconsciously, she pulled her cloak tighter around herself, as if to foolish hide her body from eyes that had already seen everything. Sebastian merely watched her helplessly, his whole body starting to shake. Flora backed away even more as she could have sworn that his eyes flashed fuchsia for a split second. If she had blinked, she would have missed it. She did a double take as a blurred aura seemed to appear around him, and even the earl seemed to let out a quiet, startled gasp.
"Sebastian! Control yourself!" he barked.
"Yes, my lord." His reply was strained, and his teeth remained clenched as his dark hair fell in front of his eyes, hiding them from view.
Flora relaxed slightly, but her mind was still whirling around like a hurricane. It seemed that her sense of danger around Sebastian had not been unfounded. But she remained confused as to exactly what was going on and what was wrong with him. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? Why did he look so upset that he had angered her? It was like he was obsessed with her, and that really didn't sit right with Flora. All she wanted was to be left in peace. She wanted to go home. At those thoughts, she had to fight back the tears that began burning her eyes. Her fists clenched tightly, and she turned to stare at one of the grand looking clocks that sat on a mantel piece. The large hand pointed upward while the smaller hand pointed to the left. The longer, skinnier hand moved the fastest, producing a loud ticking noise that Flora tried to focus on to keep herself calm.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
"I apologise for any ill-will you may feel towards us, Miss Byrne." Ciel appeared to change tactics. "But I will do whatever needs to be done in order to soothe her majesty's concerns. As a fellow British citizen, surely you can understand that?"
Flora remained completely still.
"Sebastian, has our other guest awoken yet?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Good. Then perhaps we can now show Miss Byrne just how vital her information could be," Ciel spoke as he rose from his seat. Sebastian offered him a small bow with his hand on his chest, before his red eyes turned back towards Flora's cowering form. He looked at her with such longing that it took Flora off guard for a second. He looked like a little lost puppy in that moment, and the young blonde could feel the tug on her heartstrings at such a comparison. The small pout of his lips made her want to cuddle up to him and soothe him until he was smiling again.
Flora shook her head to snap herself out of her strange thoughts. She had no idea where that had just come from. Curse her weakness for animals or anything that looked even remotely cute. Sebastian was still in the wrong. She still didn't trust him, no matter how much she felt drawn to him like a moth to the flame. Unlike the moth though, Flora refused to allow herself to be burnt.
Ciel led the way out of the room, motioning with his finger for Flora and Sebastian to follow like one would command a pack of dogs. Sebastian held the door open for them both. Ciel passed by without a care in the world while Flora shuffled forward unsteadily. She kept her limbs close to her torso, trying to hide her trembling as best as she could. She paused briefly just in front of the door before making her way past Sebastian, attempting to keep as much distance between them as possible. The butler's mouth twisted downward in response, seemingly knowing exactly what Flora was doing.
Keeping her back to him had her feeling even more nervous, but the butler had wordlessly insisted on walking behind them. Flora could sense every step he took. He was mere inches behind her. It felt like she was being stalked by a tiger. Stupidly, she risked a glance backwards, peaking up at him from under her eyelashes. She was startled to realise that he was walking behind her much closer than she thought he had been, acting as her own shadow. His eyes were staring right at her, not even paying attention to where he was walking, yet he continued on so gracefully.
Cheeks turning pink, Flora quickly looked away again, focusing on her feet instead.
The rest of the manor was eerily quiet, and not a single sound could be heard from any of the numerous servants that likely worked in a place this big. However, she tried not to pay too much attention to her surroundings. For one thing, the feel of the tall butler burning holes in the back of her head was much too distracting.
Finally, Ciel came to a stop on a lower level of the manor, just in front of a plain wooden door. He didn't say a word as Sebastian stepped forward and pulled a key out of his jacket pocket. It rattled in the door's lock before it clicked open with a loud creak. Ciel stepped inside without hesitation, while Flora remained standing just beyond the threshold. Was she supposed to follow? What was waiting for them inside? Was this to be her prison cell?
She jumped as a large hand gently pushed on her lower back, and for once, Flora didn't even try to back away from the butler as he urged her into the room. Once again, she stupidly found a source of comfort in him when facing the unknown. She would never admit this to him, of course. Luckily, the butler's hand never left her back, and the young blonde found herself grateful over the fact, especially when she saw the figure of a woman slumped over in a wooden chair that she was tied to.
Sebastian stood in front of her as she froze, keeping one arm raised slightly in front of her, preventing any steps further forward. Ciel ignored the two of them as he glared down at the helpless looking woman. Flora then gasped as the woman finally looked up, revealing the exhausted and bruised face of Mary. Dark marks in the shape of finger prints were imprinted onto her neck, and Flora found her eyes flickering up to Sebastian in fear, then moved them down to his hand that was held in front of her. Oh god... was this to be her fate as well? Why on earth did she find herself instinctively seeking comfort from the butler if that was the case? Maybe she had finally lost her marbles...
"Flora!"
Her attention was captured once again by Mary, whose eyes were wild and wide as she stared at her tucked behind Sebastian.
"Thank goodness you're alright!"
"You didn't seem too concerned about her when you were trying to kill her," Ciel retorted.
Mary flinched. "I didn't want to..." she whispered, a single tear trailing down her cheek.
"So why did you?" Ciel continued to question.
"Because it's what he told me to do. I would have been killed myself had I not gotten the box from her. If I had not, Flora could have been captured and tortured for information!"
"What box?" the earl demanded.
"I don't know..."
"Sebastian," was all Ciel said as he snapped his finger.
Sebastian stepped forward, still keeping Flora blocked from view as much as possible, before freezing again when Mary screamed in panic.
"No no!" she wailed. "I really don't know! I was just given a description of the box and told it contains something valuable! I was told to get it, no matter the cost! If I did, then I would be paid handsomely for my efforts! I didn't care enough to ask! I just needed the money!"
Ciel looked to Sebastian.
"She's telling the truth," the butler confirmed, stepping back to push Flora even more behind him. If Flora was supposed to suffer the same fate, why was Sebastian acting so... protective towards her?
"So all of this comes down to money?" Ciel scoffed. "How pathetic and predictable."
"You don't understand." Mary sobbed. "Since I... since I caught the... the pox, I have been unable to get work. I am to be evicted and tossed out onto the streets. I'll never be able to find more work! I'll have to resort to the pan!"
Ciel took a step away from her with a disgusted expression.
"I'm so sorry, Flora," Mary cried as she tried to peer around Sebastian to get a better look at her. "You have to get out of here and away from all of this! That... that man..." She glared at Sebastian. "He's no-"
"I will thank you kindly not to poison a young, innocent girl's mind," Sebastian warned with an eerily polite smile on his face. Flora blinked, realising that he was now standing behind Mary with a hand firmly clamped over her mouth. "You already tried to kill her," he almost growled at her, "and I will not allow her to be nearly taken away again."
Flora took a step back and pressed her back against the wall. She was surprised that she hadn't collapsed of a heart attack by now; this was all too much for her.
"You are in very dangerous territory, Miss Turner," Ciel threatened, his posture always remaining straight with his hands clasped behind his back. "Co-operate as much as you can and we might let you go."
Mary looked towards Flora again as Sebastian removed his gloved hand from her mouth. In the process, some of her make-up had smeared, revealing a nose that was turning black on the tip. The flesh was dying and crumbling away, and Flora nearly passed out from the sight. But Mary's eyes kept Flora in a trance as she stared back. Stared back at the woman who had once been her mother's friend. The woman who had helped babysit her as a child. The woman who had... tried to kill her... all over a stupid box. That stupid box. With nothing more than a broken mirror piece inside it.
"I'm sorry, Flora," Mary whispered, looking down in shame. "They're dangerous people. They took John... I... I let them. I told them where to find him."
Flora's stomach sank.
"They thought by doing so, you would hand over the box... they-"
BANG!
CRASH!
The next thing Flora knew, she was being pinned to the floor next to the earl, a large body covering them and protecting them as the gunshot echoed loudly in the night air. Stormy winds gushed through the window, blowing shards of glass around them, howling like a pack of wolves. Snow blew in and scattered around with the glass, leaving Flora unable to tell which was sharp glass and which were soft snowflakes. A hand pushed her head down, covering her eyes and bringing her tighter against their chest.
Then there was nothing but silence as the gale force gust calmed down.
Ciel rose and stepped out from beneath Sebastian, blue eye narrowed as he surveyed the damage. Sebastian, however, kept Flora pinned beneath him, his eyes glowing pink as he looked towards the now shattered window. His hand cradled the back of Flora's head as she remained frozen in fear and confusion. Her eyes drifted towards Mary again, and she began choking at the sight she was greeted with. Mary's lifeless body was slumped forward with only the ropes to keep her in place. Her eyes were wide, glazed over, and unseeing. A dark hole was now in the middle of her forehead that oozed blood. Blood that had shot out a trial from the force of the bullet, with small amounts of thick gooey flesh stuck against the opposite wall.
Flora screamed as Sebastian covered her eyes, but it was too late. Her stomach heaved, and she thrashed around in the butler's grip before he released her. However, Flora didn't get very far before she collapsed in a choking mess onto the floor. She gagged and dry heaved, dribbling out nothing but bile from her empty stomach. It burned her throat and the inside of her mouth, some of it even seeping up and into her nose. She panted and gasped while vaguely aware of a panicked voice calling her name from behind as they held her braids out of the way.
Gasp after gasp made Flora realise that she could finally breathe properly again. That alone was enough to calm down the majority of her panic. In that moment, she no longer cared for her fear of Sebastian as she threw her arms around his waist and clung to him. She buried her face into his white shirt, staining it with her tears as she silently prayed to not see any more. Maybe if she squeezed her eyes tightly enough, she might wake up and all of this would have just been one horrible nightmare.
"This goes deeper than we thought." Ciel's voice brought Flora out of her hysterics. "There's more to all of this than a simple theft of a priceless artefact."
"Indeed, my lord," Sebastian replied, his voice vibrating against Flora's forehead as he ran his fingers soothingly through her hair.
That's when Flora remembered.
Jonathon!
Immediately, beginning to thrash around again, Flora broke free from Sebastian's grasp (though it was more likely he allowed her to break free), and began making a run for the door.
"Miss Byrne!" Ciel called after her. "Sebastian, I ordered you to keep control of her!"
"I apologise, my lord," Flora heard Sebastian reply as she twisted her head from side to side, trying to figure out which corridor to run down in order to find the exit. "But I believe that she is concerned for her guardian."
"Of course." Ciel sighed in annoyance.
Before Flora could make another run for it down the hallway she picked at random, she was grabbed by the butler again. She glared up at them both, trying to communicate her urgency through her eyes. She was glad they at least could be calm and collected in this moment. Every second they wasted was another second that Jonathon spent in danger. She couldn't allow anything to happen to him. This was all her fault. If she had just handed that stupid box over to those men, then none of this would have happened! But instead, she had panicked and fled like always.
"It's alright, my flower, we'll find him," Sebastian promised. For once, Flora could ignore the stupid nickname. The thought of him being on her side eased her fears slightly, but her desperation to find the man who had practically been a father to her didn't fade at all.
"Since when did you call the shots?" Ciel glowered at his butler.
Sebastian merely grinned before tapping the back of his gloved hand.
Ciel sighed. "Very well. I suppose this would allow us to complete our mission for the queen."
That was all Flora needed to hear before trying to run off again. However, she was stopped by Sebastian catching her wrist again.
"You're going to be staying here," Sebastian ordered her. "The rest of the servants will protect and look after you."
He couldn't be serious?! Flora had run and hid from a lot of things in her life, but this was one thing that she refused to back down from. Jonathon had always been there for her when she needed him, and now that he needed her, she refused to let him down. Who knows what he could be going through right now?! He was such an innocent and caring man, and he didn't deserve any of this! Mary had already become caught up and lost to this madness, and there was no way that Flora was going to allow the same to happen to Jonathon.
Flora glared up at Sebastian, who glared back, completely unintimidated.
"Flora will be coming with us," Ciel interjected, marching on ahead.
"Master – !" Sebastian began to protest.
"That's an order, Sebastian. I am well aware of the fine print. Her tagging along will surely not place her in danger as long as she remains by your side." He glanced back to give his butler an arrogant smirk. Meanwhile, all Flora could do was blink in confusion.
Sebastian let out a sigh that almost sounded like a growl. His eyes flashed briefly as his grip on Flora's wrist tightened, seeming to unconsciously pull her further towards him. Flora didn't fight it, too terrified to make the situation worse, especially when she so desperately needed their help.
"Very well, my lord," Sebastian growled out through gritted teeth. It looked like he was picturing a million ways he could murder Ciel with his mind, and Flora shuddered at the terrifying sight. This seemed to snap the butler out of it as he took a deep breath through his nose before reaching down to make sure Flora's cloak was pulled securely around her.
"We'll get there faster on foot," he declared, and before Flora could give him a questioning look, she gasped as her legs were swept out from under her. Her hands instinctively gripped onto the lapels of Sebastian's tailcoat, clinging for dear life as if she was about to fall from the top of a tall building. She might as well have been given how short and skinny she was compared to Sebastian.
Flora was vaguely aware of Sebastian leaning forward so that Ciel could climb onto his back, but she soon gasped when the butler leaped out of the already shattered window with ease. Heart lurching up into her mouth, the blonde girl buried her face in Sebastian's chest, too terrified to look down as he balanced himself on a narrow tree branch. He chuckled at her reaction, not even giving her time to adjust as he took off again.
The wind whipped past them as Sebastian ran across the tops of buildings at an inhuman speed. This was impossible! How was he doing this?! Surely this wasn't possible for a human?! Ciel didn't seem phased at all as he remained still and calm on Sebastian's back. Was this an every day occurrence for the earl? So many questions whirled around in Flora's mind, making her feel queasy again, a feeling not helped by the fact that Sebastian was bouncing from one building to another at blinding speed. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the motion. Instead, she tried to focus on Jonathon and how she was going to rescue him.
At last, Sebastian slowed to a stop, the snow crunching under his feet as he landed. Ciel quickly got down, but Flora kept her eyes squeezed shut while gripping the butler with all her might.
Sebastian chuckled. "It's over now, my flower. You can get down if you want. Or you can stay in my arms, I do not mind." His teasing voice was smooth with a delighted edge.
Flora's eyes snapped open, her cheeks turning red as she kicked her legs so that the butler would put her down. He chuckled as he did so, but he kept one hand placed firmly on her back just like he had often done back at the manor. Flora then looked around, recognising the familiar buildings of her street. Ciel looked around with distain, but the blonde woman ignored him as she ran towards her home. Now that she had seen a noble's manor, her rickety old house now definitely appeared small and dirty in comparison. Flora and Jonathon had always tried to keep it as tidy as they could, but that was difficult when everything would be stained black within five minutes due to all the smoke and smog.
Not wasting another second, Flora took off running, not even caring that the street's surface was slippery and covered in inches of snow. She ignored the cold air biting at her skin, her mind only focused on finding Jonathon and making sure he was okay. Sebastian ran after her, while Ciel followed at a more leisurely pace, looking like he would rather be elsewhere. He certainly did look out of place with his fancy cloak and shoes.
Sebastian grabbed hold of her, preventing her from just bursting into the building. She shot him an impatient look as he pushed her aside to enter the building first. Flora remained forced behind him as his eyes appeared to unnaturally glow in the dark building as he looked around. His nostrils flared slightly, sniffing the air before his posture relaxed ever so slightly. With a click of his finger, Flora jumped as all the candles in the room suddenly lit themselves. Once again, Ciel seemed unbothered by this fact.
Forcing back her questions for now, Flora looked around, her eyes immediately widening in horror. The whole place had been trashed. Furniture had been overturned, cups and bottles smashed leaving pools of sharp glass everywhere. All of their projects had been tossed about, some lying in broken heaps in the corners of the shop. The blonde woman could no longer fight back tears as it felt like her heart was being squeezed in a vice.
Ciel and Sebastian already appeared to have reconciled with themselves what had happened, but Flora had to be sure. She ran into the back room, where everything was just as broken and torn apart as it had been in the shop. The cupboards had been emptied of what little they contained, and the table she had hid under just yesterday had been tipped over and thrown aside. It was like a raging bull how ploughed through the place. Choking back a sob, Flora then ran up the wooden steps to the upstairs room that was her own. This room didn't even have much to tear apart in the first place. Her desk had been pushed aside, and the pile of fabric that had made up her bed had been strewn across the room.
With a defeated whimper, Flora collapsed backward against the wall, sliding down until she was sat in a foetal position on the floor. Her dress scrunched up around her, and she reached up to grip her tangled and knotted blonde hair. There was no denying it, she thought to herself in a panic.
Jonathon was gone.
Dun dun dun! This chapter was a roller coaster to write, and I can't decide if I'm completely happy with it or not, but meh, some chapters of stories are just like that. I'll try and update again soon, though it won't be any time next week due to work being short staffed again since everyone is catching COVID. But after that, my main aim is to update this story at least every two weeks if possible. Pretty please share your thoughts on the story, and make sure to take care of yourselves. Have a lovely weekend!
Announcements: A playlist for this story is now available to listen to on my blog. So if you want to see the music that inspired this story and that helps me write, feel free to have a look. There's also a character profile of Flora available for you to read. There are a few small minor spoilers on it, but nothing major. The playlist might also give you a hint of future storylines for this fic lol.
History Notes:
The pan – Slang for the workhouse.
The pox – Syphilis. The disease had been endemic in England for centuries by this point. It wasn't uncommon to see people walking around with prosthetics or bits of their face falling off. During the 1800s, there was no cure, and treatment often included the highly toxic metal, mercury, hence the saying 'one night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury.'
Hygiene – I know a lot of you are probably thinking that everyone in that time period was dirty and smelly, but that's actually not quite the case. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, germs and bacteria were finally discovered. In fact, people in Europe had always known that dirtiness was linked to disease. It was in the fifteenth century when Europeans started getting the daft idea that bathing was bad for you. But by the late 1800s, the middle class and nobles had started to bathe at least once a week, and even a few rich people owned showers, though they wouldn't truly come into fashion for another few decades. However, when they did bathe, they often did so wearing a linen gown and they would often avoid thoroughly washing their private parts because they believed it counted as masturbation lol. Servants were also expected to be clean and tidy as they represented their masters.
