Chapter 3

Sebastian knew he could not put Lucienne in the maid's quarters, but it would not be right to put her in the guest quarters either. Although, for the time being, that might be the best option. None of the regular bedrooms were furnished at the moment, as he and Tanaka were the only ones that used them. After she was introduced to the young master the following morning, they could work out other arrangements.

It wasn't until he led her into a guest room and set her bag down that he realized there were a few more pertinent pieces of information they needed to discuss. "Mademoiselle, earlier you said you could not change back yet. Could you please explain that in a little more detail? Will that fact be problematic for your presence in this household?"

Lucienne sighed and looked away from the demon that seemed to have a chokehold on her life. She shook her head. "No, through the years, I have managed to manipulate the curse so that I may spend up to sixteen hours in either form without consequences. Once I change, I must remain in the other form for at least four hours before I can change back. I try not to spend more than that amount of time in either form in any given twenty-four-hour period. It has been forced on me before, and the results are unpleasant."

"Unpleasant? In what way?"

She looked back with a slight frown. "The change reverts back to being unstable. I have little to no control for several weeks."

He gave her a nod. "Does that mean you will need to spend part of the day tomorrow as a cat?"

Her frown deepened. "It would be best if I spent four hours in the afternoon as a feline if I am to be expected to attend the evening meal."

His smile returned at that news. "We can use that time to move your things from the Barnards' home. You are welcome to curl up on my pillow until we can furnish a room for you."

Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to yell at him, but snapped it shut as she realized the futility of arguing, especially so close to the rest of the household. At least she had a feeling he would be less likely to act like he had downstairs when she was in her other form if his previous actions were anything to go by. She sighed and gave him another nod. "I can tell you where everything is. It should be no matter for one such as you to get them moved."

Sebastian ignored the acidity of her comment as he turned to go. He paused at the door and turned back. "Just one more thing before you meet the young master. He is allergic to cats, so please do not go near him in your other form."

Her eyes widened at that, but she didn't get to say anything about it before he bowed his way of the guest room. She stood there and stared at the closed door for several minutes. She had been captured before, but she had always managed to get away. She was not sure she could run from this man. Or demon rather. And that was the problem. He was no man.

She pulled off her dress and hung it in the wardrobe, leaving her in her shift as she laid down. Despite her worry, she knew she would need some sleep if she were to be prepared for whatever was to come. He had not eaten her yet, so there was still time.

The next morning, Mey-Rin was trying to get something for breakfast, but Bard was trying to make breakfast, and Finnian was just trying to stay out of the way. None of them knew exactly how it happened, but they all jumped back when the whole platter that Bard had been trying to fry with whatever that contraption had been, fell to the floor and shattered. To make it worse, it happened just as Sebastian walked in and managed to splash all over his pants.

All three servants froze. They expected the butler to yell at them for making him late to wake up the young master. He was always so strict about timelines, after all. Much to their surprise, he looked down at the mess and just sighed before he looked back up. "Get this cleaned up quickly. I will make the young master's breakfast myself and will have the tea and breakfast for our guests. Make sure you are presentable quickly as we have a new governess you will need to be introduced to, as well."

The butler was in and out before any of them had a chance to move. It wasn't until he was gone with the tea tray that Mey-Rin turned to the others. "Did he say that we have a governess now, did he?"

Finnian looked at her with some confusion. "He did. What is a governess?"

Bard was frowning. "It's usually a woman that teaches young children. Not sure why he hired one of those."

Finny grinned. "Maybe for the Young Master!"

Both the others looked to him with shock, but neither said anything as it could very well be possible. Their household was far from typical. Either way, they would only find out by meeting her. Knowing that, they stepped in to clean up the blackened chunks off the floor while Tanaka sat in the corner and sipped his tea.

Ciel had not taken long to rouse that morning. His typical morning snark was in full swing, but Sabastian paid it little mind. It wasn't until they were getting ready to head downstairs that he finally decided to share the news of the new hire.

"Young Master, last night, I encountered someone that I believe would make an excellent addition to your household. She is currently looking for a new employer, and I have offered her a position here."

Ciel froze and looked back at his butler. The demon had hired the others as well, but he had been there when he went to get them. This was unusual. "Why was I not consulted first?"

Sebastian gave him a smile. "It happened so quickly that there was no time. You see, she is a governess of some renown, and I did not want the opportunity to slip past."

Ciel took a step back. "Governess! Have you lost your wits!? I am too old for a governess."

Sebastian had expected that response. After Lucienne had gone to sleep the previous night, he had done a little digging, and despite how well she had covered her tracks through the years, he had managed to find out that she had quite the impressive resume. "You are correct, for a typical governess. However, this one is unlike any others. I can assure you that the education she provides would be second only to my own. If she is here, then it would free me to take care of more important matters for you."

Ciel's eyes narrowed. Sebastian did not give praise lightly, and that sounded suspiciously like praise. He lowered his voice. "Is she a demon as well?"

Sebastian's smile widened. "No, she is quite human, but still unlike any you have ever met." He paused and gave his master a thoughtful look. "Would you at least consider speaking with her? Or perhaps testing her? Once you see what she is capable of, I am sure you will see that I made the right decision."

Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do not forget that you are to never lie to me."

Sebastian bowed low. "Of course, Young Master. I will never tell you a lie."

Ciel huffed at that response but bade his servant rise. "Well, let us get this meeting over with. We still have an investigation to complete."

"As you say, Young Master."

Ciel led Sebastian into the dining room, where he saw a young woman standing near the fireplace. He froze when she turned to him and curtsied. When she stood, his eyes widened. He had not been expecting such a young or lovely woman. Governesses that had those qualities were usually not employed. He was saved from his shocked silence when Sebastian stepped forward. "Young Master, please meet Mademoiselle Lucienne Allard. She was most recently the governess for the Barnards, but they left to return to France. I have verified she has quite the impressive resume, and with your approval will gather the rest of her things from their residence later today, so she may send them the key back."

Ciel had broken from his stupor while Sebastian spoke and was now frowning slightly. "Why do you have their key?"

If his tone bothered the girl at all, she did not show it as she spoke for the first time. "Earl, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As for the Barnards, I have the key to the residence because they trust me. We are distantly related, and they have known me for years. They have no doubt that I will return what is theirs once I have secured new employment and did not want to leave me without a roof over my head at their abrupt departure."

"Why did they leave so abruptly? And more importantly, why did you not go with them? It is not unheard of if you were so trusted."

Lucienne had been shocked at the sight of the boy. She had not expected the Earl of Phantomhive to be so young. It was doubly a problem as most males did not need a governess after the age of eight, but she did not let any of this show. If the demon had pushed so hard for her presence to assist his master, there had to be a reason. Although, her heart ached to know his master was one so young.

All of this passed through her head, and none of it showed on her face as she answered his questions. "Monsieur Barnard has properties in both England and France, but he had a business opportunity present itself that required his presence overseas. They did ask me to attend them as well, but I declined. I do not want to return to France."

Ciel's eyes had widened again, but he didn't get to say whatever had been on his mind. They were interrupted by Lau and Madame Red. The latter nearly cooed in excitement. "And who is this? Surely you aren't thinking of replacing Elizabeth!?"

Lucienne turned to the newcomers and curtsied as Ciel sighed and made the introductions. "Of course not. This is Miss Lucienne Allard. She has just started as a governess in this household today."

"A governess!?"

Whatever the woman had been about to say was cut off as Ciel headed toward his seat. "What is for breakfast today, Sebastian?"

The butler helped the boy with his setting but didn't get to answer the question. Ciel had noticed that Lucienne was walking out of the room and called out. "Miss Allard, where are you going?"

She paused and turned back to him with a slightly confused look. "Pardon, sir, but I thought to go find breakfast in the kitchen."

He shook his head and gestured to an empty seat. "You will quickly find that this household is like no other. If you are to be effective, you will need to be by my side."

She gave him a shallow curtsy and took the offered seat. She ignored the curious looks from the other two, and the presence of the demon butler as the meal went on. She did focus on the boy and what he had to say. It did not take her long to figure out that he had been correct. She had somehow found herself in a world that rivaled her own in terms of strangeness and far outstripped it in terms of darkness, and that was no easy feat. It did not take her long to start trying to figure out what she could do to help this boy in more ways than the one she had been hired for.

A/N: Not much action here, but the next chapter should more than make up for it :) Also, I realized that the other servants weren't in London during this arc, but we'll roll with this being AU already and their presence being the reason Sebastian needed that breath of fresh air lol. Thanks for reading!