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/MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING! /[rape mention]
We woke to horrible news. It was inconceivable that the Viscount was Jack the Ripper, as the murderer had struck again just last night, within the time frame in which I made his "acquaintance." We all felt cheated. Ciel shook with dissatisfaction as he looked at the headline. Sebastian was as stoic as ever. It was the evening after that I had been given a peculiar request by Sebastian.
The evening was wet and rainy. I had remained in my chambers that night, taking solace in the small span of lonesome time I had. I sat at the vanity in the room, watching water droplets run down the window pane and listening to the chatter outside of my door when I heard someone approach. There was a knock at the door.
"Miss Haruka," Sebastian spoke. My heart lept. Why was he coming to my bedroom?
I rose to my feet.
"C-Coming!" I stammered. I was quickly unlatching the door, peeking outside the crack of the door to look up at the butler.
I still must've looked so awestruck by him. I stared at his face, studying him for a second. Some mix of fear and fascination bubbling inside of me. The thoughts of last night had not yet left my mind. How could he have such strength to move metal? To paralyze a crowd of people? He stood behind the door, as serious as ever. His features were stony. That dishonest playful nature was nowhere to be seen in his demeanor.
"Ah..Um. I'm not very decent," I admitted, pulling the door closer to my body. I was presentable, but I certainly did not feel quite put together. "Would you like to come in?"
"I wouldn't deem that appropriate," he spoke shortly. "I have come to tell you of the arrangements made for your departure." I raised a brow at this.
"Departure?" I spoke.
"Yes," He spoke. "The Young Master would prefer that you return to the manor in order to ensure your safety."
I couldn't help but stare at him for a second dumbly, processing what he had said. My safety? Why was this a concern now?
"I…" I started. I was confused. The thought of returning to the manor sounded nice in theory. I would be home comfortably. Not to mention, Baldroy was there. An individual I had grown quite fond of spending time with. But..There was a more important mission here, wasn't there? I had a duty to carry out my husband's obligations. If this was something he may have been involved in. And surely if there was some clue to where he lay, I would gladly stay here in London.
"I appreciate the kind thought, but I would like to stay put here." I spoke. I stopped him before he spoke again. "I-I mean I appreciate h-his concern, definitely! But I'm coming to find I am not as weak and nimble a woman as I thought I was. It has been very enlightening trip and..intriguing." I lingered on the last word, studying Sebastian again.
"Sebastian," I started. But stopped. I couldn't ask him again. He would just evade the answer, as he had last night. I just wanted to know who he was. Where he came from. But the butler talked in circles, there was no knowledge to be found in that.
"W-What else can I do to help the case?" I asked instead.
"Ah, Miss Haruka. You have done just enough. Your husband was an informant, was he not? And you gathered information based on our previous have come to a new conclusion and we shall take care of the issue. My recommendation is to remain inactive here if you do not wish to return to manor just yet."
I tried not to grimace at this answer, but it seemed there was no sweet talking my way in continuing to investigate with them. Though, I did wonder why he and Ciel were intent on keeping me out of further matters. Had I not proven myself capable last night? I couldn't help but be incredibly curious.
"Very well," I sighed finally. "I.. suppose I shall get decent enough to take the carriage home. There's no use in doddling around here idly."
"Very well. It shall await you outside when you are ready, Miss Haruka." The butler dismissed himself, and I closed and bolted the door.
I sighed wearily. I did not want to be dressed.I did not want to leave just yet when I felt there were still things to do here, but I supposed my duty was over for the time being. I felt I had not been incredibly helpful, even with last night's investigation. I had not done the investigative portion Sebastian suggested that I did. Sebastian was quick to compile the information, to pinpoint the Viscount as being a suspect. All I did was play a role in which I had been kidnapped and almost auctioned off. Some "informant" I was. So to say the least, I was not satisfied, but there was no helping it. I prepared myself quickly, gathering my things and half-heartedly waltzing out into the living area. I had noticed now it was quiet, the candles unlit. I could only hear the creaking of floorboards down the hall in the room Ciel rested in. I suppose they were preparing for bed. A few steps forward, and I found that Madame Red and Lau were no longer idling around in the common area. It must have been later than I anticipated.
I decided to slip out quietly and without the fuss of Sebastian helping me as I had a sort of detour to make. Quietly, I descended the stairs, every few steps looking back up to see if the anyone else was following me. The front door creaked open, and I quietly slipped out onto the wet porch.
I approached my escort, beckoning him to come closer as I whispered the place I'd rather him take me. Then, without a hiss or argument I was off. Leaving this townhouse in London and going somewhere much more familiar.
The carriage was quite cushy and posh, and I found myself quickly becoming comfortable.I watched the water slide down the windows of the carriage lazily, a trance coming over me it seemed.
A carriage ride later, I found myself in the country. A quiet farmhouse.
SPLOSH. The wet muddy ground beneath my feet felt none too good as I stepped out of the carriage. I looked up at the townhouse. Unlit. Dark and mysterious at this time of night. I had been hiding out here, having collected my things once being expelled from the Whiston manor and finding myself out here. It was a property in which Charles had bought for the two of us quite some time ago. It had been quite fortunate that this property had been kept a secret. So, in his absence, I had resided here. Uncomfortably, of course. It was a bit of a fixer-upper. But a roof above my head had been better than nothing. Nostalgia and homesickness had not brought me here though. I had bigger concerns.
It was 'supposedly' a vacation home Charles would find himself visiting often. Now, I had different suspicions. The man led a different life I suppose, and his secrets lay here, somewhere.
"Are you okay alone here Miss?" My escort spoke as he assisted me out of the carriage.
"Yes, thank you for your concern," I replied shortly, shooting the man a reassuring smile. He carried a lantern, illuminating his features I'd neglected to inspect earlier. Steely blue eyes stared down at me. Thick, wavy, gold hair was cut short and neatly smoothed back underneath his large hat. His skin was pale and freckled. I stared at him for just a little longer than what was appropriate, feeling a pit in the bottom of my stomach. But I decided to ignore this strange feeling, and give the man a reassuring smile and be on my merry way.
My intent was simple. Charles had a private study. I remembered that. And I remembered he'd not once let me enter. I hadn't entered in my time being here as I wanted to respect his wishes. But the possibility of being able to find some trace to Charles was too great. I had to see what lay beyond those doors. I strode inside the house, ascending the stairs to come to the doors of the office. I was noticing how incredibly dark it was in here. Not a speck of light from outside dared to pour in. I made quick to pull open the curtains on either side of the room, needing the moon's light for this perilous task.
With the light of the moon, I could see how much lay before me. There were books upon books upon books inside, strode every which way on the ground, as if someone had ransacked the place. This was none too comforting. Because whomever had been here before me obviously had the same intent. Nevertheless, I got to my knees, sifting through books and records that lay across the floor.
I must have been there for an eternity looking through all of the stuff that lay strewn across the office. Though, everything that I looked through led me to the same were public records. Newspapers that dated back 3 years ago. Letters. Journals. And not all of these exactly belonged to Charles. Some of the journals I came across were of other nobles. Many of whom had been participating in occult or illegal practices. This collection consisted of a compilation of information. Charles really was an informant of some sort.
But...None of this helped me understand where my husband was. What had happened to him. I still felt as if he had up and left, without much of a trace; and none of what I found were clues. Just information. Pointless useless information!
Suddenly, I heard creaking in the house. A loud crack outside of the study. This wouldn't normally be unusual, but I could tell it wasn't just the house whining. I completely froze, even as the door creaked open. Even as I looked the escort from earlier dead in the eye.
We were both silent. I couldn't muster up anything to say. But I could tell he did not mean me well. He was a completely different person, eyes boring into me. His hands clenched and unclenched. The man was approaching me now; with each step the house was creaking beneath his feet. I couldn't even move. My heart raced all I wanted to do was be thousands of miles away from here. From this complete stranger.
He took a few more steps forward, and I finally mustered the strength to get to mine, tripping over my skirt. He took this opportunity to reach out and grab me by the hair.
"Don't touch me!" I yelled, shirking away from the man. He paused for a moment, staring at me in surprise. I rushed away from him, practically running over to the desk to find some sort of weapon. But not before stumbling over the miscellaneous items amongst the ground.
On the top of the desk, I had saw a pistol. Dusty and all, but maybe it had rounds in it. It had to.
"Bitch!" The man yelled. He advanced upon me quicker than I imagined he would, strong broad hands shoving me roughly to the ground. My head hit a stack of books. I felt sick. My vision blurred. With the impact, I really just couldn't muster the strength to push him off of me now, and he had fully taken advantage of this. One hand was pressing my shoulder into ground, keeping me from moving around too much. The other he was using to haphazardly pulling my dress apart.
"Stop it! Please don't do this!" I cried. I couldn't do more but scream at him. God no. Not here. The man ignored me, his hand slowly making its way up the length of my leg until suddenly, he stopped. He looked down at me, blue eyes wide in surprise. Suddenly, those steely eyes were lifeless, and the man was falling over onto me. He twitched and writhed on top of me before going completely still.
Impaled. The man..had been impaled. I looked before me in horror to see a knife lodged in the back of the man's head. Blood oozing down from the wound and coating the wavy blonde ran like a stream down his hair, down his neck. I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't want to anyway. I had never before seen something so horrific. Not even in my worst nightmares. I knew I was seeing something my eyes won't ever be able to erase. A choked cry escaped me, my immediate reaction was to push the dead man off of me.
I tore my eyes away from the sight, finding the all-too-familiar butler in the doorway now. My heart skipped a beat, my body going cold. How had he found me way out here?
"I didn't imagine the escort would be such a foul dog," He spoke, stepping effortlessly over the clutter amongst the floor. I tensed as he approached. Sebastian had just killed a man. Sebastian had just killed a man right before my eyes.
The butler looked around, a small look of disdain at the appearance of the study until he met eyes with me.
"You came here searching for answers about your husband, I assume?" He spoke.
"..Yes," I spoke, after a brief pause. I lowered my gaze. He...killed a man.
"I thought you may become curious," Sebastian replied. "I knew to find you here."
I didn't say anything, still stunned.
"He is quite a difficult man to find. Even my own investigation turned up short."
I looked up. "Your own investigation?"
"Yes, of course," Sebastian spoke. "The Young Master doesn't hire anyone without having previously investigated their character of course."
"..Hired?" I spoke.
"Yes. On behalf of the young master, we would like to extend to you a working position at our manor." I was taken aback. Processing everything he had just said. Everything he had just did. He'd been investigating me? My husband?
"It's not safe to stay here of course. It is quite apparent someone has been here in your absence. Not to mention having crooked individuals such as himself making their way here." Sebastian stepped forward. Past me and striding to the desk, and reappearing before me with the gun in hand.
"Of course, this is your decision. as I understand if you would like the freedom of being an independent woman here. But," Hand on the trigger, he shot in the opposite direction of us. Or at least attempted to. The gun was empty.
"I'm not sure how much good this will do you," Sebastian spoke. He dropped it the ground flippantly, turning to look down at me. A small smile on his face. He outstretched a gloved hand in my direction.
I..didn't know what to do at first. Just processing information now. This evening had gone so awry. I had come to the country and had not found a ounce of knowledge about Charles. But I had discovered more about this butler. Knowing that Sebastian had the capacity to kill...If tonight wasn't a confirmation that Sebastian was truly a man to be feared, what was? In the end, however, Sebastian had protected me from some predator, but even now I still found myself staring into the eyes of another predatory beast.
But..even still. Despite all logic, I took Sebastian's hand in my own. I'm not sure why I did this. I was scared.I felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins, heart beating faster. My grip tightened on Sebastian's hand as I got to my feet. Our eyes never left each other's. And I could just feel the intensity between us as we stood there in the dark. His expression was unreadable. But I'm sure I looked as terrified as I felt.
"Very good," He chirped. "We've created the perfect position for you, Miss Haruka."
He saw the shock on my face before I could hide it. A small smile played on his lips.
"I'd like to welcome you as the Phantomhive pastry-cook."