Angel in disguise/you save my soul/But you make my heart go blind/My devils rage inside/just can't let go/Cause it feels so right/You make my heart go blind
Edgar helps me lace up the back of my dress, making a strange noise that seemed to be agreement and amusement. The dress was off the shoulder with short sleeves, which was made up of royal blue silk with black at the bottom and outlining the top of the dress, barely making it acceptable to be worn to a ball like the one I was attending tonight; my shoes were simple boots that loaned me a few inches of height and my hair was done up in a bun with two silver clips in the shape of butterflies keeping it from falling down my back.
"Well," I ask nervously," how do I look?" He turns me in a small circle, inspecting me with one hand rubbing his goatee.
"You look perfect, little sister, the Detective won't know what hit him. Don't actually hit him, though, he probably would take offense to that." I laugh, giving my brother a hug and taking my mask from him. "Now, shall we go and mesmerize our loves?" I nod, following him out to the carriage waiting for us.
"I hope everything goes as well as you seem to think it will."
"When have I ever been wrong about things like this?"
I walk through the crowds of dancing, chatting, and leering people to find the one person I want to talk to. I've seen many of the men in attendance here at the tavern where they are no better than the sailors that often see me, trying my best to ignore the scowls sent my way by them and their wives.
Halfway to my intended destination I am forced to stop as a young man steps in front of me with a graceful bow, one hand held towards me. "Could I have this dance, Miss?"
"Sorry, I'm afraid I've saved my first dance for a friend," I smile, making my way past him and towards Detective Fields, whose wide eyes were focused on me. One could hardly blame him, my dress was lower than normal and so exposed a decent amount of cleavage. It made me feel powerful to be able to draw a man's gaze like that, power that is hard to come by for most women. "Hello, Emmett." He swallows hard and looks around the room at the people surrounding us.
"Miss Poe," he greets with a stiff nod, still not looking at me. I frown, placing a gloved hand on his arm and turning him to face me.
"I could swear that I told you to call me Sarah." Emmett continues not to meet my gaze, but now and then his eyes flick down to look at the pale skin that my dress revealed. "After all, we are friends, aren't we, Emmett?" I wet my bottom lip, swiping my tongue across it slowly with his eyes following it. He flounders for a moment, trying to find words before looking away again, scanning the ballroom.
"It would hardly be proper." I scoff at that, arms crossed over my chest.
"Do I look like the kind of woman who gives a damn about propriety?" He doesn't answer me, eyes looking anywhere but at me. I trace a finger along his jaw as I walk away, calling to him over my shoulder," Perhaps I'll see you later." My eyes glinting with mischief, I tap on another man's shoulder, the same man from earlier. "How about we dance?"
"I thought you were saving it for a friend," he replies with the smile only the upper class are capable of.
"My friend is a little busy." He bows as I curtsy, then expertly twirls me around the dance floor.
"I don't think I caught your name," he says, lips close to my ear so that I can hear him over the music.
"That's because I never gave it to you," I retort with a smile. "I find names and titles don't mean much at night." His eyebrows shoot upwards as he realizes the meaning of my words, pulling me closer to him. "Shall I take that as a yes?"
"Yes, indeed." The sound of shattering glass makes me jump, stumbling backwards a little. Before I have time to react, Emmett has tackled me to the ground so that the horse that had come charging in wouldn't trample me. A gunshot rings out before I can get my bearings, the horse's rider falling to the ground and clutching at his shoulder where Charles had shot him. The man I was dancing with helps me up as Emmett points his pistol at the rider dressed as a skeleton.
"He said you'd ordered it," the rider gasps, holding up some folded parchment, which Charles snatches from him.
"He has my daughter," Charles says angrily. "Seal off the building!" My hands cover my mouth as I lean against the man I had been dancing with for support. The sick bastard has gotten an innocent man hurt and kidnapped my best friend all in one night; why was he doing this?
Edgar quickly walks over to me, letting me hold on to him rather than the stranger. "It'll be alright," he mutters in my ear," we'll get Emily back." His voice is emotionless, what happened not yet sinking in all the way. "I won't let anyone hurt you, my little sister."
The last sound I hear before I faint is the sound of the clock chiming midnight.
The lyrics are from the song Angel in Disguise by Cinema Bizarre.