Chapter 4 – The Burning Mansion

I realised I needed to escape. I tried getting out of my dress and corset, but had no luck. I retrieved my gun and then squeezed out through a window and managed to climb down to a balcony one floor down. The skirt got caught and tore. Sebastian is not going to be happy about it...I hope this dress wasn't very expensive...

That was when I noticed someone on another balcony further down. I could make out that it was an assassin. He was lying on his stomach and had a rifle of some kind. I looked over and noticed it had a clear view of the dancing hall and Esmerelda plainly in sight. I quickly aimed my hand-gun because there would not be enought time to prevent him from taking her out by doing anything else. Luckily my sight in the dark was exceptionally good so I didn't have much trouble. The sound of the shot of my gun and the assassin's echoed. I had caused him to shoot into the wall close to the window instead of through it.

I moved quickly. He was very surprised to suddenly be smothered by layers of fabric, but he quickly recovered and fought back. His face was covered so I couldn't tell who it was. I was having the upper hand until he suddenly grabbed my semi-healed shoulder and was momentarily stunned by the pain the shot down my entire arm, making me drop my gun over the balcony. Just then the doors to this balcony swung open and guards came rushing out. This was enough to distract me and for the assassin to jump down and run for it.

I got arrested on several charges, including betrayal of her majesty's trust; conspiring with kidnappers and possible charges of murder. And since the assassin very conveniently left his rifle behind I was also accused for attempted assassination since the guards didn't see the assassin for some reason. Oddly I recognised the rifle. It had a special emblem on it which identified it as one of my father's creations. It was from his private collection...

"What is going on here?" Ciel's voice interrupted the argument between me and the head of the guard.

"Lord Phantomhive, this woman is being arrested on orders of the queen," he said and handed Ciel the letter I had received earlier. Ciel glanced at it and then gave it back.

"Ciel, I swear I had nothing to do with this, you have to believe me!" I pleaded, but he didn't respond and eventually said: "Please refrain from addressing me so informally, Miss Cortez," and let the guard take me away. It felt like I just got stabbed through the heart. So much for the aliance...

"So, I'm alone after all," I whispered to myself not knowing that Ciel heard it.

I got blindfolded and taken to a prison cell. I would be executed three days later without trial. No matter how much I tried, no one was interested in hearing what I had to say so I knew my only option was to escape. I faked being ill so that one of the guards would come into my cell and knocked him unconcious. I came close to finding my way out, but then got caught again. Just my luck...

This time I was taken to a torture chamber and chained up by my wrists so that my body was suspended. I was wearing only my underwear since my torn ballgown had been taken from me. I would have to endure 15 lashes. I silently counted them 5...6...7... I would not cry. Instead I started singing softly to myself which just got the guy angry and shouting at me more, but I didn't care.

"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket...8...save it for a rainy day, catch a falling...9...star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away."

I was expecting the 10th strike, but then heard a gurgling noise and the sound of a lump falling to the ground.

"How long are you planning to hang around in this place, Miss Cortez?" Sebastain's voice spoke up. I was never so happy to hear it than I was now. Sebastian snapped off the chains and gave me a coat to wear.

"Sebastian...I didn't think anyone would come for me..." I managed to whisper before fainting.

I thought I was still dreaming when I woke and found myself in the room in Phantomhive manor, but the soreness of the lashes on my back reminded me that if this was a dream it was not a very pleasant one. I was lying on my stomach and had bandages covering my back as well as wrapped around to cover my breasts. I wondered if Sebastian... I got all embarrased just thinking about it... gosh...

I slowly got up and walked over to the window. It was daytime, perhaps early morning?

Just then Sebastian came in with tea and breakfast on a try. So my guess was right.

"This morning's breakfast is pancakes served with fresh fruit and maple syrup and Earl Grey tea."

"Thank you Sebastian...not just for now, also for saving me."

The butler stood up straight.

"I only do as I am bid to do by my master, Miss Cortez."

That meant Ciel ordered him to save me? That didn't make sense...

"What happened after I got arrested?"

"After you got taken away Esmerelda had disappeared and was found dead in one of the guest rooms with her throat slit."

"Damn... that must have happened because you and Ciel were distracted by me getting arrested..."

"Quite so, but I had not detected anyone unfamiliar close to Esmerelda and several eyewitnesses confirmed that she had been in the company of a certain young man who she had known since childhood."

"Do you think he did it?"

"That I can't say yet. The man has been taken for questioning by the yard."

Sebastian took a piece of cloth out of his pocket and opened it to reveal my hand gun.

"I believe this is yours."

That reminded me.

"Sebastian...the gun the assassin had used that I managed to foil was one of my father's guns. I am sure of it. I don't know why he had it though. I am not aware of anything being stolen from our house, but I also hadn't been in contact with my father now for a while. It is possible that something could have occured in my absense. I need to establish what situation at home is. Is it possible to have a messenger...no wait, I'll do it myself..."

"No you won't" Ciel's voice suddenly interupted.

"Lord Phantomhive!"

I formally greeted him and inclined my head, but he just glared at me.

"What is it with you? I told you before to call me Ciel."

"But, at the ball..."

"I had to distance myself from you to avoid both of us getting arrested on the spot. Someone had to persue the killer."

"I...didn't think of it that way. I had thought you turned your back on me too."

"That is because you are thinking like a child."

"Perhaps..."

"What, no clever comeback?"

"My Lord and Lady Cortez, please excuse me while I see to the lunch arrangements. Will lunch on the terrace be in order, my lord?" Sebastian interrupted.

"Whatever is fine."

Sebastian left and silence fell over the room.

"Wether you want me to or not I need to find out if everything is okay at home."

"I have already sent Finnian to go and see what the situation is."

"By himself? Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"You were planning to go alone, weren't you? Besides, Finnian is not the pushover you think him to be, have faith Anne."

"Why are you keeping me here? If her majesty finds out you are hiding me it will cause you a lot of trouble."

"That is why I can't let you leave Phantomhive manor. That, and because your life is currently in danger and will be best protected here. It will also force the killer to come where we want him."

I actually hadn't been thinking of the fact that I was also marked...

"That's right...me and Liz...Elisabeth are the only two targets left...we need to make sure she is safe as well."

"She had already been taken care of," Ciel said sounding irritated.

"Oh...then I guess for now I will just have to stay put," I replied slumping my shoulders.

"I am not in a very good condition at the moment, but when the time comes I will pull my weight until the end."

"Anne..."

Ciel's tone made me look up at him. I saw something...different in his expression that what he normally shows and he was standing very close to me. What was this? His hand touched my cheek, stroking it lightly and I found myself frozen to the spot and stared at him in surprise. What was he doing?

"Ciel?"

"You have no idea how worried I was about you when Sebastian returned with your limp bloodied body in his arms..."

He suddenly pulled me towards him and kissed me. It wasn't a forceful kiss, more asking. He pulled away slowly, his lips still close to mine. Was he waiting for me to respond? I leaned towards him and kissed him back. As if this told him what he needed to know he let his arm gently circle around me to avoid pressing against the cuts on my back while his other hand held on to my uninjured shoulder. I let my hands slide around him and I could feel his body stiffen for a moment, but then his grip tightened on me. I was completely taken over by this new feeling...what was this? A craving? Was it love? Or were we just getting rid of our frustrations? What about his fiance?

Just then there was a loud knock.

"Anne! Are you awake yet?" Lizzy's voice sounded. Ciel and I quickly let go of each other, both blushing red from embarrasment and excitement. I quickly got back into bed. It would not be proper for me and Ciel to be alone in my room, especially considering I was currently dressed in bandages. Ciel went and stood by the window.

"I am up Lizzy, you may come in," I said after taking a deep breath to calm myself. Elizabeth bounded into the room and froze when she saw Ciel by the window.

"Oh Ciel, you are here too?"

Her eyes darted from him to me. I had the bed sheets covering up to my neck. I was surprised that Ciel coudl recover so quickly, his face looked no different than it always did with its trademark scowl.

"Yes, Lizzy. We had some things to discuss about the murders. You and she are also the last targets so I need to be sure that everyone knows what is expected of them."

"Oh, okay. But why are you alone..."

"My Lord, preparations for lunch on the terrace should be ready by now. Please will you excuse me so I can check that everything is in order?" Sebastian suddenly said as if he had never left the room.

"Oh Sebastian! I had not seen you there..." Lizzy said with a confused and surprised expression. I was relieved that Sebastian showed up when he did, he sure was one hell of a butler!

"Anne, are you sure you are feeling good enough to leave the room yet? Your face is very red, do you have a fever?" Lizzy asked. My face was actually red from what happened earlier.

"You are...right... I actually do have a bit of a fever. Perhaps it would be better if I stay in bed and rest."

"Sebastian, please see to it that lunch gets sent up to Miss Cortez," Ciel ordered and then offered his arm to Lizzy.

"Shall we go?"

Lizzy brightened up and grabbed his arm, almost yanking him off balance. Sebastian looked at me before closing the door, but there was no way to tell what he was thinking.

From that day onwards Ciel did not try to speak with me alone again. Everyone ate their meals together unless Ciel and Sebastian had to go out for some reason or another. He did have other issues to attend to for her majesty after all. Lizzy seemed different now when we were alone to when Ciel was here. I decided to find out more about this.

"Lizzy, why are you always so...cheery when Ciel's around?"

"Why shouldn't I be happy to be with my fiance?"

"That is not what I meant...I noticed that you seemed over eager to be cheerful around him and it looks like it actually is irritating him."

"You noticed?" she said with a sad smile.

"Ciel...was not always the way he is now, you know."

Lizzy told me about Ciel's parents, how they died when the Phantomhive mansion burned down and that he never smiled since then and how her mission is to make him smile again.

"Lizzy, I don't know if it would be that simple," I eventually said, "I think when someone has experienced such intense trauma you are forever changed."

"Do you speak from experience?" she asked.

Her question caught me off-guard. Why could I say this? Intense pain suddenly seared through my head and with it shards of a scene. I saw a fireplace and beautiful furniture, a living room. It felt nostalgic, like I knew this room and I heard myself crying. There was a man lying on the floor, covered in blood. Intense sadness flooded me. Somehow this man had been very dear to me, but who was he? Then I looked down and saw a knife in my hands, all covered in blood...

"Anne! Anne! Are you okay?!" Lizzy was shouting while shaking me. I had collapsed to the floor.

"Don't worry...I'm fine now...just a little dizzy spell," I said while standing up and leaning against the sofa for support. My head was pounding and I wanted to throw up. Who was that man? And the place? Why did I have a knife? Did I kill that man? Was I...a murderer? All these questions milled around in my head, but no answers came.

"You look terrible, your face is white like a ghost's!"

"I guess I'm still recovering and perhaps have been overdoing things. I think I'll go rest for now."

Alone in my room I tried again to understand what I had seen and Lizzy's question. Did I perhaps experience trauma in the past? Surely not! Mother died when I was born and I was raised by father. Well, actually by Alfred since my father was always busy. I loved reading books about mysteries and detectives which made me want to go into that line of work. At first I took on small cases in my home town and district and eventually received an appointment by her Majesty to work on highly classified cases for her. Nothing which had happened to me seemed that traumatizing, but why can't I remember about that man?

"Lady Cortez?" a maid suddenly called by my door.

"Yes, what is it?"

"There is a young man here who said he is from Cortez manor and needs to speak to you urgently. He said his name is Rudolph."

"I'm coming right away!"

Rudolph was still breathing heavily when I met him in the foyer. He had raced here on horseback and his clothes were in a state.

"My lady!" he shouted as soon as he saw me.

"Rudolph, if Alfred saw you now there'd be hell to pay," I said in an attempt to calm him.

"There's no time for that, my lady! You have to come! Things have suddenly got crazy...Alfred and your father...the house is burning!"

"Wait, calm down Rudolph and tell me exactly what happened."

Rudolph overheard them having an argument and then later the west wing where my father's gadget cave is was set ablaze. Everyone had been evacuated, but there was no sign of either my father or Alfred.

I told Rudolph to stay behind and let Ciel and Sebastian know what happened when they returned. Lizzy was also very upset and crying. I raced back on horseback and as I arrived I could see that the west wing was still burning. Men and women were running around, carrying buckets of water.

Without stopping or responding to anyone I entered the mansion and went to the west wing.

"Father! Alfred!" I called, but got no answer. A rafter fell down from the ceiling, forcing me to find shelter in one of the rooms. This was a private lounge that adjoined the gadget cave.

"Father!"

I was relieved to see he was still alive, but then I noticed he was busy setting the curtains alight.

"What are you doing?"

He turned to face me and didn't look surprised.

"You are alive...I had thought you died in prison."

The way he said it sounded like he didn't particularly care. His eyes looked strange, like someone who didn't want to live anymore.

"If you knew why didn't you help me? I was arrested on false charges!"

"I did help you...if you just would have died like you were supposed to."

"What?"

"Since we are both trapped in here, I will tell you a story until we both depart this world... You see, I once had a daughter who was about your age when she died. She was all I had left of my wife. Things were going well for me and Hanna, and I found an opportunity which would have had us set for life...but then Hanna got sick. And there was a delay in the goods that had to be delivered due to bandits. The suppliers demanded that we pay for safe passage of goods via ship. I couldn't afford it since I had to pay for Hanna's medical bills so I asked my business partners to lend me the money to pay for the ship fees. They all pulled out, saying that it looked like the venture was more hassle than it was worth. I couldn't believe those idiots! I knew for certain that it would have been worth it! Hanna...passed away and there was nothing I could do... I vowed I would take revenge and take all their daughters so they could feel my pain. Cortez somehow found out about my plan and I had to dispose of him and unexpectanly I was left with a little baby girl. I tried to kill you but...I couldn't. Now I know it was because of that demon that protected you."

"Demon? What demon?"

"You wan't to tell me you don't know? Ha-ha..."

"He's been around you all your life and you can't even tell that he wasn't human. So much for the perceptive detective."