"My lady, it is time to wake up." Sebastian heard a quiet grumble before Lady Elizabeth Atherton opened her wide eyes and stared up at him crossly from her canopied bed. Sebastian gestured to an elegant bone china tea set perched on the nearest mahogany table.

"For breakfast this morning I have prepared poached eggs with a slice of honey baked ham. At your request, there are apricot scones with fresh clotted cream on the side. I took the liberty of using the Gladstone set with orange blossoms to serve you a brew of-"

"Let me guess the blend." With a pleasant smile Sebastian poured a steaming cup and smoothly placed it into Elizabeth's cold hands as she struggled to a sitting position. With a savoring sniff, Elizabeth placed her pale lips on the rim and took a sip whilst he waited patiently. She titled her head and looked at her butler curiously.

"Fig and rose, a very peculiar herbal flavor. Delicious all the same."

"Very good madam."

"My maid will be arriving any moment to help me with my attire for the day. Stoke the fire in the library and see to its cleaning, and then instruct Bellamy to prepare a later luncheon. Rouse Anne at eight o'clock and see that she is judiciously occupied for the duration of the morning. If you will please await me in the hall afterwards, we've a guest to expect at eleven."

"I shall begin preparations straight away, my lady. If you will excuse me…"

"Yes, go and attend to everything."

He smirked as he quit his mistress' room and his dark eyes were lit with ambition. Let us begin then. Before all else, I shall rekindle the warming flames in the stately hearth of the library on the first floor. I shall polish the fire pokers to reveal their gleaming silver elegance and dust every last inch of the room. Not a breath of today's chill is to reach the guest received in the library, so the finest draperies of plum will be hung on the large windowpanes, leaving just a hint of the grey sky outside for natural light. Then I shall present today's luncheon menu to Bellamy and awaken Miss Anne. The epitome of Atherton hospitality will be on show today.

A disastrous sight greeted the butler when he set foot in the kitchen. At least three pounds of flour had spilled onto the tiles, creating a powdery mist that engulfed the room. Milk was leaking from one of the glass jars delivered that mourning. As it fought the flour for space on the tiles, the pale mixture became a fast-rising dough.

Sebastian felt a headache coming on and pressed his gloved index finger down on the bridge of his nose. This area was spotless less than two hours ago. Alright where's that imbecilic excuse for a chef-

He gingerly stepped further into the fray when he heard a dry cough. The cook Bellamy had set his cracked glasses aside and haphazardly rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. The heat of the open fire made his brown hair even curlier, making him appear very young today. Whatever he was churning in the small pot over the fire smelled…edible. In Sebastian's mind, that was a vast improvement from when the late Marquis of Clare – Lady Elizabeth's dearly beloved Alan – first hired the man.

Sebastian cleared his throat with a click of his heels.

"Bellamy, what-"

"Oh, good mornin' sir! I was just goin' t' let off and come find you. I've gotten much better at breakfast I have." The cook wrung his hands as he noticed for the first time the congealing dough behind him. When Sebastian crossed his arms and raised a brow, Bellamy sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and held his hands out.

"Well…eh-heh I uh...maybe I ain't so good at it all yet but I'm goin' t' keep making progress."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and bent over to inspect the bottles of fresh milk that lay in a crate on the floor. He picked up the offending one and held it out to Bellamy.

"See here, Bellamy-"

"Eh? See what?"

"With your spectacles, Bellamy. Yes, those spectacles. Yours. You remember how to put them on?"

"Alrigh', sir… Gah! One of the bottles has a crack in it!"

"Indeed. When the deliveries come by in the morning, might I suggest you be wearing the spectacles?"

"Of course sir."

"Thank you."

"Anything else, sir."

"Yes. Try not to store an opened flour bag upside down. I'll need you to dispose of the empty burlap bag now that its contents are on the floor."

"Right away, sir. Just give me a minute t' get breakfast off the fire-"

"That's alright, Bellamy. I will take care of it for you." With a nod of his head the cook snatched the flour sack and headed outside.

When Bellamy returned, cleaner and with a bucket of warm water to mop up the mess, he found the kitchen spotless. The counters and tiles gleamed in the lamplight. Every wooden surface appeared freshly polished. He could see outside through the window. The rusty sink sparkled, and the water was clear when the cook turned on the faucet. The cauldron he used for breakfast lay near the sink, clean and dry. The shockingly pristine state of his kitchen might have killed the cook were he any less used to Sebastian.

"Here's the luncheon menu for you, Bellamy, at Lady Atherton's request. Miss Anne also thanks you for her porridge."

"I added cinnamon this time t' see if Miss Anne liked it. Did she?"

"Very much. Lady Atherton would also like me to convey to you that you have the evening off with her gratitude."

"Thank you, sir! And thanks t' Lady Atherton! The non-perishable items I went out for are in the pantry for you to deliver t' her ladyship. Anything else, sir?"

Sebastian pressed down on the bridge of his nose again and shook his head with a chuckle.

"Just try not create a disaster in the kitchen, in the event that our guest desires a tour. Dismissed."

Sebastian examined the non-perishable items – newspaper clippings announcing the mysterious death of one Ivan Filipovic, and a handful of diamonds from Elizabeth's most recent investment – and placed them on his mistress' desk in the library before returning to his daily rounds.

Bellamy was a fairly decent cook, but his talents would lie first and foremost with smuggling and disguises.

Aside from the kitchen incident, the black butler's preparations went off without a hitch, so much so that Sebastian accomplished all his duties and arrived in the main hall of the Atherton town home at precisely ten o'clock. Elizabeth entered the main hall from her library forty minutes later, expressing no surprise at Sebastian's earliness.

"Your preparations are well done, Sebastian."

"Thank you, my lady."

She absently smoothed the navy ruffled sleeves of her dress. As Elizabeth glided towards her butler, ruffles on the hem of her skirt subtly swished, held in check by the heavy draping fabric of the skirt that dripped from the tight black waist. At the top center of her starched white neckline rested a gilded cameo, obviously that of a man's profile. She caught him observing her and imperiously raised her brows.

"Have you some criticism to offer on my attire, Sebastian?"

"No my lady."

"Then stop staring."

"Of course, madam. My most sincere apologies…"

They waited in silence for the shrill chime of the doorbell, Elizabeth remaining rigidly upright and pointedly away from her butler. Sebastian maintained his detached countenance and kept his straight posture as well while they whittled each minute away. Finally a heavy fist made the front door shudder and Sebastian moved to answer. But the guest did not wait, and as the door flew open Elizabeth and Sebastian could see Lau wave at them cheerfully. Whilst her eyes were daggers aimed at the trade manager, Sebastian spared a glance down at the pale hand hidden in the subtle pocket in the first fabric fold near the waist. Just as swiftly as Lady Atherton had grasped it in preparation for a potential fight, the gilded dagger was secreted back into its sheath. His lips twitched despite himself. My, Elizabeth has greatly changed. Marvelous. Oblivious to it all, Lau stepped in, allowing the butler to close the door behind him, and hurried towards the mistress.

"Why hello, my lady!" He lunged as though he would envelope her in a big bear hug. Elizabeth swiftly stepped aside and watched with an amused smirk as Lau landed face first on the pristinely polished wooden floorboards.

"An absolute pleasure to see you again, Lau, and thank you so much for accepting my invitation. Shall we adjourn to the library?" He hopped back onto his feet and rubbed his sore nose. He ran an unsure hand over his jet black long hair and let it rest at the nape of his neck as he smiled at Elizabeth.

"I am very curious to see what sort of contract we can agree on, my lady." Elizabeth gestured to Sebastian, and he immediately strode down the hallway and opened the doors to the cozy library, glowing with the cheering warmth of a roaring fire. Lau followed her as she swept into the room and took the high backed chair closest to the fire while nodding for him to sit. When he leaned back into his chair, the glint of the flames reflected off of his silk robes and made her grimace distastefully.

"Could you not have chosen less…loud colors to visit us in, Lau? Surely they could spy you from Buckingham palace in that outfit." He smirked and raised his arms, the huge billowing bright orange and yellow sleeves reminiscent of an endangered tropical bird of the Amazon.

"I do really like these robes, Lady Atherton, and with the heavy rain outside I doubt any interested party would have taken notice if I'd arrived naked on your doorstep."

"Which, thank merciful God, did not happen…" Elizabeth mumbled reassuringly to herself, eyes cast heavenward as if asking for patience. Sebastian coughed and laid another ornate set in from of them, different from the tea set used for breakfast that morning. She nodded approvingly.

"An excellent choice, Sebastian. I thought the Herend chinoiserie lost."

"Of course not, madam. Please help yourself Lau."

Lau inspected his nails with a small absent smile as Elizabeth poured the strong brew. After a moment of holding the Chinese-pattern cup to her lips, Elizabeth frowned.

"You are a very busy man, Lau, and we both know this isn't a simple social visit designed to waste your time." Lau downed his portion in one greedy gulp and narrowed his eyes at her.

"I do not consider this 'wasting time'. No matter what business proposition you want to lay on the table something amusing will come of it, I'm sure. You intrigue me and entertain me. I do thoroughly enjoy being entertained…"

"So you would consider the continual suffering of my children to be amusing?" Lau said nothing but had the grace to blush a deep mortified red.

"Ah, no. The underbelly of your beloved Britannia is home to many dark creatures. But there are rules, you know. Leave the innocent alone; play by the rules, or you will suffer at the hands of all your fellow ne'er-do-wells… Funny, that. It seems that the Englishmen are the ones to break the most rules. Fine country you were born to, my lady." An insolent smirk on his face, Lau whistled the tune of "Rule, Britannia" in a cracked key. Sebastian watched his lady's pert little nose wrinkle.

"How…unimaginative. Regardless, I would appreciate having your services at my disposal. I am going to be doing some…rule-breaking."

"M-hmmm. I know."

"Well then, I should like you to please enlighten me on how to proceed." The Asiatic businessman made a choking sound in the back of his throat and tugged at his collar.

"Ahem. Yes, about that…" Lau's mouth dropped and Sebastian merely raised one corner of his wide mouth as Elizabeth laughed quietly.

"This is so like the days of my youth that it's absurd! You really have no clue what I am referring to, do you Lau?"

"Not in the slightest, my lady. Though I can surely agree that whatever intriguing little opportunity you have for me, I will not refuse."

"No? No…I suppose not." Just as suddenly her mouth hardened and her eyes flashed with some undefinable glint of emotion. Without warning she swished to her feet and coaxed an old map down from the wall behind her. Her index finger landed precisely on a name resting on the west bank of the Rhine.

"Lau, may I introduce to you the city of Mayence-"

"A pleasure to meet you, Mayence, but, my lady, what does this have to do with-"

"I am getting to that." Elizabeth reminded him testily, showing a bit of the famous impatience her mother possessed in spades. She gestured to the bold letters that spelled Germany above the city's name.

"Mayence is a German city, quite antiquated actually. The Romans established a fort with which to police the empire's northern frontier in the late first century B.C. Since the industrial laws are a tad more…relaxed in Germany, we will base our operations there. Tensions have been riding high among England's Western counterparts-"

"And Russia." Lau chuckled to himself at his little joke.

"My point, Lau, is that we have a fantastic opportunity to capitalize on these political "strains". I intend to close the late Lord Atherton's operation in Liverpool-" Lau drew in a sharp breath and narrowed his eyes until they were little more than slits. The gears of his ruthless businessman's mind were grinding at full speed now.

"I have several interests in Liverpool, interests that would remain much healthier if you did not pull one of the largest industries from the area."

"Ah, wait a moment. Atherton Company would still have its place in Liverpool, but two of the five manufacturing plants would be outsourced. I would outsource this industry to Mayence, and provide some rather…modern outfits in regards to the machinery. Think of the profits we would earn selling off our wares to the highest German bidder. Or French, given that the border is relatively close. Only 283 kilometers, which is passable. Sabastian, remind me, how long would the journey to Verdun be?"

"Approximately two hours and forty one minutes, my lady."

"Excellent. Thank you." Elizabeth paced towards Lau's chair and placed her hands on either armrest so she could study him. A grim smirk appeared.

"You will agree to this arrangement. I am offering to help you gain a foothold in two very economically viable nations, with connections to some of the largest expanses of colonies you could ever hope to gain access to. Your branch could expand into potentially four European states should the need arise for withdrawal to Luxembourg and Brussels. I am not requesting money. I am not even requesting that you dirty your hands. All I ask is your cooperation."

For a long moment Lau kept his narrowed eyes trained on Elizabeth's large sparkling irises. Her breaths were steady, which indicated a steady nerve, and he unconsciously nodded in approval. He cleared his throat and rasped one question.

"And what else?" Elizabeth arched an eyebrow and ran the tip of her tongue over her slightly parted upper lip. Her smile was meltingly slow and seductive in its deviousness. Her thin shoulders lifted and would have brushed her hair back had it been loose; her shrug was the epitome of elegance.

"Oh, perhaps a small share of stock in your operations in Kong Rong? Which I would gladly pay full market price for." His lips pursed for a split second as he glanced at Sebastian, his expression perfectly ambivalent.

"I assume you will not just be building cargo ships anymore? What items did you have in mind for this…German venture?" Sensing his agreement, Elizabeth leaned away from him and let her calculating smile widen.

"Arms, Lau. We are going to manufacture weapons-grade steel and arms. Top of the line, available to anyone and everyone who will pay the price, and of untraceable origin of course."

"Hmmm…" With a dismissive wave, a sigh, and a nod of his head, the shrewd businessman had disappeared and Lau offered a wan smile.

"My you've been a busy bird lately! What a chore you've put on my shoulders…but I was not disappointed. I like the sound of these games we are going to play." His childish enthusiasm was all they needed to become unspoken partners, and thus negotiations were concluded. Then came the endless plans, drawing up of maps and instructions, division of profits and statistical drudgeries that would have made a less determined lady's vision spin. Lau lingered for a much delayed lunch of vegetable stir fry, and even paused to watch young Anne Atherton, with a charmed and open expressiveness so like her mother's in her youth.

When he finally left, Elizabeth shooed her butler from her side with a wordless glare of dissatisfaction. She clutched her outdoors coat to her, sliding into it slowly as she scanned the sky outside for any threatening rain. When a pleading Anne reached her small arms up for her own coat, her rarely-indulgent mother allowed herself company on her brisk walk through the puddles of the private garden, still lush despite the chill and depressing autumn weather. Her heart panged with worry after her daughter started to sneeze, so the pair hustled inside swiftly. Blind trust practically radiating from Anne as she dumped her coat onto the floor of the entry hall. The precious child devotedly followed her mother to her boudoir, clung to her mother's skirts and climbed onto her lap. Elizabeth had barely finished retying the bonnet under the chin of Anne's porcelain doll when she swatted a thumb out of her daughter's mouth. Not unkindly, she smiled at her darling little girl.

"Anne, my dear, you are simply too old to suck on your thumb."

"But why, Mama?"

"Because, you are growing up to be a lovely young lady. Tell me, what do you think Grandmother would do if she ever saw me put my thumb in my mouth?" Anne gasped and giggled, wagging her tiny index finger at her mother. With a light kiss on the forehead Elizabeth sent her daughter off to rejoin her blissful tea party with her ceramic dollies and the soft stuffed bear she had received from her father less than a year ago. She and Edward had played together then, when they were all happy and healthy and in the same house. How her stomach sank when she yearned for the happiness they had together! Ridiculous games of make-believe, mock swordfights, nights reading by the fire in the library. Even Alan had joined in on Anne's tea parties. Her mother, surely, would have an apoplectic fit if she ever realized that she had married off her daughter to a man who thought nothing of munching imaginary crumpets and helped his daughter name her stuffed animals!

Elizabeth mounted the stairs with a sluggish gait, sighing as she heard the grandfather clock in the parlor announce six o'clock. The whole day had passed her by. Not even bothering to ring for her maid Brigit, Elizabeth strained to undo the buttons at her back. In less than ten minutes, she threw herself into the chair by her vanity with an irritable huff and began shaking out her carefully arranged hair. She would have to send for her maid. Her feet ached from the walking she'd forced herself to complete, and the corset she'd worn today had been so properly laced that her collar bones and shoulders blades were screaming in protest from a day of rigid posture. She rubbed at one shoulder hopelessly, only to gasp at the warmer, broader hand that replaced her hand and began to knead away the tension.

Mustering her strength, Lady Atherton's dagger was unsheathed in a blink, but a second hand clamped down on her other shoulder and kept her from whirling to slice the intruder to bits. A low chuckle shivered its way down her spine and made the hairs on her arms stand up. With a hiss through her teeth, she glowered at her mirror.

"An intricate blade, my lady. Should I be concerned about the use you might have for it, or is it only a precaution?"

"How dare you, Sebastian Michaelis?! You call yourself a butler?" His smile was indolent, his glowing amber gaze holding hers as he continued pressing deep into the sore muscles of her shoulders. A fingertip, too light for Elizabeth to convince herself that he was truly there, rested at the top button near her neck.

"My lady, please do permit me to get you ready for the night."

"If you wish to keep a proper job, sir, you will unhand me and quit the room!" At that moment he dug into the last painful knot in her left shoulder, and Lady Atherton stifled a moan of relief as she could finally slump over her dressing table. She clenched her fist angrily, but could not prevent Sebastian from prying her dagger out of her fingers and settling it gently on the table. The words had flown to Sebastian's ear before Elizabeth could stop herself.

"I shall never give anyone enough power to frighten me again."

"My lady?" He trailed down the line of buttons, releasing each from its clasp slowly.

"My son Edward loathes thunderstorms. A thunderstorm is what started his having fits. I remember thinking how large his eyes were for one so small that night."

"The night my lord-"

"Yes, Sebastian. He was only six, and he worshipped his father. I remember huddling against the window in this room, clutching Edward and Anne to me as I waited for the door to be broken down and our lives to be snuffed out. I could hear Alan cry out and…and a heavy thud…" Elizabeth swallowed visibly, but Sebastian uttered no sound. She straightened abruptly and wrenched her dagger out her butler's slack grip.

"I will not cower in fear of my life again."

"Do you truly believe a letter opener would aid you in that goal? Truly my lady?" Sebastian could feel his throat drying, his anticipation was so great. He brushed a sure hand down the undergarments Lady Atherton wore with an unholy look of glee. Ask more questions, push her farther. You could finally have a new contract, a new soul to feed your own starving one.

"I have studied archery, strategy and fencing from a young age Sebastian. The heirs of Middleton are not dainty flowers."

"Then why is it that you do not feel safe in your own home?"

"I am not afraid. I am keeping watch." The devil could sense in her soul that she lied. He leaned forward, about to offer her the contract. Elizabeth spoke again.

"But if I were, I would never turn to you, Sebastian, nor anyone else. I do not doubt your skills, but after Ciel…" Just as soon as it had enveloped him in its beastly talons, the hunger to ensnare a fresh soul died and Sebastian felt hollowed out. An alien feeling gnawed at him. Was it..guilt?! One hand squeezing her right shoulder, he firmly twisted a long golden wave around his hand.

"I want to cut all of this off." Elizabeth only glowered.

"I beg your pardon?" He chuckled darkly like the demon he was, without giving so much as a thought to reigning himself in. He placed his other hand at the nape of her neck, slid his fingers down in a caress.

"You say you shall never allow fear again. What if I produced a pair of shears this very instant? Would you be afraid, seeing the sharp blade so close to your veins, hearing the rusty rasp as I cropped your hair so that it curled around those small ears?" Elizabeth shivered but continued to glare. Sebastian leaned closer to her ear.

"In that moment, when you waited for death, did you feel the absolute thrill, the rush of knowing the scaly hand of a grim reaper might be reaching towards you? Admit it, you loved that fear as much as you hated it." For an instant the mask of anger fell away and Sebastian saw what he had sensed when he'd first seen the Midford seal upon her carriage that fateful day. She was Miss Elizabeth again, Ciel Phantomhive's fiancé, childish, optimistic, fearful, angry, and electrified. What an expressive little soul! A culinary mecca to be sure. Sebastian leaned down towards her neck like a vampire would advance towards its prey. Elizabeth jolted as if suddenly waking up and elbowed him hard in his ribs. Though it had no real effect, the butler released her just the same. She rose as gracefully as she could with her hair down and her dress completely open in the back.

"The next time your…lecherous tendencies threaten to control you, I suggest you remember that we have not yet made a formal contract, Sebastian Michaelis. As for fear…"

It was the first time in hundreds, perhaps a thousand years that Sebastian heard his black heart beating in his chest. Its rhythm pounded into his lungs and sent a rush of blood through his veins as Lady Atherton yanked him close and pressed her soft lips to his, her teeth grazing his bottom lip. She ran her thumb along his jaw quickly, efficiently. Just as swiftly she yanked on his black hair, jerking him back, and pushed him away. Pausing to grimace in mock disdain, Elizabeth roughly wiped her mouth and gestured to the door.

"That slight impropriety was quite terrifying. Now get out. You will be nowhere near my rooms until breakfast time tomorrow morning." He bowed without hesitation, attempting to mask his disbelief with his casual smile.

"Of course my lady." He swept into the hallway without as much as a backward glance. He strode away from his mistress' room with his tongue gliding over his fangs. The butler did not take heed of the ominous storm brewing outside, premature flashes of lightning already ripping through the churning clouds. For a demon, nothing superseded the promise of sating hunger. His next meal was going to be the scrumptious Elizabeth Midford Atherton, and he couldn't help but whispering fiercely to himself as he descended the staircase.

"Mine!"