Chapter 8: Confrontation from the Past

What had once been a perfect summer day now transgressed into a forbidding nightmare, repeatedly casting its foul feelings onto the inhabitants of London. White lightening crackled perilously through the sky and the winds blew with such force that the branches scraped the windows of the mansion. The thunder clapped as if Zeus himself was stringing a harp forcefully, pushing out melodies. The weather had changed so suddenly that the couple was caught off guard in the middle of the park and had to run into a nearby market store for shelter. Now, they sat in the carriage, bumping about to Phantomhive manor. Elizabeth was soaked through and through, and her once tightly curled hair was not dripping wet and clinging to her face like a wet leaf. Ciel sat across from her, he was soaked as well. He also looked extremely cross, looking out the window and cursing under his breath the change in events.

"Such damned foul weather this is…" He mumbled. Elizabeth laughed softly and pulled the warm blanket closer around her. Sebastian had arrived at just the right time before the storm had reached the worse. Now they were almost there, she could see the iron gates of Phantomhive manor. As she looked out the window, she noticed a patch of earth she had never seen before.

I did not know Ciel had a vineyard…since when was he interested in wine? Oh…but of course…everything has changed…yes it has.

The carriage rolled to a stop before the great marble steps.

"Young Master?" Sebastian called. Elizabeth yelped as a cold wind strongly shook the carriage, chilling her to the bone. Ciel took his blanket off himself and wrapped Elizabeth in it. Suddenly the door swung open, and Sebastian held out his hand.

"Lady Elizabeth!"

"Ah! Sebastian!" Elizabeth yelled through the rain and wind. Sebastian swept her in his arms, hurriedly walked up the steps to the mansion. The large doors swung open, the servants ready with blankets and towels.

"Bard, take the carriage to the garage. I don't want it to ruin in this rain." Bard nodded and ran out the doors, closing them shut behind him.

"Oh, Miss Elizabeth! You're shivering!" Maylene cried, rubbing the young woman's shoulders.

"It's just the rain, Maylene! I've been through worse I'm afraid." Elizabeth smiled reassuringly. Ciel's expression held a measure of confusion for a moment, as if he wanted to ask her something.

"Young master, I have prepared a fire in the drawing room. If you and Lady Elizabeth are ready you may change into dry clothes."

Elizabeth sat on the red velvet couch, watching Ciel poke at the fire. She smiled as he nudged the burnt wood with the iron, listening to him relate his most recent cases. However, she couldn't help but notice these cases were incredibly trivial compared to the more serious ones he often undertook.

He still treats me as if I am an innocent child ignorant of the world and all its evils. I know that he is only trying to protect me, but truly now. I am almost twenty years old!

Ciel turned to her, meeting her green eyes directly. Elizabeth wanted to so deeply decipher what was behind that glass skin, what he was so toughly hiding in his mind. There was something seemingly dark about her childhood friend, cousin and love that she could not understand. Since he had been missing for several months he had never been the same. He almost never smiled, never laughed except mockingly and coldly.

Why…is there always such a dark coldness about him? What happened those months that changed him so much?

"Elizabeth." Hearing her name being called, she smiled pleasantly, gazing at the man before her. No matter what he had been through, her love for him would never weaken.

"You should retire. You looked weary." Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

"Sebastian, assist her to the guest room please."

She roused, just barely catching the scream that began to pick up in her throat. Ever since returning to England, she had to continually remind herself at night…she was no longer in St. Josephina Augusta School and that there were not hundreds of natives surrounding her. There was no fire and no ash. Exhaling slowly, she sat up and pushed the covers aside. The bedroom was gloomy with the sporadic flash of lightening and a small wavering candle on the ledge of the hearth. Elizabeth lay back in the bed, allowing her legs to dangle over the side. But then, a slight noise in the corner of the room alerted her senses. She jolted up, stiffening.

"It's…only the shadow because of the storm…yes…that's all it is." Elizabeth wrung her hands together nervously. Suddenly from the darkness a hand covered her mouth! She tried to scream, but the sound was muffled by the gloved hand. The unknown assailant powerfully dragged her across the bed by pulling her ankles. She kicked and tossed but was no match for the powerful person. In her mind she was screaming out for help, for anyone to come in and save her! Trepidation took over her body as she felt rope wrapping around her. Thrusting her foot forward it came in contact with a face, presumably propelling him off the bed. Taking this slight chance, Elizabeth leapt off the bed and ran to the door, pounding loudly.

"Ciel!" She turned her back to the door, scanning the room. Five figures seemed to come up from the shadows, menacing and cruel. A flash of lightening gave her the change to see who they really were. Five men, Indians and covered in tattoos.

What are they doing here? Are they slave traders? Impossible…no slave trader is crazy enough to actually break into a noble's house! Those tattoos…they mean something! I swear I've seen then before! They…they look like circus performers!

"Who are you? I demand you tell me your names!" She yelled.

"She's got som' fightn' in er bones!" One man yelled. He lunged at her. Elizabeth quickly bent down, pulling out a dagger from her under her night gown managed to scrape the man's hands. He howled in pain, watching the blood flow from his fingers.

"Oi! Where'd ya hide somting's like tat thing? You're a trick'sty one!" Elizabeth pointed the dagger at the remaining men.

"I will spare no one! Do you know who I am? How dare you cowardly come to attack me?" She seethed. The men all came towards her at once, trying to circle around her. She dodged and twisted around them, the dagger flying smoothly in her hand. The men screamed in pain backing away from her.

"I am Elizabeth Middleford! Daughter of Marquis Alexis Middleford! Leader of the Queen's Head Knights!"

The floor was stained with the crimson red of blood, her hands were dirtied. Elizabeth now stood tall as never before, beautiful and menacing.

"Oi! Knock er' out will ya' Jake? She almost sliced me han'off!" The second man yelled. Loudly from inside the room, she heard the sound of clapping hands. Elizabeth heard the creaking of the window seal. The bedroom window was wide open.

I don't remember that being-! Suddenly, everything went black. Elizabeth's body fell to the floor, unconscious.

The man named Jake turned to his injured assailants.

"Even though she is the daughter of a distinguished knight, I cannot believe you all couldn't take one small woman. Was that special experiment wasted on you?"

"Elizabeth!" The bedroom doors burst open. Ciel stood in the doorway, holding a pistol. His eyes widened at the sight of the bedroom, the blood on the floor…Elizabeth! Her body lay sprawled on the ground, splotches of blood on the carpet near her head. Ciel could hardly contain the fury that seemed to cultivate within of him. Seeing her body lay so helplessly, and all because of the monsters that had dared attacked her! He held the pistol tighter, shaking with rage.

Jake bowed and grinned.

"My, my, my, I never would have guessed that this was the honorable Earl Phantomhive's estate! Please pardon my useless half-breeds. They still find it hard to deal with their thirst for pretty women."

"Who the hell are you?" Ciel asked evenly, trying not to show the edge in his voice.

"The name is Jake. Jake Asphalt. I am but a humble man."

"What business do you have here? Why did you try to abduct Elizabeth?" Jake frowned and motioned towards the open window. The men began moving towards the window, never turning their backs to Ciel. Jake picked up Elizabeth, throwing her over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"That is something I cannot tell you Earl."

"Perhaps you can compensate with your life." Ciel removed the eye patch.

"Sebastian." A lone figure emerged from the shadows, slight amusement in its voice.

"Kill them, young Master?" Ciel dropped the pistol on the carpet and turned to leave the room.

"Burn and bury them when you are finished."

Sebastian cautiously observed the five bodies lying supine on the cold basement floor. His face held an expression of confusion, not a very common gaze that the demon had. He was anxious…Sebastian was hardly ever confused or concerned…so this was a tremendous matter without a doubt. Sebastian's thoughts were sprinting a mile a second as the realization of what precisely he stood looking at developed into fact. Everything within his awareness told him it was impossible…But nothing is truly impossible is it?

Getting those inoperable servants to accomplish their jobs properly is an outright impossible task.

"Their physiques are human indeed much like mine." He spoke aloud, trying to find the right words. He removed the sheet from the first man, the one that had tried to jump with Lady Elizabeth. He carefully felt the man's head and then down to his chest.

"I sense his aura is that of a demon, yet something as diminutive as having an arm torn off and a blade thrown in his skull should not have killed him. I was prepared for an all-out bout after I recognized his scent was that of my own kind…"

"Now that you smell it what are you going to do about it?" Sebastian turned to see his young Master leaning against the wine barrels. Ciel analyzed the bodies with a livid contemplation.

"Why didn't you notice them before they even crossed the threshold of the courtyard? Did you fall asleep?" Ciel probed his disposition clearly condescending.

"I apologize, young Master."

"You'd better damned well apologize. Elizabeth was almost abducted. How did you not detect them?"

"It gives the impression…that it would be exceptionally problematic to explain, young Master." Ciel walked towards the dead men and nudged one with his boot.

"Curiosity isn't it? He's covered in tattoos…something a circus performer would get. They are also Indians…" Ciel uncovered the body of another man; his fingers had been sliced clean off.

When I entered the room, there was blood on the carpet and on the bed. I mistook it for Elizabeth's but after I looked closely…the men were the ones harmed. Elizabeth…what did you do? Is there more…I don't know about you?

Ciel observed the body closely…those tattoos. He could swear he had seen them before!

"Perhaps, young Master this will cause you to recall those memories?" Sebastian turned the man on his stomach and lifted his shirt. On his lower back a brand was burned, much like the one Ciel had. Ciel backed away in disgust at the sight of the brand.

"I thought I rid the world of his uncouth scent years ago…"

"Apparently, young Master someone must be carrying on his interests."

Ciel quietly opened the doors to the master bedroom, trying not to alert the sleeping girl in his bed. The dark green drapes covered the windows, so little light came through. Ciel sat in the plush chair next to the bed. Elizabeth's chest rose and fell with even breaths. He was happy that she was finally sleeping peacefully. Ciel bit his lip, drawing blood as he thought about what had taken place just hours before. One small candle was lit on the end table, illuminating Elizabeth's tear streaked face.

This…was a personal attack intended for me.

Ciel was livid, so livid he could scarcely breathe. Never in his life had he experienced such rage! He could feel his blood boil; it had been a long time since he had experienced such fury. How dare they attack Elizabeth! How dare they so cowardly stoop low to get to him!

Elizabeth stirred in her sleep, turning on her side and hugged the pillow. Ciel could not fathom that his dearly beloved cousin caused the bloody mess in that room.

Elizabeth had to fight…she had to spill blood…

Ciel clutched the bed sheets tightly…why…why? The one person who resembled his innocent self…had now been defiled. Ciel realized deep inside the men had done more than just assault a loved one; they had corrupted the one entity that represented Ciel's innocent self…they had stabbed him in the very heart. Ciel gazed at the women lying on the bed, looking at those hands that had trickled blood.

The past never really goes away…does it?

Hello! So I'm super happy about this chapter! I know it is a bit early, but tomorrow I have like three assignments I need to work on and this weekend I plan on relaxing my busy self. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing the chapters and telling me what you think! I appreciate the reviews and encouragement. I'm glad to know that so many people are favoriting and adding me to their author's list! Thank you, everyone! Please continue to read and enjoy! Please continue to review! :) As of right now, my most popular stories are "If Only You Knew" and "His Butler".