Chapter Forty

Wench Butler. Photogenic Bride

Summer evenings in London were always on the chilly side, but they were still filled with life as people walked through the streets and the gaslamps were turned on. One such place that still had the lights on was a small studio, Turner's Photographs.

"Have a nice evening, thank you."

A young couple walked out of the shop, and they started walking down the street. The woman clapped her hands together and smiled.

"Oh, I do hope they come out well," she said.

Her husband smiled back at her.

"How could they not? After all, you were the subject, darling. Surely, the likeness can be nothing short of gorgeous."

She blushed at his words and latched onto his arm.

"Darling!"


High above their heads, atop a tall pyre, Grell stood watching them. His red coat swayed in the wind.

"A lovers' song, destined to end in death," he said woefully.


The couple continued to walk, and a series of flickering sparks followed them.


Grell smirked.

"A lilting melody singed by sparks of pain."


The sparks crept up on the young wife, and soon, her body was completely alight. She let out the most horrific scream as her flesh was burned to ashes.

"Ellen!" her husband cried.

People were starting to gather around them. The husband took off his coat and tried to douse the flames with it, but it only caught fire. One of her white shoes came off in the scuffle. Ellen tried to reach out for him, and he grasped her burning hand. It came away as a pile of ashes. They fell through the man's fingers. The poor woman, charred to a crisp, fell into dust. The husband wept for his dear bride.


Spinning on the pyre, the Reaper smirked widely.

"Thus, the music closes, the fierce fiery finery of death!"


At the Phantomhive manor, tea was being served for Ciel.

"This afternoon, we have green tea from the Congra Valley. On the side, you will find a gooseberry and elderflower jelly." Sebastian explained.

Ciel took a bite of the jelly, and sighed.

"I suppose it will do," he said.

"I'm glad you find it satisfactory. When you are finished, there is work to be done."

The boy looked up from his dessert.

"Oh?"

Sebastian placed a silver tray in front of him. Lying on top of it was a letter with Her Majesty's seal.

Marianne sat opposite Ciel while Sebastian poured more tea.

"People being burnt alive?" she asked. "I think I saw something about that in the paper."

"About the rash of crimes in London." Sebastian agreed. "I'm told there was another last night."

Ciel didn't look up from the letter as he spoke.

"There was. And naturally, Her Majesty grieves for those who have been afflicted, and for her citizens who live in fear."

He made a sound as Sebastian placed the teacup down on the desk.

"Is there something else wrong, my child?" the demon asked.

Ciel offered him the letter and let him read.

"'We find these events unsavoury. Our course is quite clear. We shall leave the matter to the Dog and the Spider.'" Sebastian turned to the boy. "That's an odd statement."

Ciel took a sip of his tea.

"It sounds as if she's saying this sort of incident has happened before," he said.

Sebastian looked back to the letter.

"Yes, Ciel. It seems so. And who is this Spider?" he said.

Marianne wrinkled her nose and suppressed a shudder.

"A name that already leads me to dislike them. I have always had a hatred of spiders. I can't stand being in the same room as them, knowing they're scuttling about."

Ciel nodded his head.

"Spider… I can't recall ever hearing of such a person." He took another sip before setting down his tea. "Well, there's no use sitting here anyway. We'll see to the Queen's concerns, that must always be our priority. We'll head to London."

Sebastian bowed.

"I will begin the preparations."

Ciel got out of his chair and made to leave the study. He stopped for a moment to speak to Sebastian.

"One more thing. Be careful that Prince Soma doesn't catch wind of what we're doing. This is the sort of thing he will try and butt his nose into. We don't need him or Agni for that."

Sebastian chuckled.

"I doubt there's any need to worry."

The boy sighed.

"I almost said Madame Red for a moment."

He ducked out of the room before the demon or his mate could say anything.


Later that evening, they left the manor in a carriage. Ciel stared out of the window, and watching as the large mansion grew smaller.

"We don't like learning there's a part of my family's past of which I know nothing," he sighed.

"It's only natural." Sebastian responded. "You were forced to assume the earldom at an early age, Ciel. Surely there was much your father was unable to pass onto you."

"I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity though." Ciel turned to the window again. "If I can resolve the situation in which my father was embroiled, word will spread throughout the criminal underworld like wildfire. That should be what I need to draw them out of hiding."

Marianne looked up from her lap, and adjusted her black hat. It had been a while since she'd worn her wig and bindings, so she was sweating heavily under her clothes.

"Are you speaking of the people who killed your parents, or the people who interfered with your transition?" she asked.

Ciel jolted, realising his memories had scrambled themselves again.

"Sorry, I keep slipping into the thought that the contract is still in place. I feel like I can't stop trying to find the ones who interfered with my life. And we can't leave until they have been dealt with," he said.

Sebastian smirked.

"So, you intend to use yourself as bait."

The boy nodded his head.

"This began with people hurting my pride, and I was the one to end it. And now, they have interfered with what should have been my end. I will drag them into the open and make them pay for messing with us, for messing with this family. Nothing will stop me."

"And what will you do if the culprits have already perished?" the demon asked.

"Nothing changes." Ciel answered. "I'll tear the truth from their buried, rotten flesh if I have to. Simple as that."

Sebastian's smirk only grew wider.

"Now, that's my boy. A true Phantomhive. A true demon."


The following morning, Aberline was standing over the scorch mark left by the dead woman.

"The people have a theory," he said. "They say the victims took too much to drink and combusted."

He scratched his unshaven chin, his small moustache tickled under his nose as Randall shouted at him.

"The Yard doesn't go by gossip! Go find some evidence!"

Aberline nodded his head and ordered the officers away to begin the search.

As they disappeared, Randall knelt down and took a closer look at the crime scene.

"Having a little trouble are we, Sir Arthur?" Ciel called out.

Randall's eyes widened before turning his head to see the boy and his two butlers. Ciel was holding the letter from the Queen.

"Ciel Phantomhive," he groused.

Ciel smirked.

"Let's hear about the investigation so far."

Randall got to his feet as they stepped towards him. He sighed through his nose before he spoke.

"There's no progress to mention as of yet."

Ciel arched a brow.

"So, how do these differ from the previous incidents?" he asked. "Or perhaps, everything happened exactly the same? There have been similar crimes before."

Randall huffed.

"So, then you do know."

"Actually, not until now. You confirmed it."

The man jolted when he realised he had spilled it. A growl tore through his teeth.

"Now that's settled," said Ciel. "Show me the old casefile."

Randall shook his head.

"There's nothing left of it."

"Nothing?"

"Not a page. And even if there were, I couldn't show it to you."

Ciel stepped back and pondered the new information.

There aren't any records left?

"Scotland Yard will find who's responsible for this, and their motives. We'll determine how it's connected to the old cases as well. You aren't needed here." Randall said firmly.

The boy smirked.

"I hope you're right, Sir. Let's go, Sebastian, Edward."


He turned around to see Sebastian mesmerised by a grey cat and her litter of kittens. The mother had happily taken residence in Marianne's lap while her kittens clambered all over her.

"Those round eyes, so perfectly innocent of this world's filth. That tail, childish yet somehow noble. Those paws, pale pink and perfect." Sebastian rambled as one of the kittens attempted to play with his finger.

Marianne chuckled as she stroked the mother's back.

"And they are so cute and fluffy," she cooed.

As Ciel watched them, he facepalmed, shaking his head at their cat obsession.


Just then, Aberline came running up to Randall.

"Chief Inspector, we weren't able to find any notable evidence," he said.

Sebastian looked up from the cats.

"Master, my apologies. I was distracted by these charming kittens. Shall we?" he said, getting to his feet.

Ciel walked past briskly.

"Say good day to your feline friends!" he ordered.

The demon helped Marianne to her feet and they followed after the boy.

Randall snarled to himself.

"A menace, otherwise known as the Queen's Guard Dog. It seems he's come back to London."

Aberline said nothing, but tipped his hat at Ciel's retreating back.


The trio sat in their carriage.

"He's a most unpleasant man." Sebastian sighed. "What shall we do?"

Ciel leant his elbow against the window bracket.

"Well, if the Yard is no help, then there's only one thing to do," he said.

Marianne pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache start to build in the back of her skull.

"Lovely… An afternoon surrounded by coffins and embalmed corpses. What's not to love?"


They went to Undertaker's, and managed to make him laugh. So much so that the sign outside came crashing to the ground.

"Startled, the woman dropped her copy of Bleak House. 'Careful!' she cried. 'You scared the Dickens out of me!'" Sebastian finished the joke and bowed. "Thank you, that is all I have this evening."

Marianne chuckled quietly under her breath. Undertaker, who had fallen behind his table, clambered upright and smirked at them.

"That was brilliant! Everything from the words down to the delivery, you are truly a comic genius!" he cackled. "The finest act I've seen in quite some time."

Ciel scowled.

"That might just have been the worst joke I've ever heard in my life," he commented.

Undertaker clamped his hands down onto the boy's shoulders.

"Which in itself is something special. I shall have to keep my end of the bargain, shan't I?"

He placed down a glass vial filled with sparkling grey powder. Ciel looked at him in confusion.

"What are you playing at?" he asked. "I asked for a corpse from the arson case."

Marianne shook her head and grimaced.

"Ciel, I think the arson was so bad that the victim was literally burnt to ashes. That is simply all that's left," she explained.

"Your little butler's right." Undertaker laughed. "It's all in this little vial. Well, most of it. I scraped up everything I could from the crime scene. After the fire was done with the victim, there was nothing left behind for me to collect but these ashes."

He tossed the bottle to Ciel, who caught it with one hand. The boy stared at thee glittering contents.


In an open casket, surrounded by white lilies, was a single white shoe. Watching from outside the four-foot hole, the husband's hands were wrapped in bandages as he watched over the coffin as the lid closed. Ciel, Sebastian and Marianne stood at the back of the procession. The demon looked across the cemetery.

"Look, Ciel," he said.

They saw a respectable couple approach the mourners. The man had brown hair tucked under a bowler hat and glasses balanced on the bridge of his wide nose. He had a black wrapped parcel with him. The woman's dark blond hair was scraped back and tucked under a small black veil. She carried a black parasol. The man stepped forward.

"Pardon me, I'm Turner, the photographer," he said.

The procession parted to allow him to reach the husband.

"Excuse the intrusion," he said. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

He unwrapped the parcel, a single photograph stared back at them.

"I've brought the last picture that was taken of your dear wife." Turner showed him the picture. "Here you are, Sir."

"She seemed like such a nice woman," said Mrs Turner. "Our condolences, Sir."

Tears streamed down the husband's face as he tried to pick up the photograph. But his bandaged hands hindered him, and the frame dropped to the ground with a loud smash. Mrs Turner continued to smile.

"She was truly beautiful. Such a great loss."

The Turners bowed and made their departure. They made to walk past Ciel, Sebastian and Marianne. A flicker of sparkling dust trailed after them. The trio looked at one another and nodded their heads.


At the town house, Ciel was sat in his study, preparing his gun. Sebastian knocked on the door and stepped inside, followed by Marianne.

"Ciel?" the demon called out.

The boy looked up from his work.

"I've identified the substance found in the ashes." Sebastian explained. "It matches the sample we gathered from the photographer and his wife."

He showed the vial of glittering silver dust.

"These are flecks of magnesium oxide, a by-product of photography. It's made for the flash powder that photographers use to capture their images."

Ciel arched a brow.

"Photography, huh?"

Marianne nodded her head.

"We were able to get information on the import of such products from Lau," she added.


"Really, a butler and a chemist, are we?" Lau teased, stroking Ran Mao's leg. The phone rested between his shoulder and his ear. "Ah, yes, you're right. A shipment of magnesium did indeed arrive at the dock lands the other day."

He checked through the pages.

"Let's see, it was bound for a London portrait studio. From the looks of it, they're letting in quite a storm. They purchased an entire ship's worth."

Placing the book down, he adjusted the phone.

"You have me curious. What are you investigating?"


Ciel steeped his fingers.

"Surely, that's more than they would need for their flash powder."

Sebastian nodded his head as he reached into his tailcoat pocket.

"Quite," he agreed. "And in addition, the victims had something in common. I've taken a look at the history of all those who were burned. There's a connection between the women; they all recently had their wedding photos taken. Odd, no?"

"Can you guess where they all went?" Marianne asked.

"Turner's Studio." Ciel answered.

He clicked the magazine into place and got to his feet.

"Let's get moving, this is no coincidence. That couple is involved."

Sebastian smirked and bowed.

"Yes, my child."


Turner's Studio was on fire. Inside, Mr Turner was on the floor, bleeding from a head wound. Mrs Turner, on the other hand, was perfectly happy. She was sprinkling magnesium oxide everywhere, humming an out-of-tune melody. Turner groaned and looked up at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She glared down at him.

"You ogre! Useless, hideous man! Ever since I made the mistake of marrying you, I've waited. Never a moment of burning passion!" she yelled. She picked up a camera. "I'm done taking portraits of happy women!"

Taking his picture, she watched as he burst into flames and cackled.

"There's fire at last! It's my turn for happiness!"

She ran out of the studio, camera in hand, and continued to sprinkle the magnesium like it was confetti.


The Phantomhive carriage pulled up, and the trio immediately leapt out and gave chase.

"Is that who I think it is?" Ciel asked.

"That's Mrs Turner, from the photography studio." Marianne answered.

Mrs Turner turned towards them.

"Oh yes!" she cried. "I'll find my happiness now!"

She snapped a picture, and the magnesium oxide exploded in the air. Sebastian grabbed Ciel and Marianne and pushed them to the ground. Ciel looked over at the flames.

"That camera must be her ignition device. She has to be stopped! Capture her!" he ordered.

The demon bowed his head.

"Indeed, Ciel."

He gave chase. Mrs Turner continued her path of sprinkling magnesium oxide. She turned into an alley, and Sebastian followed her, Ciel and Marianne close behind.


Just then, Grell leapt down from the roof, Death Scythe whirring loudly. The demon blocked the Reaper's strike with his silver knives. Ciel touched Marianne's hand as he stared at the mass of red before him.

"All that colour, he was the one to kill Madame Red, wasn't he?" he said softly.

"Yes, it was," she answered.

There was an explosion from the building opposite, which shook them out of their thoughts. Sebastian glared up at Grell.

"I thought it was you," he said.

Grell smirked.

"I've been simply dying to see you, sweet Bassy!"

The demon pushed against the spinning blades.

"So, Grell, you've been pulling the strings behind the scenes, eh?"

"I've pulled nothing more than the red strings of fate that connect our hearts together, Bassy!"

Sebastian spun away, and slammed his heel into Grell's head with a loud crunch. The Reaper dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. He grasped his head painfully.

"How could you?!" he cried. "I'm so dainty!"

The woman shook her head.

"Oh please, you act like he's never done that before. And you are not dainty by any means."

Grell snapped his head towards her.

"Who asked you?!"

Sebastian smirked.

"No need to be offended. You struck first."

"I just took an affectionate swipe at you out of excitement! I didn't mean any harm by it! I was only following that pig!" Grell cried.

The demon arched a brow.

"So, you're after her too?"

Ciel then stepped forward.

"The freak is collecting souls again then?" he asked.

"Regrettibly, yes." Sebastian answered. "It is the job of a Grim Reaper."

The boy snorted.

"I'd almost say you two have something in common. But I had rather not let tempers flare right now."

"Oh?" Grell asked. "Why's that?"

"Would you really like to stand between a demon and his wife?"


The Reaper froze at those words.

"W-W-W-W-Wife?!"

Marianne shook her head and strode over to Sebastian, who was explaining the current situation.

"There has been a recent spate of crime. I imagine that's what brought you here. The sudden increase in souls."

Grell shook himself and got close to Sebastian.

"I'm sure my workload will decrease with you on the case though. Se-ba-stian! Our amourous adventure can begin anew!"

He tried to grab hold of the demon, but Sebastian deftly dodged his advances.


More explosions were heard in the distance.

"We don't have time to fool with him!" Ciel cried as he ran out of the alley.

Sebastian and Marianne followed, dodging over Grell as they did so. They made to go through the flames but the Reaper blocked them.

"Leap through these flames! Gather me in your arms, and hold me tight, dearest one!" he cried.

Sebastian picked up Marianne and ran straight over Grell.

"Excuse me, I would rather not have my wife sully her shoes with your foulness."

They continued to move through the fire as the Reaper cried out to them from his position on the ground.

"Please come back to me! Don't leave me, Sebastian!"

The woman looked up at her mate.

"Does he just block out the word wife from his hearing, or is he just ignoring it?" she asked.

"Who really knows with him?" Sebastian replied.


Randall and his officers were running through the streets, helping out the panicked citizens as best they could.

"Evacuate the citizens upwind of the fire!" Sir Arthur ordered.

As his officers followed his orders, he stared up at Nelson's Column.

"This town always seems so easy to set ablaze."


Mrs Turner continued to set people on fire with the magnesium oxide and her camera flash. Sebastian spotted her, having placed Marianne on her feet, and chased after her. Grell followed close behind. The demon saw the woman duck into an alley, but found nothing when he stared into the mouth of it.

"Oh, what a shame!" Grell cried. "Did you let her get away?"

Sebastian smirked.

"Hello again, Grell. Don't you have work you need to be attending to?" he asked.

"I am a hunter of love seeking my favourite game! That's the only work I care about right now, darling." Grell brushed his hair out of his face. "Besides, it's a slow night. I only have one soul to reap."

"One soul? But how?" Sebastian asked.

Grell nodded his head and showed the demon his To-Die List.

"Margaret Turner's time is up at five past midnight. It says she goes on a killing spree of some sorts. After which, she burns herself to death," he explained. "She's the only soul in the ledger. No one else is scheduled to be reaped by me tonight. So, I'm as free as a bird."

Sebastian arched a brow.

"But, what about all the people she's setting on fire?" he asked.

"She uses fire of a very special sort." Grell answered. "When she kills people, their souls burn away with them."


Marianne and Ciel managed to make their way to the foot of Big Ben. Her hands rested on the boy's shoulders as they looked around in their search.

"Where did you go, Turner?" he asked himself.

Marianne saw the sparkle of magnesium oxide flash before her eyes. She turned her head towards Big Ben.

"She's gone up there! The vantage she'll get from there will allow her to burn everything in sight," she cried.

They ran for the entrance and began to climb up the stairs.

As they went past on of the windows on the way up, the flash powder sparked outside, and exploded, bringing a shower of glass over them. One shard sliced through the lower string of Ciel's eye patch. Marianne checked his face for blood and sighed with relief when there wasn't a single drop.

"Come on, let's keep going."

The two of them ran up the next set of stairs.


Mrs Turner stood at the top of Big Ben, laughing as she showered more magnesium oxide down onto the streets below.

"Now, you'll all find happiness too!" she cried. "Yes, happiness all around!"

At her feet were a collection of empty barrels that had once been filled with the stuff. Ciel emerged from the stairs and pulled out his gun.

"Put down the barrel!" he ordered.

Mrs Turner slowly lowered her latest barrel. Marianne removed her dagger from its sheath and stood behind Ciel.

"Oh, so, you're another interloper?" Mrs Turner responded as she picked up her camera. "Come to take away my happiness?"

Marianne arched a brow.

"Have you gone completely mad, woman?! How could you possibly find happiness from this? Or is it because you are making people suffer so your happiness seems larger than it is compared to them?" she asked.

Mrs Turner snarled and gripped the flashbulb in her hand.

"I'll find it!" she cried. "My time has finally come! He told me so!"


An explosion went off above Big Ben's clock. Sebastian and Grell approached from the ground and saw the black smoke billowing out from behind the glass. The demon saw Ciel and Marianne backing away from Mrs Turner and her exploding camera.

"Ciel! Marianne!" he gasped.

"Quite a development!" Grell laughed. "Who knew pigs could climb so high?"


Marianne pulled Ciel out of the way of another explosion, and sent them crashing to the floor. He got to his feet and glared at the mad woman.

"A little brat like you could never understand what it's like to be married to a man you don't even love!" she yelled.

"Why the Hell did you marry him in the first place then?!" Marianne shouted.

She and Ciel were backed against a pillar. Ciel kept his gun level with the woman's chest. Mrs Turner continued as though Marianne hadn't spoken.

"All I want is to feel burning passion for a man! I'll find that! And I'll fry anyone who stands in my way!"

Ciel couldn't hold back his laughter.

"You're absolutely pathetic," he sneered. "Do something instead of whining! Regrets accomplish nothing! Wallowing in self-pity like that is despicable! You're no better than a filthy pig!"


Sebastian stared up at his child as he listened to the boy shout.

Your future's been stolen. Dreams have been shattered. You had been left with nothing but despair. He smiled to himself. Yet you face the reality, and fight for a different future, never once losing your nobility.

"Yes, that's it, my child. That's the quality of soul I want to make the transition," he said softly.


Mrs Turner shook violently as she stared at Ciel.

"A pig?" she said. "A pig, am I? How dare you call me something so foul?!"


The clock rang midnight. Sebastian adjusted his gloves with a smirk.

"Now then, I should be hurrying," he said, turning to look at Grell. "I believe you said Mrs Turner would burn herself to death at five past."

The Reaper looked at him in confusion.

"Wait a minute, what are you getting at?" he asked.

"Following My Lord's command." Sebastian answered. "He ordered me to capture her, so that is what I shall do."

"You've arrived at the party too late for that."

The demon smiled.

"I'm never too late to follow an order from My Master. If I was, what kind of butler would I be?"

He gestured towards Big Ben.

"Now, should the two of us get going? We have a task."

Grell clapped his hands gleefully.

"You want me to come along?" he asked.

Sebastian nodded his head.

"You might have noticed My Lord's surly demeanour. I'm sure he'd make a rather unsuitable model. You'd make a marvellous subject for a photo though. But, if you don't want to…"

Grell interrupted him before he could finish.

"Allow me to show you some of the more enticing shots I've cultivated!"

He struck a pose.


Another explosion rang out. Marianne and Ciel were pressed behind a pillar. They peeked around the corner and stared at Mrs Turner.

"I'll roast anyone who calls me a pig. I don't care you are just a little boy. And your little butler can join you," she said, blowing over another stream of flash powder.

It exploded loudly beside them. Ciel's eye patch blew off during the blast.

"Are you alright, Ciel?" Marianne whispered in his ear.

"I'm fine. But this needs to be settled." Ciel told her. His contracted eye narrowed. "How long am I supposed to wait on you, Father? Come, now!"

Sebastian smiled.

"Indeed, my dear boy."

Mrs Turner laughed.

"You think talking to yourself will help?"


The sound of something moving rapidly up Big Ben entered her ears. Curious, she peered over the side. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Sebastian running vertically up the length of the clock tower. Grell was beside him, using the whirring blades of his Death Scythe to propel him upwards.

"Impossible!" Mrs Turner gasped. "Who…?"

"That's my husband." Marianne smiled, removing her wig and letting her hair fly free. "And his assistant for the evening. I hope you enjoy the show."

Grell smirked, his sharp teeth glinting in the light.

"Deadly efficiency, that's my motto!" he yelled.

He continued to surge upwards, with Sebastian at his tail. Mrs Turner threw another barrel over the side.

"Stay out of this, whoever you are!" she bellowed. She took a picture, but the following explosion did no harm to the Reaper. "What the devil? Why haven't you caught fire?!"

She continued to take photos, but Grell only carried on with his ascent. Sebastian was still following behind him. Ciel peered over the edge and smirked.

"You're using Grell as bait, eh? Very clever."

"There couldn't have been a more convenient shield." Marianne chuckled.

Grell flipped himself over the railing and landed on the opposite side of the room. He posed with a smile.

"Take as many as you'd like!" he laughed. "We ladies are ripe like succulent fruit with every photograph. I can feel it now, I'm about to burst like a bright red berry! It's pouring, gushing right out of me! What a marvellous feeling, so enticing, so exhilarating… I'm the very queen of fruits! The ripest of Reapers, yes!"

His exuberance only made Marianne sweatdrop.


Sebastian licked his thumb and smirked.

"Well then, perhaps I should bite you," he said.

Marianne arched a brow and shook her head.

"And hear I thought you preferred biting me," she retorted.

Grell begged him for the pleasure, having blocked out the woman's words, while Ciel shook his head.

"I expected you sooner."

"Terribly sorry." Sebastian said with a bow.

Mrs Turner snarled at them.

"I will burn you, boy!"

The demon glared at her, and kicked the camera out of her hands. She tumbled to the floor with a loud thud.

"How could you?!" she cried.

Sebastian smoothed the lapels of his tailcoat.

"I could have done much more had I wished. I have my orders to follow, and follow them I shall," he responded.

She gasped heavily.

"Where do you come from?" she asked. "Who are you people?"

He smirked.

"I am simply one Hell of a butler."

Grell sneered at her, sticking his tongue out lewdly.

"I'm the Queen of the Reapers, the ripest fruit there is!"

Ciel then stepped forward. Marianne slotted her dagger back into its sheath.

"Tell me everything, from start to finish." He ordered.

Mrs Turner broke down and wept.

"It was him. He was the one who told me what to do. And if I did, he said I'd find true passion. He said the most gorgeous men would fight to the death over me!" she cried.

Marianne tilted her head.

"And he would be?" she asked.


Just then, Mrs Turner's body ignited from the flash powder.

"The man with the golden eyes!" she proclaimed. "He promised me!"

Grell's eyes widened.

"I don't understand!" he gasped. "Her soul's burning like her victims' did!"

As she burned, Mrs Turner staggered to her feet and backed away from them.

"Burning passion!" she cried. "HAPPINESS!"

Ciel tried to reach out to her.

"Hold on! I want to know…!" he yelled but Sebastian grabbed him and pulled him away.

"Ciel!"

He gathered the boy and Marianne into his arms and leapt from Big Ben as it exploded.


As the demon stood on the ground below, he looked down at his young charge.

"My child, are you hurt?" he asked.

Ciel sighed.

"I'm fine."

Sebastian lowered him to his feet, followed by Marianne. Grell leapt down to join them, and glanced over his shoulder at the wreckage.

"This doesn't make sense! It was right here in the ledger! How can the soul I'm to collect just burn up? This can't be happening!" he moaned. "It's fundamentally wrong!"

Sebastian's brows arched at those words before a disgusted look fell over his face when Grell shimmied up to his side with the camera in hand.

"I must make my report to Will. So alas, this will have to be our final photo."

He took a quick picture. It showed a smiling Grell with Sebastian looking away from the camera and towards Marianne as she stood beside her husband. As he waved goodbye, the Reaper bid his final farewell.

"Next time, it will be a more intimate lovers' portrait, Bassy! Toodle-oo! Bye, bye!"

He leapt away into the night.


The demon turned to Ciel.

"I'm sorry, my child. I know you asked me to capture the Turner woman. However," he said as he opened his hand and revealed the sparkling grey ashes inside his palm.

"That's all that's left?" Ciel asked. "Nothing but a pile of ashes. I'll inform Her Majesty that these murders were the work of a woman crazed with longing."

The ashes blew away into the wind. Sebastian smiled at the boy.

"I am continually impressed. Humans seem to be capable of anything when they are desperate for love. While demons cannot truly pass judgement when we would do anything for our mates, there are times when it seems humanity have no real understanding of the feelings they preach," he said.

Marianne looped her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder. Her free hand reached over to Ciel's shoulder and rested on it.

"Love comes in many forms. Love for your family, love for your friends, and love for your partner in life. Those that don't really understand it though, they will go to the depths of insanity to feel it."

Ciel looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

"What a ridiculous waste. All that for some intangible concept that she had no comprehension of," he groused.

"Pitiful, isn't it?" Sebastian asked.

"Quite."

The boy reached down and picked up his eye patch.

"Oh well, not everything is burned away." He turned to the demon. "Research this Spider. It may have made a move during this case. I want to know everything there is to know."

Sebastian went down on one knee and bowed.

"Yes, my child."

Marianne bit her lip and turned to look up at the wreckage of Big Ben. She rubbed her arms in the hopes of gaining some warmth against the sudden cold chill that went over her spine. The feeling that settled in her stomach was that something was waiting for them, like they were the flies slowly being drawn into the Spider's web… And they were waiting for the moment when they would sink their venomous fangs into their flesh.


They returned to the mansion that night, as rained started to come down and hammer against the ground. Ciel was curled up in his bed, cocooned under the covers. Sebastian stood over him with a candelabra in hand. Marianne sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers delicately knotted together.

"Ciel," he called out. "Ciel."

Ciel blearily blinked and stared up at the butler.

"Pardon me for disturbing your sleep."

The boy sat up in bed.

"What is it? Did you find something?" he asked.

"I visited the museum." Sebastian explained, placing a book in Ciel's hands. "This book looked relevant. As we know, there was a previous instance of live burnings. During this time, there was another family working behind the scenes for the Queen like the Phantomhives. They specialised in clean-up."

Ciel opened the book and silently read through the first few pages.

"Specialised in clean-up, eh?" he said. "I guess it's no wonder that Scotland Yard didn't have any of the old records."

Marianne then took over.

"The family head passed away three years ago. But as we understand it, his son has taken over. They are known as the Earls Trancy."

Her fingers flexed in her lap.

"Trancy? Could he be the Spider?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian smirked, and stroked the back of his hand against his mate's chilled cheek.


There's not a lot to say after this chapter, other than Marianne is feeling more than a little concerned about the so-called Spider. With good reason! Looking forward to writing the next chapter.

Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Please read and review!