Elizabeth walked as quickly as she could to Grandage Place, which was not made easy due to the large sack full of journals and maps she carried on her back. As she walked through the streets of London she received many looks from passersby and she made sure to smile and wave at all of them. After what seemed like hours but was really only 45 minutes, Elizabeth arrived at the address Ethan gave her and went to knock on the impressive metal door. It was Victor who opened it.
"Ah, Ms. Reid, we've all been awaiting your arrival, please come in," he said as he waved her inside. Once inside the house Elizabeth could hear raised voices coming from deeper inside the house and they seemed to be arguing. Elizabeth raised her brow and asked,
"Not all are happy about my involvement I presume?" At the directness of her question Victor seemed at a loss for words for a moment but he quickly recovered,
"We're all just worried is all, Miss Ives is very dear to us all and we want to bring her home safely." Elizabeth smiled at him and nodded,
"I do hope I can help you, I will not deny my offer to help isn't entirely for selfish reasons, those Things came into my home while I was out and attacked my father and I Will have my due." As she spoke her brows scrunched in anger and her lips tightened into a thin line. After a moment she shook herself and took a deep breath, "Now then, onto the matter at hand, shall we?" Victor smiled at her and nodded and lead her into the study where everyone was waiting. They heard the tail end of the argument as they came into the room,
"-don't even Know her how can she be trusted?" all heads whipped in their direction as Elizabeth and Victor entered the room. Elizabeth walked over to the table and pretended she hadn't heard Dr. Seward's blatant mistrust of her.
"This," she began as she hefted the bag off her back and onto the table to empty its contents, "is everything I have managed to learn over the last 5 months about the creatures we are hunting, the maps are marked with every place I've had recurring encounters and the journals are filled with any and all notes I could make of the creatures. I tried on several occasions to follow them but I was always spotted before I could learn anything of Value." As she spoke she pulled out various books and maps and laid them out on the table for everyone to look through. Catriona hung the maps along the walls next to their own while Mr. Lyle began reading through the books, Elizabeth noticed Ethan approaching her followed by Victor out of the corner of her eye so she left the bag where it lay and turned to face him. "I suppose you still have questions Mr. Chandler?"
"Yes Elizabeth I do, you said they took your father, how did they do it?" At his question Elizabeth's gaze broke from his own and her eyes began to water; she crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath before responding.
"I had gone out to do some grocery shopping, we had put it off for days and there wasn't a single crumb in the house. I was gone for a few hours stopping at various shops and arranging for delivery when I couldn't carry it myself. When I came back-" her voice trembled and she closed her eyes to prevent her tears from escaping, "When I came back, the door had been broken in, the entire house was a shambles and there was blood on the walls and broken glass everywhere, one of those things was laying dead in my fathers study amidst a pool of blood. I spent hours walking through the house calling out for him hoping he was hiding somewhere and they hadn't gotten to him, but I never found him." she opened her eyes and met Ethan's gaze once again.
"How did you end up at Evelyn Poole's mansion?" Elizabeth huffed a laugh and wiped under her eyes before she replied,
" I've spent the last five months tracking the things I found in my home all over England, the trail finally went cold in Bristol so I came back to London to start all over again. I'd been back in the city for 3 weeks when I got the idea to research any sudden disappearances of well known women who dabbled in the occult, thus leading me to Evelyn Poole, it was a long shot that after such a long time that I would find anything, but I had no other options. As it turns out, searching Evelyn's home was not a total loss, I may not have a new lead but I do have people with whom I share a common interest." Though her eyes were slightly red from her tears her gaze was made of solid steel and her jaw was set in determination.
"I'm sorry they took him from you Elizabeth, but we will make sure they never hurt anyone again."
"I'm going to hold you to that Mr. Chandler, now that I've bared my soul in front of you all, tell me more about the woman they took from you, and why you think she's still alive." Ethan huffed a humorless laugh and scratched his beard while Victor decided to spare the poor man from recounting the night his beloved went missing.
"I do believe I can answer those questions Ms. Reid," he turned to Ethan "and I do believe it is time for you and Sir Malcolm to depart on your nightly hunt is it not?" Ethan nodded and smiled gratefully at Victor who returned his smile. Ethan bid them both goodnight before leaving them to continue the conversation on their own. "Would you like to sit down?" Elizabeth made her way to the couch in the nearby corner instead of responding, where she made herself comfortable. When Victor got settled beside her she turned to face him and bade him to continue his tale. "A little over two months ago, our friend, Vanessa, went out to the shops to do some Christmas shopping… she never came back."
"That still doesn't tell me why you think they've let her live all this time, why is she so special?"
"We don't think, we know, and the why of it is too long a tale for tonight, but they have been after her for longer than you or I have even been alive." Elizabeth wanted to ask more questions, wanted to sit here for however long it took to hear the tale in its entirety, but she knew that Victor would be no more forthcoming that night. She tilted her head at him before exclaiming,
"You love her," at Victors prepared protest she shook her head, "no I don't mean you Love her I mean you love her as I did my father." A look of amazement came over her face, "she must be a remarkable woman to inspire such love and loyalty."
"That she is, and your father must have been a remarkable man." Elizabeth let loose a quiet laugh and shook her head a little before she replied,
"Not many people would agree with you. He wasn't always a good man, and I couldn't really tell you now that he ever became one but… he loved me and I him." She gave Victor a sad smile and placed her hand over his on his knee, "one day you must tell me the whole story of Vanessa Ives and how she managed to touch you so deeply" Victor flushed at the touch of her hand before he gave a smile and,
"I will, I promise." Elizabeth's smile became one of happiness as she exclaimed,
"Good! Now it is very late and I must return home, tomorrow I will head to the records office and see what properties Evelyn had in her possession before she passed and try and find who owns them now." She began to stand from the couch and Victor followed not quite yet ready to be done talking with her yet.
"Would you mind terribly if I accompanied you? The others will no doubt be busy pouring over what you've brought, and I am not looking forward to arguing with them about missing meals." Elizabeth laughed at her correct assumption that this bunch could be stubborn as mules when they had a mind to and said,
"Of course you can Victor but only if you promise to call me Elizabeth." She gave him a teasing smile as she held out her hand for him to shake. Victor took her hand after a moments hesitation and replied,
"As you wish….Elizabeth." At his use of her name she smiled and made her way to the front door of the house only to be met by Dr. Seward standing in front of it.
"I don't know what game you're playing girl but mark my words, if Vanessa is hurt because of you I will show you suffering the likes of which you have never seen." Elizabeth threw her head back with a cackle as she responded,
"Oh that was a very good attempt to threaten me, well done Doctor, however I have no interest in Miss Ives and I can assure you she is safe from me, the things that took her are not." Dr. Seward took a few steps until she was nose to nose with Elizabeth before she responded,
"There's still something you're not telling us and I will find out what it is." Elizabeth's eyes darkened as she leaned even closer to the good doctor and could feel her breath on her face,
"You are welcome to try. Have a wonderful night, Dr. Seward." And with that Elizabeth walked around Dr. Seward and made her way out of the door.