It's time for the actual "Inner London Murders"! :D
This time, a couple of new characters are introduced! Some entirely new ones! And some who were only mentioned in the last chapters! Yey!
I hope you'll have fun reading this chapter!
Chapter Five:
The Countess, Scary
"To scare people was part of her job."
London, England, United Kingdom ‒ January 1847
"According to an informant of mine, Dempsey Morton, the sixth Duke of Maverick, will appear at an exclusive party tomorrow evening. Only guests can enter, and the number of invitations is limited to fifty."
When I had called Cedric this morning through the skull necklace, he had arrived by the time I had finished lunch. We had gathered in my private chambers, and he had changed into the clothes which I had given him yesterday. I had also managed to get a coat for him. After changing clothes, Cedric had gone to Hyde Park where we would meet officially. I had ordered Newman to prepare a carriage and take me to Hyde Park as I had an appointment with someone there.
We had picked up Cedric in Hyde Park – or "Duke Kristopher Underwood," the 46th Duke of the famous Underwood family line who had spent his entire life in America before inheriting the title from his uncle, the 45th Duke Wallace Underwood – who had died childless and alone in his castle, which was cut off from the outside world and located somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland –, and decided to move to England where his family originated from.
Now we were sitting inside the carriage while I instructed Cedric, and Newman brought us to a tailoring where we could get a proper outfit for "Kristopher Underwood."
"And who is this informant if I may ask, Countess?"
Cedric, who looked so different in his new attire, sat opposite from Cloudia who wore a fine dark green dress which looked like the tailor had smashed thousands of emeralds and turned them into fabric.
"Someone from my circle of 'Aristocrats of Evil.' Every Watchdog has them. We pick them ourselves; and, of course, we only pick qualified people – which means people who are useful to us and our work. Some Watchdogs had quite a lot of Aristocrats of Evil, so I'm a fairly modest one as I only have three. But because you're now one of them, I have four which is still quite modest. If we have time, and I'm back at my manor, I will introduce you to them and make our cooperation official," Cloudia told him and adjusted her hat.
"And did this informant get any invitations for us? You said that we couldn't enter if we don't have one after all," Cedric pointed out.
"She didn't have to." Cloudia looked out of the carriage's window. The sky above London was grey as the streets and houses, and she wished that she was home in the countryside. She didn't like the city. She didn't like crowds. She preferred being in the gigantic library of Phantomhive Manor all on her own.
"To our fortune, Undertaker, I know the person who caters the party. He is of nobility but likes having only a few guests attending his parties. Also, he is very fond of order, so he only gives away invitations to people, who didn't cause any trouble at social gatherings in the past months. And even though he had already given out all fifty invitations, he was willing to give out two more."
"And why should he do that?" Cedric wanted to know.
Cloudia kept gazing out of the window. The streets were passing by with the inhabitants of this town wandering them. She was glad that no one who knew her was there right now and could annihilate her perfect time plan, because some people who, if they saw her, would go and try stopping the carriage to talk to her.
I had built up the facade of a perfect "soon-to-be" Countess, of an exemplary member of the upper classes and nobility. Many people loved me; many people wanted me to attend their gatherings. And even though I loved it that my facade was working and didn't crumble, I hated all the attention and "love" I received because of it.
"Because he's in love with me," Cloudia answered dryly and didn't take off her gaze from the window. Cedric started to laugh, even though she had told him that he should behave and avoid laughing or giggling at everything when they were out together.
"An admirer! I can't believe that someone like you has admirers!" He chuckled.
"My friendly lady act is far too good," she mumbled and bit her lip.
He whipped away some tears of laughter. "I guess he must be really foolish to be in love with you, although you're officially engaged. He can't know that the 'Earl of Phantomhive' is just a fairy tale after all."
"Surely he doesn't know that. Still, he tries to marry me. I admire his persistence as much as I despise it. At least I can get my advances out of it."
Cedric chuckled. "I wonder if anybody who knew your true nature would fall for you."
She turned back her gaze at him and smiled wickedly, tilting her head a bit. "And what is my true nature?"
We arrived at the tailoring, and I ordered the tailor to make Cedric a lot of clothes, telling them that he had no sense of style, and therefore needed the help of an old friend – my gracefulness – for picking his attire. While we were there, I had also ordered a dress which could replace the one which had fallen on the battlefield yesterday.
Later on, we separated, but not before I gave him the instruction to retrieve his outfit for the party tomorrow afternoon, and meet me at Hyde Park an hour before the party started.
"I cannot believe that you have let a lady wait," Cloudia scolded him when Cedric arrived late by half an hour. The sky above them was dark with only a few stars illuminating it. It was cold, and she wore a thick coat which fit perfectly together with her dress. Newman stood by the carriage and watched over her. Even though they stood quite a lot of metres apart, if anybody tried attacking Cloudia now, Newman would arrive at her side before the attacker could lay the tip of their finger on her. Newman was the Phantomhive family butler after all.
"A fellow Reaper died this morning, and his shift had to be divided to other Grim Reapers, extending their work," Cedric told her.
She stared at him. "You can die?"
He nodded. "People think we can't because we already died once, but they're wrong. We do not get killed as easily as humans, but we can get killed."
Cloudia was silent for a moment. "Nevertheless, you're late. At least, you had a good excuse and managed to get dressed. And now, come. We will drive around in the carriage for a bit and discuss today's schedule again. Then we will go to the party."
She turned around, and he silently followed her to the carriage where Newman waited in his eerie silence.
"The Duke of Maverick, Dempsey Morton, will definitely come today," Cloudia said when they were seated inside the carriage, and Newman had already started to drive it along the streets of London.
"I asked my informant once again today just after tea time. She confirmed that he will definitely attend this party."
"And he will die today," Cedric added, and she nodded.
I had ordered Cedric yesterday to go through his book and search for Duke Maverick's name. It was a relief that Dempsey Morton's death was dated for today. If it hadn't been like that, I would have had to cancel everything and start anew – something which was just too nerve-wracking for me right now.
"Exactly. Dempsey Morton will die today..."
"... at 23.56 due to loss of blood..."
"... because I will murder him." Cloudia folded her gloved hands over her lap. "It's good to have a guarantee that he's indeed the right one. However, I think that he will not be the only one who will die by my hand today."
Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because I hold the suspicion that Dempsey Morton is only attending this gathering to meet someone. He was never someone who liked going to such events. Actually, he always says he comes but doesn't show up in the end because 'something hindered him.' A sudden illness, the death of a relative... It's quite unusual for him to actually attend a party. Dempsey's even more sneaky than me in this aspect. Because of that, I think that he has to have a reason to come to this gathering. Otherwise, he would never go there and risk getting caught or even killed."
"Come to think of it... I believe you forgot to tell me why exactly the Queen sent you to hunt him down," Cedric said.
Cloudia tilted her head. "Oh, right. Normally, I always tell my victims what they have done before I murder them gracefully. I thought it would be fine for you if you found it out then."
He scowled at her. "I would prefer it if you told it to me before the mission officially starts."
She shrugged. "Then you should have told me that. I'm not able to read people's minds after all." She unfolded her hands and took the hat from her head, placing it on her lap.
"Lately, several people were murdered in Westminster. The murders didn't follow a pattern and the victims didn't have any connection. Dempsey Morton, almost like 'your dear uncle' Wallace Underwood, lives isolated in his mansion somewhere in the countryside – with only his elderly butler as a companion. He doesn't go out often as I have already told you. One day, his niece, Rebecca Jones, became worried because Dempsey hadn't written any letter to his family for a while now. Even if he lived in isolation, he would always write letters to his sister and her family. So Miss Jones went to see him.
"Rebecca Jones found her uncle half-dead in his bedroom. Soon afterwards, Dempsey was brought to a hospital. However, he escaped a few days later and murdered his doctor and stole his documents. This circumstance was kept as a secret to the public because Miss Jones and her family didn't want anybody to know about Dempsey's actions. Scotland Yard secretly investigated this case, and soon afterwards, the Westminster murders started.
"Various witnesses reported that they had seen 'an old man in a white hospital gown' at the crime scenes. A long time has passed since Dempsey's disappearance, and the start of the murders and Scotland Yard still couldn't find him. Therefore, Queen Victoria commanded me to continue the investigation and bring it to an end as soon as possible before Dempsey Morton could murder more people as he apparently started to expand his 'territory' to Camden and Islington.
"Miss Jones and her parents still want to cover everything up and tell everyone that Dempsey is still inside his mansion in the countryside so that the public doesn't find out about the connection between him and the recent murders. Because of that, Baron Milton Salisbury, our host for today, who has hoped that Dempsey wouldn't come under any circumstances, invited the Duke of Maverick in the first place. For some unknown reasons, Dempsey even received the invitation and could give Milton an answer. Miss Jones and her family live in Brighton and have no idea that Dempsey will be attending this party today. Also, Dempsey's invitation couldn't have reached his mansion because there are Scotland Yard officers stationed there until the completion of this case so that they could catch Dempsey if he tried to go back home. And if the invitation had reached Dempsey's mansion, the officers would have known it, and Miss Jones and her parents too – and Dempsey wouldn't attend Milton's party.
"Therefore, someone else had to intercept the invitation and give it to Dempsey. And I think this 'someone' will be part of the reason why Dempsey actually wants to attend this party."
Cedric frowned. "So we are going to go to a party with a mass murderer? And no one but us will know that?"
Cloudia lifted a hand in appeasement. "Stay calm. You and your ridiculously big scythe will definitely scare him so that nothing will happen to you. Also, I have managed to get some officers from Scotland Yard to watch over Milton's villa. Newman will be with them, and he knows my signal if the situation is escalating and I need his help. Although I'm nonetheless a skilled fighter, I cannot fight every match alone – and more importantly, I simply cannot protect Milton's guests while hunting down Dempsey. I have no idea what this maniac is planning, but it can't be anything good."
"And how exactly did your informant find out that Dempsey will be there if Dempsey is somewhere in London and even the police can't find him?"
Cloudia blinked at him in boredom. "Scotland Yard wanders in the light, but I control the Underworld and darkness. You're still a newbie, Undertaker. You need to learn more. I will show you how to wander the path of darkness without having to tremble, Undertaker. The path of darkness you have entered when you agreed to my deal. And now – that was enough talking. We have arrived. Let the show begin."
"Lady Cloudia!"
Milton Salisbury – twenty-three years old, tall with blond hair and hazel eyes. His father had passed away a little over a year ago, and he was still insecure about the new position he held now. He was kind-hearted and naive and tried asking for my hand in marriage ever since we had met at a reception by my aunt Felicity one year ago. The fact that I was "engaged" didn't seem to mind him at all.
With a smile on his goodhearted, friendly face, Baron Milton Salisbury approached Cloudia and Cedric. He hadn't run but walked towards them in a dignified but fast pace. His butler, Abraham Wentworth, had followed his master with a decent distance.
Milton wore an elegant dark green suit which harmonised perfectly with the green of his eyes. He always looked insecure and lost, but the moment he saw Cloudia, this character trait of him seemed to vanish and let him shine in all his glory.
Milton was in love with her – a fact which was more than just obvious.
"Lady Cloudia Phantomhive," Milton Salisbury said and bowed in front of her. "It's an honour for me that you were willing to attend my simple party."
Cloudia smiled. "Don't say something like that, Baron. I'm sure it will be a lovely party. May I acquaint you with my company?" She looked at Cedric. "This is Kristopher Underwood, the 46th Duke of Underwood. He lived in America for his entire life and moved to England just a few weeks ago. He's quite unknowing in the whole concept of the noble society, so I thought that it would be good to take him with me."
Cedric bowed like he had been taught. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Baron Salisbury. Lady Cloudia told me one or two things about you before we arrived."
I was sure that Cedric wanted to laugh quite badly at this very moment.
Milton's smile widened. "I wonder what Lady Cloudia has said."
"Only good things – don't worry about that."
He laughed genuinely. "I hope that you will enjoy my little party! I'm also quite new in the society of nobles, so you won't be the only one who will feel lost on occasions, Duke Underwood! But enough of the talk! It's freezing, and it's unheard that I let you stay outside and don't let you in. Wentworth! Please take the lady's and the gentleman's coats and bring them to the cloakroom! Great thanks, my friend."
Milton offered Cloudia his hand after Wentworth had silently taken her coat. "May I take your hand and escort you inside, Lady Cloudia?" he asked shyly, a faint blush gleaming over his cheeks.
Cloudia looked over her shoulder at Cedric, who covered his mouth with his gloved hand and tried not to laugh before she turned back to Milton, smiled sweetly and took his hand.
"You may, Baron."
Something I liked about Milton: Even though he was quite rich, he never showed off his wealth. Of course, he lived in a beautiful villa and had a little manor in the countryside, but these were things which he had inherited from his father, the late Baron Leland Salisbury. I guess, if Milton had chosen a home for himself to stay and hold parties, he would have opted for a simple but nice house. Not too big, not too small.
And so, today's party wasn't drowned in gold and diamonds, but decorated in lovely, simple flowers which could be brought everywhere and not only at special markets or through special connections. The flowers weren't only proof for Milton's genuineness, but also made the whole hall shine in various colours and spread a pleasant scent around the room.
"You did a wonderful job at decorating your villa, Baron," Cloudia praised him and meant every syllable – something which happened very rarely.
Milton smiled shyly. "Great thanks, Lady Cloudia. I'm relieved that the decoration is after your fancy."
He guided her towards the buffet. "May I offer you a drink? You have to be thirsty from the long drive."
She smiled. "I would be disappointed if you didn't."
Milton walked towards the drinks to get Cloudia a glass of champagne. It would be unlike Milton to command a servant to come and bring it to him. In the meantime, Cedric bent down a bit to speak to Cloudia without having to whisper directly into her ear – something which would have been utterly suspicious –, and without risking that anybody could hear their conversation.
"I couldn't ask you this question earlier, Countess, but: When you found out where Dempsey was hiding, why didn't you go there and kill him immediately? Why do you have to lure him out?"
"Haven't I told you that Dempsey has an accomplice? Killing him would have destroyed the easiest way to find his accomplice. That Dempsey is here, and not out and slaughtering people in the shadows of night, means that today they have planned something big. And my guess is that, because today will be a special one, the accomplice will be present among the guests too. Getting them both at once is way better, even though we had to wait a while until such an opportunity came."
Cloudia reached out to a vase with yellow flowers. "Don't you think that these Lily Honeymoons are simply wonderful, Duke Underwood?"
Of course, I wanted to tell him through my sudden change of topic that he shouldn't talk about our mission right now.
Cedric stepped a bit away from Cloudia and nodded. "These are fairly nice..."
"Lily Honeymoons," Cloudia told him. "A special kind of lilies." She gently touched the petals. "I prefer white lilies, but these are lovely too. What are your favourite flowers, Duke?"
"If I'm not totally mistaken, I guess their name was Sterling Silver Roses."
"Did you know that lavender coloured roses are a sign of enchantment and love at first sight? Also, the colour purple or lavender is traditionally associated with royalty."
"I didn't know that."
"Now you do. Baron! We were just talking about how lovely your flowers are! And because of that, we derived to speaking about our own favourite flowers. The Duke's favourites are Sterling Silver Roses, and mine is white lilies. What are your favourites, if I may ask, Mylord?" Cloudia said in her sweet "Lady Cloudia" voice when Milton returned to them with a glass of champagne for everyone – he had even thought of Cedric. Milton handed over the glasses, and Cedric and Cloudia took them with a thankful nod.
"Flowers? My favourite ones would be zinnias, especially white ones," Milton answered coyly.
"White zinnias! Did you know that they stand for goodness? And you're a very good man, Baron Salisbury."
Milton's cheeks became as red as ripe apples, and Cloudia could see from the corner of her eye that Cedric was laughing internally.
Milton cleared his throat. "You're evidently versed in the language of flowers, Lady Cloudia."
Cloudia put the glass to her lips and took a sip. "The language of flowers is one of those things which are taught primarily to girls. Girls are supposed to know such things after all. Therefore, I am quite versed in this topic."
She saw Wentworth approaching them silently.
"Master Milton," Wentworth said when he arrived next to Milton. "Marquess Christian Croft and his wife, Marchioness Cornelia Croft, have arrived."
Milton nodded and put his glass on the tray of a passing-by servant. "I understand. If I may excuse myself?"
Cloudia tilted her head in allowance, and Milton went to greet Christian and Cornelia Croft. Wentworth followed his master discreetly.
Cedric giggled a bit, not being able to hold it back anymore. "You nobles are a funny lot. All the formality is just hilarious. And your acting is it too. I can't believe that the Queen's Watchdog pretends to be a fine, young poster child in public."
She smiled mischievously. "It makes me tired and sick on some days, but this is the price I have to pay to keep my act alive. Come, let's see if Dempsey Morton has already arrived." Cloudia discarded her empty glass on the tray of a servant and Cedric followed her example. Together they walked through the crowd. Many people started conversations with Cloudia, and she introduced Cedric to everyone as "her old friend Duke Kristopher Underwood." But still, there was no sign of Dempsey Morton.
"Now, I understand why you said it's tiring," Cedric said after a million rounds of friendly small talk.
"See? The life of a noble can also be very exhausting. Let's see if we can find Milton. Surely he knows if Dempsey's already here or..."
Cloudia was interrupted mid-sentence by a familiar voice.
"I didn't expect you to be here, Cloudia."
She froze and turned around. Cedric stopped walking too and turned to see what was the matter.
My cousin Cathleen was standing in front of me with her husband August. The Earl and Countess of Venetella were attending this party and making my work even more complicated.
"Oh, hello, Cathleen! I didn't expect you to be here either," Cloudia replied, internally cursing Milton for not telling her that he had invited her cousin. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you since New Year's Eve."
"I am doing fine. Thanks for asking."
Cathleen Milne was the daughter of Cloudia's aunt, Baroness Joanna Woodward, who was the younger sister of her mother, Penelope. She was only two years older than Cloudia but already married to August Milne, the Earl of Venetella. Today, Cathleen wore a pale blue dress which made her look like a petite porcelain doll. Her dark brown, slightly curly hair had been pinned up with fine, glittering needles. Her grey eyes reflected calmness and collection which she was able to project over everything in her area. Cloudia liked Cathleen the most out of her cousins since she was the only one who wasn't noisy at all.
But today, Cloudia wished that Cathleen wasn't there but at home.
"How about you, Cloudia?" August Milne said. He wore an elegant dark suit which let his incredible green eyes stand out more than usual. "How's life doing for you?"
Cloudia smiled politely. "I'm doing quite well, to be honest. I'm glad to see that you both are fine and healthy. Come to think of it – what brought you two to this party, if it's not rude to ask?"
August laughed. "We were invited by Baron Salisbury, Cloudia. Also, your question wasn't rude at all. What's rude is that you still haven't introduced us to your companion."
Cloudia glanced at Cedric. "Right. I'm sorry. Seeing you here surprised me so much that I honestly forgot that. I am sorry."
Honestly, I just wanted to go and find Dempsey Morton as soon as possible. If he was planning to do anything to Milton's guests, he would also endanger Cathleen and August. And as long as my name was Cloudia Phantomhive, I would never jeopardise the lives of my family members.
Besides, I had already planned to introduce Cedric to my family at a different point in time, so I had secretly hoped that Cathleen and August just wouldn't notice him.
"This is Duke Kristopher Underwood. He's from America and an old friend of mine," Cloudia explained.
"Duke, these are Cathleen Milne, Countess of Venetella, my elder cousin, and her husband, August Milne, Earl of Venetella."
Cedric and August shook hands, and Cedric bowed in front of Cathleen.
"I already assumed that you belong to Lady Cloudia's family," Cedric suddenly said to Cathleen with a broad smile. "The family resemblance is striking."
"Oh, thank you, Duke Underwood."
Cathleen with her slightly curly, dark brown hair, the pale grey eyes, the petite stature and her fairy-like overall appearance didn't even resemble me a bit. My cousins and I had so little in common that we always had to tell people that we were related because they wouldn't notice it otherwise.
Thus Cedric was just being sarcastic.
"Excuse me, Cloudia," Cathleen said all of a sudden, turning towards her younger cousin. "If the Duke is an old friend of yours, how does it come that I do not know him at all? When did you meet him for the first time?"
Dammit.
If Cedric and I had encountered Constantia rather than Cathleen, she would have never noticed this discrepancy. But Cathleen actually knew how to use her wit, so I needed to improvise.
Hopefully, my improvisation would be convincing enough for her.
"When I was fourteen years old, I was invited by Duchess Josephine Conner. You know, the elderly widow who is known for her extravagant parties," Cloudia began.
"Oh. I do remember her," Cathleen replied with a firm nod.
"Well, I actually attended her party because I haven't gone to any in that year. The Duke had visited his uncle, the former Duke, Wallace Underwood, during that summer, and was taken to Josephine Conner's party by said uncle. We both didn't enjoy the feast very much and ended up talking to each other in our despair. We became friends in the end and wrote to each other after he returned to America. However, I was still surprised to hear that he would move to England after succeeding his uncle as the Duke of Underwood."
I did attend Josephine Conner's party in that year for the reason I had just stated. Besides, it had really been that dull and boring. But, of course, I hadn't met Cedric there.
I liked mixing lies with truth – and it was up to others to divide them.
Cathleen blinked at Cloudia in surprise. "Oh, I didn't know that!"
"It's fine, Cathleen," Cloudia waved aside with a smile. "You couldn't know about our friendship because I did not tell you or anyone else about it. I hope that you do not expect me to entrust you with every detail of my life."
Her cousin laughed. "Of course, you do not have to, Cloudia."
Cloudia grinned. "Then, the matter's settled, I guess. By the way, Cathleen, you look lovely today, have anybody told you that today despite August?" she said in order to guide the topic of their conversation to a more comfortable direction.
Cathleen smiled her absolutely sweet smile. Out of all of her cousins, Cathleen was the only true lady. She didn't have to build up an act to be one. She was a naturally kind-hearted person with lovely manners everybody just had to love.
"Thanks, Cloudia. You look fantastic too. The dress suits you very well."
For today, Cloudia had chosen a purple coloured dress with a faint flowery pattern on it.
"Thank you. Cathleen, have you seen Baron Salisbury by the way?"
"The Baron?" Cathleen asked. "No, I haven't seen him for a while now." She looked up at August. "Did you see him?"
August shook his head. "I have not seen him either. But I saw someone much more surprising a few minutes ago. Before we met you."
Cloudia was alarmed. "Who did you see, August?"
"You will not believe it, but I saw Dempsey Morton, the Duke of Maverick. He was standing by the buffet and eating a strawberry cake when we were passing by."
At least there was something good at them being here.
Cloudia smiled. "Come to think of it – the Duke and I have to go now. Lady Mary Louise Kent wanted to talk to us. If you could please excuse us?"
She quickly turned around and took Cedric with her.
"How much time do we have left until Dempsey dies, Undertaker?" she whispered to him as they walked through the saloon.
"Two hours and three minutes," he answered her, his voice low.
"Then we shouldn't waste any time anymore. Follow me. We need to find him quickly."
Ultimately, Cloudia and Cedric found Dempsey Morton while leaving the hall where the party was mainly located. They hurried to follow him but kept in mind that they needed to be decent and not suspicious at all. Fortunately, they managed to dodge every "conversation attacks" by the other guests and follow Dempsey Morton deeper into the villa.
"Where do you think is he going?" Cedric asked.
"I bet Dempsey's going to the rendezvous point to meet with his accomplice," Cloudia told him. "The moment they are together; I will go into action. I suggest that you will stay outside and wait. You cannot fight with me after all."
"You're really taking the Grim Reaper rules seriously." He sounded surprised.
"I am a lady of honour. Of course, I do."
"You know that I could fight with you as long as I don't kill anybody? Or save people who will die soon?"
"I'm perfectly aware of this fact, but I think I can manage to kill two persons. I killed more on my own."
"Why don't you take Newman with you?" Cedric asked. "I have wondered about this for quite a while now."
"Because Newman is huge," Cloudia answered him while walking through the corridors with him. "He is huge and broad and looks more like a bodyguard than a butler. It wouldn't look good if I took him with me to public places due to that."
"If he is more like a bodyguard, why is he your butler then?"
"Alfred Newman may physically be a bodyguard, and definitely capable of beheading a person with his bare hands, but he's also very sophisticated. He has perfect manners, an excellent memory, knowledge everybody dreams of. Newman is a good fighter, he really is, but his academic abilities are just stunning. No one would think that he's so intelligent. Only using him as a bodyguard would be a waste. Also, Phantomhive family butlers are bodyguards more or less, as they have to serve the Watchdog of the Royal family. Phantomhive butlers should have different traits than normal ones. Still, I cannot take Newman with me wherever I go, not only because of his appearance, but also because he hates crowds even more than I do. He's extremely shy but absolutely loyal to me. I don't want to over-stain this loyalty by forcing him to go to parties with me. He would feel uneasy and could quit working for me despite his dying loyalty. Newman is very useful for me, so I let him be and do these things by myself."
Cedric laughed. With no one around to hear it, he could laugh as much as he wanted.
"For the tiniest of moments, I thought you had a heart, Countess. But, of course, you are only doing it because you can get your advances out of it if you do."
"I told you that I'm sneaky, Undertaker."
"How did you even meet Newman? If he doesn't like crowds, you must have found him in an uncommon way."
"That's a story far too long to be told now. I have work to do, Undertaker. Don't forget that you're also part of this job now."
Dempsey Morton entered a room and closed the door behind him. Cloudia pointed at it.
"Did you see that? The rendezvous point." Cloudia walked around the corner, and suddenly started to fumble on her dress.
Cedric stared at her in horror. "Can you please tell me what you are doing, Countess?"
"Don't you have eyes in your head? I'm trying to get out of this dress."
Cloudia opened a lot of ties and stepped out of the lower part of her dress. She folded the skirt part of her dress a bit and let it fall onto the floor. Underneath the skirt, a pair of pants had appeared.
"Of course, I can fight in a skirt. Today, however, I don't feel like it."
Cedric still stared at her.
"How did you managed that? And couldn't you have warned me?"
Cloudia frowned. "What do you mean? Did you expect me to undress at such a moment? If you did, I would label you as a complete idiot. The dress, by the way, is custom made. There is a certain tailor whose family has worked for the Phantomhives for a very long time. I ordered this dress from him. Like his ancestors, he vowed that he would never tell anyone about the secret of the Phantomhives or the special clothes they make for them. I usually only go to him if I need special clothing like this dress."
"And what will you do if anybody finds the skirt part of your dress?"
She shrugged. "I have Newman to dispose of them. Also, I doubt that any of those people down there except Cathleen, August, and perhaps even Milton, have enough brain cells to recognise that skirt as mine. And now, let's go back to the really important things. Could you please go and see through the room's window" – Cloudia pointed to the room where Dempsey had vanished into – "if anybody's with Dempsey? I hope you can do that?"
Cedric sighed. "That's not even funny at all."
"My job is fairly not funny. Now go. We're wasting too much time."
A few minutes later, Cedric appeared next to her without making any sound.
"Dempsey is talking to a man. A part of the window is ajar, but I couldn't make out the words because the part is located too high," he instructed her, and Cloudia nodded like she had known that since forever and only sent him to annoy him.
"Can you describe him to me?"
"Tall, pale skin, spotless suit, large top hat, tiny moustache, looks quite bored. Does that ring any bells?"
"Your description is horrible. We have to work on that later. Fortunately, I still know who you mean. No other than Flavian Hunt is Dempsey Morton's accomplice." Cloudia clicked with her fingers.
"Quick! Look if I'm right in your Death Book. He has to be in there after all."
Cedric put out the book from his pocket and flipped it open.
"Hunt... Hunt... Ah! There he is! Flavian Hunt, born August 31, 1800, died January 21, 1847, at 23.44 from falling down a high platform."
"Didn't I tell you? He's the only one I know who has a tiny moustache, a gigantic hat and the face of a person who has never experienced the joy of laughter in their entire life."
I saw Cedric flinching briefly. I didn't say anything.
"But you don't seem to laugh either, Countess," Cedric said, and Cloudia scowled at him.
"To be honest, I didn't expect Milton to have invited him. Flavian Hunt isn't a very pleasant person – or probably it's because Flavian Hunt never starts a conversation by himself? Whatever." She smirked. "You said a high window part is open? Am I right in my assumption that you can easily escort me there, Undertaker?"
"Flavian Hunt," Cloudia whispered. The air of night was cold against her face and bare arms. Cedric had an arm wrapped around her waist, keeping care that she wouldn't fall down. He himself stood on a tiny, tiny ledge. Without his supernatural powers, they would have already fallen down.
"I knew that something was off with him." She leaned further towards the ajar window and opened it silently. "Come. We slip through the window, hide behind the curtains, and then you will slowly let us down until our feet touch the ground, okay?"
"Countess. I hope you're aware that Grim Reapers cannot fly."
"Of course, I know that. It would be really silly if you could. You just have to take the curtain and layaway down."
Cedric stared at her. "Wait – what?"
"Didn't you tell me that Grim Reapers possess strength far more enhanced than humans?"
Cloudia smiled mischievously, and he sighed.
"If we're done, you have to find me the best joke in the history of jokes as compensation."
"We will not get done if you continue talking and not doing anything."
He scowled at her. "Very well, Countess," he said bitterly.
I had never experienced him like that; not laughing for such a long period of time.
Cedric reached out to the curtain through the wide-open window. The moment he took hold of it, he jumped off the ledge and through the window without letting go of Cloudia. She put her arms around his torso so he could use both hands to layaway down the curtain. And while Cedric was struggling to get them down, Cloudia peeked out from the curtain and watched Dempsey Morton and Flavian Hunt who were in deep conversation.
"What do you mean, you don't have it with you? You told me you would have it!" Dempsey yelled furiously. He looked pale and sickly, but his differently coloured eyes still glowed with rage.
"I didn't tell you that. I told you that you would receive it after you have executed your task," Flavian Hunt replied in his usual bored voice.
"The murders in Westminster, Camden and Islington were only decoys – and the product of your eerie blood-lust. Your real task was to crash this party. Baron Milton Salisbury's company is a danger for my own as it grows bigger and bigger with every month. Besides, today many other heads of renowned companies, who are in the same business area like me, have gathered here. And as long as they are still alive, you will not get your drugs, Morton."
"Please! Just a bit! I didn't have them for such a long time now!"
"If you want them, then show me that it was the right decision to get you out of that hospital."
Cedric and Cloudia reached the ground, their feet touching it silently. He let go of the curtain, sighing in relief that this ridiculous stunt was now over.
"Go up again and through the window. Cover the door from the other side," Cloudia whispered into his ear. "Don't let them escape."
Cedric nodded and vanished so quickly that she didn't even see him move. Then, Cloudia put out her pistol, released the safety catch and stepped out from behind the curtain, aiming at Dempsey and Flavian.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your little talk, Ladies, but you're under arrest."
Both men flinched and turned towards her as she spoke.
"Lady Cloudia Phantomhive!" Flavian called out in surprise – which in turn surprised Cloudia because she had only heard him bored.
"But she wasn't on the guest list I stole!" Dempsey cried out and took a step back.
"No more moving, Darlings, or I will fire."
"A girl like you? As if! You're probably only distracting us from your fiancé, the Earl of Phantomhive. The Watchdog." Dempsey looked around, an ugly grin on his face. "Where is the good ol' Earl? Letting his doll fiancée alone?" He laughed gutturally.
Cloudia narrowed her eyes for a moment before bursting out in bitter laughter.
"Doll fiancée? Earl? I'm sorry, Damsels, but you seem to have got something wrong: There. Is. No. Earl. Of. Phantomhive."
She smiled a lovely smile, closing her eyes and tilting her head. "And now, please be good and let you get killed by the Countess as I have changed my mind and won't just arrest you anymore."
But before she could pull the trigger or anyone else could get out a weapon, the ground underneath their feet began to shake.
I hope you liked this chapter! :)
Until next week!