Part 3

After parting ways with William and Detective Phillips at the mortuary, Eliza headed to her office to check for any messages ahead of heading home to check on Rupert. She'd been longer than she'd planned at the mortuary, so she wanted to be quick, but the sight of Herr Hildegard, the German undertaker whose funeral parlour was adjacent to her office, standing outside on the front step of his shop did nothing to help her.

Herr Hildegard often liked to discuss the latest cases in the day's edition of Police News illustrated, and as friendly as the gentleman was, she had little time to stand chatting, so she sped up her step to give the impression that she was in a hurry as she walked toward him, hoping to get past without being stopped by him.

"Ah, Good Morning Fraulein," he said spiritedly as he stepped off his front step far more nimbly than his age suggested he should be.

"Herr Hildegard, it's a lovely day, isn't it," Eliza smiled but continued moving past him at pace.

"Ah, if you have a moment…." He started, but Eliza didn't let the poor man finish. Instead, she kept walking and simply turned her head.

"I'm afraid I'm rather busy. Perhaps we could talk tomorrow," she offered despite having little intention of doing so. She smiled politely before she turned back and towards her office door.

"Oh, but Fraulein, you see, I have someone here to meet with you," he said, quickly gaining her attention with his words.

Eliza stopped dead at the old gentleman's words. Could it be a paying customer who was waiting to see her? She put on her most genuine smile before quickly turning around to look at him.

"Someone to meet me?" she asked, confused.

"Oh yes, a young man. He looked a little cold waiting for you on the doorstep, so I took him in and gave him some warm tea."

Herr Hildegard pointed a finger in her direction, silently asking her to wait a moment while he went and got her visitor from his shop. Eliza wasn't sure who this young man was that was waiting for her, she certainly wasn't expecting anyone, but her mind excitedly raced to a much-needed potential new client, and she couldn't hide her enthusiasm at the possibility.

That was until Herr Hildegard walked out with the young man in question. He'd been a little loose with his description since the person waiting to see her was not what Eliza would call a young man at all. A better description at worst was a child, and at best, was a young boy, who, from the look of him, was barely in double digits for his age. He was small and skinny, with sandy blond hair that fell like a curtain around his ears, and he desperately needed a bath. The only redeeming quality in the child was his clothes, grey trousers and a jacket with a dirty white linen shirt that, despite being a cheap-looking material, seemed to fit him perfectly as if they were made to measure.

"Here we are, young man," Herr Hildegard said with friendly warmth. "This is Miss Scarlet, whom you were looking for."

The boy looked shy and nervous as he walked out with Herr Hildegard's arm around his shoulders and a flat cap scrunched between his fists. He stared at Eliza almost as in shock at the look of her as she was of him.

"Hello," Eliza offered politely. She was no wiser about why this child would be looking for her.

"Ello," he returned confidently, with a thick east London tone. Eliza was surprised because the boy's voice and tone gave away a different thought about his young age.

"What's your name?" Eliza asked politely.

"I'm Charlie." The boy nodded.

"And how can I help you, Charlie?"

"I need to speak with you. Jonah said he thought you could help me…. He said you were a detective or something…."

Eliza was a little taken back by surprise. Jonah was the young friend of Moses' who'd come to find her the previous evening, and she certainly hadn't mentioned her profession or where her office was when she met him. Still, her interest was piqued by the lad, and despite her hurry, she decided to stop and listen to what he needed her for.

"Well, I guess you better come inside then," Eliza offered with a smile. She nodded her thanks to Herr Hildegard, who returned the smile as he patted the boy's shoulder and let him go.

Eliza turned to head to her office, and Charlie walked purposefully behind her as she unlocked the door and led them up the stairs to her office.

It was a little cold in the office since she'd not been there since the previous afternoon, but she wasn't planning on staying long, so she decided against lighting the fire. Instead, she moved to her desk, put her bag down and took off her navy leather gloves and pointed for Charlie to sit down on the chair opposite him.

"So, how come you need my help, Charlie? If you don't mind me saying, you look a little young to require a private detective."

Eliza smiled gently to put the boy at ease despite his apparent confidence. He sat down in the chair, and Eliza marvelled at small he seemed in it when she was used to fully grown adults, and she watched as his feet seemed to swing in the air since he couldn't touch the floor.

"I need you to help find my mum," he said quickly while Eliza blinked, a little stunned.

"Find your mother?" Eliza clarified his comment and opened a notebook from her desk so she could write down the details of Charlie's case.

"Yeah. She went to work two days ago, and she didn't come home."

"Okay… and have you reported this to the police?" she asked, unsure why he was telling her and not them.

"They won't help me," Charlie told her firmly whilst wrinkling his nose and looking at her, most appalled at the suggestion.

Eliza sighed because, in all honesty, he was correct. A missing woman wasn't a priority for the police. They would take the details and then file them as a potential runaway unless there was evidence a crime had taken place. They would also likely take one look at Charlie and send him off to an orphanage or, worse, the nearest workhouse if he had no suitable adult to look after him. Eliza felt a shiver creep down her spine at the very thought. She'd never been near a workhouse, but she knew William had grown up in one. Whilst he rarely spoke of his experience, she knew enough that they were wretched places, and just the idea of going to one was enough to frighten anyone.

"How old are you, Charlie?"

"I'm twelve," he said, sitting up proudly in the seat. "And a half, miss."

Eliza wanted to laugh because she remembered being like that at his age and the half being important to her too. She liked Charlie, he seemed like a sweet young boy, and it must have taken a lot of guts to come and find her with the worry of being sent away.

The downside, of course, was the likelihood Charlie couldn't afford to pay her for services, and she needed money. She wasn't sure what help she could offer him, but the least she could do was take the details and raise the report on his behalf.

"Okay. Well, how about you tell me about your mother. What is her name, and when did you last see her?"

"Her name is Mari Henley, though some people call her Maria. She's a seamstress in the east end. She's been working at the Oswald factory near Spitalfields for a few months, working her way up, you see…."

"She's a seamstress?" Eliza asked quickly. Charlie nodded innocently, unsure why it mattered, but for Eliza, it was curious since she'd just been looking over the body of a dead seamstress. "Please continue," she added.

"She went to leave for work at the factory two days ago, and she said to me and Annie that she'd be home by supper, only she never came home… and I've tried to ask around, but no one knows where she is."

"And who is Annie?" Eliza asked, confused by the additional name.

"She's my little sister."

"Okay, and is someone looking after her?" Eliza asked with a little concern. Charlie was far too young to be looking after a younger sibling by himself.

"She is fine… we're fine. I just need you to find our mother." Charlie suddenly looked worried and a little panicked at the question.

Eliza hesitated. Charlie seemed awfully young to be looking after his sister alone, but then what choice did she have? Perhaps, if Charlie knew Jonah, and Jonah knew Moses, then she could get Moses to check on them.

"I take it that it is unusual for your mother to leave you both?"

"She always comes home to give us tea and tuck us into bed. Sometimes she goes back out afterwards, but she's never left us without a word."

Eliza could hear the worry in Charlie's voice, and she felt her stomach flip at the idea of a mother leaving her children like this. She knew deep down that this couldn't be good, but she kept her voice light so as not to let on her concerns to Charlie.

"Can you describe what she looks like?" Eliza asked after a moment of thought.

"She's tall, maybe a bit more than you, Miss Scarlet, long dark hair, she ties it up like you, but she rolls the front a little more, so it frames her face, you know… She has a pretty face, a smile, and bright blue eyes…"

Eliza bit back a sigh because Charlie could have described half of London with that description, so it would be a little use to her.

"What was she wearing when she left for work?"

"Her usual," Charlie shrugged. "Black skirt, white blouse with like lace down the front, and a black kinda blanket thing that goes around her shoulders… She made it herself."

"You mean a shawl?" Eliza confirmed with a smile.

"Yeah, that's the word mum used." Charlie nodded enthusiastically. "She knitted it herself. She's talented. Makes all our clothes herself." He proudly rolled his body, showing off the suit she had made for him.

"Do you know of any outstanding features your mother has or anything she always keeps with her?"

Charlie took a moment to think before he once again nodded.

"She has a bracelet, a shiny gold one, with like a little plate that has her name on it. It came from her parents, I think. She always wears that."

Well, Eliza thought grimly that it was useful because she could always ask William if any unidentified bodies had turned up with a bracelet that matched that description. Perhaps, she could ask the local hospitals too, just in case Mari was injured somehow and had been taken to hospital.

"Ok, well, Charlie, I make no promises, but I will see what I can find. I'll need a list of people your mother is friends with and write down your address for me so I know where to find you if I uncover anything. Also, if you happen to maybe have a picture of your mother that I could borrow?"

Eliza passed over her notebook to him and watched as he quickly scribbled down an address and a list of a few names. His handwriting left a lot to be desired, and Eliza almost felt sorry for his clear lack of schooling. The photograph she'd asked about was a long shot since Charlie didn't appear like he was from a family who could afford them. As he passed it back to her before he stood up and dug his hand into his pockets, and he pulled out a few scraps of paper, a sweet wrapper and two small coins.

Eliza sat back and held her hand up, her heart sinking as there was no way she would take those coins from him. She'd figure out a way to help him and get some funds that she needed.

"Charlie, where is your father?" Eliza enquired out of interest more than her need to know.

"He's long gone, Miss. Mum said we're better off without him."

Eliza was slightly shocked at the boy's nonchalant tone regarding his father and his mother's words. It rather reminded her of William's attitude about finding his father. Still, she let her thoughts go because that wasn't for her to enquire about it further.

"I'll be in touch, Charlie."

"Thank you, Miss." Charlie seemed to smile brightly, pleased that she was willing to help him. Not that Eliza knew exactly what she would be able to find.

Eliza's smile dropped sadly as the young boy quickly left her office, and she could only hope that his mother was safe and well somewhere. If she wasn't, then Charlie and his sister were likely to have a somewhat bleak future.


Eliza didn't have much time to dwell on Charlie's situation since she'd been away from her home much longer than she had planned, and she could only hope that if Rupert had woken up, Ivy had managed to delay him from leaving until she returned.

She bounced up the front steps of her house and let herself in. She noticed that the house still seemed quiet as she hung up her hat on the hooks and smoothed down a loose piece of hair, and went down to the kitchen, wondering if Rupert was still asleep.

She didn't need to speculate long. As she reached the small corridor to the kitchen, she heard quiet voices and finally saw Rupert sitting in Ivy's usual seat with an empty plate in front of him and a cup of tea in his hand. As soon as he saw Eliza, he stood up and formally lowered his head. He kept his eyes on the table, his embarrassment clear for Eliza to see.

Ivy, who was at the sink, turned around when she heard the chair scrape on the floor as Rupert stood, and she looked around the doorframe to see Eliza walking along the short corridor to the kitchen.

"Ah, you're back," Ivy smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. "And look who's up." Ivy gave Rupert's shoulder a gentle tap while he stared seriously at the table, avoiding Eliza's concerned eyes.

"Thank you," Eliza offered to Ivy with a smile and a nod.

"I've given Mr Parker a good breakfast and a few cups of teas, and now look, there's some pink back in those cheeks."

Rupert broke his serious stare and chuckled as he gave Ivy a kind, appreciative grin, and Ivy nodded, happy her job was done, while Eliza slipped into her usual chair opposite, and Rupert sat back down.

"Well, I've got bedsheets to change upstairs, so I'll leave you two in peace to talk," Ivy offered, and she gave Eliza a gentle nod before heading out of the kitchen.

Rupert quickly returned to his embarrassed state, glaring at the table and avoiding Eliza's questioning look. Eliza sat quietly as she patiently waited for him to feel comfortable talking.

"I'm very sorry, Eliza," Rupert stammered.

"You have nothing to feel sorry for Rupert. My only concern is what happened last night to put you in such a…."

She trailed off as she noticed Rupert grimace. He didn't appear to want to think about it, let alone discuss it. She remembered the embarrassing feeling she felt as she recalled William looking after her following her evening at Mrs Reid's Ladies club. Her point was not to humiliate Rupert or make him feel uncomfortable, merely to understand how she could help him.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it," he finally answered honestly.

Rupert was already feeling terrible without explaining the events of the previous evening, an argument with his mother, followed by attempting to find some small comfort with a close friend, who turned him away after a curt discussion about plans for their future. It wasn't his friends' fault, though; he knew it was his own. His inability to stand up to his mother was his problem, no one else's.

"Rupert, I want you to know that, even if you don't want to talk about it now, I'm here to listen whenever you need it."

Eliza smiled and reached across the table to gingerly rub her fingers reassuringly over Rupert's hand tempting him to look at her. He did turn his hand and curled his fingers lightly around hers before squeezing them gently as he took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Eliza. I want you to know I do appreciate what you did for me last night and for letting me sleep here. It is a great comfort to me to have a friend such as yourself."

"We are friends, Rupert. You are mine just as much as I am yours," Eliza told him honestly. He smiled and squeezed her fingers tightly once more.

"I should go before my mother realizes I never returned to my house last night and starts to wonder where I was."

Rupert didn't want another altercation with his mother today; neither his head nor his heart was in it.

"Please thank Ivy for her wonderful food. It was just what I needed this morning. I do hope I have not disgraced myself in her eyes," Rupert said with worry in his voice.

"Of course not," Eliza reassured him. "I'm certain to Ivy that is not possible,"

With a simple nod, Rupert stood and slipped out the kitchen door; while Eliza watched him go, she gave a small sigh. She did want to help Rupert, but this time there was little she could do. He needed to learn to stand up to his mother himself.


With Rupert gone, Eliza decided to go to Scotland Yard, this time not necessarily to see William but to report Charlie's mother missing. Of course, once she'd done that, if she happened to go past William's office and see him, then that would just be a happy coincidence.

Only, what she didn't know, walking into the main reception area, was that she was suddenly and most definitely unwelcome!

"NO!"

It came from an unfamiliar loud, firm, deep male voice as she innocently stood in the reception area. It was so unexpected that it took a moment for her to realise where the voice was coming from and that it was being aimed at her. It was Superintendent Hall, and he looked most unimpressed by her presence.

"I beg your pardon?" Eliza asked, confused, as she looked around to see if he was indeed referring to her.

Hall stood tall and imposing, blocking the doorway into the station, wearing his navy-blue suit with gold stitching and shiny buttons. His waistcoat strained over the size of his portly stomach.

"No, Miss Scarlet. You may not enter this station building."

Eliza looked at him, slightly puzzled because, for once, she wasn't trying to go into the building. Instead, she had joined the short queue of people who were waiting to speak to Alfred, the Desk Sergeant, so she could file her missing persons' report with him.

"I'm sorry, I think you're confused…." Eliza started innocently trying to explain that she was there to file a police report, but Hall stopped her before she had a chance.

"I believe it is you who is confused. This is a police station, and as such, it is not a place for a lady such as yourself. I will not have a woman parading herself around this building, distracting, and fraternizing with my officers. Now, it is time for you to leave."

Fraternizing! Eliza was disgusted at his suggestion she was doing anything untoward, but Hall stood tall and firm as he moved away from the doorway and then stopped directly in front of her. He was trying to seem imposing as he pointed to the exit door. She hesitated for just a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to push the man, who was William's boss. Yet, holding her tongue in front of a man of authority had never been a strong suit of hers.

"Superintendent Hall, correct?"

Eliza, despite her irritation, asked politely and gave her kindest smile. After all, anger was possibly not going to help her win him over, so she decided to choose kindness instead.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Eliza…."

"I am very aware of who you are and what you proclaim to do, Miss Scarlet. Regardless you are no longer welcome here, and as such, I am here to tell you to leave… At once…."

Hall once again firmly pointed to the exit doors and stepped a little closer to lean over her as if to intimidate her into leaving. Eliza went to protest, but then she remembered Mr Potts sending her to her court once for bribery, and she was certain that the Super Intendent could well do far worse. She bit her lip, and instead of leaving, she decided that she was going to do exactly what she came to do.

"I'm actually here to report a missing person on behalf of my client." She spoke quickly so he didn't interrupt her again before she could finish. Yet judging by his posture, she suspected that Hall did not care why she was there and just wanted her to leave.

"If someone is missing, then I'm sure your client if one exists, should come and report it themselves," Hall confirmed sternly.

"Strangely, my client believes that the police would have no interest in helping them. I am here on their behalf to prove otherwise!"

Eliza kept her tone as light as she could despite feeling rather angry at the Superintendent's tone and the disrespect he was showing her. No wonder William didn't like him. Still, as she saw Alfred was now free, Eliza took her opportunity, since she knew he liked her, to do exactly what she came there to do.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to raise the report."

Eliza stepped forward and approached the tiny, grated window while Alfred tried to hide his smile and avoided looking in his boss's direction instead of fixing his gaze firmly on Eliza.

"I'd like to report a missing person, please," Eliza smiled kindly.

"Of course, Miss."

Alfred bent to the side, picked up a clipboard with a piece of paper and a pen and passed it through the small gap at the bottom of the steel bars to her. Eliza nodded her thank you to him before she moved to the benches at the back and sat down to start to fill in all the details she had on Mari.

Hall stood firm by the doors into Scotland Yard, like a guardsman, to ensure she didn't enter the building. His arms were crossed high over his chest, and with a face like thunder, he watched her carefully so the second she'd finished, he could escort her to the exit.

She realized that under no uncertain terms was she allowed in the building, and she wondered if William even knew this. She hoped if he had been in his office, someone would have told him what was happening, and he would have, at the very least, come to see what was going on, even if there was little he could do about it. However, since she could see neither he nor Detective Phillips, she could only assume they were both out.

With all the poise of a high-class lady that she'd been taught at school, Eliza proudly smiled at Superintendent Hall as she finished her report and walked back over to give it to Alfred.

"See that Inspector Wellington gets this," she whispered to Alfred, and he nodded his confirmation, giving her a careful wink whilst putting the paperwork to one side of the pile next to him. "Thank you!" she mouthed to him.

She turned around and tried not to give Hall a second glance as she pushed her shoulders back and walked with her head held high out of Scotland Yard.

Eliza decided, since she had no reason to rush off that she would wait around the train bridge for William to hopefully return. It was a little fruitless since she had no clue where he was or when he would be back. Despite this, she felt the need to talk to William and give him some warning about what had happened since he was likely to get an ear full from Hall when he returned.

Fortunately, she wasn't waiting long when she spotted Arthur, William's usual driver approaching with William's carriage, and slowly he pulled up just before the steps of Scotland Yard, and she approached it cautiously. Earlier, he had been happy to see her, and she wasn't sure if that would be the case now she had bad news for him.

Once again, she noticed William's surprise at her being there, but the smile on his face appeared as he noticed her. Could it be that he liked seeing her? Phillips jumped out of the carriage after him, but this time, instead of following William, he kept himself back by the carriage and just watched them.

"We must stop meeting like this," William joked as he approached her.

"Yes, well, I wanted to warn you…" Eliza offered seriously.

"Warn me?" William asked with concern, wondering what Eliza could want to warn him about.

"Superintendent Hall just threw me out," she said, disgruntled.

William's smile dropped, his jaw clenched, and he let out an audible sigh. He should have known this was coming. For all his hard work showing Hall what he had achieved recently, it was all coming down to him working with Eliza. William turned and looked towards Phillips, who was waiting by the carriage.

"Can you give us a minute; I'll meet you in my office."

Phillips didn't seem to notice William's sudden change in demeanor and simply nodded his acceptance before bouncing his way up the steps. When he was out of sight, William gently took Eliza's arm and moved them down the street and to the alleyway just behind the building where they could talk without being noticed.

"What happened?" William asked when they were far enough down the alley.

"I don't know, I went there to report a missing person, and he just stood there like an angry guard dog watching me, telling me I wasn't welcome and I should stop coming in."

William sighed; it wasn't surprising, really. He'd been getting grief off Hall for weeks now, and Eliza was just the tip of the iceberg. He had known that her walking in and out of Scotland Yard was going to get noticed sooner or later and likely get them both in trouble.

"He practically accused me of soliciting myself! Fraternizing with his officers!" Eliza fumed.

William smirked because that was not at all Eliza, only she narrowed her eyes on him and glared, unamused that he found it funny.

"Look, leave it with me. I'll see what I can do. For now, maybe it's best if you keep a low profile around here while I try and smooth things over. If you need me, then get one of the kids to get me a message, and I'll come by your office."

Eliza growled her frustration. This wasn't fair! Private detectives were always loitering and getting favours or case information from officers, and they usually used bribery to get their information. Just because she was a woman, she was banned. Why was it any different?

"Oh, you might want to look at the missing person's report I gave Alfred. I told him to give it to you."

"Why?" William asked. A missing person didn't exactly warrant his attention.

"I have a client, and I was here to report their missing relative who was a seamstress, like your dead woman at the mortuary."

"How long has she been missing?" William asked, curious.

"Two days. She's got two young children; I need to find her."

William huffed, he had a pile of cases and his desk, and he couldn't pick up this case because it was Eliza's, but William nodded if only to discount any similarities with Verla Kelly's. He had been hoping that Verla Kelly's death would be a quick case to close and an easy win to show Hall. He didn't want to admit it, but Eliza's comment about the Bee sting being unlikely in October had made him curious, and it had crossed his mind to give it a second look before he closed it.

"Fine, leave it with me."

William expected Eliza to move since she'd got him to agree to what she wanted, only she didn't instantly. Instead, if he didn't know better, he'd say she suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I, erm, just wanted to say I had a lovely evening last night." A shy smile broke out on her face and lit up her eyes as she shrugged innocently.

"As did I," William agreed. He smiled because it was nice to hear it once more in the cold light of the day.

"So, thank you." Eliza stumbled, unsure what she should do next. If that was enough, and if she should say anything else.

"Perhaps we could do that again?" William offered, testing the waters of their newfound level of friendship.

"I… I'd rather like that," Eliza admitted softly. Her eyes darted between his eyes and his mouth as she wondered what an appropriate goodbye would be now.

Carefully, William took a few steps forward, bent to her side and kissed her cheek lightly before stepping back and noticing the smile grow on her face, which he felt sure matched his own.

"I'll pop by your office and see you later?" He offered with a nod.

It sounded more of a statement than a question, and Eliza was for once at a loss for words. It wasn't unusual for William to visit her office but telling her that he would be brought with it a strange thrill of excitement that she wasn't used to. She smiled trying to hide behind her usual façade and nodded her acceptance before William turned back down the ally. She happily watched him walk down the ally and turn on the street towards the entrance to Scotland Yard and out of sight.

She leaned back against the wall, let out a heavy sigh, and almost shook the smile off her face. What was she doing? She asked herself, suddenly worried she was turning into one of those women. Was she really the kind of woman who would swoon over a handsome man?

No, she wasn't not doing that! She told herself firmly as she pulled herself back together. Taking a deep breath, she headed to the main road.

She stopped as she looked right and saw Superintendent Hall leaving the main entrance of Scotland Yard, and she watched him climb into a waiting carriage. Perhaps it was time she acquainted herself with some background information on the newest member of Scotland Yard, Eliza thought.

To be continued.

A/N: I hope you're enjoying this story, there's lots more to come for Eliza, William, and all your favourite characters.