A/N: this is on of my favourite parts, I hope you like it too.
Part 7
William sat in The Fat Goose Tavern near Scotland Yard where many of the officers without families came for their evening break. It was noisy and dimly lit, presumably so no one looked too closely at what they were potentially eating, though most of the patrons were there for the drink, rather than the quality of the food served.
He too usually preferred a more liquid meal himself, but tonight, he needed his wits about him if he was going to have to deal with discreetly looking around the Robinson factory with Eliza. He wasn't feeling in the best mood and ate a small meal to distract from the sinking feeling in his stomach. He'd been failing miserably to try to quash the growing feeling that maybe this relationship with Eliza was finally heading somewhere.
He had hoped that after their enjoyable evening at the Bedford Music Hall ended with more than just an innocent kiss, perhaps things might have started to change between them, that maybe there was a possibility that Eliza saw him differently from how she had when they were younger. Yet the reality was, Eliza seemed intent on keeping things business as usual and he felt deflated for even thinking something more could happen.
She did not comment or move to reciprocate his actions during the day, letting his hand linger on her back longer than usual, holding her hand a little firmer when she got in and out of the carriage. She had, he noticed, smiled when he gave her a brief kiss on the cheek in the alley behind the Yard, but aside from that she'd given him no indication what he should do next. Did he continue to slowly put his feelings for her out there and hope she reciprocated? Or was he only setting himself up for disappointment?
He was so confused, and once more Eliza was the reason for another headache that was brewing in his temples. Though, perhaps this time it was more of his own doing. Perhaps he was going to have to accept that all she needed from him was help with cases and information. Perhaps she was just interested in friendship, with the occasional dinner. Anything else was out of the question if she solely wanted her career. He knew how important her agency was to her and that it was her priority, he did not begrudge it, though he might have wished she'd chosen a slightly safe occupation. He hated to admit how truly disappointed he felt, that possibly, she didn't feel for him what he did for her.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Phillips walking through the tables, moving towards him, before motioning a request to sit down opposite him. William looked up and hesitated. Frank had once been his so-called friend and someone to drink with, and that didn't end well. Yet he nodded and watched, as Phillips settled in the seat opposite him.
"You look like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders…" Phillips joked with a smile.
William tilted his head before taking a mouthful from his tanker of beer. He honestly felt like he had a heaviness on his shoulders. Only this weight wasn't just out of obligation to Henry to look after Eliza. It was that invisible line that he and Eliza always walked cautiously, and whether now was the right time to cross it or not.
"So, we're heading to the Robinson factory tonight?" Phillips confirmed.
"Yes. Eliza doesn't want to waste any more time looking for Mari, and I'm inclined to agree. We have no leads on where she or the other missing women might be, and this factory might be a link to Verla Kelly's death too. If we don't find Mari soon, I suspect we'll be looking for another body, but don't tell Eliza that."
Phillips laughed because he suspected that Eliza probably didn't need to be told anything. He'd bet she already knew that the clock was ticking to find Mari alive.
"Duke, if you don't mind me being bold…" Phillips started, as William looked him dead in the eyes with a warning to choose his words carefully.
"What is it between you and Miss Scarlet?"
William faltered at the unexpected question. He didn't even know where to begin to answer it truthfully, nor did he want to. The last thing he wanted was to have his judgement called into question, or have Eliza's professional or personal reputation ruined, even more so when the reality was there wasn't anything going on between them.
"Eliza and I are…. Complicated."
"You're telling me…" Phillips laughed before he took a mouthful of his beer and waited patiently for William to continue.
William took a slow gulp of bear, wondering if Phillips would change the subject as he did not want to talk about it, especially to a colleague. Only Phillips sat patiently and waited intently to hear whatever it was William was ready to share. So, William chose to say what he always did when asked about Eliza.
"I used to work with her father, he mentored me, and I owe him more than I can ever repay, because of Henry I need to keep an eye on her while she's in this business. I've got to keep her safe, even if she doesn't want me to."
William kept it simple and stuck to his tried and tested reasoning of duty to Henry. Though in the year since his passing, William had begun to admit even he thought this excuse was becoming weak. It wasn't simply for Henry anymore; it was because he enjoyed spending any time with her that he could.
"And that's all it is?" Phillips enquired almost if William were under interrogation.
Phillips watched as William shifted slightly uncomfortably, and he knew he had him on the ropes. After all, it didn't matter to him what their relationship was, but perhaps he could share some of his knowledge, as a friend rather than a colleague.
"Look, this is none of my business, and you're free to tell me to bugger off if you'd like, but can I offer you some friendly advice?"
William raised his eyes, wondering what advice his young detective could possibly offer him when it came to Eliza, but he nodded and chose to hear him out.
"There are some women out there, who want to remain safely at home, cooking, cleaning, looking after the children, and they are wonderful women. That's how they are happiest, and that is great for them. They are the backbone of society if you ask me. However, there are a rare few that won't settle just to be at home. The kind of woman that you can only sit back in amazement as you watch and wonder how on earth they came to be. Take my Emily for example, if I was to tell her she couldn't sing on stage, that she had to stay at home and raise our kids, cook, and clean just for me, I know the light in her eyes would just die right there in front of me..."
"No offence, but I hardly think Emily singing on stage is the same as Eliza putting her life on the line chasing criminals around London," William butted in.
William didn't want to sound rude, but for him, there was no comparison between Emily enjoying singing on stage and Eliza's safety while she brazenly took on the criminals of London.
"No, your right to think that. However, singing is not all the glitz and glamour that it's made out to be. You have no idea how many men leer and letch at her every night. Those who try making a pass at her then get angry when she turns them down. Every night she walks a fine line between doing what she loves and entertaining people with her talent, and men being men. Back home, there was a guy, who felt it was his right to try and put his hands on her and he was not taking no for an answer. Now, I'm her man, and I'm not having that. I go in there, guns blazing, thinking I'm defending her honour by yelling at him to step away and then clouting the guy with a good right hook when he wouldn't. Only Emily didn't see it that way…"
William chuckled because in his shoes he'd clout any guy who was inappropriate with Eliza. Phillip's always seemed like the happiest carefree guy in the world, despite their job, and it was interesting that even he had his limits when it came to his woman. He felt for him because he'd known plenty of actresses and singers, both personally and with his job, who opted to entertain the gentlemen for fear of losing the opportunity to perform.
"Emily saw it as me running in with my size tens, fists first, and honestly, she doesn't need saving by me, or anyone else. Afterwards, she gave me what for, I was almost thrown out by the manager for causing a scene, and Emily was nearly fired, not to mention it could have cost me my job on the force if he'd pressed charges. It took her three whole days to speak to me after that, and it was a lecture she made sure I wasn't going to forget in a hurry. I mean the silent treatment wasn't great, but I'm pretty sure that guy's never going to forget my right hook or try it on with another singer."
William nodded, and whilst he understood the man's point, he still wasn't sure he completely agreed with the analogy. Eliza seemed to enjoy putting her life on the line on a daily basis.
"See, I love Emily. She is my world, above all else. Part of my job is to keep her happy, and if singing is what keeps her happy, then I must work around it. We have agreed rules, for example, if she's singing somewhere, I wanna know where and when, so I can be sure it's reputable, and I'll check it out with her before she agrees to sing there. I always make a few friends with the barmen or waiters to make sure they keep an eye on her. She has her ways of dealing with those who think they can take what they want from her. She also has a known signal, so if I, or whoever's doing security, sees it and we can step in before it gets out of hand. She never walks home after dark alone, either she waits for me, or gets one of the guys to escort her home…."
"That sounds like she is more open to an agreement than Eliza…"
William smiled because it was so evident that Phillips and his lady were meant to be together. That Phillips seemed so secure in their relationship was beyond him, since he could barely get Eliza to admit she liked him as more than a friend. Could the same be said of him and Eliza?
"Maybe. Emily and me, we try to meet in the middle. I'm sure she agrees to certain things just to placate me, and she's certainly not happy when I come home having had a close call if you know what I mean. Yet, she knows I love being an officer, and she wouldn't ever ask me to stop just because something might happen to me. However, back to my point…."
Phillip's nodded taking another mouthful of drink before he continued.
"Some women are destined to shine so brightly on this earth no matter how much we want to wrap them up and hide them from the world. If we did, we would be just as criminal as the guys we try to lock up. Your Eliza… She's a diamond. Just give her a little space, and you will see her sparkle."
William dropped his eyes and sighed. He'd seen Eliza shine and sparkle. When she was solving a case, when she was winning, that was when her truest most confident smile beamed.
Deep down, he knew she didn't need anything but her incredible mind, talent, and wit. Knowing this didn't make it any easier to accept though. Stepping back and watching her excel, meant letting her go and hoping she'd eventually come back to him. In his heart, all he wanted was to hold on to her tightly and keep her all to himself.
"And if I can't do that?" William asked sadly.
What if letting go meant she never came back to him? What if there was someone out there who could offer Eliza the life and adventure she craved, William pondered.
"Well, then you've already lost her mate, because a woman like Eliza, she's never going to let you, or anyone else, hold her back."
William nodded slightly glumly. At that point, he couldn't disagree with his colleague.
Eliza was hidden in the darkness of an alleyway, just across from the tall grey chimneys and the long red brick buildings of the Robinson factory. She wasn't waiting long before William arrived, and she watched him jump out of the carriage closely followed by Phillips.
She waited as he slowed his stride and his expression changed when he saw standing imposingly behind her was Moses, and he visibly sighed and gritted his teeth. She didn't like forcing this, but Moses was not the person William thought he was, and he was just going to have to learn to accept that she worked with him, whether he liked it or not. She was certain that if he just spent some time with Moses, he would see him as an asset. Plus, William had Phillips with him, so why shouldn't she bring her own help with her?
As William and Phillips slowly approached them, she put on her kindest smile.
"You took your time," she told them both politely.
William grumbled to himself while flexing his hands hidden in his trouser pockets, and ignored the comment, as his eyes went straight to Moses.
"Inspector…" Moses beamed with teasing a smile while he tipped his hat.
"Moses," William glared.
The two men held their firm stares, while Phillips stood awkwardly behind unsure how to greet the Jamaican following their last introduction.
"I thought it would be useful to have another set of eyes with us while we look around," Eliza said with false innocence since she'd always planned to bring Moses with her.
William cleared his throat, before pulling his eyes away from Moses and squaring his shoulders to look at Eliza and with every inch of authority on the situation, he took the lead to direct them how he wanted.
"Of course. Let's get on with it, shall we? You can come with me to the right, Phillips, and Moses you go to the left."
William didn't wait for anyone to respond, as he walked off towards to right side of the building without looking back, assuming Eliza would follow him. Eliza gave a slight chuckle to her before nodding to Moses that she agreed and moving after William.
"Looks like it's you and me," Phillips joked to Moses, attempting to be friendly. Only Moses just glared his disdain and flared his nostrils before moving off in the opposite direction. He didn't trust the police and even less one as chirpy as Phillips.
"I guess this is going to take some work…" Phillips told himself as he shrugged before following behind Moses.
Eliza held her skirt slightly in her hand as she almost skipped to keep up with William's long strides. She could tell he was annoyed about Moses, but Eliza did as she did best, and ignored the tension.
"Did you get my note about Christina Downes?" Eliza asked, keeping her voice purposely quiet as she caught William up.
"I did yes," William confirmed slightly coolly in a low tone. He slowed himself so Eliza could walk side by side with him.
"Did you find anything?" Eliza pushed since William didn't seem to be too forthcoming with information.
"She is missing…" William sighed, knowing what Eliza would make of it. Two women missing on top of the others William had found was a pattern and eerily similar to Clara Wilson's disappearance.
"Missing? Since when?" Eliza asked with concern.
"I can't say for sure as there is no report filed of her being missing. I sent a Constable to ask around her last known address and one of the girls there said she just stopped coming back so her room has been re-let. There's been no news or sightings of her since before her resignation letter. The good news is, that other than Verla Kelly I haven't found any other reports of any unidentified or missing dead women that would fit our case."
"So, there is a chance they are alive and being kept somewhere?" Eliza said hopefully.
"I believe so. I suspect without any bodies, possibly someone has kidnapped them and holding them somewhere."
That was a slight relief, that if they worked effectively, they might just find Mari and Christina, and anyone else who might be missing too. Eliza smiled to herself as she realized that William called it "our case." Was he finally seeing her as his equal, she wondered?
"I don't understand why someone would want to kidnap these women?" Eliza queried. It was one of the things that was bothering her, she couldn't figure out a reason for someone to harm Mari or potentially any other of the women who had resigned.
"I don't know. The only similarity in the women I can find so far is that they are all skilled seamstresses." William admitted. "Perhaps they took those they deemed the best workers and are forcing them to work. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened," William admitted.
They slowly approached the factory's outer wall, and all seemed quiet and still. Whilst the Robinson factory was smaller than the Oswald Factory it was still large, and they were fortunate that this was a rare evening that it wasn't operating overnight. No one was around and away from the main road the lack of streetlights was making it harder to see. The full moon was their assistant, lighting the sky as they made their way along with the building.
William was trying to find a door that they could potentially use to enter the factory. As they moved further into the darkness Eliza reached out her hand to press William's arm to be able to know where he was. He stopped and turned back to Eliza realizing how unsettlingly black it was in the dim light of the night and his dark suit. He moved his arm so she could hold his wrist while he walked ahead. Eliza didn't hesitate to make contact as she quickly wrapped her fingers tightly over his shirt-covered wrist.
As they felt their way further into the factory grounds, William felt strangely comforted with Eliza's hand wrapped around his wrist. Knowing she was there without having to look back, just by feeling the weight of her fingers wrapped around him. It would be inappropriate to slip out of her grip, interlocking his fingers with hers, and hold her bare hand, but he couldn't deny that he felt a strong need in him to hold her close, despite how unsure he felt about their relationship standing.
Finally, they came across a door in the far corner and William knew they had a way inside. He rattled the handle; it was locked but it was flimsy, and it only took a slight shove with his body to open it. It wasn't the most secure of facilities, William realized, as they made their way inside.
As the door shut behind Eliza, their eyes took a moment to adjust. If they thought it was dark outside, it was worse inside, where the only light was the moon shining dimly through dirt-stained windows. It was a large open room with rows and rows of tables and large sewing machines. It was eerily quiet, looking at all the machines, almost frozen in time. Unlike Oswald's the Robinson factory only made clothes so did not need the larger machinery to make rugs and runners.
Eliza imagined the hustle and bustle of the factory during the day, there must have been space for more than a hundred women to be crammed at machines and many more who would probably sew by hand the fine details on the garments.
"Stay close to me," William said with gravel to his voice as he pulled his gun and held it out in front of him. Eliza nodded, despite the fact William could barely see it and gripped his wrist a little tighter. The fact was anyone could confront him, and he would not have time to react.
"We need to find an office," Eliza whispered.
"Agreed, maybe up there on the floor above," William replied looking up and just making out the high floor above them in the moonlight, which covered half the roof and had windows that overlooked the work floor.
Cautiously, they moved through the room tense with alertness as their eyes darted around looking for anything out of place. They walked towards a door in the corner that when they reached it, opened to a staircase. William step inside and stared upwards.
There were no windows in the stairwell that had a looming winding staircase that seemed to have no end in the pitch black above them. Without much thought, William pulled his arm from Eliza and took her hand in his, needing to know he could pull her easily if he needed to, and was relieved when Eliza showed no sign of objection.
They both jumped slightly as the wooden door slammed shut behind them. If it hadn't been so dark, they might have noticed that they were both hiding their fears behind bravado. It was slow trying to walk up the stairs without tripping up, with the only sound being the shuffles of the soles of their feet and William kicking each step to feel his way. He was on full alert as he felt unprepared for the likelihood of someone jumping out on them.
Eliza felt her heart beating in her chest as she held her skirt in her free hand and stayed as close to William as she could whilst taking care to not constantly bump into him. Ordinarily, she wouldn't ever let him hold her hand as he was, but his strong grip and the soft sound of his breathing were comforting to her in the darkness, even as she tried to hide her discreet smile at William's boldness in taking her hand.
As they finally reached the top of the stairs, they opened the door to a long corridor with glass windows on one side and doors to large offices on the other. The light was better up here, so it was far easier to see that the place was deserted, and William relaxed his stance but was in no hurry to let go of Eliza's hand.
William glanced over his shoulder as he felt Eliza pull on his arm while she moved a few steps towards the window to look down on the expanse of the factory floor far below them. They were unnervingly high up, but she could see nothing out of the ordinary on the factory floor.
William squeezed slightly at her hand to get her attention and motioned for her to come with him into the first office. William turned around and started moving Eliza glanced at their interlocked hands. It was funny, Eliza thought, how comfortable she suddenly felt with William taking her hand in this way, and how safe she always felt by his side.
The first office was just a small office with a few desks, and after a quick flick through the paperwork on them revealed nothing, and the next one was similar.
The middle office seemed more like a secretary's office, with paperwork and cabinets, and William reluctantly released Eliza's hand as she let go and moved towards the desk to start her investigation. She turned the dial on the gas lamp giving a small amount of light in which to see. She took out from her pocket a small notebook and picked up a pencil from a pot on the desk before she reached for some files to flick through.
William holstered his gun and made a glance over the filing cabinet, but he couldn't stop himself from staring over at Eliza while his conversation with Phillips earlier ran through his mind.
In the low light of the gas lamp, she looked beautiful, with a face full of concentration as quickly read over the files and made some notes in her book. This was who she was, and this was Eliza at her best, solving a puzzle and being challenged. He smiled to himself; this was one of the things he loved about her.
They settled into their individual investigations quietly going through files whilst listening for any sign of movement from anywhere else around them. It was hard for William to read anything in the bad light, and even more that the cabinets seemed to have hundreds of records with little organization.
"Anything?" William whispered in a low growl, after a little while of searching.
"Nothing of great interest," Eliza admitted with a sigh. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for. "You?"
Eliza looked up as William seemed to be still before pulling out a file from the cabinet. From the look on his face, she knew it was something important.
"Verla Kelly's file…." William said proudly.
He moved across the officer and stood shoulder to shoulder with her so they could read through it together. Whilst it was slim and gave little information, they both quickly noted what they were looking for.
"She has a handwritten resignation letter!" Eliza whispered as a shiver went down her spine. That meant more women were likely to be missing from this factory just like The Oswald Factory.
"Do you think it's the same person who wrote Mari's?" she asked.
"It's difficult to tell without comparing them together, but it's possible they were. Have you found any other files with resignations?"
"No, but I have made a list of women who I believe have recently left their employment here, no reason as to why, so we could check that against the missing persons…"
Suddenly a sound in another room made William snap his head up before glancing at Eliza looking at him with her eyes wide, it made her jump too. In a split second, Eliza put the file she'd been reading back on the desk and turned off the lamp plunging them into darkness once again.
William handed Verla Kelly's file to Eliza to take with them, then he pulled his gun and pushed his luck once more by wrapping his hand around Eliza's as they moved towards the door. To his surprise, she didn't question or pull away from his touch. They moved to the wall by the doorway, and both pressed their back against it while trying to calm their breathing to avoid making a sound.
Eliza felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she placed and hand on William's shoulder feeling the muscles tight and tense under his jacket. Now was not the time to be thinking about that, she reprimanded herself.
William peered round the doorway. The corridor was empty, and all seemed quiet. Perhaps the noise was Phillips and Moses, after all, they should have entered from an opposite entrance. He motioned for Eliza to move with him, as he carefully moved out of the room and began to stalk his way down the corridor. There was still total silence, to the point that William would have wondered if he imagined the noise had he not known that Eliza had heard it too.
Just as he relaxed a little and lowered his gun, a movement out of the corner of his eye startled him, while they moved straight for him. He felt the shove to his body before he even realized what was happening, as the person hit him with all their might, knocking him totally off balance, and sending him crashing into Eliza. As her hand slipped from him, they both tumbled to the floor as feet ran past them.
Eliza landed flat on her back, as William managed to twist his body to try and not crush her as he fell on top of her. He barely managed to catch himself as he stopped just above her, nose to nose, both breathless and eyes wide at the intimate way they were laying on the ground.
They both quickly looked in the direction of the runner, noticing the trailing skirt of a girl bouncing.
"Stop!" William yelled out.
It was only fortunate that Phillips and Moses opened the door at the end of the corridor and the girl ran straight into them. They could only watch while Phillips grabbed her around her waist with one arm and restrain her arms with the other as she struggled to get away.
"Laying down on the job Inspector…" Moses beamed with a chuckle as he saw the position William had fallen on top of Eliza.
With a groan, William quickly pushed himself upwards on his arms and righted himself before he held a handout to help Eliza to her feet.
"Apologies," William grumbled to Eliza with a tone of frustration, that Eliza could only force an attempt to hide her laughter and be grateful that in the dark he couldn't see the blush of pink in her cheeks.
"Let's get out of here," William told them formally as he strode down the corridor while glancing over the girl who was huddled against Phillips, with a look of fear in her eyes. They had what they needed for now.
To be continued...