Part 6

William and Eliza waited impatiently in the office of Mr Faraday for nearly an hour while he located a stack of recent resignation letters along with a handful of brown enveloped employment files. It was instantly clear to Both Eliza and William that something was amiss as soon as they looked at all the letters side by side. Out of the ten letters Faraday had produced when compared, it was noticeable that 6 were written by the same person. However, when William put it to the man, he dismissed the suggestion, saying he was just handed the notes and had never looked at them together.

"Inspector, my concern is replacing staff, making sure we have enough workers to meet the sales. I have never looked closely at these notes."

"You've never thought it curious that they say a similar thing?"

"I assure you; I simply see that they are leaving and file it away. I have neither the time nor the inclination to follow up with each of them as to their reasons."

Faraday looked so unconcerned by William's suggestion, that if he was in on the scheme, he was either overly confident that he wouldn't be caught or a very good actor.

William decided to keep hold of the letters for further review and collected the employment files under his arm but before he moved, he gave Faraday the warning he would return should he feel he had further questions. Despite the rather ominous threat, Faraday didn't seem in the slightest bit concerned, much to William's frustration. He only seemed relieved that they were leaving his office.

Before they left Eliza took the opportunity to ask one last question.

"Mari Henley was recruited to work here, by a woman who saw her work on the stall she had at the market on Spitalfields. Who was she?"

Faraday looked at Eliza blankly as he sat down behind his desk, seemingly unaware of what Eliza was talking about.

"We don't recruit workers like that, most line up outside each day in the hopes of securing a day's work, occasionally if they are highly skilled, they might respond to a recruitment advertisement. I can assure you, though, we produce top quality, so we would only hire someone once they have shown that they have the skills required to make our fine items."

It sounded more to Eliza like propaganda being lifted from an advertisement than the truth about their hiring. Though, if Mr Faraday was wearing a suit made there in the factory then, he at least looked the part.

"Did Mari line up or respond to an advert, since she was highly skilled?"

"I could not tell you, Miss Scarlet, not without going through her employment files."

"I'm going to need you to send Scotland Yard all the employment files of these women and those who have left within the last six months," William told him decisively.

"That could take a while…" Faraday stammered.

"By the end of the day," William said firmly, before turning his back to leave, signaling the end of the conversation.

As they left the factory to return to William's waiting carriage, Eliza noted how different William seemed compared to how he behaved on the way in. The familiar brooding temper surrounded his posture as he walked a few paces ahead of her.

He did not attempt to slow to walk next to her or rest his hand on her back like he had when they walked in, and even when he held her hand for her to enter the carriage, he didn't let it linger once she'd stepped in. He simply removed his hat and sat opposite her with a heavy sigh and his hat on his lap as he stared out the window. Gone was his mischievous smile that lit up his eyes, replaced with a look of sadness and distraction.

"What are you thinking?"

Eliza eventually raised the question, to relieve the silence inside the tiny carriage. Was it related to the case, or perhaps something else?

William turned his head a looked toward Eliza as she patiently waited for him to tell her what was running through his mind. The question was, did he share with her his hunch?

He was concerned, not just for the woman Eliza was looking for. There was something suspicious going on at that factory and he didn't like the feeling that was growing inside him. Did he tell her that he was worried that perhaps whatever was going on might not be just related to one factory? Possibly there was a bigger issue that affected more factories that needed to be looked at. What would she do with those facts?

Superintendent Hall had already barred her from Scotland Yard, and if he found out that he was continuing to work with her, who knew what the consequences would be? Did he let her investigate Mari's disappearance, while he investigated the case alone? Eliza was useful; she could look at things in a way he couldn't. She was also resourceful and had a vested interest in getting Mari back to her children, so he knew she wouldn't let it go easily.

Eliza continued to stare at William as his thoughts waged a war, between telling her or not. He felt a headache coming on, and for once, Eliza herself was not the main cause.

"It's nothing," William finally said.

"Liar," Eliza called him out even though he'd learnt to control the sniff, which she'd once called his tell.

"I have some concerns," he said with a sly smile.

"About?" Eliza pushed.

"Someone is forging those women's resignations, now we can only assume they are doing it because something has happened to those women, and they don't want to raise suspicion by them not turning up at work. The question is why? What's the purpose of taking a string of seamstresses?"

"You don't think it's just happening here, do you?" Eliza asked after a moment.

William did a double-take, wondering just how she was reading him like an open book. Whether he shared his thoughts or not wasn't going to be a decision he could make.

"Everything I have is just a guess right now, there's no proof of anything that I can show Hall as to why Scotland Yard should keep looking into this. Verla Kelly worked for Oswald's factory briefly. Her body was found close to the Robinson factory, where she worked until she was reported missing and it wouldn't surprise me if we find out that she too left a resignation note written by someone else. That is our only link for these women. There could be more, but with nothing to say they've been harmed, and since Verla's our only body whose death could easily be put down to simply a bee sting, I'm not sure that's enough."

Unfortunately for William, a gut instinct for trouble wasn't going to be enough for Superintendent Hall.

"I think we should take a look around the Robinson factory," Eliza said seriously. "If there are more women who have a fake resignation and are potentially missing then that is a pattern that must be worth Scotland Yard's time. We could discreetly see what we could find after dark once the factory is closed."

"We?" William raised his eyebrows and gave her a pointed look at her suggestion, making it clear that he didn't agree with her joining him.

Eliza rolled her eyes, one day she hoped they would get past this game of her always having to convince William of her being able to help.

"For once, let us avoid the inevitable argument of you telling me I can't go, that it's not safe for me, and me doing exactly that regardless." She smiled politely hoping that William would back down.

"Or maybe you could settle with me that there are some places that I might know better, and you might agree with my better judgement to leave it to me and my men, who are officers of the law, to look around," William countered.

"We both know you'll need a warrant to do that, and you won't get one without evidence. Even if you did manage to go in without one, you could be alerting people to your investigation giving them time to hide their actions."

William rolled his eyes because he knew she was right, even still he didn't agree with her coming with him. It was a fruitless point because he knew it would be a cold day in hell which would mean Eliza would listen to him.

"You know I'm going to go there to look around after closing, regardless of whether you agree to it or not…. Perhaps, I might just see if Moses can find some time to join me?" Eliza continued with fake innocence.

She was hitting below the belt to bring up Moses and she knew it, as she watched William draw in a deep breath of frustration. He pulled away from her eyes and turned to look outside the window at the world passing by. She was trying to hide a smile, because she knew he had no response, and was likely about to agree to her going to the factory with him.

William kept silent, his mind blank for any words other than anger. Somehow, he knew no matter what happened between them personally, they would always fall back into this pattern. That no matter how much he cared for her and her safety, Eliza didn't want his concern when it came to investigating places that weren't suitable for a lady like her.

"And let me guess, you want to do this tonight?"

"I see no time to waste. I'd like to find out what's happening before another seamstress disappears, don't you?"

Of course, he wanted to find out what was going on, and quickly too, however, if he could put Eliza off for an evening, he could have looked around the place himself without her. Perhaps Eliza even knew this, which was why she wasn't giving him the slightest opportunity to go without her.

"Fine, I'll meet you a few streets away from the factory after dark, I'll bring Phillips too. We will just have a discreet look around the place, and see if anything stands out as unusual," William gave in with a sigh.

"I'd also suggest you send the manager of the Robinson factory a message asking them about any women who have left their employment with just a letter of resignation just to be certain both factories are having similar issues anyway. We can then check them against the list of missing women you have." Eliza spoke out loud, making her suggestion sound rather like an order to William.

"Of course," William said simply.

Eliza missed William's sign of irritation and continued with her train of thought.

"The thing I don't understand is Mari needed this job, she took it to provide for her family, and I'm sure most of the women in that factory are the same. If you need the money, you wouldn't just leave a paying job. Why is no one concerned about this?"

"Workers leave all the time in a place like that, and they just get replaced. You heard Faraday, he's not interested in why people leave, just getting people in to do the work. It's the same everywhere."

William shrugged, he'd read countless reports of missing women, and usually, there wasn't anything to investigate. He also knew there were probably countless more people who went missing that were never reported. He was probably deemed missing when he ran away from Glasgow, yet no one had ever come looking for him.

"So, everyone thinks they just got work elsewhere? Do you believe that?"

"No, I don't believe any of the women who supposedly resigned had any intention of resigning otherwise why not write their own letters? Now we have a list of those women from Faraday, I'll get Phillips to look over the missing persons again and see if we can find any more to add to our four Seamstresses who were reported missing."

"Do you expect more to be missing?" Eliza asked curiously.

In honesty, he wasn't sure. If there was no one to report them missing, then there wouldn't be any reports. Yet, if he could find at least 10 missing reports, then he hoped that was a big enough number to be a pattern he could persuade Hall that it was worth investigating.

"I think it's possible, but let's cross that bridge if we find anyone. In the meantime, please try and stay out of trouble, and away from Scotland Yard. Send me a message and I'll come and see you at your office if you need me."

William could instantly see Eliza's frustration at being told to stay away from his office written all over her face. He knew she would want to be involved, and even want to look through the files to find the clue herself.

"Just how long exactly am I to stay away from Scotland Yard?" she queried.

She was still rather annoyed that she had been practically expelled from being in the offices, albeit by William's boss.

"Eliza, please, give me some time to figure a way around Hall. He doesn't like me at the best of times right now, and if he sees that I can't keep you away then we'll both be in trouble," William warned.

Eliza thought for a moment since the last thing she wanted to do was cause William further difficulty. It wouldn't do either of them any favours if he lost his job.

"Fine, I'll keep a low profile. For now, anyway."

Despite her words, if she wanted to keep working with him on cases, she would need access to Scotland Yard eventually.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." At least on that subject, he felt like he'd won.

Eliza caught his eye and smiled, and William returned it with a brief smile. Their momentary dispute was settled, what more was there to say? Yet, Eliza could tell there was something else bothering him, as he pulled away from her gaze and turned to look out the window.

The remainder of the journey back to Eliza's office was quiet, as William stared thoughtfully out the window. Eliza wasn't sure what to say, since she was used to William when he was loud, bellowing, confidently telling her he knew better, but this quiet, lost-in-thought William, she didn't know how to handle. If anything, he seemed downbeat, yet she'd never known a case to affect him. So she briefly pondered on whether it was the case or her.

As the carriage pulled up outside a spark momentarily returned to his eyes, as Eliza waivered in the carriage and patiently waited for him to open the door and let her out, or perhaps even follow her into her office, but he didn't seem eager to move from his seat.

It was confusing to Eliza since he had seemed to be keen to rest a hand against her all morning, but she didn't dwell on the thought too long, since her hesitation was creating an atmosphere.

"So, I'll see you tonight?" Eliza confirmed.

"Yes," William responded with a slightly despondent tone. "I'll send you a message with the details of when and where we should meet later."

William eyed her cautiously as he spoke, wondering if she would ever take the time to think of her safety, instead of constantly running towards the danger. Though, he already knew the answer to that question.

Eliza gave him a smile, her eyes looking for some reassurance from him, and after a moment, he nodded holding her stare, and he moved his hand to gently rub his knuckles lightly against her knee. The gentle touch from him was something Eliza wasn't aware she needed, but it had the effect to relax her before she moved away and opened the door of the carriage.

She didn't hurry like she usually would, instead, she climbed out and then took her time holding William's eyes wondering if he would make some sort of move, only this time he just sat back and barely acknowledge her with a nod of his head. She closed the door and stepped back before watching the carriage pull away taking him to Scotland Yard.

Previously, she would have easily brushed off William's irritation, but with their growing closeness, she didn't like how it now unnerved her. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she ambled her way to her office, her mind racing with both thoughts of what had happened to Mari and of what was happening between her and William.

Should she bring up their kiss, was that the reason for the change in tension she'd started noticing? What did his touch throughout the day and subsequent change of mood in the carriage mean? Should she worry he was having second thoughts about them? If they even were a 'them'.

After making tea she settled at her desk lost in thought. The thought that William might change his mind scared her because she hadn't realized just how much she'd let herself enjoy their evening and the possibility it brought with it.

Finally, by way of distraction, she looked over the list of names Charlie had given her of his mother's friends and checked to see if any of the names matched the list of women who had left the factory with just a resignation note. There was only one name that appeared, Christina Downes. Eliza had no idea who she was, but it was a lead, nonetheless.

She wrote a brief message to William for him to look out for the woman's name in the missing person's files and seeing the time, she prepared herself to head off. She also had a plan on how to handle Superintendent Hall, but that would require a little planning on her part, and some assistance from an old friend, whom she'd made plans to meet that afternoon.

As she walked down the steps out of her building, she noted through the window, that Herr Hildegard and Rupert Parker were outside seemingly locked in conversation. She sighed, as the last thing she needed was to be delayed by them, and then she cursed that she was being callous given how Rupert had been the previous day. She put on a smile, and resolved to be polite, find out how Rupert was and do her best to keep things brief.

"Ah, Miss Scarlet, lovely to see you today," Herr Hildegard said in his soft German accent, as he saw her locking up the front door to her office.

"Herr Hildegard, Mr Parker," Eliza said friendly yet firmly, keeping up her busy persona.

"How is the young man I met yesterday?" Herr Hildegard asked.

"He is fine. I'm just working a small case for him," Eliza said in her best attempt to keep his interest in her work to a minimum.

She looked over at Rupert who looked noticeably downcast, as he just offered a small smile and was unusually quiet.

"I was just on my way to see you, Miss Scarlet," Rupert stammered, while his eyes lit up a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just on my way out…" Eliza said uneasily. She didn't want to dismiss Rupert so quickly; she had a few minutes to give him before her afternoon meeting. Though as she watched his eyes return to the ground, she was just about to ask him back to her office, only Rupert waved his hand before she could offer.

"It's no bother, we can talk about it tomorrow. I'm sure you're busy, off on another case…" Rupert trailed off and gave the tiniest of smiles. Eliza hesitated as she moved to catch his eyes properly. He didn't seem himself, and there was a side of her that was hesitant to dismiss it, especially after how she'd found him previously.

"Are you sure?" she asked him with genuine concern.

"Very sure, please I won't hold you up any longer." Rupert gave a small grin and waved off her concern.

Eliza searched his eyes briefly, and whilst she couldn't completely shake off the feeling something was wrong. Rupert's instance reassured her enough that he was indeed okay for the time being, and she could continue with her afternoon as planned.

"I shall see you tomorrow then?" Eliza spoke firmly, hoping Rupert knew she meant for him to come back tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, of course," Rupert agreed, sounding more like his usual self.

Eliza smiled and gave both men a nod before moving to flag a carriage. As one stopped, she looked over her shoulder to watch as Rupert left Herr Hildegard and strolled down the street his head down and his shoulders hunched. She could only hope he was okay.


With thoughts of Rupert lingering in her mind, Eliza exited St James' Park and strolled through the trees towards Buckingham Palace and the large Regents Park. She smiled as she saw a smartly dressed upper-class gentleman, sitting on a beach overlooking the boating lake, with a tiny white and brown-patched Jack Russell laying on the ground near his feet, chewing happily on a stick. A smile formed on her lips as she happily moved towards her friend.

Dressed formally in his black day suit and formal top hat Mr Colin Trewsbury, of the Park Lane Trewsbury family, was watching the world go by, and the smartly dressed men and women parading arm in arm along the pathway in front of him. Eliza noted he seemed far happier than the last time she'd seen him following the investigation into the death of Clara Wilson.

As she approached him, she hated to disrupt his contentment, but before she could stop herself, his dog jumped to his feet and moved quickly towards her, making her presence known to him. He was on a lead, and it tugged at Mr Trewsbury's hand.

"Ah, Miss Scarlet," Mr Trewsbury smiled kindly as he saw her.

He leaned on his cane to stand up and greeted her formally, bowing his head, before taking her gloved hand and placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

"So lovely to see you once again," he beamed, before motioning for her to take a seat on the bench.

"And you Mr Trewsbury. I take it you are well."

Like the true high-class gentleman that he was, he waited politely for Eliza to sit down before he made himself comfortable on the bench next to her once more whilst keeping a respectable distance from her. His dog jumped up and attempted to garner Eliza's attention, and she gladly gave it, since he rather did remind her of her own Jack Russell Skippy.

"I thankfully still have my health, if not those who stole my heart," he said wistfully. It was a sad reminder that he'd not only suffered the death of his wife but also of Clara, whom he held dearly.

Mr Trewsbury offered his dog a treat from his pocket to settle him, and quickly he curled up at his owner's feet.

"Now, how is it I can help you?" He asked, attempting to offer a lighter subject, and he tapped her arm reassuringly.

"I wonder if you can, I'm having a slight issue… The Superintendent of Scotland Yard has decided I'm a nuisance and has barred me from going there…"

"Ah, the downside of being a female detective I see…" he teased.

"Unfortunately, most people don't see the positives that you have," Eliza smiled. Since he had been most kind as to sing her praises to some friends, despite not being able to fully explain why he required a female private detective to know her.

"And how can I assist you with this?" he queried.

"I found out that certain members of Hall's family might run in your circles, I believe you all drink at the same gentleman's club, The Garrick Club, and I wondered if possibly you might be able to do a little digging… Quietly, of course…"

Eliza wasn't about to leave her predicament down to William to resolve since she couldn't compromise his job, however, she'd been doing some research and discovered a few interesting facts about the Super Intendent, that could potentially change her situation.

Mr Trewsbury eyed her with a grin of amusement as he toyed over the idea of playing detective himself.

"I think I can see what I can do for you, Miss,"

"That would be most appreciated," she told him honestly.

He gave a nod of approval, before making his next enquiry.

"Tell me, how are you fairing with work at the moment?"

Eliza was a little taken aback by his question. No matter how genuine he was, she couldn't help but query herself why he would be interested. She of course didn't want to tell him she was in fact in need of a paying job and instead chose to embellish a little.

"I do have my share of cases to be dealing with…" she lied convincingly, "However, I will always have time for you if you had something to mind?"

She replied, hopeful that he was asking because he had paid work for her to do. She realised that the likelihood of William being able to pay her for working with him right now was slim if his bosses couldn't know of her involvement in it.

"I might have something for you in a day or two if you're free," Mr Trewsbury offered cryptically.

Eliza hid the delight from her expression and simply nodded her acceptance.

"Well, I look forward to hearing from you."

Eliza smiled, as she stood up, unsure what work she was agreeing to, but only hoped that it would mean she would receive some funds for her efforts.