Chapter 4

Her Maid, Nefarious

"Tonight's supper will consist of mussels and minced garlic in a light wine sauce, accompanied by chicken breast sprinkled with herbs from our very own garden." Sebastian bowed to Elizabeth as the other Phantomhive servants set the meal before her and Ciel. "I do hope you find it to be to your liking."

The blonde could feel herself starting to salivate as she stared at the food before her. She couldn't remember when the last time was when she had more than a handful of berries or a stolen loaf of bread to eat. "It looks wonderful!" She let out, eagerly yet politely digging into the mussels while Mey-Rin poured her a glass of ice water to accompany her evening tea.

Ciel had hardly sat down when he heard familiar voices approaching. He turned his bluenette head to see his Aunt Francis and company entering his dining hall, led by Tanaka.

"Elizabeth.." The girl's mother let out, her eyes widening somewhat before she lifted the skirt of her dress in both hands, rushing over to her daughter as lady-like as possible.

Francis hugged her daughter in a tight embrace before she had been able to get a good look at the girl. She didn't need to, she could feel it. The raised and bumpy flesh of healing scratches on the girl's cheek, her frail frame. Francis pulled away as her husband, son, and Paula joined her beside Elizabeth.

"You're not well.." Francis let out as she gazed into her daughter's dull eyes. "Why hasn't anyone called for a doctor?!" She suddenly turned angry, moving away from her daughter and directing her attention towards Ciel and his butler. "What is the meaning of this?"

"With all due respect, Aunt Francis-" Ciel began. "What do you expect a doctor to do other than encourage her to eat more?"

"To give her a proper examination and clean her wounds!" Francis retorted.

"If I may, Madam." Aurora suddenly spoke up from where she was standing next to Elizabeth, who was currently being smothered by Paula, her father and brother. "I looked over Lady Elizabeth and washed her wounds myself. I'm in agreement with the Earl of Phantomhive that there isn't much more that can be done."

"And just who are you?" Francis scowled as she turned towards the greenette.

Aurora took the skirt of her emerald dress in her hands, curtsying. "I go by the name of Aurora Newcomb, and I am the current lady's maid of Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia-"

"I won't allow that." Francis cut her off. "My daughter already has a lady's maid, and she doesn't have unkempt hair like you do."

Ciel smiled inwardly a bit with satisfaction. With his Aunt Francis on the case, Aurora wouldn't be around for much longer. He had nothing to worry about.

Or so he thought.

"I'm sorry, but that isn't true." Elizabeth suddenly rose from her seat at the other end of the long dining table. Ciel's visible eye widened a bit.

"Elizabeth?" Francis let out in surprise, but also in warning to her daughter as the one in charge.

"Aurora is my lady's maid." The blonde informed everyone. "She's the reason why I've returned, and why I look the way that I do now. That is, better than I did just a day ago. She's staying."

Francis didn't look pleased to have her daughter essentially talking back to her, but she feared that any disciplinary action would push her daughter away and possibly cause her to run off once more. Francis had nothing to say.

Elizabeth's emerald eyes wandered over to Paula, who had a hurt look on her face. When she saw Elizabeth staring at her, she tried to play it off. "I suppose you won't be needing me anymore." Paula chuckled sadly.

"Paula.." Elizabeth let out. Before she could attempt to smooth things over, Aurora suddenly spoke up once more.

"Oh, don't be so dreary. I'm certain there's room for another scullery maid in the Midford household." Her words were impudent, her smile insincere. Both Paula and Elizabeth's eyes widened.

In the meantime, while everyone was distracted, Ciel turned to Sebastian and whispered "I don't suppose you've found out anything about Aurora yet?"

"Actually, my lord, I believe I've found out all that we need to know a while ago." The butler bowed a bit.

"Alright, let's hear it." Ciel responded before bringing his cup of earl grey tea to his lips.

"Very well then. Judging by the scent that she gives off as well as the circumstances under which she's arrived, I believe Aurora Newcomb to be a demoness."

Ciel's visible eye widened. He swallowed far too much tea at once out of surprise, irritating his throat and causing him to break out in a coughing fit.

Everyone's attention was now directed at Ciel as he got his coughing under control. He tried to remain cool despite the information he had just learned.

"Do pardon me. It appears I've swallowed my tea wrong. Aunt Francis.. Might you join us for supper?" Ciel offered to his aunt and her family.

"We've come all this way. We might as well." Francis responded, sitting down as Sebastian pulled out a chair for her. "Paula." The woman said after a moment. "Come to my side. I wish to speak to you."

Nervousness etched across the brunette's face as she stepped away from Elizabeth and towards Francis. "Yes, my lady?"

"You need not worry about becoming a scullery maid or unemployed." Francis began as a plate was set before her. "As you know, my own lady's maid, Alma, is getting older. She's getting to the age where retirement is being considered, and she will need a replacement. I expect you to take over for her when the time comes."

Paula's eyes lit up when she heard this. She was delighted to hear that she wouldn't become a scullery maid, or worse: Unemployed.

"I will do my very best to live up to your high expectations, my lady!" Paula promised, bowing her head.

Elizabeth smiled a bit inwardly, thinking that it was a rather kind offer that her mother made. She felt much better now, knowing that Paula would still be serving her family in a way that made everyone happy. The blonde gazed up at Aurora momentarily, who was scowling in Paula's direction somewhat. It made Elizabeth feel uneasy. Aurora and Paula would not have to compete over the role of being Elizabeth's personal maid, so what was the problem? She thought back to how Aurora suggested that Paula become a scullery maid in the first place, and how she had said it. It didn't sit right with Elizabeth at all.

The meal was eaten in polite silence until Francis finished her portion and offered up her criticism. "The mussels were far too small, and the garlic overpowered the taste of the wine in the sauce. As for the chicken breast? Don't even get me started."

"I apologize that the meal was not to your liking, Aunt Francis." Ciel said as sincerely as he could. He had found the meal to be beyond satisfactory, although he wasn't going to admit that, especially in front of Sebastian.

"It is getting late." Francis started, seeing that her husband and son were finishing up their meals now. Elizabeth had only managed to eat half of what was on her plate due to her appetite having changed so drastically from only eating small portions while she was missing. It made Francis wish that Madam Red was still alive, as she would have been the marchioness' first choice in a doctor to examine Elizabeth. Oh well. There was no use dwelling on it. "I will be taking my daughter home now." She said, before turning to the brunette next to her. "Paula, see to it that a reputable doctor is called to come examine Elizabeth back at the manor."

"Yes, my lady." Paula dipped her head.

"I thank you for your company tonight, Aunt Francis." Ciel began as he rose from his seat at the table. "I bid you and everyone else a pleasant evening. If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to remain updated on how Elizabeth is doing over the next couple of weeks."

Francis and company turned to leave as Aurora helped the frail Elizabeth up from her seat. Glancing back at Ciel, Francis said, "The next time that I see you, I expect you and that butler of yours to be sporting more appropriate hairstyles."

"Yes, Aunt Francis." Ciel responded, a subtle drop of sweat dripping down the side of his bluenette head as he reached up to feel his bangs.

As Elizabeth stood up to leave, she made eye contact with Ciel that, to him, felt like it was the first time he had truly seen her in a while. His chest tightened a bit, and Elizabeth turned to leave with her family and their servants.

When the Midfords arrived back to their manor, Francis ordered Aurora to take Elizabeth to her room and prepare her for an examination by the doctor that was to come. Irritability swirled inside of the demoness. She was contracted to Elizabeth, not her mother. The lady's maid wanted to tell the marchioness that she solely took orders from Elizabeth, but figured that saying so wouldn't be a wise thing to do, at least at this time.

Aurora had only just got Elizabeth into her bed when the doctor arrived. The blonde looked at Aurora with a panicked look in her eyes, worried about the doctor discovering her contract seal among other doctor, a young man fresh out of medical school, entered the room with his medical bag in hand.

"You must be Elizabeth." The doctor smiled, approaching her bedside. Aurora promptly closed and locked the door to Elizabeth's chambers with the matching skeleton key, causing the doctor to look back in surprise.

"Listen well." Aurora began, approaching the doctor and Elizabeth from the other side of the room. You will not tell anyone of anything unusual you see on my mistress' body, is that understood?" An unsettling aura began to radiate off of her as she got closer.

"It would be wrong to hide anything from the marquis and marchioness in regards to their dear daughter." The doctor began, growing more and more uneasy of Aurora. "And besides, aren't you a servant? Who are you to-"

Aurora let out an exasperated sigh, her aura dissipating at once. "I suppose there's no reason to threaten him with a display of power." Aurora thought to herself. "If he's anything like most human men I've encountered, then there's other ways to get him to do as I desire."

Aurora's expression softened, her eyes half-lidded as she approached the man. "Doctor, if I'm not mistaken, then you've been far too busy ever since your graduation from medical school to properly court a lady." She spider-walked her fingers up his chest. "Is that true?"

The doctor blushed darkly, gazing down at the servant with wide eyes. "W-what are you trying to do?" He asked nervously, tugging at his collar uncomfortably.

Aurora stepped back a bit, a sultry look in her eyes as the rounded left sleeve of her dress slid down a bit to reveal her delicate brown shoulder and a little bit of cleavage. "Doctor, I do think that if you were to get to know me, you'd discover that I'm far more than a servant. I'm a lover, as well."

Elizabeth's emerald eyes widened a bit from where she was resting on her luxurious bed. She could've sworn that she heard another, deeper voice say "demon" at the same time that Aurora had said "lover". The next thing she knew, Aurora was coming over to gently undress her so that the doctor could examine her.

The man's eyes widened when he saw the contract seal on Elizabeth's sternum and the reddish skin around the edges, but he didn't say anything. As the doctor gave the girl a head to toe examination, it became apparent that he was taking pity on her. "Oh my, you poor girl." He said to her at one point, and that was when Elizabeth realized that he had uncovered her secret. Not her secret with Aurora, but rather, a different secret.

"You're not just covered in scratches and bruises. It looks as though you battled a particularly dreadful disease. But you came out of it alive." The doctor theorized.

"I don't think that there's much more that I can do." The doctor told Aurora as he was packing up his bag. "Just keep her wounds clean and make sure that she gets enough fluids and nutrition." He said, rising to his feet. "And don't, erm, worry about getting me to keep quiet.. I won't say a word to the marchioness about what I saw." He added, referring to how Aurora had come onto him earlier.

"Very well then." Aurora nodded to the doctor before unlocking the door to Elizabeth's chambers so that he could make his departure. "Your expertise is greatly appreciated."

The doctor bid them farewell, taking his leave out of the room before Aurora closed and locked the door once more. She didn't want anyone rushing in to check on Elizabeth while the girl was still undressed and risk them uncovering the secrets that her body told.

Elizabeth's pink armoire creaked as Aurora opened it, selecting a frilly, white nightgown from inside. She closed its doors and came over to Elizabeth, carefully helping the girl to get dressed in her nightwear. Aurora frowned subtly once she had finished dressing Elizabeth. The nightgown was meant to be light and flowy, but it was looser on Elizabeth's frame than Aurora suspected it used to be.

"I will definitely have to ensure that she regains her weight. I can't have her falling victim to malnourishment before I get the chance to consume her soul." The demoness thought to herself.

Aurora's train of thought was broken when Elizabeth suddenly spoke up. "He knows." She began, and the greenette turned to look at her. "Someone else knows my secret. He could tell just by examining my body." Elizabeth's voice cracked, and her emerald eyes began to well up with tears.

Elizabeth wasn't looking at Aurora. She was gazing up at the ceiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. Aurora's lips curled into a nefarious smile.

"And how does that make you feel, my lady?" Aurora asked, feigning sensitivity in her voice.

"I.. Contracted an unknown illness while I was on my own." Elizabeth began, her voice quivering. "I think that it must have come from a small village that I stole bread from. While I was there, a lot of people were coughing and sneezing at first. I was staying in the bushes not far from the village so that I could continue to steal food."

Elizabeth began to tremble. "What I saw as the weeks went by..Everyone in the village fell ill. There was so much suffering and agony. So much death. So many horrific things I witnessed that I would give anything to be able to erase them from my mind. And that's not even including the things that I went through once I fell ill, as well."

Aurora's abhorrent smile grew in magnitude. The trauma, the despair. The feelings of hopelessness and disgust. If she could continue to get Elizabeth to continue to feel this way throughout the duration of their contract, well..

Elizabeth's soul might very well be the finest that Aurora will have ever tasted.

Aurora wiped her face clean of any emotion other than sympathy as she came over to her mistress, pretending to understand what she was going through.

"My lady, it's late. Do try to think of happier things." ..Was what Aurora said as she tucked the girl in, but what she really wanted was for those dreadful thoughts to become poison in Elizabeth's mind, seasoning her soul.

"I will try." Elizabeth squeaked, and Aurora blew out the candles illuminating the room, leaving them in the dark.

"Goodnight, my lady." Aurora let out as she approached the door in the darkness, her eyes shifting to a reddish pink color with slitted pupils. "..And sweet dreams."