HI Folks! Here is another important update. With the next chapter we will be entering into the Eliza's investigation and the reason for the title. I hope you are enjoying this! It's been interesting writing for a couple set in Victorian England, but I have made them a little more modern since Eliza herself is more a current woman than a woman of that era. Please leave your comments if you wish! I enjoy knowing your thoughts. - Carebearmaxi.

Funny Meeting You Here

Chapter 7A

The loud temporary celebration of Eliza and William's impending nuptials had lessened somewhat throughout the dining room, but the spirit had not. There was still some continued gaiety and celebration of life. It echoed through the room as William and Eliza sat at their table silently gazing on each other holding hands.

After proposing and receiving his answer, William resumed his seat but he did not retreat to the other side of the table. Instead, he remained close holding Eliza's hand between taking sips of wine.

"I'm very glad you said 'yes' because it could have been very embarrassing for me."

"Oh? Why did you think I wouldn't say yes?" Eliza asked. Then she paused for a minute and said, "Wait a minute. You're right! I never gave you any indication how much I love you."

"You have whether you know or not."

"I'm glad you did notice those times without me having to say the words. That's a scary thing to tell someone you love them."

"It is. You take the chance. Most of the times one knows when it is reciprocated," William stated seriously looking into Eliza's eyes.

"I do love you William and I want to be yours but we do have much to discuss," Eliza stated seriously.

"I know. More than you realize," William acknowledged.

"I'm not talking about the wedding which I don't care if it happens tonight, but Ivy would kill me if she didn't see me coming down the aisle in white."

William laughed back another sip of wine.

"Yes, that would be one way for me to make an enemy of Ivy and that might bode badly for my stomach," William said smiling.

Eliza laughed, too, knowing that was another dig at her lack of cooking skills.

"I know I am a bad cook, but I can learn!" Eliza playfully slapped William's hand.

"I'm sure you could if you approached a recipe like an investigation of a case!" William teased.

William's countenance then turned serious as he gazed at Eliza. Her blonde curls still full of life in the back of her head, her face flushed from the wine or embarrassment at being proposed marriage in a crowded restaurant, and his hand warm from holding hers which has been one of the most pleasurable times he had ever spent with her. He had meant it when he told her that he could no longer be around her without being with her. He was glad he had returned. His other hopes needed to be discussed soon.

"My dear, are you still ruminating on my poor wife skills? You had such a faraway look in your eyes," Eliza observed.

Not giving him a minute to respond, Eliza jumped back into the conversation and lamented.

"Let's not discuss this right now. I don't want to spoil what's left of our evening together."

"I have no intention of spoiling our evening, Eliza. It's late though, how about we get out of here?"

"It's half past ten," Eliza said disappointed at the hour. "I do have to continue working my case tomorrow."

"So, do I. However, I don't plan for our evening to end here. Would I be too bold to ask if you might, my newly christened fiancée, return to my house?

Eliza looked up into William's welcoming smile hoping to discern what he may be thinking.

Smirking, Eliza teased, "Why does that sound so sinister coming from you?"

William smiled as he lifted up Eliza's hand and kissed the top of it very tenderly.

"Surely, you're not afraid of me, Eliza Scarlet, are you?"

This sparked her. "Certainly not. We're old friends, and I know you."

It was not fear of William being a man that scared Eliza. She only once took the bait of a man trying to have his way with her. That was a long time ago and she had practically been a child. Her fear regarded all that now would be expected of her as William's wife going forward. Even being his betrothed carried some propriety of behavior which having been arrested three times and bailed out by William twice let alone being the only female private investigator in London did not bode well for their present and future marital status.

However, she wanted William as a woman wants a man or how a fiancée wants her intended. She needed to make it unequivocally clear to him that he was hers now and she was not letting him go…ever. So, she attempted a seductive look, rose from her seat and came to sit on William's knee. Oh, look who's scared now Eliza thought. She watched William's face begin to question her silently and his body begin to squirm. He had no knowledge of what she was doing or where she thought she was going.

Eliza maintained her audacity and placed her arms around his neck and kissed him fully on his lips. William could hardly resist. He took over and they nearly fell to the floor until Eliza began to laugh and they broke apart smiling into one another's eyes.

"Ah, Miss Scarlet, I may have to arrest you for assaulting an officer of the law," William breathed deeply as Eliza continued her scandalous behavior.

She, in response, gave William one of her dazzling smiles stretching out her wrists as if William was going to shackle her.

"Arrest me, sir!" Eliza said. Then she whispered, "Take me where you want. There's no place I would rather be than with you…anywhere."

Arabella had obtained a carriage for them as she said she would when the time came. She looked on as William handed Eliza into the carriage. Arabella was no longer bitter and was truly happy for him. She was the one who had made William examine who it was he really needed by acknowledging it aloud that he was in love with Eliza. Arabella knew Eliza was in love with William but was very afraid that her ambition would overshadow how much she actually wanted to be with him and be the wife he needed.

It seems that tides had turned. Arabella had observed them all night more or less and she had never seen William so happy! He was positively giddy when Eliza said yes. Well, giddy for William meant he smiled a little more and had become a bit more open in his mannerisms. Arabella was not sure if that last stunt of Eliza's was provoked or she was trying to prove to herself that she could be a real woman for William.

Arabella had not been upset at all, at first, when Willam came to her with a last-minute need of a reservation and how he would like the proposal to go. However, as the evening progressed and Arabella was in and out of the dining room greeting and serving her guests, she had become a bit annoyed that William for whom Arabella still cared had not managed to upend his affection for Eliza after being separated for nearly a year.

She knew it was none of her business now, but Arabella would not be surprised if their marriage never happened.

They sat in the carriage quietly. Eliza sighed and put her head against William's upper arm. He moved his arm and placed it around her.

"Are you cold?"

"No. I'm fine."

William kissed the top of her head as they jostled back and forth along the uneven London street.

"That was a delicious dinner and the wine was fabulous!" Eliza exclaimed. "Thank you, William."

"Oh, by the way, my ring is beautiful! Where did you find such an unusual setting?"

"I will tell you if you are a good girl," William teased smiling.

William took the liberty of bending his head and stealing a kiss. Eliza leaned back and William took her into his arms as the carriage jostled them back and forth. Just for effect it seemed to have gotten colder outside the carriage.

They broke apart momentarily and Eliza glanced out the window.

"William! It's snowing!" Eliza loved snow.

William smiled at Eliza's excitement over the downturn of the late December weather.

Eliza felt William pull her back into his arms. She leaned against him with her back to his chest and William enclosed her in his protective arms as they watched the snow together as the carriage trod its way through the streets.

Eventually the carriage stopped and they had arrived at William's house. The trip was a little long from Arabella's restaurant to William's house, however, Eliza and William had been so engaged with one another that the trip seemed too short.

After William held Eliza's hand to help her alight from the carriage, William unlocked his door and allowed Eliza to pass into his foyer.

They sat together on William's darkly furnished living room. Like him the room was masculine with heavy wood furniture. She remembered when William bought this house. He was so proud of it. In all the years he had lived here he had never spent much time here. Eliza thought that when they married, they would live here and move Ivy in because she certainly would not be married to Mr. Potts by then. Well, she may be since Eliza would possess her own house and William did employ a housekeeper.

Coming over from the bar with their nightcaps in his hand, William mentioned to Eliza.

"I must remember to thank Ivy to coming over here and keeping my house while I was gone."

"I didn't know Ivy was keeping your house, too. Where did she get the time to take care of me as well as you? "Eliza wondered.

"Ivy happens to love you like her own, Eliza. I think she has a takin' for me, too."

"Undoubtedly, since you first came into our house at 19 and right off the train from Glasgow. You were so polite and gracious to her. Now to me…"

"Well, you put on airs like you were the mistress of the house. Lying to me about a smoked ham that you had cooked," William said laughing at the memory.

Eliza laughed as well.

"Speaking of Ivy, she has been a mother to me since I was 5. She and my mother had grown up together. I only have my mother's wedding band. She and my father didn't have much. It's no wonder I can't cook or sew or do anything domestic."

He clasped Eliza's hand in both of his larger ones.

"I love you. I love you because you of who you are. I didn't ask you to be my wife because of your cooking or nursing skills which are both dreadful, but I want to make you my own because of who you are because of your heart. Also, how much you make me laugh and bring this brooding Scottish copper a light to my life."

"William, I am sorry. I love you and I am now happy to tell you so knowing that you really love me back, but I can't promise that I will become a wonderful cook or be able to nurse you through all your mishaps and sicknesses, but I will try."

Eliza kissed him. She prevented him from adventuring further by mentioning what was the elephant in the room for her.

"I just wanted to let you know that I have no intention of giving up my career. So, if you're going to stay with Scotland Yard…."

"Eliza, I don't want that discussion right now. I just want you."

They kissed and William tenderly opened the kiss and took her in his arms and gently bent her back on the couch. Eliza wrapped her arms around William and held him tightly to herself savoring the feel of his whiskers on her soft skin the feel of his hands running all over her body and the hurried banging of her heart in her chest. She could feel his heart beat hard, too, she lay buried underneath him.

"William…"

"Yes, love," William whispered trailing kisses down Eliza's neck.

"You promised to tell me about my ring."

"Not now."

Now the moment she wanted had arrived, she realized she wanted to be Mrs. Willam Wellington before she allowed William and herself that pleasure. She continued to kiss him but William suddenly stopped.

He looked into her eyes as they lay there in each other arms.

"You're serious, Eliza?"

She nodded.

William harrumphed and he helped them both back to a vertical position.

"Give me your hand," William said gruffly.

Eliza held out her hand and William took it gently and smiled.

"You know you are a most vexing woman."

"I'm sorry, but you know me, I am very curious about mysteries."

"Eliza, it's an engagement ring not a stolen artifact," William said vexed but amused nonetheless.

"I promise we can do anything you want after you tell me," she said giving him a Of

"Well, then. Do you see the gold band itself is two vines twisted together. The vines ae actually two roses twined together. Do you see how the stone is set in the middle of the flower? The flower is the rose from the two twines together."

"The two vines one rose. Such a beautiful promise. The promise of marriage. Two people becoming one like the two vines culminating in one rose. The diamond represents our love. How lovely and romantic."

"Yes, I though so, too, when I picked it up in New York. There was a shop not far from the precinct. It was in the window and I walked by it. I remember what you told me how you didn't like anything to ostentatious, so every time I walked by on the way to work, I knew I must get it for you and why."

"So, I was right about the design then?"

"Of course, you were. Now, it is almost midnight and we both need to get some sleep."

"But William it's too late to get across town now," Eliza protested.

"Who said you were leaving here. Come," William rose and offered his hand.

They went into William's bedroom. He began undress.

"Eliza, I had Ivy pack some things for you. She was to leave them in the other room. Just so you can be comfortable. When you're ready, come back here."

"I'm not sure to be shocked or excited. Thank you for thinking of me, though. I do appreciate it," Eliza said as she stepped forward and reached her hand up to touch William's cheek. His hair had finally become loose and a curl escaped from the top of his head to drop down onto his forehead."

"I like your hair when it's not so tucked. You have lovely hair. I hope if we have children that they get your hair not mine."

"Oh, I don't know, Eliza, I'm sort of partial to women who are small and blonde. Heaven forbid, if our daughter should come out like me! Yeah, I'm feeling sorry for her already," William joked.

"Now you know you're a handsome man. Proud, vexing, and handsome," Eliza said with a teasing wistful look at him as if she would devour him right where he stood. She turned and went into the other room to change.

When Eliza came back into the room, William was sitting on his large bed in his breeches, shirtless, and drinking a glass of whiskey. Eliza herself was dressed in her lacey nightshift covered by her open robe. Eliza gasped when she looked at the breadth of his shoulders and the muscles of his chest and upper arms. It was not the first time she had seen William's naked upper body. The last time was when she was nursing him from his gunshot wound almost a year ago.

This time was different because he was no longer just William her friend from childhood, but her soon to be husband. Eliza could not ignore how much she wanted him how much she wanted him to make her feel more like a woman.

She got on the bed and scooted close to him. He lay back on the strategically propped pillows wherein he opened his arms and she lay with her head on his chest and a protective arm encircling his waist. She moved her hand from his waist to his chest and let it stay there for just a minute where she could feel the pounding of his heart.

He kissed her once and then said looking into her eyes, "I want you Eliza Scarlet as I have never wanted another woman, but it is very late and we have some time before we go that next step. I want to be your husband when I take you. I want you to know that I belong to you and you belong to me before we make love."

A tear escaped from Eliza's eye and she ran her fingers down the side of William's cheek and brushed his loosening curls from his forehead.

"You have made so happy, William. I will not argue with you this time, but don't leave me or persuade me to leave you tonight. Would it be all right if we stayed like this? We could talk like we always do," begged Eliza.

"Surely, we can. Here" William said resuming his former reclining position and pressing Eliza's head to his chest.

Eliza woke up gradually. She felt for William beside her, but he was not there. Where did he go? She wondered. She stretched and looked at her beautiful ring. She hoped that William would wear a wedding ring. It was not uncommon now for men to wear rings to show their marital status. If he did not want to, she would coax and cajole him until he acquiesced.

For once her dreams were not haunted by some horrible character from one of her cases she was currently working. No, this time she actually had dreamt of William and a possible future for them.

She sat up in bed and realized it was very quiet. If William was in the house, she could not even feel a vibration of him. She remembered that they were talking about their lives apart from each other. She had missed him and had not realized how much until they fell into the old familiar rhetoric and banter between them. It felt like they had never spent any time apart so quickly did they fall into those old patterns except that they were both in a state of undress. They had not ventured that far even when they were teens

She looked around the room to ascertain if she could figure out where William had gone when over at the bedside table there was a note written in William's hand. He had simply written Eliza on the envelope.

The room was a bit chilled as the fire had snuffed out. Dressed in only her night shift she quickly donned her dressing gown and tiptoeing to the fireplace threw another log on the fire stirring the ashes to hopefully catch a spark and warm the room.

She was almost afraid to read William's note. Retrieving it from the bedside table where he had laid it. she opened the note and had once become distracted by the beautiful ring on her finger. She smiled and held her hand out as the diamond caught the slim light coming through the heavy drapes.

After examining the exquisite design of the ring and remembering the romantic and sentimental gesture behind William gifting it to her, she began to read.

My Dearest Eliza,

I had planned more events last night, but you were so exhausted neither you nor I would have appreciated them.

In case you are wondering again why we didn't make love when I know how much we want each other, I want to reassure you that, as I said, I want to be your husband when we share our love in its most tangible form. I want to show you the respect that I have for you. Waiting until our inevitable wedding ceremony to consummate our love means to me that I want to savor that moment when we can mutually enjoy each other.

Let there be no mistake, my love, we have plenty to discuss and I have many things to still tell you of New York. I just wanted to have an evening focused on us, on you, sort of what we used to have once a month only more so.

I look forward to seeing you this evening. Please stay safe. I am here, in London, if you should need me.

I love you

William

With a realization that hit like brick to the head, Eliza suffered a reality check! She was working a case and had to sing at the sleazy Victoria's Haunt tonight. She had not told anyone except Ivy about her undercover work as a professional lounge singer. I am going to have to make an excuse for not seeing him tonight. Eliza said to herself.

The clock struck 11 am and simultaneously Ivy came in with her breakfast and a pot of tea.

"I saw the ring! It is beautiful! I am so glad you said yes. He's a good man!"

"Oh Ivy," Eliza sighed. "How did you get here?"

"The inspector stopped by and told me that you were here alone and might need me. He was on his way to Scotland Yard."

"So how did the evening go?" Ivy asked. "It must have been wonderful from the way William was practically floating on air."

"I am going to have to disappoint William. I have to get to work. I have to go back to our house because I need my costume for tonight… and"

"What do you mean you're going to disappoint William?"

"Oh nothing…" Eliza said trying to retrieve her thoughts back into their restless mind.

"Do you not do the ….." Ivy asked.

"Ivy! No! William wants to wait until our wedding night. I thought he was just being thoughtful of me. Now, I truly think he wants to wait until that night. However there is not going to be "that" night if he finds out what I am doing at Victoria's Haunt!"

While Eliza went on this verbal rampage she had risen from the bed and had begun retrieving her dress, stockings, hairpins, etc.

"How did these drop to the floor without help?"

"Lizzie, sit down. I need to talk to you."

"Ivy, I know about that. I may have actually experienced…it…once," Eliza mentioned carefully to her surrogate mother.

"I would not be surprised Lizzie. You are a beautiful woman with a keen and introspective mind. A man would be a fool not to want you."

"Ivy!"

"Isn't that what you were going to ask me about?

Lizzie sat down in a huff after finding the clothes that Ivy had brought laying over a chair. In Eliza's continued flurried activity, she had managed to dress. She now sat on the chair which had contained her clothes and spotted William's white tie hanging from his lamp on his bureau. The only other times she had been in his room was when she was taking care of him when he had caught a very bad cold. The other time was when she interrupted him as he was being entertained by a woman. That had been terribly embarrassing for all concerned.

Eliza touched the white tie he had worn last night. She then looked at her beautiful ring and wondered why she said yes before they could hash out all that was standing in front of them.

Her mind had quieted and believed what William had said last night regarding sex. William is right. We do have much to discuss. It's amazing how much he respects me considering that I am always at cross purposes with him.

The first person that William encountered as he entered Scotland Yard back on duty was, of course, Detective Oliver Fitzroy.

"Detective Fitzroy, do you purposely count the minutes before I am due to walk through the door?"

Oliver gave a little laugh and an embarrassed dip of his head.

"I'm so sorry sir, but I was waiting in anticipation with what happened with Ms. Eliza last night. Did she agree to be your wife?"

"Now is not the time for discussion of this private matter, Detective. This is a place of work. It is time to work!"

"Well, there's a sort of reason why I need to know if Miss Scarlet will be your wife."

They had walked the serpentine ninety-degree angles on the path to Willam's office. As he opened the door, someone pulled up the window shades and all his men shouted "Congratulations!" A couple of them actually threw a couple of white streamers that landed in William's hair. He was not totally displeased as he removed them.

He could not help but smile at this affectionate bunch of men with whom he had shared good and bad times. He managed his way to his desk and he could see the anticipation on all their faces even Phelps. One of the junior officers did manage to ask him if she had said yes.

"Yes Ms. Scarlet and I are to be married."

At that William's office again erupted into lively congratulations and talk.

"Well, I wish you all the best. I wish you good luck with that woman you are definitely going to need it" said Charlie Phelps shaking William's hand.

William just smiled.

"By the way, everyone, drinks, bawdy play, and just all around celebrating at Victoria's Haunt tonight in honor of the Duke's nuptials!" Charlie Phelps exclaimed with delight. "You won't get many more nights to do this before the little woman takes over!"

William protested and said, "Thank you, Charlie, but I can't make it tonight."

Then after much coaxing and prodding and teasing, William reconsidered his answer.

"Oh, all right! I guess I could spend an evening with you men."