HI Folks! Well here is a little set up for our ultimate calamity between William and Eliza. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think so far if you can. Thanks - Carebearmaxi.
Funny Meeting You Here
Chapter 8
Eliza and Ivy had made it back from William's house after their brunch together. Ivy continued to tidy up his house when Eliza was yelling that the carriage was there to take them home. As Ivy picked up the bag containing Eliza's beautiful teal gown, she hoped that one day soon she would be holding Eliza's wedding gown. While they ate, Ivy could not help but lovingly examine the beautiful rose ring with the diamond in the center flashing brightly on Eliza's hand and thought of how romantic the Inspector must be at heart and how much he must really love her girl.
After they made it home, Eliza donned her "work" clothes and grabbed the Prince Albert coin she had wrapped in a handkerchief which she had hidden in her chest of drawers. She grabbed her bag plus her "costume" for her second job at Victoria's Haunt. With a courteous shout to Ivy about not being home for lunch or dinner, Eliza shot out of her house and down the street to her office.
Approaching the door, she found William standing there. She thought it strange since she knew this was his first day back at Scotland Yard.
"William!" Eliza said not quite rushing into his arms. It was not that she was not pleased to see him but their relationship had been taken to a whole new level with happenings from the previous evening.
"Eliza," William said taking her into his arms, holding her, and swaying. His lips had found hers and he hung on sweetly. There was no denying she did enjoy being held and kissed by him. Somewhere buried deep in her inner soul was a woman in love who loved her man and craved a mature loving relationship.
"This is a nice surprise, but I thought you would be up to your cuffs in work," Eliza said as she tried to unlock her office door.
"I was just observing. You finally replaced your father's name on the storefront with your own. It's about time," William said proudly. "Here let me take this."
"No, it's ok," Eliza protested almost ripping the large cloth bag from his hands. Eliza expected Wiliam's next question.
He gave her his scrutinous look. One that he would reserve for questioning a potential witness or criminal.
"What's in there, Eliza?" William asked attempting to withhold any sharp curiosity in his inquiry.
"Oh? The large bag?" Eliza stalled while she thought of a good rejoinder.
"It's some mending that I forgot to give to Ivy. "
Somehow a green feather had slipped from the voluminous bag and William retrieved it before it fell to the ground. He weaved the large feather through his fingers. Eliza quickly snatched it from his hands.
"I know you're working a case and you haven't asked for my help, so out of my love and trust for you, I will not ask why a green feather is in a bag full of mending. It is simply none of my business."
"Well, it's not stolen from the confines of the police evidence vault, if that's what you are implying, William," Eliza said taking umbrage.
"No, I'm not implying anything," William clarified gesturing in his confirmation. "It's just that I know you and you go to great lengths to solve a case. I'm just hoping you haven't got yourself into trouble."
"William, dear, you were gone for quite some time and I am still fit as a fiddle upon your return. You even have me promising to be your wife someday, so as much as I appreciate your protection, I am just fine."
She turned her attention back to undoing the lock on the door. When she was successful in that endeavor and before ascending the foyer staircase, she turned back to William with a turn of her chin and a gleam in her eye.
"But thank you William," she kissed him on the cheek.
They loudly clopped up the stairs to Eliza's second floor small office. She put all the things she held in her hands on her desk. Turned around and with a hand on a hip as she leaned against her desk, she asked William what he was doing there.
"I just stopped say that I can't see you tonight. The men are taking me out to celebrate my coming marriage to you."
She stepped over to William and looked into his face. She did love him so much and was so happy he returned.
"Oh, that's a nice gesture. I thought the next time I walk in there I would get a cabbage thrown in my face. I still think they dislike me because I'm a woman and I'm as good as they are."
"Perhaps. However, my love," he bent to kiss her. "Just wanted to let you know that if I do see you tonight it's going to be very late."
"Oh, that's fine. I shall be working myself. I am sure."
"Your case?" He asked.
"Yes," Eliza stated feeling that William was just itching to find out what she was working on.
"Well, I know you Eliza your determined to get to the end and you will."
"Yes, you know me. I am determined," she finished breathlessly.
"I will be seeing you if not today definitely tomorrow," William attempted a smile and then with his eyes transfixed on her face he kissed her goodbye with a long kiss.
Meanwhile as Eliza was at her office desk checking the heavy Prince Albert coin for any outward telltale signs, Detective Fitzroy had quickly stepped up to the front door of Eliza's house and knocked.
"Oh, Miss Woods, would Miss Scarlet happen to be home? I need to tell her something urgently," Detective Fitzroy stated nervously.
"Detective Fitzroy, Eliza's not here. She's gone to her office. I know she had a couple of errands to run. Won't you come in? It's awfully cold out there."
"No, thank you,…Ivy," Oliver fought an urge to say anything else until Ivy asked.
"You can give me the message and I will see Lizzie gets it," offered Ivy.
Oliver looked around suspiciously for anyone from Scotland Yard spying on his whereabouts. When Phelps was temporary Head Detective Inspector, Oliver had been tracked and then called on about not doing his job. Then Phelps would retreat and tell Oliver that he did not mean to be so hard on him, clap him on the back, and then reveal to him that Oliver was doing a good job. The whole back and forth not only made Oliver's head spin but it made him a tad paranoid as well.
Oliver stepped into the foyer and delivered the message that the men decided to take the Duke to Victoria's Haunt for the bawdiness and debauchery that usually occurred there as a sort of bachelor party.
"Well, don't worry, Oliver. I'll be sure to warn her not to do her bit there tonight."
"Thank you, Ivy. I'm sure Inspector Wellington would not approve of his future wife working in a place like that no matter what her work."
While Ivy was hurrying to get ready to get the message to Eliza, the woman herself was busy at the jeweler where she and William had posed as an engaged couple more than a year ago while they were working a case with Nash and Moses.
The bell on the door rang notifying the clerk that someone was in the shop.
"Good afternoon," Eliza said.
"Good afternoon, miss. Oh, I say did you finally get a ring to marry the nice young man who was with you previously?"
"You remember us?" Eliza said speculating. It was amazing this older gentleman remembered William and her coming into his shop and faux engagement ring shopping over a year ago.
"How could I forget you? I heard his proposal story, and I told my wife. She was completely enthralled. I must say that was a wonderful story. Did you every marry?"
How ironic Eliza thought. I was not engaged when I came in here almost two years ago and now I am.
"Not yet. My fiancée and I were separated by his work for about a year. He has just returned a few days ago," explained Eliza.
"Let me see your ring," said the clerk. Eliza played along. She removed her glove and held her hand out for the clerk to examine.
"Oh, I know that design. Italian. I do not know of any jewelers who stock that type of design around here."
"He bought it in New York and surprised me," Eliza said.
"It's lovely and fits you so perfectly," the clerk/owner continued.
"Thank you," Eliza said with a dazzling smile removing her hand and replacing her glove.
"So, could I interest you in a wedding band? Will your fiancée be wearing one as well? I know some men prefer not to."
'Yes, indeed he will," Eliza said. "However, that is not the reason I am here today. I am hoping you could help me with this. I noticed you also stock some rare coins."
"I do. I started out as a coin collector and then graduated to jewelry. How can I help?"
Eliza took the coin out of her purse.
"I found this piece in my father's attic, and I was curious about it. It seems rather heavy and I have never seen a coin with Prince Albert on it. Official currency bears Queen Victoria's likeness not her husband's," Eliza stated.
"You may be too young to remember this but the coin was pressed to commemorate the Queen and Prince Albert's marriage."
"I'm not that young, of course, but I was not aware that anything like this was ever produced. Can you tell me what this material is?"
"Let me check. It looks like pure silver but…" the clerk retrieved a jeweler's lens and placed it in one eye and examined the coin. He turned it all around and held it close to the lens.
"Yes, I would say it is 100 % pure silver."
"Then it is holds value, yes?" Eliza asked.
"Oh yes. Thousand of pounds. Most of the coins were milled in pewter not silver. Very unusual. Do you wish to sell it?"
"Oh no. I was researching for another purpose completely. Are you able to put a firm figure to its worth?" Eliza asked again because it would give her a clue as to why the family kidnapped Octavia and killed their brother for it.
"Off hand, I would say £ 3,000."
"Oh, my that is a lot of money."
"To be perfectly sure, I would take it to the London's government office and have it assayed. You could obtain a more accurate figure there."
Eliza grew a tad excited and retrieved the coin from the jeweler's hand.
"You have been most helpful, sir. When it's time for my fiancée and I to purchase our wedding bands we will definitely stop in," Eliza stated as she shook the man's hand.
Her second stop was at Clarissa's house. She hoped she would not run into her "boss" Mr. Bydinway, since discovering that was really Clarissa's husband. Eliza gathered that they were probably separated by one or other means.
She walked up to the brown wooden door adorned with a sprig of poinsettias suspended above the door knocker. Eliza knocked and waited. There was no answer. She knocked again and waited. Again, after a measurable period, there was no answer.
Eliza looked around and then tried the door. It opened.
She crept inside intrepid as always.
"Clarissa?" Eliza called as her heels clacked on the wooden floor.
"Oh? Who are you?" A woman wearing a maid's apron and cap asked Eliza.
"I'm Eliza Scarlet. I was working on a private matter for Miss Stout. I apologize. The door was unlocked."
"So, you jus' think you can venture your way in 'ere without even a hallo?" The maid asked rather furiously.
"I'm sorry. I am a private investigator and, many times, I have come upon a client in the middle of some foul play. I was hoping that was not the case here. I can see it's not. I'll just leave."
"You said you were a what?"
"A private investigator. Miss Stout is my client." Eliza thought when will I have to stop explaining myself to everyone?
"Yes, you'd better leave then 'cause the mistress is not 'ere as you can see."
"Can you tell me how long Miss Stout may be gone? I have information for her."
"No, I dun no nothin' bout 'er business. I just keeps 'ouse and leaves."
Eliza pulled out her card and wrote a short message on the back.
"Please see she gets this on her return. It is important," Eliza said thrusting the card with its message into the maid's roughened hand.
"Mmmhmm."
Eliza left summarily from the house after he exchange with Clarissa's maid. Eliza's mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts running through her mind as she made her way to Victoria's Haunt to play Scarlet Rose, the bawdy nightclub singer.
Coming into her dressing room, Eliza was fortunate enough not to encounter Ruby, Charlie, Mr. Bydinway, or anyone who could prevent her from dressing in her gaudy, bedazzled green feathery costume, moving the furniture, and quickly inspecting the adjacent tunnel.
She hurriedly donned her outfit and was rolling her fishnet stockings up her legs when she got the knock on her door that she was on in five.
"Thank you!" Eliza called affecting her cockney accent she had been contriving as Scarlet Rose's "voice".
Affixing the garter to her thigh on the last stocking, she crept down the tunnel again holding her lamp aloft. There were no voices this time, but there was some light coming from the alcove that she had encountered yesterday.
Eliza came upon the door and found Octavia lying on a cot. Her hands and ankles tied to the posts. Walking back and forth was Clarissa, Eliza's client, pacing back and forth next to the cot seeming to lecture Octavia on her behavior. She could not hear Clarissa's words to her sister, but she could tell that she had not planned to allow Octavia her freedom.
Just when Eliza attempted to move forward, the call from outside her dressing room proclaimed she was" on" and better get her tail out on the stage.
Eliza rolled her eyes and knew that she needed to keep up her charade a little longer. Hoping that Clarissa and Octavia did not move until she could return, Eliza hurriedly and quietly made her way back to her dressing room. She moved the furniture back as best she could since she was in a hurry.
Finally, she opened the dressing room door, practically running into Charlie and complained," This stupid costume with its stupid feathers is goin' to be the death of me."