The Scourge of the Demon Hunters—Act 17

When Louisa arrived at breakfast the following morning, Ciel looked troubled. She worried that he had heard them the night before; she wasn’t ready for another round of disapproval from him. She had taken great care to choose a dress that hid the remaining marks on her wrists and neck. She had also chosen one that she could wear without a corset, a point that was not lost on Sebastian judging by the way he raised his eyebrow when he saw her. The look in his eyes told her she was in trouble, and that round of disapproval she was looking forward to. However, first, she needed to discover what was troubling her cousin.

“My dear Ciel, you look as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders this morning, what could possibly be wrong?” She said.

She held her breath, waiting for his reply. Ciel simply handed her a letter that had been on the table in front of him. She read the hurriedly written note in growing disbelief:

Dear Ciel,I spoke to father last night, and he believes that it is completely inappropriate for a lady of Louisa’s standing and age to not be betrothed. It is more important than ever that a proper match is found for her now that you know she is your actual cousin. As I know you are so busy, I have taken over the arrangements, and we shall all be attending the full London season, including the opening ball. Isn’t it wonderful! We leave for London tomorrow. I will be traveling with you, along with Paula, to ensure that Louisa has appropriate female company.Forever YoursLizzy

Louisa sank into her seat, placed the letter on the table, looked at Ciel and exclaimed, “what the hell?”

“I know, I am sorry, I had no idea she was going to do that, any of that.”

“A suitable match…” Louisa was struggling to control the pitch and tone of her voice.

“I wouldn’t, you know I wouldn’t, I promised,” Ciel looked distraught. As Louisa looked at him, she realised how much this was affecting him too; he looked on the verge of tears with the frustration of it all.

Suddenly feeling sorry for him, she took a deep breath.

“Well, I guess it won’t hurt to play along for now. Let Elizabeth play her little matchmaking games. As long as we are clear that nothing will ever come of them?”

Ciel noticeably relaxed, his shoulders dropped, and a ghost of a smile swept across his face. He was indeed blessed that his cousin was so understanding of his predicament when it came to not upsetting Elizabeth.

“Dear cousin, you have my word. It will be all a game that only the three of us will be privy to.” He looked at Sebastian as he finished speaking.

Sebastian had remained silent through the whole exchange, needing Louisa to find her own path through the chaos that Miss Elizabeth was spreading.

He bowed in Ciel’s direction and simply said, “as my master and Miss Louisa wish.”

He turned to Louisa, bowed again only when he raised his head his eyes were full of devilment. Louisa ached to know what he was planning.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her cousin. “The trip may even be an opportunity to gather some information about the Order.”

“Are you suggesting that we pay ‘him’ a visit, my Lord?” Asked Sebastian.

“Can you think of a better way?”

“Unfortunately not, my Lord.”

“Make the arrangements to leave Sebastian; I want to be ready by the time Miss Elizabeth arrives in the morning.”

“As you wish my Lord.” Sebastian bowed and left the room. As he passed Louisa, he caught her eye, the fire was still present in his eyes, and his look let her know that her indiscretion with the dress had not been forgotten in all the earlier chaos. Louisa returned the look with an impish smile of her own before turning away and engaging her cousin in conversation about what to expect in London.

Sebastian’s grin widened as he left the room, she was learning fast, teasing him with just a smile. He was going to need to work quickly if he was going to find time to talk to her and return the favour. He considered numerous creative ideas while he worked, and each made him more excited than the last.

It was midmorning when Louisa found him in the gardens giving Finnian instructions on the gardening chores that needed to be completed before they left. From his tone, Louisa guessed that this wasn’t the first time he had gone through the list. As she approached, the look on Finnian’s face would have given her away, even if Sebastian had not been able to feel her presence.

Sebastian dismissed the gawping gardener with a sharpness that made him jump and move away as quickly as he possibly could. Being aware that the other servants could still be in earshot, Sebastian chose his next words carefully.

“Ah, Miss Louisa, there you are, while the young master is working, I wondered whether you might like a tour of the rest of the manor.”

“Yes, thank you, Sebastian. I would like that very much.” She replied.

She took the arm that he offered and allowed him to guide her into the house. As they walked through the rooms on the lower level of the manor house, they kept a very proper distance between them, and their conversation was polite, bordering on superficial. Things changed swiftly as they entered the kitchen. As soon as the door closed, Sebastian slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He guided her into the pantry and closed the door behind them. Immediately his lips found hers, and his tongue entered her mouth. She responded hungrily as he pinned her against the wall with his body; one hand held the nape of her neck while the other travelled down to her hip. Louisa snaked her arms around him and pulled him even closer to her. She could feel his hardness pressing into her, and her only thought was that if this what happened when she forgot her corset, she would need to forget to wear it more often.

Sebastian slid his hand up her body, brushing the side of her breast, she moaned softly making him want her even more, but time was short. He pulled out of the kiss; looking into her eyes Sebastian wanted nothing more than to fulfill the need that he saw there.

“My love, I want to more than anything, but I have news that you will want to hear while we are alone, and as ever our time is short.”

Louisa looked at time, searching his face for clues. His face was an unreadable mask in the dim light of the pantry. Sensing her growing anxiety, Sebastian smiled.

“It is good news, my love. Your father is alive.”

Louisa looked at him in disbelief, “How is that possible? The sword, I watched him die.”

Tears welled in her eyes and Sebastian held her tight.

“I do not fully understand my love. He reached out to me last night. He said that his essence had been able to escape at the moment of death. He is weak and maintains no physical form, but he exists and waits in the demon realm growing stronger with each passing day.”

At that, Louisa broke down completely; her sobs became muffled as she hid her face in Sebastian’s chest. He held her tightly, waiting for the sobs to subside. As she calmed, Sebastian continued.

“He knows that you are safe, and that the young master is taking care of you.”

Louisa looked up at him with her eyes full of questions that she could not yet articulate. Sebastian stroked her cheek, gently wiping away her tears. He smiled and continued.

“Yes, my love, he knows of us too, and I have reaffirmed my oath to him.”

Louisa smiled at this revelation and held him tight. The guilt she had carried for killing her father was suddenly gone. Despite his insistence that she drive the sword home, she had carried the weight of that action since that day, and now it lifted away, and she felt strangely at peace.

“We need to tell Ciel,” she said.

“Yes, my love, the young master will need to know, but that can wait for the moment.”

He chose to keep her father’s warning from her for the moment, wanting nothing to dampen her joy. There would be time enough for the darkness that they faced. Sebastian placed his thumb under her chin and raised her face to his. As he leant in to kiss her, the bell rang.

Forgetting himself in the moment, Sebastian exclaimed, “damn that boy and his poor timing.”

Louisa laughed, “that will come soon enough.”

A wicked smile spread across Sebastian’s face.

“True my love, but for now, I must be the dutiful servant.”

He kissed her hand and went to move away to the door. At the last moment, he turned back and pinned her back against the wall.

He kissed her roughly before pulling away and adding, “I haven’t forgotten about the corset, my dear, we will discuss that later.”

His wicked smile returned as he released her, and led them both out of the pantry.