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Audrey Rose's throat was raw from screaming. The events that unfolded within her father's study were ones she would never forget. The night that she found out who Jack the Ripper was, the night that she could have been his next and last victim. The thought of it scared her, but her brother's final acts scared her more. It would be something that would be etched in her memory forever. She wished that things didn't have to happen the way they did, and she was thankful for Thomas holding her against him. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she wasn't restrained.
She wasn't sure how long she screamed. She and her father were on their knees, and it seemed like an eternity that passed by. Audrey waited for her brother to move, to even twitch, but his lifeless body stayed where it was. She wasn't sure if she would have willingly moved if not for a gentle touch on her shoulder. She didn't have to turn her head to know it was Thomas. His hand was soft and careful on her shoulder, but enough to let her know she had to get up. Audrey's head, which was previously hung in despair, lifted. Tears were still wet on her cheeks. She stood as if she were on autopilot, as if she were denying her emotions from making themselves known any further.
Thomas tried to say something to her, but once she was on her feet, she wiped her tears hastily with her palm. "I'm fine." She tried to make her face match the statement, but her bottom lip still quivered. She took a deep breath to try and contain herself. Thomas still had his hand on her shoulder, standing beside her. "Come on," he said quietly, leading her out of the room. No sooner than they were on their way out, they could hear help entering the building. Thomas escorted Audrey to the chairs within her father's office before help arrived there. She gratefully accepted the seat, gathering her bearings as she did so. Her breath was getting harder to control with what she'd witnessed. She was unable to look at Thomas or the men coming in to help them, not even when they approached her for details.
Their words fell on deaf ears. Audrey was stuck staring at the floor, eyes wide and glassy. She was still going through what she'd witnessed in the secret chambers in Lord Wadsworth's study. She couldn't place a finger on what scared her most. She was only vaguely aware of the men going into the secret passageway where they would be met with her father, brother, and mother. It wasn't until someone walked directly into her vision, concern and worry written on his features. Thomas’s brows were furrowed with the emotions while he tried to get her attention. "Sorry,” he murmured. “It’s just that they want to ask you a few questions.” He gave her an affirming nod before walking behind her chair, as if standing guard. She was comforted with his presence behind her, feeling safer. Enough so that she could face the men to help explain what happened.
---
After it was all said and done, Audrey left the house the minute she could. A walk was what she needed, despite Thomas’s and her father’s protests. To be away from everyone was what she needed. She craved the solitude to escape the night. To escape the reality of what her family was. To escape the unexplainable feelings she was going through. She had just been convinced that her father was the killer, only to find the tables turned when she went to confront him. She should have known it was Nathaniel from the start. Should have known it the night that he told their father her whereabouts when she was supposed to be home and not out in the town.
She sighed in the crisp night air. She was almost home, unsure of how long she’d been gone. The evening was chilly and the skies were darkening. She knew that her father would probably go out soon to look for her if she wasn't back- he would be too worried about her wellbeing and mental state after what Nathaniel put them through. Just as she thought about it, a sound came from behind her, as if on cue. She turned quickly, lips already forming into a snarl. The last thing she needed was someone coming out from the shadows to harm her. But the tension was visibly released from her body when Thomas began to take shape under the light of a streetlamp. She greeted him softly.
He lengthened his stride to get to her side, matching her pace once he was there. He offered his arm with the cocky grin he wore seemingly on the daily. On Audrey’s lips formed a small smile, despite how miserable she felt. Leave it to Thomas to act like that on a somber night of events. But it was his boyish charm that made him unable to hold anger at. She gave him a look and a sigh, but he kept his childish smile. Audrey relented, sliding her arm through his. She did it in confidence that no-one was out this late at night to watch them. Plus, the two were nearly on the grounds of the Wadsworth property anyway.
Once they neared the walkway to the building, they untangled their arms and put a few feet between them. The last thing Audrey needed was to have her father talking about a proper man for her, a proper betrothal, and manners. Even if her father was distracted from his findings about his son, it wouldn’t be off the table for him to become cross at the sight of his daughter with a man not yet promised to her. What wasn’t questionable, though, was the matter of him staying the night. As Thomas had said before, he and Audrey practically spent their days and nights together. What was one night in the same house? It was a risk, but one that Audrey was willing to take. Thomas was one she could truly trust, and she knew that even her father saw that.
Audrey didn’t even have to sneak Thomas in. When they entered the house, there were still men questioning her father. He still looked shell shocked, more likely at the sight of his long deceased wife than to find who Jack the Ripper was. He was recounting the gruesome details of the evening to a few uniformed men. They were in the study, while a few other uniforms were combing through the lower level of the house. One of them approached Audrey, nearly disregarding Thomas at her side.
“Miss Wadsworth?” he began politely.
“If this is about my brother, I do not wish to hear it. I would like nothing more than to retire for the day.”
“Y-yes. We wanted to inform you that we will not be here much longer, just concluding the primary assessments. We will not bother you.”
Audrey didn’t even bother replying. She simply nodded her head before walking past him and up the stairs to her room. She hovered on the landing before ascending the last steps and to the hallway that led to her room. With her hand still on the railing, she glanced down with tired eyes to Thomas. He hadn’t moved when she did, aware of how controversial it would be to follow her to her private chambers. He was itching to move, but his eyes were tracking the officers until they disappeared into another room. The instant he was out of their eyeshot, he hurried up to the stairs to meet her on the banister. With a grin he walked ahead of her, eager to not be seen sneaking into her room. “That was a close one.”
She smiled wearily, but was unable to have the morale to joke around with him as much as she usually did. He would have beat her to her bedroom, too, if he knew where it was. It seemed like he hadn’t ever been to the upper level, let alone near where she laid her head at night. She led him to it, and Thomas seemed to pick up on the fact that she was tired. Not even from her walk, but from struggling to mentally comprehend things. Because of that, she looked bone tired, even a little slumped. She wanted nothing more than to sleep away her worries late into the next morning.
When she approached her door, she slowly opened it, casting a side-eyed glance to Thomas. She was about to bare more than her unguarded self to him. Aunt Amelia would be losing her mind if she were here right now. Cousin Liza, on the other hand, would be silently encouraging her. It was a hard decision, even with how much she loved Thomas and craved his presence. She didn’t want her father to kick her to the streets if he found out Thomas had seen her room, let alone sleep in it with her. The risk and thrill of it, though, made her pulse go that much quicker. And, Thomas was witty and clever enough to find a way out of her room or a great hiding spot if her father came knocking.
So Audrey Rose opened the door, letting go of her hesitation with a sigh. Thomas followed in behind her, shutting the door behind them. He looked around, but did not seem surprised by anything. He looked as if this was just what he expected. Knowing the way his mind worked, it was probably true.
Before Audrey could even think about what to do next, now that Thomas was with her, he disappeared into the doorway to the bathroom. He didn’t close the door behind him. Audrey turned her head away, a blush rising to her cheeks. “Thomas-” she began, but before she could finish, his voice interrupted.
“I won’t be using anything in here, do not worry. I’m drawing you a bath. I don’t suppose you keep any lavender in here, do you?” The sounds of him rummaging around were audible, and Audrey padded carefully in there. The maids had dropped off a basin of heated water for a bath. It was no longer steaming, forgotten in the room during the family affair that took place in the passageway in her father’s study. She should have gone to her room and waited to confront her father, where a warm bath would have been waiting for her. Well, at least the water wasn’t cold.
“I should have some lavender around here somewhere,” she said, but glanced at Thomas unsurely. Did she want to risk indecency and bathe while he was in the other room? But she battled the thought with a sigh. Her father wasn’t close to them, and Thomas wouldn’t do anything she was uncomfortable with. She moved past him to take a hold of some lavender, crushing the herb in her hands and stirring it in the basin of hot water. She then lifted it, pouring it into the larger basin that she would sit in to enjoy the warm liquid on her skin. Thomas wordlessly left the bathroom, closing the door behind him to give her privacy. She imagined that he was standing guard at the door to her hallway, smiling and nearly laughing at the thought. Her own personal bodyguard.
Audrey took her boots and breeches off first, and stepped into the basin. The water was relaxing as it lapped around her knees. She then took her outerwear off before she got to her corset. She untied it with deft hands, exhaling softly as it freed her ribs. She placed her hands soothingly on them, rubbing around her chest to ease the tension. The corset drove her mad throughout the day with it’s constriction. It was more than a relief to take it off at the end of the day. She tossed it carelessly out of her way as she sank into the water, tension leaving her body and evaporating with the bathwater. She leaned her head back, and with one last exhale, she closed her eyes.
“Audrey Rose!”
She startled, stirring the water as she did. Some splashed and hit the floor. Her gasp must have been audible because it resulted in more knocking at the door. “I’m coming!” she tried in a coherent voice. She directed her gaze to the candle that was near the mirror in the bathroom. It’s height had decreased since when she first got in here, meaning she didn’t realize she fell asleep. The door opened very slightly and Audrey stiffened. “I said I’m coming, give me a few moments.” Then she saw Thomas’s head through the crack in the door.
“I was checking to make sure you were okay. I didn’t hear from you in a while.”
“I’m alright. I just haven’t had a chance to calm down this evening. I suppose I’m taking advantage of it.” She sat up a little straighter, hugging her knees. Her back was to the door, so all that Thomas could see was her undone, ebony hair. Her head was still slightly turned so that she could see him over her shoulder. “Is my father asking for me?”
“No. And the men that were here asking questions and looking at the scene have left.”
“Thank you.” her voice was a murmur now, indicating her tiredness.
Thomas opened the door a bit more. “May I come in?”
Audrey nodded against her shoulder. Her blinks came at a slower rate, further portraying her exhaustion. Thomas seemed to have no interest in her yet, though. He didn’t approach her, but instead where she kept her bath items. He produced a brush and came to her from behind. Audrey’s eyes opened wider as she watched, unsure of what he was doing. She huddled closer to herself, making herself seem smaller and on guard. Before she could question his motives, he kneeled behind her and raised an arm. He placed the brush at the crown of her head, combing through her locks.
She didn’t expect the action to feel so nice. She’d only experienced it from her late mother and cousin Liza. It made her feel special and cared for. For Thomas to do it without question warmed her more than the water around her. She didn’t fight the way her head was pulled back with the brush. Thomas worked at her hair with careful force, and began to hum softly. The soft sounds from his throat and the soothing motions of the hairbrush were enough to make Audrey’s fight for alertness dissipate.
When she realized she dozed off again, it was from a tug at her hair. She roused and looked around, but remembered that Thomas was still brushing. Except, with a downward motion of her head, she saw the brush was back on the counter. Before she could move her head further, Thomas’s voice told her not to. “Hang on,” he asked.
With another tug at her head, she realized that he was doing something to her hair. She felt each tug and pull and realized later than she’d like that he was plaiting it. She allowed him to do so, relishing in the small yet sweet act. “I didn’t think you’d know how to braid,” she commented. “Who taught you?” He seemed full of secrets, and would probably live to surprise her for years to come.
“My mother,” he mused, without malice or hurt in his tone. But Audrey knew better than to question him about his mother. Bringing up painful memories was not on her list tonight, especially not after he was kind enough to brush her hair silken and braid it for her.
A grunt sounded as Thomas stood to full height again, complete with a crack from his knee. Audrey winced at the sound. “You should get out soon. You’ll start to prune.” She lifted a hand from the water, seeing that all of her fingers had already pruned. The sound of his voice sounded like it was behind something, and Audrey turned to look. He was already heading towards the door. With all of the improper comments and taunts of kisses, she thought he would have stayed longer in here. It brought a smile to her lips that even after all of his intentions and jests, that he respected boundaries and only saw and focused on the back of her head, even after she dozed off.
After she was dressed for the night, she walked to her bed, sitting on the edge of it. She glanced to Thomas, who was standing by the doorway. The door was very slightly cracked and he seemed intent on looking out of it. Audrey laughed a bit. “You know you’re allowed to sleep, right?”
The man looked at her, brows furrowed ever so slightly. It was almost as if he wasn’t expecting to sleep at all, and stunned by the offer. “I’m just ensuring that nobody comes our way to disturb you.”
“Cresswell, it’s late, and I’m about to blow out the last candle. We will not be disturbed. If it’s sleeping on the bed that’s bothering you, I’ve got a chair across the room that you can sleep in if you’d really like. You’re not a prisoner.”
He merely stood there, looking between her and the chair. Indecision was clear in his eyes.
“If it makes you feel better, you can move the chair so that you’re facing the door.”
That seemed to have been the deal breaker. He crossed the room for the chair, dragging it with him to the foot of the bed. He had his back facing her so that he was positioned towards the door. Yet, he still hadn’t undressed. Audrey put a hand to her forehead with a playful exasperated sigh. “You’re also allowed to take your jacket and shoes off, Cresswell. Make yourself comfortable.”
He turned in the chair to face her, one eyebrow raised. It seemed that he thought her incredibly generous to allow him to do that. Without a word, he turned back around, settling in his chair. It took him many moments to concede and take off his shoes, placing them neatly beside him. Audrey laid down, blankets huddled around her, and spared one last glance at her companion before going to bed. As she did, it was then that Thomas decided to lean back, relaxing a little. It made Audrey smile before she closed her eyes for the final time that night.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, the pair didn’t wake until nearly midday. It went unrealized to them that they were bone-tired, and the female still recovering from the initial shock of the previous day. She slept in for a long while, longer than she had when staying up all night stalking her father to ensure he was not Jack the Ripper. The male slept even longer, unwaking until after the sun had fully risen. After returning to her room after a late breakfast, the Wadsworth daughter saw the dark circles under his eyes. He’d stayed up much longer than anticipated overnight, but satisfied with the idea that he was protecting her. His head leaned back on the wicker chair, exposing his throat. His body twitched sporadically, but she didn’t dare wake him.