Work Text:
Williams Office
Alone again. On the outside looking in. Eliza watches from the corner as William and his men enjoy Arabella’s beautiful treats. She grasps her cake and holds it close to her midsection. The pain of rejection is acute. She had worked all day on this cake and was so incredibly excited to have William try it. So much so that Ivy barely had time to box it up as she was running out the door to catch a carriage.
She had secretly glowed under Williams praise about the cake, and her heart had sored when he mentioned a future family, even though her head had scoffed at the thought. Families were for women who knew how to run a home, cook and raise children. She was sure she could never be any of those things. She was a fairly brilliant detective, but an incompetent woman by Victorian standards and she new that most men wouldn’t want the detective. She knew William wouldn’t. Therefore, it was easier to believe that he would never want her as a wife, than to face the rejection that would most certainly come if she ever showed or gave voice to her feelings for him.
Which is most certainly why she had been relegated to the corner of the room, forgot by those attending to the delicious delicacies on Williams desk. Emotions and feeling always had her tongue tied around William, such a dichotomy to her usual self-confident ways. Had this been an investigation she would have pushed herself to the front and made her presence known, but not here, not in this situation.
She watched as William, Fitzroy and all of the men fawned over Arabella. She couldn’t blame them. Arabella was beautiful, wealthy, sweet, kind and had people that could prepare gourmet meals. All things the Eliza knew she could never be. At night Eliza dreamed of a possible life with William, working together and then heading home to prepare dinners together. Building a life together. As she stood watching the reality before her she could feel it slipping further away with each look and smile he gave Arabella. But again she couldn’t blame him, she had never really given him any encouragement and likely annoyed him more than anything with her constant agitation and meddling.
Eliza couldn’t stand to be in this room any longer. The atmosphere had become stifling, pressing down on her. This place that had almost become a second home to her, a safe haven where she knew William would always be. She now felt like a stranger, and interloper to the scene before her. So, cradling her cake in her arms, Eliza snuck out of the room hoping to make it to the street before her tears started to fall, the musical sound of Arabella’s voice chasing her the entire way.
Eliza’s Home
Eliza didn’t want to face Ivy with the cake. She knew that Eliza had planned to give it to William, so if she saw it, she would immediately start asking questions. Questions that Eliza had no desire to answer or even face at this moment. She just wanted to nurse what she was starting to realize was a breaking heart. All these years she had pushed away her feelings, believing that facing up to them would mean she would lose everything. She was beginning to believe that it might have been possible for her to find love and have a career with William. He had changed, had come to respect her abilities. She had begun to think that maybe there was more between them, small hints and touches here and there.
However, it looked like none of that would matter now. She had seen William around other women many times, even those he was involved with, and she had never seen him flirt and smile as he did at Arabella. Which brought her mind back to her current situation. Alone in her sitting room. Alone, as she typically was, and it appeared that this state of her being would not be changing. If William became serious about Arabella, Eliza knew that she was also likely to lose his friendship. Arabella would not allow that kind of friendship to continue.
Eliza heard knocking at the door. Scouring her memories, she didn’t recall any appointments or meetings set for this afternoon. Perhaps it was Hattie come to take tea and gossip about her aunts latest antics. It had been a while since Hattie had come to call, although that was not surprising now that Hattie had a husband to care for.
Ivy knocked on the door opening it as she did.
“Inspector Wellington for you Lizzy,” she said, her eyebrows rising, suggesting something, that Eliza knew was the furthest thing from the truth.
“William! What brings you here this afternoon?” she tried to say brightly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
He seemed to notice, his brow creasing in what seemed like concern.
“Well, I noticed that you slipped out of my office without saying good bye,” he stated, taking a seat on the settee.
“The treats you were enjoying weren’t meant for me and no one appeared to miss my presence with Arabella there, I felt like I was intruding, so I made my way home”, she answered truthfully, there was no reason to hide anything from him now. She hoped that at a minimum they could still be friends for a just a little while longer. She wanted to savor all the time they had and felt the best path for that was to be truthful with him.
“Well I missed you. I looked up and you were gone, apparently taking my cake with you. I had been looking forward to eating some of it.” He said a sly smile on his face.
“Oh William you really don’t have to say those things. I know you likely weren’t looking forward to eating anything I prepared, and most especially not after the pastries that Arabella brought.” Eliza looked down as she spoke hoping that the stinging in her eyes would not manifest itself with red rimmed, watery eyes.
“You are wrong there Eliza. I was truly looking forward to it. You went to all that trouble and it did look delicious. I wanted to take part in your culinary triumph,” William said with a smile.
This smiles always warmed her. He was judicious in when he gave them, so they were dear to her as his real, true smiles, the ones that made his eyes dance, were so rare.
“Well come on now, where is it? I want my piece.”
“Truly, you do?” Eliza asked truly surprised.
“Of course!”
Eliza rose from her place on the settee and went around the side to retrieve the cake box. William’s eyebrows rose in question as her saw her bring the box around.
Deciding to be truthful she replied, “I preferred to not face Ivy’s questions about why the cake came home with me. She knew how excited I was about the cake and showing it to you, and would have been over curious about why I still had it with me untouched. I didn’t have the energy to lie to her.”
At that moment, the woman in question knocked on the door, carrying in a tea tray. Seeing the cake box, she gave Eliza a quizzical look.
“Thank you Ivy. Would you be so kind as to bring us a cake knife?” Eliza asked.
“Of course,” she replied, putting down the tray and turning to leave the room.
Eliza busied herself preparing the tea, passing a cup to William, just as Ivy re-entered the room and handed the knife to.
Eliza unboxed the cake. It’s travels had not adversely impacted the appearance. She took a steadying breath and made the first cuts, pulling the piece of cake out and placed it on the plate. Taking a fork, she passed it to William, who graciously took it.
Eliza almost couldn’t watch him eat it. She didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes, even though his words would be complimentary. She couldn’t bare to disappoint him yet again with her domestic skills.
With bated breath she watch as he lifted a bite to his lips and placed it in his mouth. He began to chew and he suddenly lifted his eyes to hers, shock on his face. Was it truly that bad she despaired.
“Eliza, this is amazing! You truly made this? On your own?” He asked, amazement and something that almost sounded like pride in his voice.
“Yes, I did. Ivy stood in the kitchen, but I did everything. Do you truly like it?” She asked again.
“I love it. And I am sure that it’s the first of many culinary delights to come. When you put your mind to it, you can do almost anything. I can’t wait to try more.” He said.
Eliza’s beautiful smile lit up her face, and he thought she had never looked more beautiful.
They finished their visit and William asked to take the rest of the cake back to the Yard, as he wanted the other lads to enjoy it too. Fitzroy would surely have two pieces knowing Miss Scarlet prepared it.
Eliza walked him to the door, picking up his hat as he put his coat on. She held it in front of her as she adjusted his collar.
“Why did you really leave today Eliza?” he asked, hoping that she gave him the truth.
“I..” she wavered, he mind racing with how much she should truly confide in him.
“Eliza,” he poked.
“Very well. If you want the real reason, I was intimidated and felt inadequate in Arabella presence. She is so beautiful, accomplished and brough amazing pastries. My little cake and presence was of no consequence to everything she was offering.” Eliza answered, her eyes downcast, worried that she may have admitted too much.
Eliza heard William sigh as she felt his fingers beneath her chin, lifting her eyes to his.
“Eliza, your cake and your company were the only things I could think of. I tasted her treats to be proper and grateful in front of the men. But truthfully, I couldn’t wait to get to your cake, and was disappointed that you had left. Please know that you are never the unwelcome one in my office, even when we are angry or fighting. You are the one that belongs there, the only one that belongs there.”
With that he moved his fingers from beneath her chin, sweeping his thumb across her delicate cheek.
“I expect to see you tomorrow, barging into my office unannounced. Just know that I will be counting the minutes till then.”
Taking her hand, he kissed the back of her hand, took his hat from her hands and left. Eliza brought her hand to her lips, trying to burn the feel of his lips to her memory. Closing her eyes she thought that she too would be counting the minutes.