That Butler: Secrets

Uninvited Guests

A/N: So, as you can see, I am alive, and apologize profusely for it being more than a year since the last update. If any of you follow my other works, you will have seen that I have hardly posted anything in the last five months because RL has been absolutely crazygonuts. That being said, I only marginally have more time now, so I will have a slow update schedule. I do hope that once things settle and I am able to get a few things off my plate, I can turn my focus to these fics that haven't been updated as often. Until then, I will beg for patience and hope you enjoy these chapters in the meantime. Cheers!
Chapter 15 

Once the two strange men had disappeared, Ciel looked around with a frown before he spotted Lau on a nearby rooftop. He scowled as he said, "And where were you?"

Lau chuckled as he climbed down the ladder and said, "I was simply watching for the right time to jump in."

An ungentlemanly snort was heard from Ciel before he pointed in the direction the two strangers had gone. "By the way, who exactly were those two?"

Lau shrugged nonchalantly as he answered, "They are definitely not people that live in the East End. They had pretty clothes, and their accents were nice."

Ciel gave the man a longsuffering look but didn't bother trying to say anything. However, Lucienne, who was still watching the direction the other two had gone with a frown, asked, "If they are not business associates of yours, Mr. Lau, could they be part of the problem? Their apparent wealth would indicate they have an interest in business here in England, and while their countrymen were uncouth in their methods, their complaints are justified."

The furrow between Ciel's brows intensified, but he didn't bother with further speculation. Instead, he turned to where Sebastian was kneeling near the pile of semi-conscious men. The demon butler looked back with a wry smile. "For now, we have more pressing matters to deal with. It would seem our first duty would be to get these men taken to the yard."

The expression on Ciel's face turned sour, even more so when he noticed a few snowflakes. Irritation was evident in his voice when he said, "How bothersome. And in the snow as well." He brushed a flake from the sleeve of his coat before he gestured with his cane and continued, "The criminals may be among them. Let us finish this and return to the townhouse. We can wait there to hear from Commissioner Randall."

For once, Lucienne was pleased with how efficient the demon butler worked. Once the Earl's command was given, Sebastian made quick work of getting the group of men to the nearest station so they could transport them to Scotland Yard. As soon as he was finished, the group headed back to where the carriage was left. Lucienne was only upset that their group included Lau as well.

By the time they made it back to the townhouse, the snow had begun to fall in earnest, which understandably put both Ciel and Lucienne into a foul mood. At least the interior was warm. Ciel's shoulders visibly relaxed as Sebastian took their coats, and a sigh escaped him. The butler barely had them in hand before he said, "Now then, you must be cold. I will serve tea immediately."

Ciel nodded absently as he said, "Do as you will."

It was evident that his mind was not entirely focused on the moment when a new voice added, "Instead of English tea, let's have chai."

Once again, Ciel absently waved the request off and said, "Do as you will." However, almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he spun to see the two men they had run into earlier in the day standing just inside the door. Shock was evident in his voice when he said, "Why the blazes are you here?"

The younger of the two men tilted his head quizzically as he said, "Did you forget? We met earlier." He then stood a little straighter and adopted a confident air as he continued, "In India, it is common to welcome and entertain benefactors. We even have a saying for it. Entertain your guests even if you must sell your treasures."