The Lady Shadowhive and her demon butler Lucius Dracovich

A Job For The Fox

Jade's POV
I was sitting in my study going through the letter i just received from the queen.

Dear Lady Shadowhive,
I have heard some rumors going around regarding your relationship with Lord Phantomhive and i must say i approve of this match. I think that the two of you as a working party would greatly benefit me in regards to maintaining order in the city and outer towns of my country. I have a job for you, as you know the Lord Trancy has an interesting background and his uncle told me that he does not believe this boy to be the true heir of the Trancy home. If this were to be true then there is a fraud residing in the Trancy home which would rightfully go to the uncle. I need you to spend some time with the Lord Trancy and figure out the truth of his identity and whether or not the uncle's accusations are false. I have already informed the Lord Trancy of your impending arrival and hope that you do not refuse this request from your queen and employer.

Sincerely, Queen Victoria.

I sighed inwardly to myself after setting the letter back down. Of all the people she could assign me to shadow, it had to be Alois Trancy.... I placed my head in my hands pinching the bridge of my nose as i went through my mental notes about the Trancy heir. I was not pleased at all with this assignment seeing as it would mean spending time away once again from my home after i just returned, and it would mean being around that fool for many hours of the day. I sighed again in annoyance as i groaned while Lucius was packing some of my reading books into a bag.

"Young mistress if you keep sighing like that you'll have an air of disappointment around you for the rest of the day."

"It's just of all the things she could have me do she chooses to have me spend time with this boy. Did she not just ask me to entertain the Lord Phantomhive, i am her fox not an escort."

I frowned visibly as i thought back to the halloween gala where he had me dance that ridiculous tango with him and then proceed to drug me. If there was one thing i did not like most about this assignment, it was having to face him after knowing it was possible he would try and drug me again..

"How much longer until the carriage is ready."

"The carriage is ready for you to depart, all that it needs is your presence within the car."

That was not the answer i wanted to hear, i wanted him to say that it would be a while but his proficiency in his work kept him from being too slow. I stood up from my chair and opened the small drawer where i kept all my files. I ran my fingers over the names until i reached Alois's and then drew the folder out form the drawer and closed it shut. Lucius opened my bag and i placed the folder deep within the contents and proceeded to head to the door and it felt like walking towards the gallows. I could not help but think all that was missing from my walk was the sound of drums beating the dead man's chant as i descended the stairs and my servants all wished me a happy journey. It was far from a happy journey, it was like a sentence of doom than it was a mission. It just had to be Alois Trancy, it could not have been the loquacious idiot Druitt it had to be Alois Trancy that was under speculation. I went out my main doors and then down the front steps towards the carriage. Lucius helped me inside and then closed the main door while loading the luggage on the back of the coach. The carriage shook slightly as Lucius climbed up onto the driver's seat and the sound of reigns snapping echoed as the horses began pulling the car forward on the road towards the train station. His home resided in the far parts of the country instead of the in town home he spent holidays in. I had not yet visited the actual Trancy manor before so i would be entering unfamiliar territory which i tried my best to avoid when possible. The odds where not in my favor then again they never were when it came to gathering information and revealing the truth. The journey to the train was not long and soon i went from residing in the coach to sitting on the plush fabric seats of the train with Lucius sitting across me. I stared aimlessly out at the passing pastures of green with animals eating away the grass, some took shade under a tree or were drinking out of a pond. I tapped my fingers on the table between us as i started thinking about new designs for dresses that would involve fading colors that resembled the green field and pond. The shawl i was wearing began slipping down my shoulder and started to reveal the thin straps of my dress. It was a plain cream colored dress with black edges and black straps. A small bow sat on my shoulders at the top of each strap as i wore a choker with a silver bead in its center. I pulled the shawl back up and then looked at Lucius who looked almost as bored as i was.