A Clever Fascination

Chapter 34 - Scowling and Scandal

you're all so supportive and i appreciate you all reading! i'm sorry i update slowly, life is busy! but i'm doing my best to plan what's next for kit and i hope you'll love it 🤍

!!!
this is a bit charged. id say 18+ but it's not really. read at your own discretion but there are more adult themes than usual.
!!!

-

The silence and the dark were torture enough. The feverish shaking and sweating only added to this ever building misery. It was almost 4am.

Kit stumbled out of the room she had been sleeping in. Only a few minutes ago, she was fast asleep. It had been easy and now Kit could only call herself naive. The daze she was in felt surreal and made her feel sick when she lay down so she found herself staggering away from the feeling and to the corridor. She had startled Pemberley into springing up and darting away, down the stairs. Kit didn't blame him. In fact, watching Pemberley explore new and vast surroundings was adorable. He had made himself at home in a couple of places, one being the rug in the large sitting room; where he may he headed for uninterrupted sleep.

When she lost her footing, the banister overlooking the foyer was her only option for balance. Now she just had to hope that the loud thud she had made hadn't alerted Edward.

Or Ed. It was still him, after all. She was sure she'd bring that up at some point but for now Kit would just deal with this one. The confident, direct one. The one she had started to prefer.

Ed, of course, had heard it. For a while, he too was fooled into thinking that perhaps she would sleep through the night. This had proved them both wrong. Ed's brain only took a second before he reacted. He was certain that the noise could've only come from Katherine. Zsasz had left a few hours ago and Crane was chained up behind two locked doors. It had to be Katherine.

Upon opening the door to his study, he already saw her. She was trying to gather herself, visibly shaking and clutching onto the rail of his bannister.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine. I was asleep but I woke up." She cut him off in order to avoid answering his question. It was a pointless statement.

"I see that, my dear. Can I help you?" His voice was soft and Kit dare not look at him. She didn't need to trust him. It was worse, she wanted to. His gentle kindness sounded so appealing in her state that she wanted to lean into it.

Kit stood up a little straighter and Ed took a few quick and cautious steps forward, in case she collapsed again. The detective tried to wave him off in a bid to gain her composure, but he stood firm, looking down at her. Kit didn't want to give herself the opportunity to grab him if her weak legs buckled, because she knew she'd take it. Yet Ed didn't seem to take the hint, that or he decided it was safer to stay where we was.

"It's okay. I feel better now, I'm gonna- ah!" Kit clutched her head.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to mention those crippling headaches. Come on, it would probably be wise to lie back down." He attempted to turn her around.

Kit shook him off and frowned.

"And then what? It isn't like I'm going to be able to sleep, is it? There are bees in my head. I feel like there's a hole being drilled in my skull-" Kit snapped. She never had been good at sleeping and when she couldn't, she too would leave her room. Edward had admitted to doing the same, so if anyone could understand her frustrations.

"I know and if I could make it stop, I would. Sit, at the very least." He had a slight sternness to his voice that she inwardly scoffed at.

Kit didn't answer, she just stopped resisting when he attempted to herd her back into the room.