The Secret in East End [Agents of the Crown #1]

Chapter 11

Seated in his study, Fabian stared at the final folder his runner got for him, and sighed as he tossed them into a growing pile. Throughout the mess of finding Elle and her friends from the clutches of the Moonlighter, he had been getting continuous reports of all the runners he had sent to investigate the few missing persons cases he dug out, yet none came back fruitful. Most of the girls did not match the age range that Elle seemed to be in, or they were of different shades of hair. None would match the gentle chestnut locks that he now knew to be Elle's, nor did they match the way her eyes shimmered with golden-flecks hidden amongst a mahogany gaze.

Leaning back, Fabian ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. Was he being too picky? Mayhaps one of them was the one that would lead Elle to her family. Or was he being too hopeful? Maybe he read too much into how Elle easily fit herself into their level of society. But why else would she slip so easily into proper speech, instead of the rough manner in which Freddie and Terry found hard to get rid of? Even Lacey did not speak in such refinement, despite her working in a bawdy house.

His head pounded from the lack of sleep. Deciding to get himself a drink, Fabian just got to his crystal decanter of whiskey when the door opened, and Lucan stepped in. Even despite being new friends, the Earl of Greystoke already moved as if he's been familiar with Fabian's study his whole life.

"What brings you here, Greystoke?"

"No reason, just wanted to see if Lionel had returned."

"He's returned, but other then reporting that the two brutes were safely in Abbott's hands, and the boys returned to the rookery, he's got nothing of interest to impart."

"Ah." Lucan's eyes wandered, and landed on the pile of folders on Fabian's table. "What's got you in such a tizzy, then?"

Noticing where his gaze landed, Fabian debated on whether he should let Lucan know of Elle's situation. Delicate as it was, in a way he felt as if he's been through as much with the Earl, as he's had with Lionel. And since they were in this together, Fabian decided to just run with it. "I've been... suspicious about Miss Elle for a while."

"That she's in league with the Moonlighter?" Lucan's voice registered surprise. Fabian immediately shook his head. "God, no. I doubt she'd have looked that battered that day, if she was."

Offering a glass to Lucan, he wandered over to his study table and picked up a folder. "Elle's... different from the boys in East End. Markedly different." Letting Lucan take a look at the papers he handed, Fabian leaned on his desk. "She has a refinement that is hard to believe that she spent years in the rookery. Assuming they got her age right, I'm guessing Elle spent her first ten years as a gentlewoman, something that cannot be beaten out of her even after twelve years in the rookery."

As he spoke however, he noticed Lucan shuffling even more papers, and  picking up more from his desk, much to Fabian's surprise. "Is everything alright, Greystoke?"

"I've... never had a chance to see this Miss Elle closely. Does she look like all this sketches you have described to your runner?"

Fabian nodded. "Close, but not entirely. Her hair is chestnut.. quite like yours actually. Her eyes are... like yours too. Brown, with golden flecks." By then, Fabian's voice had slowed down, as he began to draw lines in thin air. The more he looked, the more he realized the similarities within Lucan and Elle. The sharp cheekbones, the coloring.... the only difference was Lucan's deepset eyes as compared to Elle's finer features.

"May I meet her, Avondale?"

It suddenly felt constricting to look at Lucan. While Fabian had never paid much attention to the features of his new friend, the closer inspection was startling to him. The earnest way their eyes sparkled when they were set on something. And Elle... Elle had never seen Lucan before, had she?