"We found her."
Eliza breathed out in relief, "Truly? That's great–"
"No, Mother. She's unwell. Or rather, acting very strange. It's hard to put into words so I can only show you." Dahlia reached out her hand for her to hold and Eliza wondered if it was the usually taciturn and composed Dahlia who needed comforting at the moment.
"Let us make haste then."
...
Through the alley and waiting on the other side was a black coach that they then rode to a small clinic operating above a florist. It is the very same clinic Eliza recommends Ophelia's flowers to patron.
"Ophelia, my darling." The receptionist wrapped Eliza in a tight hug the moment she walked through the door. After squeezing her to the brink of suffocation, her expression was somber with her hands still holding Eliza's shoulders. "I wish we could have reunited under different circumstances. Come, she's this-"
"EEAAHKK!"
A shrill scream echoed down the hall that made Eliza flinch with alarm. Without asking for an explanation, she rushed towards the source and found Daisy strapped down on a cot. She was suffering from full-body sweats and wrestled against the restraints with all her strength. Her skin was rubbed raw wherever the bindings touched her, but it didn't deter her from fighting to escape. Her baby blue eyes were bloodshot and her curly blonde hair a tangled mess. She was hardly recognizable compared to only two days prior.
"Diana, can you hear me?" Eliza spoke Daisy's real name and wanted to get closer, but a nurse advised against it with a warning hand. Doctor Maria continued to check her vitals and finished by analyzing her pupils
"What have you learned?" Eliza's heart was in her throat witnessing the thrashing and belligerency.
Maria was taking notes and spoke in her usual monotone. "She is acting too erratic to get a clear diagnosis. From what I can tell, her body is exhibiting signs of head trauma. However, her hysteria may be triggered by something psychological. Perhaps she was victim to torture or witnessed something that stirred up previous trauma?"
"Oh God, oh no." Eliza covered her face in agony, "This is my fault, I shouldn't have made her investigate something so trivial." Daisy is just barely a year younger than Eliza and had a complicated past. One which she had very little memory of and the things she did recall, she chose to not talk about. Having never pressured her, Eliza and most of the other girls only knew she came from the orphanage system. Her dream was always to earn enough money to foster children just like herself. Eliza felt sick to her stomach thinking Daisy will never be able to live out that dream.
The nurse couldn't hold her back anymore and Eliza forced her way forward and held Daisy's hot hand. "Diana, you have to fight this."
Daisy let out another strangled scream despite how hoarse her voice has become. She started slamming her head against the mattress to try to injure herself.
Eliza's fingers trembled and tears slowly slipped down her cheeks. "Diana, look at me. Look at me." She flinched feeling a strange zap between her eyes but for a brief moment, Daisy looked over at her with almost clarity. But the moment broke, and she returned to thrashing around.
Something definitely happened when Eliza commanded Daisy to look at her. Maybe it was the way she said it, but perhaps with more conviction, it will work even better.
Eliza hardened her heart and tried again, this time holding down Daisy's feeble shoulders, "Diana, stop and look at me."
Daisy opened her eyes and fully focused on the woman above her.
"Calm down and breathe... slowly... Yes, like that."
Daisy was gasping at first but then maintained a normal breathing pattern while her limbs relaxed. Meanwhile, it felt like Eliza's eyes were burning and she felt strange energy vibrating through her veins. It was electric, powerful, and addictive.
Doctor Maria, who was usually a stoic person, felt her eyes grow big at the sight before her. It seemed like Ophelia's eyes glowed bright green and that same wonderous light flashed in Daisy's eyes in response. Maria rubbed her eyes to see if it was her sight playing tricks and sure enough, the green light was gone. Instead, Daisy was fully alert albeit only focused on her employer with adept attention.
"Stop struggling and don't hurt yourself anymore."
Daisy nodded with childish obedience so that the nurse could remove the straps safely.
"Doctor Maria, please continue with the examination."
Maria adjusted her spectacles and nodded, "Yes, of course."
Eliza had to seat herself in a chair in the corner of the room while Dahlia served her a relaxing herbal tea. It took only a few minutes for Maria to conclude the exam and she scribbled down some notes while speaking. "She does appear to suffer from a concussion that was made worse by her psychotic break. Here you can see the patterns of rope burns around her ankles and wrists. We won't know what truly happened before we found her until she speaks up herself."
"What do you suppose happened?" She finished her tea and then listlessly observed the dredges of her tea. The leaves vaguely clumped together to look like a deceased bunny and she wondered if someone skilled in divination could make sense of it.
Maria flipped over a page to continue her notes, "I believe it was a peculiar case of kidnapping."
Eliza handed off her cup to the nurse, "What makes it peculiar."
Dahlia stepped forward now to share her story, "While I was picking up a prenatal prescription for Tulip, Daisy was dropped off at the florist entrance, unconscious. By the time we were carrying her down the hall, she awoke and started lashing out. The fact that she was released, with all of her undergarments in place, and no visible bruising was the most confusing." The black-haired woman took a shaky breath to say next, "We believe the Baron discovered what she was up to. The brothel may soon be compromised."
"I understand." Eliza approached the cot again. She covered Daisy's bleary eyes and whispered something by her ear. When she pulled back, the young girl had fallen asleep. "Limit the appointments and keep tabs on the clientele for now. Don't take any more risks and play it safe. I don't want any of my girls getting hurt." Eliza looked into Dahlia's green ones to annunciate, "Under no circumstances, even if my life is in danger, should you all get involved without consulting me first."
Dahlia sniffed and threaded her fingers to disguise her anxiety. "Yes, mother."
Eliza gave the woman one last tender hug until her knees suddenly weakened, and she collapsed. Dahlia broke her fall on the carpet and the nurse rushed to her side as her forehead broke out in a sweat.
"My goodness, are you alright?" Maria adjusted her spectacles that had slipped down her curved nose and went to check her pulse for irregularities. Eliza pulled her arm away to avoid any examinations.
"Sorry, I supposed the emotions caught up to me and my hips gave out. No need to worry, ladies." Despite the swells of nausea and struggling to even walk properly, she only accepted an escort to the street to avoid suspicion. Maria agreed to mail letters to her alias as usual with updates on Daisy's condition.
...
Eliza was able to mostly collect herself on the ride to Mr. Taylor's but it was still difficult to think straight. As soon as she left the scene, her fatigue started manifesting into a swirl of frustration and heat. She could hardly think straight and walked through the front door, stumbling as she did so.
"Lady Elizabeth, you don't look so well."
The youngest maid working the night shift steadied the Lady who seemed to be running a fever and sat her down on a bench in a foyer.
"Run me a bath, Angie."
"Of course, but will you not be having supper?"
The sun had long since set while Eliza was out caring for Daisy but she hardly had an appetite. Eliza cleared her throat and spoke, "I'll take a small supper after my bath." She then shakily stood to her feet and allowed her maid to assist her towards her personal washroom.
As the tub filled, she stood still while Angie worked on undressing her.
Slipping off the layers of her dress and unlacing the corset; Eliza was used to this routine between herself and any maid. For a while, she was taken care of by their elderly nanny Sabrina, and after she followed Eliza's mother to Solaris, Susan took over shortly after.
While looking down at Angie slipping her clothes off one by one, Eliza started to get that strange feeling once more. She's never felt affected by being touched by a servant. Not even with her employees at the brothel. It was a strange phenomenon. Analyzing the maid, she's quite attractive and does catch the eyes of male servants as Eliza has noticed. Even though she was a year older than herself, Angie was quite shorter than Eliza and even Georgia. Her eyes were big and round, with pink, pouty lips. Someone who would have a cute reaction when teased.
Unknowingly, Eliza's eyes started to gloss over, and her hand reached out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. The maid looked up in alarm, worried she did something wrong. She was still in the middle of untying the strings at the front of her chemise and paused with the attire partly slipped off her shoulders.
"Miss? Have I upset you?"
'Am I upset? Well, something is certainly bothering me. Why am I the only one undressed...'
As though possessed, her fingers traced down the maid's throat and hooked around the black bow at her collar. Before she could cause any more irreparable disgrace, a presence loomed behind her and shocked her out of her trance. She whipped her head around but found no one. 'What was I doing just now?'
"It seems I've made Miss uncomfortable. I will take my leave." Unbothered, Angie curtsied and left the bathroom with a distant look in her eyes.
Left alone, Eliza still felt the lingering feeling of someone watching her, but dismissed it as paranoia from what just happened to Daisy. She felt a headache coming on and relied on only soft candlelight to illuminate the room. The bathtub steamed and released the smells of essential oils. She thought laying in the hot tub would make her calm down, but she still felt an ache between her thighs. It had been building up ever since she visited Daisy. Actually, it seemed to be a faint burning that has been growing ever since her arrival in the city. Meeting so many people in such a short time made her anxious and her body restless. To think she almost came onto an innocent woman.
"What the hell is wrong with me? Am I that sexually frustrated?" Reaching down to rub herself, she tilted her head back and rested it on the edge to focus on releasing that tension. Without meaning to speak aloud, she muttered, "If only someone could make it go away."
"I'd be happy to oblige."