Leah smiled and pressed her back against the carriage chair, feeling the bumps and movement as the carriage trundled over the cobbles and into the city. Even though she might be about to spend several hours listening to Ezra's ludicrous theories, she could scarcely contain her joy at being out of the house for the first time in days.

The past few days' confinement had almost driven her insane. With her mother's headaches worse than ever, the silence in the house had become deafening, and she just wanted to listen to the noise on the streets. She wasn't even allowed to open the window just in case it disturbed Mrs Manson's headaches.

Emma sat across from her in the carriage. Despite having never said the words, Leah knew her maid was just as excited about stepping out of the house as she was. She had been instructed to keep Leah company so could not go into the city with Anna as she usually did. Both of them had waited for this day for a while.

"I shall pick you up once I am finished at the factory. It shouldn't be too long, but you never know with these things," Mr Manston said. He leant forward and pressed his elbows into his thighs.

"Can we stop by the bakery on our way home?"

"Are you sure you want to? Your last trip to the bakery wasn't pleasant."

"It wasn't in the bakery, it was in a nearby alleyway." Leah shrugged.

Mr Manston shook his head a little. "Alright, but not a word to your mother. We have eaten far too many recently and I expect she would have a few choice words about your choice of food."

"You eat just as many, if not more, than I do."

Mr Manston feigned outrage, placing his hand on his chest. "How dare you!"

"There was confectioner's sugar on your shirt when you came home from work yesterday."

"Ah." He smiled. "In my defence, paperwork is a very trying task."

Leah smiled and stared out of the carriage window, watching the streets of London roll by as the carriage jostled back and forth. The streets were crawling with officers standing on corners or in alleyways. No one expected the killer to strike during the day, but the officers were on guard just in case anything happened.

Everyone was wary; everyone was on edge.

The carriage came to a stop outside the Wentworth property, a large, red-brick building with a black metal gate fence surrounding it. The windows had been recently cleaned, but the black soot sent into the air by the factories was already starting to make itself known. Nothing stayed clean in the city for too long. It all became marked eventually.

Emma and Leah scrambled out of the carriage, with Mr Manston following behind. The three of them walked up the small paved walkway towards the house, where Emma knocked the brass knocker against the black wooden door.

"Ah, here you are!" Mr Wentworth exclaimed when the door was opened by one of the servants. "We thought you might have got lost. You come here so little."

"Not a chance." Mr Manston extended his hand to Mr Wentworth and the two of them shook as old friends. "We're going to be late if we hang around here any longer."

"Right. Miss Manston, Ezra is waiting for you in the parlour. He seems rather excited to speak with you."

"Let's hope that whatever he wishes to speak about is interesting."

"Leah, watch your tone."

"Not to worry, James, I know what that boy is like. He could talk for the Queen given half the chance." Mr Wentworth laughed. "We shall be back later on. Tell Ezra to not burn the house down, I would like to see it still standing come the end of the day."

"Yes, sir."

Leah smiled a little with Mr Wentworth reciprocating.

The two men shuffled back out of the door and up the path to the carriage, which stood waiting for them. Leah watched, waving to her father as he climbed into the carriage after Mr Wentworth and slowly pulled away from the front gate. She waited until they had disappeared from sight before stepping further into the hallway and allowing the servant to close the door.

Once the door had been shut, the servant gestured up the hallway. Leah and Emma followed, with Emma looking out of place in her maid's uniform. They were shown into a large, bright room with several settees, a roaring fireplace, and a coffee table already ladened with a silver tray and several cups.

Ezra stood near the window, chewing on his fingernails. He fidgeted, failed to stand still, and looked like he was ready to explode at a moment's notice. Mrs Wentworth sat on one of the settees, her needlepoint resting on her lap. She looked up upon hearing them enter the room, more Emma than Leah, and smiled.

"Good morning, Miss Manston. It is wonderful to see you again." Mrs Wentworth placed her needlepoint down and stood up, shuffling past the table and pulling Leah into a tight hug.

"Likewise, Mrs Wentworth."

"And you must be Emma, correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I don't believe we have met before. It is lovely to meet you."

"You too, Ma'am."

"Now, let me look at you." Mrs Wentworth held Leah lightly by the shoulders. "Goodness, you have grown so much."

"Father says the same. He feels the need to remind me that I am no longer a child rather regularly."

"Well, at least you behave more responsibly, unlike someone."

Mrs Wentworth turned to Ezra, who hadn't moved from the window since their arrival. He continued to fidget with his hands and chew on his fingernails, although Leah wondered if there was any part of his fingernails left.

"Are you going to say hello to your guests, Ezra? They are here at your request, although why you were so instant is beyond me."

Ezra stepped away from the window and dropped his hands to his side, rubbing his palms over his thighs. He approached Leah with a slight smile on his lips, his eyes darting around the room as though he was unsure of what to look at.

"There's new information," he said.

Leah shook her head. "Most people start with 'Good Morning'."

"Last night," Ezra continued, pretending he hadn't heard Leah, "the police found someone in the street. They were attacked the same way as all the others."

"So? That is becoming more of a regular occurrence these days."

"Except he didn't die, Miss Manston. This latest victim is very much still alive, and he saw the killer."

~~~

First Published - February 11th, 2023