Autumn of Terror || h.s. au

Chapter 4: Awkward Encounters

     Nothing scary or gruesome in this chapter :)

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     "Do you have to go, Mary?" Harry asks, whining. I think for a few moments about whether or not it's necessary for me to go. I can either stay here and drink tea with Harry or go to a brothel in search of a murderer...I suppose Niall can go investigate on his own.

     "Maybe I should stay," I respond.

     Niall's eyes widen. "No way. You're not sending me there all by myself, I won't do it."

     "What's the big deal?" I ask. "All you have to do is ask the women there if any of them know of a man named Thomas Cutbush."

     "I'm not going there alone," Niall states.

     Harry sighs. "I guess you should go, then," he tells me.

     "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" I ask him.

     He waits for a moment before responding. "Maybe I should go with you. I don't like being alone, but I certainly don't like brothels, so I could probably just stay in the carriage. I'll come with you, but I won't go inside."

     He stands up from his chair, and Niall and I do the same. Harry grabs my coat and holds it up for me, and I put it on. I now feel obligated to make fun of Niall and Harry when we get there, since Niall will use all of his power to not look a single woman in the eye and Harry won't even leave the carriage.

     We step outside and catch an empty carriage. "Do you know where the brothel nearest to Dutfield's Yard is?" I ask the driver, who looks at me like I've gone mad.

     "Uh, y-yes, ma'am," he stutters. I smile and climb into the carriage with the boys, who have already gone inside, and the carriage takes off. Harry's looking out the window, and Niall is picking at his fingernails.

     "You should have seen the look on the driver's face when I told him to take us there," I chuckle.

     "I'm a bit surprised he knows where it is, honestly," Harry laughs. "Then, again, I suppose it's a driver's job to know where everything is."

     After a few laughs, nobody speaks during the rest of the ride. Eventually, the carriage stops, and Niall and I step out.

     "Are you sure you'd rather stay in here, Harry?" I ask, turning around to look at him. He nods his head rapidly.

     "There's no way I'm going in there," Harry replies. "If any of them offer you anything, make sure you tell them you're married!"

     I laugh loudly. "Of course, I'll make sure to fit in the fact that I'm married when I ask them if they know anything about a possible murderer. I'll make it my top priority."

     I hear him laugh as I walk away from the carriage. I look at the building in front of me and take a deep breath. I walk up to the door, and Niall nervously opens it. The inside of the building was pretty, it had at least two flights of stairs and the floor was covered in a light red colored carpet. The furniture was nicer than I expected. I look around, and there are groups of women wearing dresses just standing around and talking to one another. Niall walks up to the nearest woman, a young blonde in a deep blue dress. She can't be much older than myself.

     "Excuse me," Niall catches her attention, and she turns to him.

     She sighs. "What'll it be?"