Stalking Jack the Ripper Oneshots

Her Whole Heart

Audrey Rose hated many things. She hated tea without a touch of honey, corsets, Thomas Cresswell's terrible father, but most of all, Audrey Rose hated high class sexist men.

Many of the fellow Lords or Ladies did not like Audrey Rose or Thomas due to their fascination in science, specifically Audrey Rose's fascination because of her gender. It made her sick to think about. It definitely did not help when she was surrounded by said high class sexist men at an elegant ball.

Neither Thomas nor Audrey Rose wanted to attend this ball, it was actually quite the opposite. However, despite their wishes, they had to be present in order to gain information on a new case Uncle Jonathan, Thomas, and herself had been working on. Just because they had to be here, didn't mean they particularly enjoyed it.

Thomas had wandered off on his own, using his charming features with the intent on gathering knowledge about the victim of the newest unknown killer, leaving Audrey Rose to make conversation by herself.

She reluctantly stood in a large group, surrounded by many women with large jewelry and excessive gowns as she sipped on a glass of champagne. Audrey Rose hardly listened to the conversation, only paying attention to keywords that could potentially relate to the case. The group around her migrated away, leaving Audrey Rose on her own.

She wanted to go home. Her feet hurt, her limp was particularly bad, and she missed her darling black cat, Pawdrey Rose.

Feeling a hand on her arm, Audrey Rose turned to lay her eyes upon a slightly older man, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Audrey Rose? Daughter of Edmund Wadsworth?" the man spoke, only causing Audrey Rose to raise a brow. As far as her memory served, she had never met this man before.

She nodded slowly and pulled her arm away from the man's grip, replying, "I—that is correct." Audrey Rose paused in thought, confusion most certainly evident on her face. "Have we met before?"

The man shook his head. "No, love, we have not. Allow me to introduce myself," he grabbed the wine glass from her hand and placed it on a waiters tray as he walked past, them grabbing Audrey Rose's gloves hand in his own. He brushed his lips against her knuckles, causing hair to raise on her arms. The man continued, "my name is Henry Samuels the third, though you may call me Henry."

Audrey Rose pulled her hand away from his lips. "If we have never met, how do you know who I am?"

"Ah, my dear, you are the daughter of Edmund Wadsworth, nearly every man knows of your name," Mr. Samuels spoke and the moment the words left his mouth, Audrey Rose felt disgusted. Despite this, she forced a smile as she nodded. She remained silent, hoping that it would showcase her disinterest in the conversation, but Henry only continued, "do you know how beautiful you are? Those green eyes with your dark hair—truly a stunning combination."

Audrey Rose's eyes darted around the room, searching for Thomas. Where is he where is he, she thought to herself. Her attention turned back to the man before her, finally answering, "umm, thank you." She searched for Thomas once more with yet again, no luck.

Mr. Samuels brought his fingers to her face, brushing them against her cheek. Audrey Rose moved to walk away, but Henry's hand gripped her arm, tugging him towards his body. She struggled against his grip as he brought his mouth down to hers, only a millimeter away when suddenly, his hand and uncomfortable closeness where gone. Audrey Rose looked up to see Thomas standing beside her. Her heart fell to the floor with relief and a comforting ache to be in his embrace.

Thomas's familiar warmth wrapped around her waist as he tugged her into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I have been searching for you everywhere, my darling wife."

"And I with you, my love," Audrey Rose replied, attempting to cover the fear and anxiety present in her voice.

Mr. Samuels glared intently at Thomas, and in return, Thomas flashed him a look that could kill. The man stormed off within moments.

Thomas led Audrey Rose an empty space near the wall, pulling her close enough to whisper, "are you alright?"

Audrey Rose nodded.

"Did he touch you? Audrey Rose, you do not know how badly I wanted to punch him for doing that to you, I—"

She cupped his cheek in her gloved palm, the feeling of him being so close bringing her comfort. "I know, Thomas. I am glad you didn't." A pause. "And yes, he held my arm and briefly touched my face before you appeared."

Thomas ran a hand through his unruly curls and let out a sigh. "I am so sorry, Audrey Rose."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

After moments of silence, Thomas asked softly, "honestly, are you alright?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Audrey Rose began. "Did you gather any information about the victim?"

Thomas tilted his head to the side and spoke, "the case is the least of my concerns at the present moment. All I care about is you. Would you like to go home?"

"I would, but do we have enough information—"

"Audrey Rose. Would you like to go home?" he repeated.

She stared into his brown eyes, the eyes she loved so incredibly much and sighed in defeat. "Yes, I would very much like to go home."

Thomas moved to cup her cheek, but hesitated. Audrey Rose nodded slightly for him to continue. He brushed his thumb against her skin and rested his forehead against hers. He whispered, "I want you to understand that I do not think you are weak. I think—I know—you are the strongest person I've ever met and I am immensely blessed to call you my wife. Going home after what he did does not make you any less strong than you were before. I love you."

A single tear slipped down her cheek. "And I love you. So much."

***

Thomas helped Audrey Rose into their carriage, then getting in himself. They began to move, Audrey Rose gazing down at her hands in her lap.

"Audrey Rose?"

She looked up at him, chewing on her bottom lip. "Hmm?"

Thomas reaches out a hand, brushing her hair behind her ear then running his fingers along her jaw. "What is it that you want right now?"

"I want to be in your arms. The only thing that calms me down is being with you."

With a ghost of a smile, Thomas opened his arms, Audrey Rose than tucking herself into his chest. He then asked, "anything else?"

"I want to talk. Not about what happened, but how we usually talk," she murmured.

Thomas smirked and looked down at her as he ran his fingers along her back. "Are you giving me an excuse to flirt?"

Audrey Rose let out a quiet chuckle and spoke, "indeed. Thank you."

After a moment of silence passed, Thomas stated, "you should have hit him with your cane. I would pay to see that."

Audrey Rose laughed again and looked up at him, replying, "I love you."

Thomas smiled and squeezed her lovingly. "I love you too."

She reached up, pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss. It was a feeling she would never tire of—kissing Thomas James Dorin Cel Rau Cresswell. Her husband, her partner, her equal, the boy who would always respect her and what she wanted. The boy who she loved with her whole heart.

***

Word Count: 1280