[Fanfic] Murder, Street Urchins, and Mummy Dearest

[shuufleur93]

Title: Murder, Street Urchins, and Mummy Dearest
Fandom: Victoriocity
Word count: 508
Type: OS
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Clara Entwhistle & Lucretia (Victoriocity)
Additional Tags: Fluff, Episode: s01e02 The Lodging House (Victoriocity)
Summary:

Before Clara and Inspector Fleet meet with the street urchin, Lady Lucretia pays her a visit.

Notes:  I've only discovered Victoriocity recently thanks to the Let Me Introduce You exchange and it was a very fun listen. It's a little "missing scene" to Episode 2 if Lucretia had stayed in London. Also fills the square Work in my 100 fandoms challenge. Title credit to a friend.
AO3 Link: Here.

As Clara and Fleet prepared themselves to leave, a knock surprised them. They looked at each other for a beat until, by a silent accord, Fleet found refuge in the kitchen while Clara opened the door. She could only blink when she saw her mother pulling her shawl around her and throwing nervous glances in the corridor.

“Mother, what are you doing here? I thought you had returned home.”

“Obviously not,” she replied with her nose slightly upwards. “I just supposed you had changed your mind since we departed and hoped you decided to get a husband instead of gallivanting as a journalist.”

While her visit was a surprise, her questions were not.

“No, Mother, I have not.”

The way she said journalist informed Clara she hadn’t changed her mind about her job. At least, she didn’t know she was currently covering Dr Salik’s murder. Although, Inspector Fleet’s presence in her lodging added nervousness she hadn’t expected. It shouldn’t matter but it did.

“Won’t you invite me inside? This is not proper to talk here at the mercy of eavesdroppers.”

Lady Lucretia didn’t waste any time and pushed Clara to enter, then stopped immediately when she spotted Inspector Fleet. Clara grimaced before fitting a neutral expression when her mother turned to her.

“Are you now inviting strange men into your lodging?”

Her hairdo shook dramatically as she said that. With a slightly embarrassed smile, Inspector Fleet started to open his mouth.

“Mother, he’s not a strange man,” Clara replied before he could fumble an explanation. “I know him—”

“Is he courting you?” Lady Lucretia barrelled on. “Is he the one who told you to become a journalist? I must say it is very improper for a young man to enter the home of an unmarried woman. . .”

“Mother, please!”

Could she be more embarrassing? However, whatever shame Clara was experiencing, Inspector Fleet seemed to feel it a thousand times more. It was strangely amusing to see him getting redder by the second.

“He is not courting me.” Clara continued with a sigh. “This is Inspector Fleet, and we are working together.”

“Inspector Fleet?! Working together?!”

Her mother’s scandalised expression shouldn’t make her want to shock her more.

“Yes, Mother, this is Inspector Archibald Fleet, from Scotland Yard. We are investigating a—.”

“Miss Entwhistle, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Fleet suddenly announced with a contrite but polite smile, “but we should go. I’m afraid the street urchin will disappear if we wait any longer.”

“Street urchin?!”

It seemed her mother lost all sense of decorum and her tongue in the span of a few seconds.

“I apologise, Mother, but I need to go to work. If you decide to stay in London, we can meet later. Otherwise, I will call you soon. I hope.”

“Clara—”

Before she could say more, Clara pushed her outside with Fleet hot on her heels.

“Again, I’m very sorry we have to cut this short, but this is urgent.”

With one last smile, Clara and Fleet left her mother shocked in front of her closed door.