The Porcelain Doll

A Scandalous State Of Spirit

The rest of the day progressed in such a fashion, with John tutoring upon more advanced subjects to Theo and then going over the basic principles with the young girl. Before lunch they had finished both mathematics and geography, and after their quick meal (prepared by Mary and enjoyed alone in the front garden) the children went along to read their novels and point to words they did not understand. This lasted all the way until their afternoon hours, when at last Mary came to collect the two around three o'clock. Though John was officially relieved of his duties he was not yet tired of the children, and so when Mary took them to play in the back yard he felt almost obligated to tag along. Thankfully both Elizabeth and Theo were rather worn out from such an intense day of learning, and so their games did not involve as much running as John had expected. Instead the children sat upon the ground, picking up stray sticks that the gardening team had neglected to pick up from the gravel and tying them together with thick pieces of grass they plucked from the professionally manicured lawn. As the children were satisfied with their artistic visions John and Mary were free to sit together on one of the white benches, comfortable in the shade of the blooming dogwood tree. John leaned up against the thin trunk of the tree, kicking his feet out in front of himself and trying to relax for a brief moment while he didn't seem to have any active duties. For some reason the day's events seemed to toll heavily upon his energy, and while he had not begun the day with very much it seemed as though he was perfectly drained before the evening hours. It took all John's strength not to let his eyes droop shut in these perfectly ideal temperatures, nodding off while Mary watched over the children.
"How were they this morning? Attentive I hope?" Mary wondered, perhaps realizing that John needed some direct conversation to keep him awake and attentive. The man grumbled for a moment, pushing his weight back upon the bench to keep himself at least present for the conversation she was attempting to have.
"Oh yes, yes very attentive." John agreed in a mutter, rubbing his eyes and yawning as politely as he could manage.
"The same can't seem to be said about you! What did they do, make you run laps around the classroom?" Mary chuckled, obviously noticing John's not so discreet exhaustion.
"No, it's not the fault of the children. I didn't get to sleep last night, and when finally I did I was plagued by nightmares." John admitted at last.
"Frights of a new bed?" Mary presumed.
"No, worse than that. I'm not a paranoid man, but I swear that I saw something last night...something perfectly ghostly." John admitted with a shiver, a quick blink of his eyes blocking out the sunlight just enough for a sharp memory to emerge, darkening his brain and looming that blank white face into his consciousness. The man shivered, though he abruptly recollected himself and looked over at Mary's concerned face.
"Ghostly?" the woman clarified.
"You have not seen a ghost within the halls? Not heard any strange noises come nightfall?" John presumed. Mary shuffled a bit nervously upon the bench, though John could not tell if she was afraid of what she knew or afraid of what she didn't. Perhaps she had never seen a ghost within the halls before and was now frightened that she would have a first encounter.
"I didn't know of such things." Mary admitted at last. "Surely you are seeing things?"
"No, I am not mad. Certainly not! Last night I heard...humanoid howling." John muttered, keeping his voice low so as to avoid scaring the children. The woman's face blushed, though she barred her teeth to show her dislike of such descriptions.
"How terrifying!" she exclaimed, though in such a voice devoid of emotion that John wondered if he might take her seriously or not.
"I had to investigate, it's in my nature. And so I crept from my bedroom and into the main hall, and it was there that I saw the most distorted creature, a ghastly image of a man who was...well he was glowing. I don't know if he was radiating the moonlight or creating his own aura, though he was radiant like a star, almost blinding in such a dark night. He was naked and....and his face was pure white. It looked as if he had been covered in plaster, or perhaps his facial features erased completely!" John exclaimed, shivering just as he remembered seeing such a creature lurking within the halls. Mary's face grew solemn, though quickly she began to shake her head, as if to deter herself from speaking if anything at all.
"I have never seen such a creature." She admitted at last. "Though I would advise you to stay within your room past dark, if you would like to avoid it."
"Do you think Mr. Holmes knows?" John asked anxiously.
"I couldn't be sure. Though I do believe you could have been dreaming." Mary pointed out with a small wag of her finger.
"I know it was real. Even my dreaming brain is not so creative." John admitted, to which the woman chuckled for a moment before settling her eyes back upon the children. John silenced himself as well, and together the two servants found enough entertainment in watching Theo and Elizabeth playing with their constructed creations, having turned the sticks into x's and rolling them through the gravel like largely unproductive wheels. It was only the crunching of approaching footsteps that turned their attention from the two from their watch over the Holmes children, though when their heads turned they were met with perhaps the only man interesting enough to distract them for the remainder of their hours.
"Victor!" Mary exclaimed happily, clapping her hands upon the arrival of the guest servant. The man looked just as beautiful in the afternoon sun as he did in the gloomy confines of the servant's quarters, though this time he was dressed like a businessman in a crisp cream colored suit, decorating himself with a red tie and completing the look with a clipped red rose tucked within the front pocket of his jacket. John wondered just where he got the money for such clothes, or perhaps they were gifts from his master to make the servant look his best at all hours of the day. Either way it would be hard to determine who between the two of them was the Holmes brother and who was the lowly valet, being as though they shone with the same confidence and dressed in the same fabrics.
"You two look quite content." Victor chuckled, settling himself on the very end of the bench with his shoulder rubbing quite closely with John's. The tutor tried to readjust himself, though it would seem as though this bench was only built for two, and he could not gain any personal space between himself and Victor unless he pushed poor Mary Morstan off of the other side.
"It's not every day the children stay in one place. We're getting our relaxation while we can, before they find any more candies within the pockets of your master." Mary scolded. "They were nearly bouncing off the walls last night!"
"Mycroft does like to be generous. Too much so, at times." Victor admitted with a chuckle.
"You call your boss by his first name?" John clarified, straining his neck to get a better look at the smirk which was playing upon the man's face.
"Well of course. He's not my boss, not really. We're more closely acquainted than such titles. I am more like a friend who he pays to hang around." Victor admitted, shrugging his shoulders as if such a title was so easily gained by a man of his humor and looks.
"A friend who carries his bags, dresses him, and brings him his tea." Mary pointed out, as if trying to make sure Victor understood his exact place within his household.
"A servant with benefits, how about that?" Victor suggested, as if this might be the perfect title for a man in position.
"That might suffice." Mary agreed, though she did not sound so convinced. It was undeniable that Victor's relationship with his master was obscure, though he sounded as if he was trying to play it up to be much more of a symbiotic relationship than it really was. The fact that he was still laboring with daily chores and blessed with a payroll said enough about his position in that household to explain it to John, though perhaps Victor felt the need to place himself above other servants even when their duties were quite similar. He seemed to be a man of pedestals, even if he had to construct his own to stand above everyone else.
"How was your first day with the children in the classroom?" Victor wondered, nudging John with his elbow as if to make sure the tutor understood that question was aimed towards him. John frowned a little bit, finding that elbow to be a bit stiffer than he would have appreciated, though he turned his head back towards Victor and decided to humor him with bland conversation.
"Quite well. Theodore learned some triangles and Elizabeth learned multiplication tables. Both took the information very well, they're especially clever." John admitted. Together the three pairs of eyes settled upon the children, though each with a different expression. Victor looked upon the children with a sort of ironic glance, as if he found their presence to be perfectly amusing to him. John kept his expression rather neutral, minding them simply to ensure that they were not getting into trouble while their watchers were distracted with their blissful conversation. Mary looked to the children with pride, as if all of her days spent in their company had blurred the reality of their true parentage. Perhaps the woman had begun to consider them as her own children, owing entirely to the absence of their biological mother in all parts of their life.
"Well any children descended from Sherlock Holmes must be clever. That man is blessed in many ways, his brain being one of the many natural advantages he was born with." Victor chuckled, leaning forward upon his knees and running a finger back and forth over his cheek.
"They're a beautiful family." John admitted.
"The strangest I've ever seen." Mary agreed rather quietly, as if she was ashamed of holding onto such a critical yet truthful opinion. Victor chuckled again, that quiet little snigger that made it seem like he knew much more about the Holmes family than he would ever admit.
"Well, let's just say that without the help of the two of you these children would be illiterate and locked in an attic for fear of shaming the family name." Victor suggested.
"How morbid! Victor you cannot discredit the Holmes family so! Sherlock and Irene love their children very much; our presences here are only to enhance their parenting skills, not to replace them entirely." Mary debated, though her voice was wavering in such a way that made her argument perfectly invalid. All of the servants sitting upon that excessively small bench seemed to understand that John and Mary were the hired parents, taking over the jobs that the biological parents did not seem to care to do. Their places could very easily be replaced by Sherlock and Irene should either of them wish it, though it seems as though the Holmes family was too distracted with their business affairs to pay any mind to the next generation. They were a strange family indeed, perfectly indifferent to the other and downright hostile even in public settings. John could not explain what seemed to be sparking the fires that constantly flared between husband and wife, though the more he observed of their relationship the more he grew thankful for his own position within the household. Even if there was strife between the parents, well at least the children would be exposed more to the mild mannered serving staff than the firecracker parents they were born to.