The Flower Seller ( WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 6

Despite being tired, and more than a little drunk, Nicole couldn't sleep. Her thoughts remained in the back room of the ale house, the map spread out on the table, along with the information provided by Sherlock on his latest case. She finally fell asleep in the early hours, just as the sun was rising, only to wake with a start, a cold sweat across her body thinking of Wynonna's warning. Till now she had seen what she was doing as nothing more than a huge adventure, an escape from a life she considered tedious. She yearned for the excitement she believed came through living with such an eccentric uncle. Now, this adventure took on a deeper significance. It contained real danger. The kind of danger where people could get hurt. Or worse.

Wynonna's instruction to take care of Waverly brought home the seriousness of her actions. At fourteen she believed she could take care of herself. At nine, Waverly was still very young, too young to be out all hours fighting crime. She got the impression, in the absence of a mother in their lives, Wynonna had become that figure to her younger sister. 221B Baker Street clearly lacked a woman's touch, other than perhaps a cleaner, maybe a cook. Whether Dr Watson was married or not was unclear, Nicole assuming he too was a bachelor.

Her thoughts turned to her own mother. Not to have her in her life was hard to imagine. Or, her father for that matter. Losing both parents must have been dreadful, she thought, shifting onto her side. To be left without parents, with the possibility of being separated. A few tears trickled down her cheek, soaking into the pillow. The clock on the mantelpiece chimed five. Two more hours and her day would start, her eyes closing. A maid entered with a jug of warm water shortly before seven, Nicole still fast asleep. A knock on her door at eight woke her with a start, realising she had overslept.

She hurried to dress for her ride, her ankle still a little tender, foregoing breakfast. The groom who usually rode as chaperone was nowhere to be seen, Nicole instructing another to get her horse ready nevertheless. She was under strict instructions not to ride alone, the groom hesitant at first, Nicole adamant she would ride no matter what. He held the reins, offering his right hand to assist in the mount, Nicole wincing as she placed her weight on the weak ankle. I can do this, she counselled, adjusting her position in the saddle, straightening her skirt. A quick ride, then back for lessons.

The park was busier that time of day, Nicole frustrated at not having an opportunity to gallop as she normally would on other occasions when the bridal paths were empty. She had to content herself with trotting most of the time, seizing the opportunity for a final canter as she neared the park entrance. The sudden flight of a bird across their path spooked her horse, rearing on his back legs, throwing Nicole off. It was the first time he had done that. She lay motionless on the ground, her horse having bolted, lucky not to have been dragged along with him.

A crowd gathered, someone removing her hat. She moaned as she grabbed her right arm. A man told her to lie still, his face a blur, her head throbbing, pain finding its way to other parts of her body. The last thing she remembered was being lifted from the ground. She awoke in her own bed, a damp cloth on her forehead, her mother's voice carrying an urgency she hadn't heard before, instructing someone to fetch a doctor immediately.

Nicole closed her eyes. Too much noise, too many events happening all at once. The next she knew Dr Watson was standing over her bed examining her shoulder. "I can address this," he informed. "I will give her something for the pain."

"Our own physician is on his way," Nicole's mother replied.

"It will only take a few moments."

Nicole tried to sit up. "Why are you here?"

"Mr Holmes sent for him," her mother informed. "It was fortunate he happened to be close by."

Dr Watson handed her a glass containing a pale reddish-brown liquid. "You will need to drink this," he advised. "The procedure will be uncomfortable otherwise."