Scandal's Daughter (A Sherlock Holmes Fanfiction)

Chapter Six

Sunday was my day off, marking two weeks I had been at 221 Baker Street. After having a pleasant enough night, I was up very early. I had tea prepared by the time Mrs. Hudson made an appearance. "Has Mr. Holmes been keeping you up at night?" she asked anxiously. "I should have warned you, he insists on playing his violin at all hours of the night."

"Not at all, Mrs. Hudson," I responded cheerfully. "I enjoy music very much."

"Do you have plans, Mary?" the housekeeper asked, apparently surprised by my light-hearted attitude. Before I could answer, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You're not meeting a man, are you?"

Horrified, I shook my head firmly. "No!" I denied. "My only plan is to get out and explore London a little and perhaps read a book."

And, of course, stop by the telegraph office, but I doubted that Mrs. Hudson would understand. Before she could question me further, the bell from Apartment B rang. Mrs. Hudson and I exchanged astonished looks. Never had I been summoned there this early in the morning, and clearly neither had Mrs. Hudson.

"You better hurry, Mary," Mrs. Hudson urged. "If the pair of them are up at this hour, they have some place to be in a hurry."

Nodding, I tied on my apron and hurried out of the kitchen. I entered the apartment. Only Dr. Watson was in sight, and he looked as if he had not got much rest. "Ah, good morning, Mary," he said. For the first time, I saw a twinge of pain on his face as he said 'Mary'. I had not considered the fact that I would be sharing the name of his dead wife. "Holmes and I will be away all day. There's no need for Mrs. Hudson to prepare breakfast."

"Of course, Doctor," I responded, my mind spinning. If Col. Forest rose within the next few hours, I could have a good ten hours maybe to myself. "Anything else, sir?"

There was a loud crash from Mr. Holmes' room. Dr. Watson also jumped, so I didn't feel so bad at being startled. "Holmes!" the doctor exclaimed. "What are you doing, man?"

Moments later, Holmes came out. "Are you ready, Watson?" he asked, reaching for his hat and coat. Only as he was shrugging the coat on did he seem to realize I was there. "Mary, I believe the good colonel will be up now. And he will want his breakfast. I'm afraid he will not be in a very pleasant mood."

"Yes, sir," I replied, entwining my fingers together behind my back.

I might have been mistaken, but there seemed to be a mischievous sparkle in those grey eyes. "Enjoy your day, Mary," Holmes told me. He started for the door, and as he passed me, he extended a thin envelope in my direction.

Surprised, I accepted it. Without another word, the detective was out the door and Dr. Watson followed him. I opened the envelope then and there. Inside was a ticket to a music hall.

I laughed in delight. An afternoon of music was just the thing for me. And, it was the very place my mother used to perform.

~*~

It was an afternoon I would not forget. I dressed in the finest outfit I'd brought with me: a white blouse and a hunter green skirt. I counted my coins and found that I didn't have near enough to catch a cab. So, I got directions from Mrs. Hudson and walked.

I made my usual stop at the telegraph office. There were no messages for me, though I did attract the unwanted attention of the boy behind the counter. I decided I would have to change the direction of my search before too long as I was getting nowhere.

It was a cold, windy day, and it was a relief to get inside the music hall. While there were some well to do people in the boxes, it seemed to be the day that most servants took to enjoy a concert. While normally I would have tried to study my companions, my attention was on the concert about to begin.