Scandal's Daughter (A Sherlock Holmes Fanfiction)

Chapter Nine

It was a difficult conversation that I had with Mrs. Hudson. Thankfully, before I was halfway through trying to explain, Dr. Watson came into the kitchen and took over. He didn't say what brought him down in the first place, but I suspected Mr. Holmes had taken pity on me and sent the doctor down.

Mrs. Hudson, disbelieving at first, accepted the story without too much fuss. She'd been to see her sister the evening before, and her niece was in need of a position. Everything would work out well for everyone, it seemed, though she said she would miss me.

Two nights later, Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson escorted me into the Savoy Theatre. As we passed through the entryway, I was amazed to read on a poster the name: Irene Adler. "My mother is singing tonight?" I asked, looking up at the tallest of my escorts. A silky wrap, loaned to me by Mrs. Hudson, hide my throat.

He said nothing, just ushered me up to a box. Mr. Mycroft Holmes was already there. And so was my father.

"Papa!" I exclaimed delightedly as he rose. He hugged me tightly. "I was so worried about you!"

My father stepped back. "What's wrong with your voice?" he demanded, looking me over. I'd thought two days of rest would have restored my voice, but apparently I was wrong.

"The concert is about to begin," Mycroft spoke up then. "As you all insisted I be here, I will at least enjoy it."

I was glad of the distraction, and sat next to my father, my arm linked with his. The lights dimmed around the theatre and then my mother was on the stage. Looking every bit the lady she was, she began the concert, singing an Italian opera song.

Though I begged, Father refused to let me go backstage during the intermission. He claimed I would be a distraction for my mother. So, I had to wait until the end and my father had led the way to her dressing room before I could finally hug my mother and assure her I was all right.

Not that she believed the last part. Holding me back, she pulled the wrap off. "What is this?" she demanded, spying the fading bruises on my neck. She lifted my left wrist and glared at the bruises there. She turned angry brown eyes on the Holmes'. "You said she would be protected! Is this how you protect?"

"She would have been protected if she hadn't of run away to be a maid," Mycroft defended.

And once again, I felt like a child as my mother and father glared at me. In the end, Dr. Watson took pity on me once again and explained, though I think it was more to save my throat from over use. It was very late by the time it was done.

"We have already located and arrested Ian Barry," Mycroft said, looking wearily at his pocket watch. "Simmons, though that was merely one of his aliases, was arrested earlier this morning and admitted to everything."

"What were they after?" Watson asked curiously. I could see his fingers twitching, like he wanted to write it down. I wondered how long before this tale would join the rest of the cases published in the Strand. "They seemed to go to a great deal of trouble."

"Classified," Mycroft said before my father could answer. "And it will remain so."

My father nodded in agreement. "We should go," he said. He held his hand out to the other men. "Thank you for what you have done."

"Good evening, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," Mother said with a smile, extending her hand to the detective. "We were not at odds this time, were we?"

"I am pleased to say, we were not," Mr. Holmes answered, taking her hand. He turned his attention to me. "A pleasure, Miss Norton."

"Thank you, Mr. Holmes," I answered, sincerely. "I look forward to our paths crossing again."

~*~

My family returned to Lynbrook Manor the very next day. Leigh had finally hired more servants and the home looked as it used to. Mrs. Leigh welcomed us back enthusiastically, and scolded me for the rest of the day.

A week passed, and I found myself unusually bored. My father had yet to straighten things out with the school, and my school books failed to hold my attention. Normal life, it seemed, had become very dull.

And then, a package arrived for me from London.

When Leigh handed it to me in the library, I stared at it in astonishment. The return address was 221B Baker Street. As my mother looked on, I eagerly tore the paper open. There was no letter, only a stack of slim pamphlets. The first read: Monograph of Secret Writings: 160 Separate Ciphers Analyzed by Sherlock Holmes.

I laughed out loud.

__________

A/N: I finally found an actress to cast as Serena Norton: Joanna Vanderham on teh right everyone. Hope you enjoyed this little tale. I'm hoping to write a sequel at some point. 

Thanks for reading!