Chapter 1

Sherlock and Watson

An elderly man sits at his desk looking through old editions of the Strand Magazine. He piles them up and drops them into a box at his feet. He picks up a more recent issue of the magazine and looks at the picture of himself and his best friend staring out from the front cover. He laughs to himself and places it in the centre of his desk to read later. A knock sounds at the door. A maid opens the door and enters carrying a tray laden with a teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl, and two sets of cups and saucers.

'Looks like you've over rationed again.' The maid puts the tray down on a table near to the empty fire grate and takes a card from her pocket as she straightens up and hands it to him.

'Visitor for you sir.' The man takes the card and looks at it thoughtfully. He sighs and slumps into an armchair and stares into the grate.

'I thought that was over for good.' He mutters to himself.

'Doctor Watson?'

'Yes Kate?'

'Would you like me to show him up?'

'What is he doing right now?'

'He's conversing to Miss Laura sir.' Doctor Watson smiles at the mention of his daughter.

'Have someone light a fire in the grate first, then show him up.'

'Yes Doctor.' Kate leaves the room closing the door behind her. Doctor Watson stares into the grate.

A couple of minutes later, the door opens and another maid enters carrying a bucket of coal. Doctor Watson watches her lay the base of the fire before turning to pour himself a cup of tea. He sits back in his chair and sips from his cup slowly and thoughtfully. The maid quietly gets up and leaves the room leaving a fire blazing in the grate.

In the sitting room of Doctor's Watson's house, a young man and a young lady sit conversing easily on the sofa. The second maid walks into the room still carrying her pail of coal and she kneels at the grate. The friends watch her as she expertly lays and lights the fire. She sits back on her ankles and dusts her hands off before brushing all the coal dust into the bottom of the grate. She stands and turns to face the doctor's daughter and friend.

'Shouldn't you be heading to the Doctor's office sir?' The lad grins sheepishly.

'I suppose you are correct.' He pauses. 'His office or study?'

'Study sir.' The maid moves to lead him out of the sitting room.

'It's okay Maude I'll take him. You deal with that bucket.' Laura rises gracefully from the sofa. The young man rises as well and follows Laura out of the sitting room and up the stairs to the doctor's study. Laura knocks on the door and upon hearing a grunt from inside the room opens the door and walks in.

'Father, it's rude not to admit your guest immediately.' Doctor Watson chuckles and rises from his chair.

'And it's also rude to make them uncomfortable. The room needed warming up.'

'It's fine either way sir.' The young man interrupts gently. 'Your company would have been enough as it was for my father.' He edges past Laura and into the room. Doctor Watson smiles and embraces him warmly.

'Sherlock. How are you my dear boy?'

'I'm well Doctor Watson. I'm very well.'

'And your father?'

'Busy. Like his bees.' The two men laugh and Laura sighs.

'Are you staying or going my child?'

'Father I'm twenty one and no longer a child.'

'Laura, you will always be a child in the eyes of your father.' Doctor Watson chuckles.

'Couldn't have put it better myself. Laura sighs again but smiles. She leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Doctor Watson gestures to a chair opposite his own. Sherlock sits and looks into the flames with a preoccupied expression on his face. Doctor Watson watches him closely.

'I don't need to be a genius to work out something is troubling you. Care to tell me?' Sherlock sighs heavily and eases a piece of folded paper out of his pocket and hands it across to Watson.

'I received this in the post. At Baker St.' Watson unfolds the paper. Sherlock watches him

'"Your father ruined me. You will pay for your crimes. Meet me at the Strand hotel. You will know me when you see me." Your father didn't commit any crimes. Either of them.'

'I know. I can hardly show it to him. And the one I grew up with has been deceased for ten years or so.'

'What about the envelope?'

'Address was printed on a printing press. No postmark. Hand delivered straight from the press the ink was sticky and the envelope warm.'

'Have you been to your uncle?'

'Uncle Mycroft, no.'

'Your father always said Mycroft had the greater intellectual powers.'

'I know. It's something about his club.' Sherlock sighs again and looks back at the fire. 'I'm not like my father or him in that way. I need a little background talk.'

'Go to Whitehall.'

'Corridors of power; spies and backstabbing; my worst nightmare.' Watson chuckles again.

'What do you want me to do?' Sherlock looks at him in surprise. 'You didn't come to me for advice. You are a Holmes, much smarter than the majority of people. Therefore. You want me to assist or to run an errand for you.' Sherlock bursts out laughing.

'You underestimate yourself Doctor Watson.'

'John.'

'What?'

'I may be getting rather elderly but I still remember telling you to call me John not Doctor Watson.' Sherlock smiles. 'And I know you and your father. My dear Sherlock.'

'Will you come with me to the Diogenes Club and then on to the Strand?'

'My boy I would be delighted to accompany you!'

'Your wife, won't she be worried about you?'

'Very probably but she often remarks that I don't get out as often as I did when I was practicing.' Sherlock stands up and stretches.

'Well then, what are we waiting for?' Watson holds his hands out to Sherlock.

'Help an old man up.' Sherlock takes the proffered hands and hauls Watson to his feet. Watson leads Sherlock to the door of the study. 'Kate?'

'Yes sir?' She appears in a nearby doorway.

'Tell my wife that I'm going out.'

'When should I tell her you'd be back sir?'

'We'll be gone a good few hours.' Watson glances behind him at Sherlock 'I'll send word.'

'Very good sir.'

'Oh and make sure Flora and Oscar stay at their lessons.'

'Yes sir.' Kate disappears back through the door. Watson leads Sherlock down the stairs. Maude appears with hats and coats for the two of them. Laura appears in the sitting room doorway as they put them on.

'I see you're depriving me of my father, Sherlock.'

'Hopefully only for a little while Laura.'

'Take your time with him. It'll be good for him to get out for a time.' Watson walks over to Laura and embraces her.

'Cheeky.' He whispers in her ear. 'See you later.' The maid opens the door and Watson and Sherlock step out into the street. As the door closes two children run to the top of the stairs.

'Where's papa? Laura, where's papa?'

'Flora, father's gone to help an old friend of his. Go back to your lessons. You too Oscar.'

'Oh, but we want papa.'

'You can have him when he gets back. Oscar.' Laura glances at the door. 'Go back to your lessons or I will tell father you are being naughty.' The children turn away reluctantly. Flora turns back.

'When will he be back?'

'Very soon, Flora, Very soon.' Flora and Oscar run back to their lessons and Laura returns to the sitting room.