Molly Blakesley, nee Hooper, was the sort of woman who preferred the company of her plants to that of people. This was something her father greatly despaired of, worrying his only daughter would never find a husband. This was of course not something that could be tolerated by someone in their position. The Hoopers were not poor, but they also were not very wealthy. Their son had married respectably, a woman of title if not money. Their hope though was on their daughter, a fine young woman that turned several heads.
For her part, Molly would have lived just fine as a spinster, spending her days tending her flowers and visiting her nieces and nephews. This had never gone over well with her father; "It isn't respectable being a spinster when one is poor." He had always painted a grim world for her, where she ended up either in the poor or whore house. So when the chance came to marry off his daughter, Mr. Steven Hooper took it.
Thomas Blakesley was a wealthy gentleman of a proper, if young, age. Only five years Molly's senior, Thomas Blakesley was one of London's youngest wealthy men. All of society knew that he had his pick of London's ladies, but his eyes were only ever set on the quiet Miss Molly Hooper.
The engagement had only lasted a few months before the two were married. Something that had tongues wagging all over town. There were only ever two reasons a wedding was rushed; if the groom was going to war or the bride was already compromised. As Mr. Blakesley had never shown any inclination towards the army, it was assumed that Miss Hooper was already expecting. This of course didn't stop every well to do citizen from attending the wedding. In fact it drew many back from the country just to witness it. Everyone wanted the ability to say that they had seen the signs, the slight puffiness around her cheeks and the ill-fit of her dress, when the little one arrived. One can imagine the disappointment when months went by and it became clear that there was no child.
Mr. and Mrs. Blakesley had a quiet and uneventful marriage. Thomas was away much of the time because of his job, and when he was home the two were rarely seen in public together. Rumors abounded throughout London's society. Some believed that Mr. Blakesley had been keeping a mistress in the country, others that Mrs. Blakesley was most assuredly a cold woman. The few public appearances, such as at Lady Holmes' annual Christmas Ball, only fed into these rumors. There was always a clear indifference between the two. Whatever the affection between them, there seemed to be no discord in their marriage. Molly appeared perfectly happy, spending her days tending to the flower shop bought for her by her husband.
Thoughts of Mrs. Blakesley's cool demeanor filled everyone's minds as the woman in question stood over her husband's grave.
The fine casket being lowered into the ground was empty, having no body to fill it. Mr. Thomas Blakesley had been in Scotland on one of his business trips. The particulars of the incident were unknown, only that on a morning he left the inn he had been residing in and headed for the cliffs. The detective that had arrived on scene postulated that as there had been heavy rains the night before, Mr. Blakesley had simply stepped too close to the cliff edge and slipped, falling to his death. No body had been found, but this was blamed on the rushing waters. One witness claimed there had been a woman with him, but as no evidence existed of the woman beyond the single witness, the claim was dismissed.
Molly quietly tossed a handful of dirt on the empty casket and turned around. Waiting only a few steps away were her parents. She took her father's arm, only half listening to her mother prattle on.
"Everything shall be fine, my Dear, your Thomas left you very well off. Unlike poor Mrs. Williams. When her husband up and died on her two years ago he left her with nothing, not a cent! Poor dear, she is washing clothes now just to feed her children. Not that you have to worry about such a thing, your Thomas was a smart man. And a wealthy widow is a respectable occupation." Mrs. Hooper followed a single step behind her husband and daughter, wildly waving about a fine silk hankie as she spoke.
"Yes, Mother." Molly clung a bit tighter to her father. She really didn't feel up to socializing, but must needs and all that. She would be thankful when they would all leave her alone and she could get back to her shop.
Author's Note: So I have been working on this awhile. This will be my first, but certainly not my last, Victorian au. I guess it can even be called a flower-shop AU as well.
Now, no Sherlock in this chapter, but he will appear in the next. I'm not sure how long this will be, but hopefully as pretty good length. There will also NOT be any Mary bashing, or Adler bashing. We have female friendships in this story besides our Sherlolly romance.
This is also dedicated to IdrisSmith, as she was part of the inspiration for this, and has been a huge help in developing this story. Plus I tease her with tidbits too often, so…
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.