TITLE: The Case Of The Lilac Heart
AUTHOR: Talepiece
RATING: 12 cert.
PAIRING: Vastra/Jenny
SERIES: The Casebook Of Madame Vastra
CONTINUITY: This is the fourth story in the second run of Vastra/Jenny stories.
SUMMARY: Sir Leopold asks Vastra and Jenny to investigate the sale of a rare diamond.
DISCLAIMER: Not for profit, just for fun.
CREDITS: This story is (loosely) based on EW Hornung's A Costume Piece, the second Raffles story from The Amateur Cracksman.
NOTES: I nicked a line from Terry Pratchett too.
This is the final story in the second "volume" of Vastra/Jenny stories. There will be a break for two or three months but I'm hoping to post a Classic Who story in the gap, then the Casebook series will return.
Many thanks, as always, for the lovely reviews and emails. I'm so glad that these stories are being read and enjoyed.
POSTED: May 2014
When asked by Sir Leopold Fischer to investigate the sale of a rare purple diamond, Madame Vastra and her colleague and companion Jenny Flint found themselves returning to the home of a former adversary but this time in a very different capacity.
Jennifer Strax Vastra-Flint
London, 1948
Jenny Flint lay in a cocoon of sheets, curled up across the centre of her bed and wishing that her companion would sleep later. Vastra appeared to require far less rest than Jenny's human body - particularly her still bruised and battered human body - and so tended to leave the bed they now shared while Jenny slept on.
Not that Jenny begrudged her friend - her lover, she corrected happily - the chance to go about her business but it did leave the bed rather empty when finally Jenny awoke. Empty and cold, she thought and wondered how a cold-blooded body like that of a Silurian could leave her quite so warm as it did. And did often too, Jenny blushed despite herself and gave a long sigh.
She forced her eyes open and stared with a somewhat accusing expression at the light that filtered through the curtains of the window. She had not had the opportunity to become accustomed to sleeping late in the years before she had met Vastra, indeed even when they were first sharing a home. Now, though, with her companion insistent that Jenny rest and recuperate fully from their recent adventure beneath the Egyptian Hall, she was getting to like it.
"Which is not a good thing," Jenny told herself and forced her slowly recovering body to sit up.
They had found themselves using Jenny's room as their own, by default largely as Vastra's room was somewhat bare in comparison. Apparently, Silurians had little use for anything but the most basic furnishings and Jenny did at least like a decent mattress and a nice crisp sheet. Both of which were tempting her to remain in bed despite herself.
"No," Jenny said in a firm tone and got up before she could ignore her own instructions, "Dressed and get on with it," she added as she found her feet and tested her aching legs.
She was much better and though still a little blue around the edges - as Vastra had taken to describing her - she was moving much more freely. Another day or two and she would be right as rain. Jenny was quite determined about that.
She washed and dressed with her usual economy and was in her maid's uniform in no time. Vastra had again asked her to forego the outfit in favour of something more grand but Jenny remained determined on that matter also. What her companion could not understand, Jenny thought with a tinge of sadness, was that humans would find someone like her in a frock like Vastra's far more disconcerting than they already found their friendship.
Not for the first time, Jenny wondered what Vastra's people were like. How would they respond to their relationship? Vastra had no qualms about the nature of their intimacy and Jenny thought that was cultural - and felt some envy at the thought - but there did seem to be some concern in Vastra with regard to Jenny's species.
Jenny shook her head; you really couldn't get away from these prejudices, as much as you might try. Not that it mattered, for she and Vastra were settling quite nicely into their new relationship - quite nicely indeed, Jenny thought and flushed red once more - and no-one was going to get in the way of that. Jenny would not allow them to.
She fussed around the room for a moment, making the bed and tidying things away before she went about the rest of the rooms on that floor. When Jenny was satisfied that all was as it should be, she moved downstairs and tidied up the little bits of mess that Vastra didn't seem to consider messy at all.
In the kitchen there was a plate waiting for her in the stove, the low heat keeping it warm until Jenny awoke. She set a place for herself at the kitchen table, made a pot of tea and cut a few thick slices of bread before retrieving the plate and settling down to her breakfast.
Cutlery in hand, Jenny made to begin her meal but heard the door of Vastra's lab open and turned in her sit to allow her to lean back and watch her companion stride down the corridor to the kitchen.
What Jenny saw had her on her feet in a moment, knife and fork raised as makeshift weapons, her feet already carrying her out into the corridor. There, walking out of the lab as if he owned the place, was a tall man. A Policeman, broad and strong with the stripes of a Sergeant and the familiar Custodian Helmet. He wore an unusually happy expression for a member of the local Constabulary and walked with a jaunty stride.
"Now you just stop right there, Sarge," Jenny said, advancing down the corridor, "What the bleedin' 'ell you doing in here without a warrant?".
The officer's hands came up and Jenny noticed that he wore the vortex manipulator at his wrist. Realisation dawned just a moment before his hand slapped down on the device and the tall man blurred and faded, to be replaced by Vastra's smiling face.
"My dear," she said in a seductive tone, "I am aware of the euphemisms of your race but I don't believe the phrase is literal."
Jenny blinked in confusion before her eyes followed Vastra's gaze to the knife and fork that remained in her hands, held out in front of her as if she were still sitting down to her breakfast. Jenny laughed, shaking her head as the cutlery was lowered and she took a few more strides forward.
Jenny slapped Vastra's arm with the back of her hand and said, "You scared the living daylights out of me! I thought we'd been raided."
"Evidently so and I apologise, my dear," Vastra said, her tone now contrite, "I certainly did not mean to scare you."
"Yes, well," Jenny considered the device at Vastra's wrist, "You've got it working then?"
"I believe so. The perception filter at least, as you have seen."
"It's blinkin' effective. What about the space and time thingies?"
Vastra sighed, "That, alas, is broken beyond repair."
"Shame, I fancied a trip to the future," Jenny said and leaned up to kiss Vastra's cheek, whispering, "Well done, love," as she did so.
"We are all travelling in time, my dear," Vastra said, adding by way of explanation, "at the precise rate of one second for each one second of our lives."
Jenny made a rather uncomplimentary sound and swiped at Vastra's arm again, "Clever clogs." She tilted her head back towards the kitchen and said, "I was just settling down to breakfast, will you have some tea and -"
And then - as it so often did at this particular house on Paternoster Row - the doorbell rang.