Working Girls
Intro: Mrs. Hudson's Correspondence
Summary: Mrs. Hudson has had enough of the bedlam that is 221B and goes to visit her sister, leaving her niece, Angelina, in charge of the housekeeping. Angelina soon uncovers a mystery: female factory workers are disappearing. Its up to Holmes, Watson and Angelina to find the working girls. Holmes/OC
A/N: This is my first story, hope you enjoy it! Please review!
Disclaimer: None of the Sherlock Holmes characters/settings are mine. Angelina and the other original characters are mine.
April 10, 1890
Dearest Sister,
I hope this letter finds you in better health and spirits than I. Your poor sibling has found herself at her wits end. My nerves are frayed and I cannot find a moments peace! Mr Holmes has been between his cases now for three months and as I have told you in the past, my Elizabeth, woe on all of us if Mr. Holmes is idle for any length of time.
Just the other day, I found him down in the kitchen cooking something. When I asked him what it was that he was doing, he replied that he was conducting an experiment on week old fish from the market to determine how long they would boil apart or some such nonsense! Well, I said, he could take his horrid fish and conduct his experiments out of the kitchen and away from the food for supper. Of course my pleas went unheeded. The house stank for two days!
I have begged Dr. Watson to do something about Mr. Holmes, find him a new case or take him to a show, something. But poor Dr. Watson informed me that he has already tried, that Mr. Holmes did not want to go out and that Holmes was in one of his moods.
Well, he certainly is in one of his moods, sister! Playing the violin at all hours and if the neighbors complain to the police again about gunshots in the middle of the night I don't know what I shall do!
Today I brought him some tea to try and make him eat something - though why I try still, Elizabeth, I do not know. He was in the upstairs parlor wearing a very large, long red wig and an apron! At my dismay he simply commented, "Surely, Mrs. Hudson, this is not the oddest thing you've found me at," and it certainly was not.
I do not know how much longer my poor nerves can suffer these vexations. Dr. Watson does what he can but we must pray, as horrible as it sounds, for something terrible and mysterious to happen in the city, so that Mr. Holmes may find himself occupied once more.
All my love to the family,
Your devoted sister,
Martha
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April 18, 1890
Martha,
Words cannot begin to express how much I sympathize with you and your situation! I too have found myself at my wits end and it is all Angelina's doing. Just guess what I found her doing this past Thursday!
Every Wednesday and Thursday, she goes to all on the Greenes down the road. (You know the family, their children are about Angelina's age. Lovely, upstanding family.) Well, after Angelina had gone down to visit Lily Greene, I decided I should call on Mrs. Greene herself in hopes of furthering our planning of the Parish Easter Social next week. I was seated in the front parlor with dear Mrs. Greene and just commenting on the fine weather when Mrs. Greene inquired after Angelina! She said it had been weeks since my daughter had come by to visit the twins and hoped she was well! Stunned, I replied that Angelina was in fine health but did not elaborate on my shock,not wanting Mrs. Greene to know I did not know the whereabouts of my own child.
Only later did I find out that Angelina has been training with the county doctor, Dr. Harris to become a nurse! A nurse, dear Martha! Can you imagine such a thing in our family? As if Angelina has not given us enough trouble already these last 3 years!
When I confronted her that afternoon, she confessed to it all, saying that Reverend White's wife (remember? she is the former Miss Josephine Baker) has encouraged this dream of hers and takes Angelina to visit the parish sick and infirm! I think we can both say we are not surprised at Mrs. White, who has always struck me as prone to somewhat improper and scandalous ways. That the rector of our parish should have such a wife is beyond all my consideration!
Oh Martha! I fear I shall never see Angelina married at this rate. When I expressed how justifiably upset I was that your niece would expose herself to the horrors of sick bodies and birthing rooms and who knows what else, she laughed! At her poor mother.
I asked her "Won't you settle down and marry a nice gentleman? Tom Greene is a good boy and is training to be a lawyer!" But she said that she wanted nothing to do with Tom Greene or his "ridiculous" sister with her "silly" name! And after shocking her mother to pieces, she left the house at once on her horrid bicycle for tea with Mrs. White.
That is when I came up with an idea that will solve both our problems of nerves and wits. You shall come stay with me in Bath (Mr. Brandon isn't due back from India for another six months so we will have all the more fun!). I will send Angelina, the willful child, to take care of your housekeeping duties. She needs to learn to keep a house if we can ever hope that I shall ever acquire grandchildren. And I simply cannot have her in town any longer. The church's Ladies Auxiliary is still scandalized by her actions at the Christmas luncheon and I am sure the neighborhood is a twitter over her careening about the streets on that bicycle with Mrs. White and Dr. Harris.
Write to me at once, Martha, with your confirmation of our plans. Do not hesitate for a respite will do us both a world of good.
Ever yours,
Elizabeth