Chapter One
Thick-soled boots splash through the puddles of last nights rain, slipping on loose cobblestones. Her undone robe flies about wildly behind her while her heart pounds in rhythm with her feet and her thoughts- Please. Don't. Catch. Me. Please. Don't. Catch. Me. Checking over her shoulder, squinting in the dark as the sun had not yet made its appearance, Sophie Holmes ran hurriedly through the back streets and alleyways trying to make it back home in one piece. Skidding up to the steps of 221B Baker Street, Sophie breathes a sigh of relieve and quietly pushes the unlocked door open, steps through on quiet feet, and softly latches the door behind her.
"I suppose you think it is appropriate to be out all hours by yourself Sophie," a quiet voice demands from the darkness, "and in your bed clothes no less."
Sophie jumps back against the cold mahogany door in fright, mumbling, " blazes she caught me," underneath her breath. Josephine Watson struck a match and lit the lamp she held in her left hand, illuminating both women and the foyer.
"What was it this time Sophie? Whiskey? Cheroot? Chocolate that tastes like heaven because it has never seen the light of day?" she asked, leaning her robed body against the door frame, "because you know, if it were the latter then all might be forgiven."
Sophie laughed, "Sorry to disappoint you my dear Watson it is not African Midnight Chocolate this time, it is this." Sophie reached a hand into her robe and pulled a slightly crushed and wilted flower from her dressing gown pocket. It was the most ugly flower Josephine had ever seen, with large sickly green petals interspersed inconsistently with splashes of brown.
"This Josephine, could be answer to all my prayers, and unfortunately can only be picked on a full moon, but I will not say anymore about it," Sophie replied putting the flower back into her pocket.
Josephine looked at Sophie with her long dark hair sitting wild and free about her face, boots and robe splashed with mud.
"Well why don't you and your prayer-answering flower take themselves up to the washroom to have a bath," Josephine said whilst pushing Sophie towards the stairs, "we need to be at the Prime Minister's house for breakfast in a few hours and your current disheveled state will take half of that to rectify."
Sophie walked towards the stairs turned to Josephine, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You know for someone two years younger than I, you sound entirely too much like my mother," she said as she slowly ascended the stairs.
An hour later Sophie descended the stairs to wait for Josephine. Sophie was dressed in her usual attire of a high-necked, long sleeve dress -where the skirt was long in the back and stopped at her hips in the front. Sophie wore a black corset laced over the top and men's tapered pants underneath, which were then tucked into high leather boots adorned with many buckles and snaps. These snaps conspicuously hid many different compartments built in to her boots. Sophie topped off her look with a top-hat fascinator and goggles. Josephine stepped into the hall dressed in her favoured black high-necked, long-sleeve dress with two neat rows of brass buttons down the front in the style a military jacket, looked Sophie up and down, chuckled, and pushed Sophie towards the door.
"How would you like to travel today Josie?" Sophie asked putting her goggles over her eyes, "fly or drive?"
Josephine looked at her options. To her left was the Steam carriage, a horse carriage which had been fitted with a small coal-burning steam engine which allowed a driver and their passengers to travel at 10 miles per hour for up to 100 miles on no more than four pieces of coal. To the right was a smaller version of the steam carriage that was capable of seating two people. The difference with this carriage was when you pulled the lever to the left of the steering wheel a propeller unfolded from the roof of the buggy, and allowed the occupants to fly with the use of an additional steam engine to help power the buggy and keep it steady.
" I think the normal carriage will be best for today, since we would not like to arrive on the Prime Minister's doorstep looking like we were caught in a tornado," Josephine said as she stepped inside the larger steam carriage.
"Balls!" Sophie mumbled, putting her goggles back on top of her head and patting a hand along the side of the flying machine.
Thirty bumpy minutes later Josephine Watson and Sophie Holmes arrived at the Prime Minister's house for an important breakfast meeting, for which the Prime Minister himself had personally invited the doctor and the detective along to. Stepping in to the house the women were assaulted by heavenly smells of baked pastries, roasted meats, and the bitterly sweet smell of freshly brewed tea. The latter was being served by the Prime Minister's own personal group of domestic automatons, powered by clockwork hearts. Sophie spotted her favourite automaton, which she liked to call Pete, as he was somewhat ineffectual, as he continuously walked into walls and doorframes. Looking over the crowd Sophie spotted the greying hair of her favourite Inspector, Gregory Lestrade. Grabbing Josephine by the hand she pulled her over to where Lestrade was standing with his wife Mary.
"So they are letting any body in to these things these days," Lestrade joked when the two women reached him.
"How else were you going to get in Greg," Sophie retorted with a cheeky smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Well I'm only here for the food, " Mary joked, "let us go and sit down, I am certain breakfast will be served very soon."
The foursome maneuvered their way through the throngs of people to sit in the formal dining room next door. When they had been seated the rest of the diners joined them, including the Prime Minister and his wife. As the breakfast progressed Sophie noticed the Prime Minister was behaving rather out of turn. She turned to Josephine and whispered in her ear,
" Josie is it me or is the Prime Minister not quite himself?"
Josephine turned to look.
"Your are right," she agreed, "Something is not quite right but I cannot put my finger on it."
Sophie stopped to study the Prime Minister further.
"It seems like he is blank. He seems to be looking but yet not seeing anything, listening but not hearing. It is almost like he is being but not at the same time, " Sophie mused.
As she thought this the Prime Minister stood from his chair, looked every one in the eye, lingering a moment longer on Sophie, and keeled over backwards to the floor. The room erupted into chaos. Sophie, Josephine, and Lestrade vaulted from their chairs and raced toward the fallen Prime Minister. Josephine leaned down and checked his throat for a pulse.
"Nothing!" she cried, checking under his nose for breath.
Lestrade ripped open the Prime Minister's shirt in order to feel for a heart beat and was taken aback to discover a small wood-coloured heart in the center of his chest.
Sophie pushed Lestrade out of the way and leans in close, putting her ear to the heart and closing her eyes. Opening them again she reached up for her goggles and places them over her eyes, flipping a switch on the side to bring a set of magnifying glasses to the front. Finding the correct glass she traces the edges of the heart with a finger, tapping gently as she went.
"What? What is it?" Lestrade shouted.
Sophie looks up, smiles and puts her hand to the center of the wooden heart.
"Some one has swapped the Prime Minister's heart for a clockwork one," Sophie smiled even bigger and pushed on the heart, releasing a blue cuckoo to spring out from inside the hearts chamber, "but don't worry I am on the case."