Chapter 1
Dr John Watson rolled his eyes, since he had moved out there had been nobody to keep his friend on the straight and narrow. Not the Watson had ever had much effect but since he left Holmes had got worse.
His friend lay on the sofa not unconscious but with his pupils dilated as the cocaine dripped into his veins.
"What am I going to do with you my dear friend?" Watson said more to himself than the unconscious Holmes as he put a blanket over his friend.
Holmes needed someone to look after him all the time, a sort of babysitter/maid/secretary for appearances sake Watson would call this job an assistant.
Yes, Watson had to find Holmes an assistant but they had to be trustworthy he wouldn't advertise them as Holmes's assistant. He would advertise them as his and only tell the truth once he felt he had found somebody.
Watson walked down to the post office and paid for an advert in the paper.
Wanted: Assistant
An all purpose assistant is wanted must be able to cook, clean and deal with difficult people, hours will be long and the job will be difficult and possible dangerous but is well paid, (three times the going rate for secretaries)
If interested report to Dr John Watson at his surgery Monday morning 7pm.
That should do it, of course Watson wasn't going to tell Holmes until he had found someone suitable.
As the three modern members of the Moriarty family lounged around Professor Moriarty's drawing room (living room or lounge for you americans). The professor had been surprised at the apearence of his descendans but impressed and more than willing to aid their plan.
The professor, an idol for the modern members of the family regarded Orchid with curiosity, form a gneration where women were still not equal to men he was astounded she was trusted with the most imporatant job.
"Stand up" he told her. Orchid did so, dressed in a dark green silk victorian dress (like Irene Adler wears only dark green) she looked respectable maybe even well to do.
"Not bad, change the dress you look to wealthy. Good colour though, brings out those lovely eyes of yours, different fabric. Your pretty that's good, but not stunning, stunning women tend to be observed too closely and are therefor more likely to be discovered but your good looking enough to keep Holmes's intrest. Unfortunatly it's not your looks that will make him like you. I hope you have a brain. Your young too young to be a serious criminal in most eyes. That's good."
Suddenly the professor grabbed Orchid by the throat, "If you screw this up I will choke you with my bare hands" the most disturbing thing was he said this without emotion.
Orchid wouldn't give him the satisfaction of panicking, she was used to violent men, she had never been attacked randomly but a beating was considered and acceptable punishment for failing to meet standards by most senior members of her family. Death for serious crimes.
After all Orchid's own mother Guilia had been murdered for trying to leave her father. There was no escape the family was a brutal as it was sophisticated.
Orchid changed her dress, she now looked like a governess. She had to do this. She loved her family and wanted revenge. The most sinister aspects she had to ignore. Otherwise she may as well take the gun concealed beneath her skirts and lodge the bullet meant for Sherlock Holmes into her own brain.
Orchid clutched the advertisment from the paper tightly in her hand. She couldn't afford to fail.
Watson was begiining to despair he had interviewed twenty three reckless young men, all completely ignorant of anything except danger sounded interesting he had hoped to attract a competnt secretary like man with courage. He almost screamed when his next applicant, a girl of about twenty entered the room.
"Don't look at me like that doctor, men think so little of women, but according to the same values who better to cook and clean than a woman?" she said. Then she said "oh how rude of me my name is Gabrielle Venitari"
"I don't doubt your housekeeping abilities Miss Venitari but this job is dangerous."
"I can fire a pistol as straight as any man, and I'm no stranger to fencing. Physically I'm not strong, obviously but I know where all the pressure point are on the body. But your a doctor how many time's do you get shot at?"
"The assistant is not for me, it is for my friend, I just havn't told him yet."
"And who is this friend I would be working for?"
"You assume you have got the job."
"Well I spoke to the other applicants they barely had a brain cell betwen them they were strong yes but for a dangerous job you need brains as much if not more than brawn."
"My friend's name is Sherlock Holmes, and the main reson I don't want a woman has nothing to do with strength you owuld have to live with him and while I know my friend would never attempt to take advantage of you it would be improper."
"People are so concerned about being proper they cover table legs. It is not a problm for me what people think."
"What about your family?"
"I have very little family. I have an uncle, a brother and a grandfather only my brother cares for me and he is a fool who regularly ignores me, I need a job to leave them, it's either this of become a governess or maid."
"What would you teach? You are very young."
"Languags I can speak four, it can't have escaped your notice Venitari is not an English name, I grew up it Rome. I also speak French and German as well as English."
"Provided my friend excepts you, your hired. Your strange my frind would appreciate that, you have heard of Sherlock Holmes I pressume?"
"I have read the adventures you have published and seen the newspapr articles." Miss Venitari replied.
"Would you be so kind as to follow me we're going to see Sherlock Holmes".
Sherlock Holmes was not happy, "I do not need an assistant Watson I am just fine."
"She's a lovely girl, educated, pretty and far from average. I think you'll like her."
"No, it's too dangerous for a woman."
"And it's less dangerous for a man. If someone pointed a gun at your head and pulled the trigger you'd be just as dead as I would."
"Hello miss, I presume you have a name, italian I presume your mother's name perhaps adoptd as your own?"
"I knew you were good at deduction but how can you possibly know that?"
"You look italian but you have a london accent, I presume you were educated in italy as have italian mannerisms as opposed to English and as middle class girls usually atend the same schools as their mothers your mother was probably italian. I presume you adopted her name as you seem to favour italian dress and have a V necklace on in the style of the infamous B Anne Boleyn wore, few English surnames start wih V. I suppose it could be your first name but I doubt that."
"My name is Gabrielle Venitari, Mr Holmes I see Dr Watson has done you justice in those books of his. Is there anything else you can tell me about myself?"
"I was under then impression you were applying for a job not me."
"Yes, but I have to decide if I want to work for you too. I wouldn't want to work for a second rate detective after all."
Holmes laughed at this. "You've got guts, that's what I need. You're not weak and submissive like I expected, I'll give you two weeks to prove yourself and you can move in tomorrow."
"Thank you Mr Holmes" Miss Vnitari said leaving.
"You were more accepting than I thought you would be Holmes" Watson said.
"There's something strange about that girl, something I can't quite put my finger on, something not normal. She's hiding something. I'm going to find out what."