Jenny started her day as every other winter day, stoking the hearth in the bedroom and waking Vastra with a hot cup of tea and a kiss before getting dressed and starting the things that needed doing. They ate breakfast together and Vastra headed to her office to prepare for the new investigation. Jenny sighed, smiling. She'd be reshelving books and tidying papers when she cleaned in there. She finished washing the breakfast dishes and turned around to find Vastra in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Don't sneak up on me, you nearly gave me a 'eart attack." She chuckled, pressing a hand to her heart and regaining her balance from where she'd stumbled backwards.

"Would you like to accompany me to Mr. Irving's?" Vastra smiled.

"Yes, please, ma'am." Jenny smiled. She hardly ever got to help in the actual daytime investigation; Scotland Yard would ask too many questions and Vastra didn't have enough of a reputation for solving the unsolvable (yet).

"Parker will be coming round in about half an hour."

"Yes, ma'am."

The ride to Mr. Irving's was uneventful, and Vastra told Parker to wait for them and to keep warm. Mr. Irving showed them to Anna's room and offered tea, which Vastra politely refused, and Jenny followed suit. Mr. Irving left them to investigate in peace. Vastra turned to her girlfriend.

"Jenny, if you had a secret journal, where would you hide it?"

"Someplace easy to get to, but where no-one would look." She thought for a moment. "Under clothes in the dresser, under the pillow or mattress, under a loose floorboard if there was one, just off the top of my 'ead."

"Then let's get to work."

"Yes, ma'am. What makes you think Anna kept a secret journal?" Jenny smiled and pulled out a drawer on the dresser. She frowned and checked the other drawers.

"No real reason other than the fact that many girls carry the habit into adulthood."

"Ma'am, there's 'ardly anything in 'ere." Vastra looked up from checking under the mattress.

"Check the wardrobe." She requested. Jenny did, finding only warm-weather clothes and a few traveling bags and hat boxes and the like. None of them contained anything.

"It's the same. Could Anna 'ave run away?"

"Possibly. I don't see any loose floorboards in this room. Give me a hand with the desk." They rummaged through the drawers, but didn't find anything of interest. "Can you think of any other hiding spots?"

"Not really, no." Jenny replied, looking about the room.

"Shall we go speak with Mr. Irving, then?"

"Yes, ma'am." They went and found Mr. Irving in his sitting room.

"Ladies, I cannot interest you in tea?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Irving" Vastra answered for both of them. "About Anna, it appears she may have ran away."

"Oh." He pulled a hair ribbon from a jacket pocket and stared at it. "Will you stop investigating?"

"Only if that is what you want." Vastra replied. "You hired me to find your sister."

"I'd like you to find my sister."

"Then I shall. Good day, Mr. Irving. Come along, Jenny." They left the house and Jenny waited until they were back in the carriage to ask the question she had been wondering for a while.

"Ma'am, why did you refuse Mr. Irving's tea? You know it 'elps you keep warm."

"Just a precaution in case he wanted to put something in the tea."

"D'you think 'e might? Could 'e 'ave 'urt 'is sister?"

"I cannot be certain. I doubt he would have tried to harm us, but I would rather not take the chance."

"You can be so paranoid." Jenny shook her head, smiling, and leaned against Vastra.

"And you, my dear, can be so naive." Vastra lifted her veil and kissed the top of Jenny's head.

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