See Part One for story details.

Vastra entered to find Lucy already at the side of the bed, Jenny waiting by the door and a young gentleman between them. He was tall and slender, with short, dark hair messily combed, his suit expensive but hastily donned.

He inclined his head politely to Mrs Dayton and then studied Vastra for a moment before offering his hand.

"Madame Vastra, I presume?"

"Indeed. Mr Gatliffe?"

"Quite right. I'm jolly glad that Miss Flint has called you in," he said, smiling at Lucy, "I'm most afraid for Miss Wilcox's life."

"Pray, do not be," Vastra said before turning to the young woman in the bed, "Miss Wilcox, how are you feeling just now?"

The question was redundant, of course, but Jenny had taught her that such pleasantries smoothed the way in these situations. In truth, Miss Wilcox was obviously in a very poor way. She was naturally a small creature and her sallow skin and sunken cheeks gave her face a wasted appearance. Her blue eyes - probably quite bright when in good health - were dimmed and she blinked a great deal, as if the low light in the room troubled her greatly.

The room, though clean and tidy, had the harsh scent of carbolic acid to it and beneath that there remained the lingering smells of human waste in its many forms. Miss Wilcox shivered, though sweat stood clear on her brow. Her small body spasmed and Lucy sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand until the attack subsided.

When she was a little more settled, Miss Wilcox said, "Madame Vastra, you really are very kind to take the time to see me."

"Not at all, Miss Wilcox. Miss Flint and I are most pleased to be able to offer our services."

"You really should be dealing with something more important. Like those horrid attacks that keep happening."

"Oh, don't you worry, we'll sort that out after lunch," Jenny said and raised a smile from the room in general.

"I'm surprised that the Police haven't had you looking into that terrible business at the Thames," Mr Gatliffe said.

"They say it's that Egypt place over by Bond Street," Mrs Dayton said in a severe tone, adding, "It will be white slave traders; stealing girls away and disposing of them when they've done."

"Well," Jenny glanced at Vastra, "perhaps we'll deal with them before supper. So," she looked back to Miss Wilcox, "let's start with you."

"Indeed," Vastra said, pleased that her friend had steered the conversation back to the matter at hand, "let us begin with the basics. Miss Flint," she indicated Lucy, "informs us that you have been taken ill before?"

There followed a brief restatement of all that Lucy had told them. Vastra was disappointed that nothing more could be gleaned, even from the mouth of the victim herself. She was pleased though that Miss Lucy Flint had as sharp an eye and mind as her cousin. That meant that everything Lucy had said could be relied upon.

"And the good doctor, he could offer no further explanation as to the source of the poison?"

"None at all," Gatliffe said, "They were all utterly useless!"

"Oh, Frank," Miss Wilcox coughed again, her entire body shaking before she continued, "they did their best. Honestly, Madame Vastra, I thought it was some awful accident."

"It would appear not, Miss Wilcox," Vastra said. She turned to Gatliffe and said, "You are confident in the skill of this Doctor Holmes?"

"He's the best physician in the area, Madame."

Vastra inclined her head but gave no response to that assertion. She looked around the room, glancing at Jenny in concern before considering the place carefully.

On the far side of the bed, close against the wall but still within reach of Miss Wilcox was a small table. The table held a tray which contained a stoppered carafe of what appeared to be water and an empty, upturned glass, along with a second glass that was right-way up and held a half measure of some dark liquid. The second glass was covered with a small piece of material to protect its contents.

Above the table hung a tapestry of some heavy material that showed a pretty landscape in what had once been bright colours. The rest of the furnishing included a comfortable little chair in the corner of the room, a small set of drawers on the other side of the bed and an armoire with a mirror at its front. There was not a great deal of space between even these small items and it was quite full with five guests. Vastra herself was barely in the room at all, standing as she was in the doorway and looking across to the window on the opposite side.

"To be clear, Miss Wilcox, and forgive me for asking this -" Vastra began.

"Oh, Madame, ask me anything, I have no secrets from the people in this room."

"Very well then. To be clear, you have no enemies? There is not, perhaps, a debtor in whom some animosity remains?"

"That's just what I said," Gatliffe said.

"Really, Frank, Madame," Miss Wilcox shook her head, though the effort obviously wore on her, "all of Papa's business has been concluded. There really is no-one who hasn't been willing to work with my solicitor to settle the matter; everyone's been most kind."

"I reckon that's got more to do with your nature than there's," Jenny said.

"Oh, it has, I'm sure," Lucy agreed.

"And there is no-one else who might bear a grudge? Even about a most trifling matter," Vastra added.

"No one, I assure you."

Vastra considered the girl. She doubted that it was within her to think ill of anyone, even those who might do her an injustice without thought.

"And this poison, Mrs Dayton, did the physician identify it?"

"I can help with that," Mr Gatliffe said when Mrs Dayton appeared flustered. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small pocketbook. Taking something from it, he read, "I wrote it all down and they thought it some sort of 'cholinergic reaction to an alkaloid of a toxic nature'."

"I'll take that as a no," Vastra dismissed the findings. She turned to Mrs Dayton once more, "You were not here on the evening of the first attempt on Miss Wilcox's life?"

"I was not; I was visiting with a family member for most of the day and returned late."

"So there's no way to know if anyone could have come into the house while you were out?" Jenny said.

"Oh, no-one got in here, I'm sure of that."

"How so, Mrs Dayton?" Vastra said.

"Only the people living here have keys and they all swore that they admitted no-one on that evening. Or on any other evening, I should hope," Mrs Dayton added before saying, "Besides, I was here yesterday all day and yet still poor Miss Wilcox was taken bad."

"But you do not administer Miss Wilcox's final draft?"

"Oh, Madame," Miss Wilcox said, "I really couldn't ask Mrs Dayton do be in and out of here all evening. Especially not on her visiting day!"

"And she refuses to allow me to stay late with her on those evenings," Lucy tutted.

"You all have your own lives, I couldn't ask you to put a halt on them for me. And I'm quite sure that none of the other girls here would have lied about letting someone in, Madame, quite sure indeed."

Vastra wondered at the trusting nature of these humans, particularly in the light of their species' unfortunate tendency towards violence. She said, "And you, Mr Gatliffe? You did not visit that evening?"

"I certainly did not, particularly with Mrs Dayton away from home and Miss Wilcox confined to bed!"

Mrs Dayton gave a harrumph of agreement and the matter was settled. Vastra looked around the room again, considering the problem from all angles until she became aware that the rest of the room's occupants were watching her expectantly.

Except perhaps Jenny, who was looking at her with a faint smirk on her lips. Vastra knew that expression all to well; it said, "Go on, then, impress me," most eloquently.

"I believe I have a plan of action, Miss Wilcox, if you would be willing to follow my instructions?"