See Part One for story details.


It took some time before the messages found their recipients and Jenny spent it sitting guard over a surly and blaspheming - Jenny assumed from her limited grasp of French - Miss Leroux locked in Mrs Dayton's little parlour. Vastra stood at the door, her veil and gloves making her figure even more imposing than her height. Miss Leroux squinted up at her as she hissed out her invective.

Jenny was pleased to be back in her own clothes but unhappy at yet another late night after their exertions at the Egyptian Hall. She ached cruelly and the time spent immobile in Miss Wilcox's bed had not helped. Her back protested even now but she focused on thoughts of what might be to come and ignored the rest of her body. From the sly glances that Vastra kept casting in her direction, Jenny thought that perhaps her companion had similar ideas.

Eventually, a Sergeant Poole arrived with a young constable. They were quickly followed by Lucy, Mr Gatliffe and Miss Wilcox herself. Miss Leroux was left in the parlour with the constable while Mrs Dayton lead the others into a slightly larger room.

Miss Wilcox was carefully settled into the most comfortable chair, immediately next to the fire and with a blanket about her. She appeared quite exhausted by the excitement of the day and Jenny feared for her. Miss Wilcox flashed her a tired but appreciative smile and Jenny returned it while trying to hide her concern.

Lucy stood beside her cousin and whispered, "She insisted on coming back with us. Wouldn't have a bar of being left behind; wanted to know who'd been doing this to her."

"I can't believe it of Miss Leroux," Miss Wilcox said, proving that her ill health had not affected her hearing, "I really can't imagine why she would do such a thing. Madame Vastra?"

"I confess," Vastra began and immediately the attention of the room was upon her, "I do not even now understand the full motivation for Miss Leroux's actions. I can speculate, should you wish me to do so?"

"Please do," Mr Gatliffe said.

"Sergeant?" Vastra looked to the short, chubby man with the reddened face and he nodded his assent. She continued, "Very well. I believe perhaps one of the more basic of human emotions may be to blame, to wit: jealousy. Miss Wilcox, though suffering greatly at the moment had every appearance of happiness awaiting her; all of her family's business settled, Mr Gatliffe's continued love and, of course, her naturally happy countenance."

"You're very kind," Miss Wilcox said.

"Not at all but whatever the true motive, I feel sure that Miss Leroux will be inclined to explain herself to your officers, Sergeant, when you have her at the Station House."

"Get someone in who speaks French, mind," Jenny added to the man.

"Indeed, for she is quite voluble in her native tongue."

There was a moment of silence while the room took it all in, then the two men present spoke at once.

"Beggin' your pardon, Sir," the Sergeant said and indicated that Mr Gatliffe should speak.

"I just wondered exactly what happened. I mean, this business about a hole in the wall, can it be true?"

"Oh, quite true, Sir, I saw it with my own eyes," Mrs Dayton said, her dander up, "Cut clean through my wall! Used one of my own pictures to cover it up! I've never seen such a thing in all my days. Makes me wish I'd had room inspections; how could such a thing be missed?"

Jenny declined to point out the appallingly thin walls and instead said, "It was quite a clever plan really, what with the table on that joining wall and the medicines left all day like that."

"So this woman," Mr Gatliffe struggled to hold back a very different descriptor, "cuts a hole through the wall and just reaches in at night and drops in her poison?"

"In fact, Miss Leroux had grown so bold as to lift the glass out of the room, administer the toxin and then return the glass to its place," Vastra said.

"Unbelievable," the Sergeant muttered, scrawling into the little notebook in his hand with a chewed down pencil, "That a woman would do such a thing...that she'd even come up with such a plan...!"

"Do not underestimate the female of the species," Vastra warned him.

Jenny said, "Oh aye, we're dangerous when riled."

"I really must remember that," Mr Gatliffe said as he smiled down at Miss Wilcox.

"I doubt you have to worry about that," Lucy said and beamed at them both.

"And the poison itself, Madame Vastra?" the Sergeant put in.

Vastra considered for a moment, "I believe, were you to search Miss Leroux's room, you might find some form of ophthalmic treatment for her sight condition, Sergeant. Do so and have it tested and I trust you will find an alkaline solution of the type physostigmine - prescription, I might add - that will match the toxin used in this case."

"She was poisoning Adelaide with her eye bath?" Lucy said and stared at Jenny for a moment before her attention returned to Vastra, "Really, Madame?"

"It seems the most likely explanation, wouldn't you say? Such solutions come with clear warnings on the bottle and yet are passed freely to anyone with the appropriate condition."

"And despite her eyes, Miss Leroux can still read," Jenny said, "Quite clever, when you think of it."

Vastra stared at her through the lace of her veil and said, "I must keep a sharp eye on you, my dear, should you ever require prescribed drugs."

There was little more explanation required and so a short period of bustling activity followed while the Sergeant and his constable departed with Miss Leroux still muttering darkly in the language of her birth. Mrs Dayton stood by and glared as they left, no doubt cursing her former tenant, then went off to calm the worries of her remaining girls.

Jenny returned to the others to find Lucy and Mr Gatliffe attempting to help Miss Wilcox to her feet. The poor woman was very weak and could barely stand, even with their assistance. Jenny indicated that she should return to the chair and called for Vastra to rejoin them.

She came in from the hallway, picked Miss Wilcox up without question and carried her from the room. Mr Gatliffe gawped in a most unflattering manner before Lucy's laughter shook him free of his shock and he blushed crimson.

"Well I never!"

"Oh, she does," Jenny said, a vague memory of being carried through the cold night coming to her.

"I should go up with Addie," Lucy said, interrupting Jenny's thoughts as she carefully hugged her cousin, "Thank you, Jen, I really can't imagine what might have happened if you two hadn't solved this awful business."

"I'm rather afraid that I can imagine it all too well," Mr Gatliffe said as Lucy pulled back and he offered his hand to Jenny, "You will allow me to pay your fees."

Jenny was just about to agree when Lucy laughed again, "Don't be silly, Frank, Jen would never charge you for this. Would you, Jen?" she added in a more doubtful tone.

Stifling the urge to sigh, Jenny shook her head and said, "No, don't be daft," with as good a smile as she could muster.

Lucy kissed Jenny's cheeks and the smile became genuine. They said their goodbyes and Lucy went upstairs to help Mrs Dayton settle Miss Wilcox in for the night. Her smile remained as she studied Mr Gatliffe, staring at the door as if he didn't know whether he should remain here, leave the house or - as he obviously wanted to do - go up to wish his love goodnight.

"Not that it's any of my business, Sir," Jenny said quietly, "but you should marry her. Oh, I know," she continued before he could explain his situation, "family's are want to cause trouble where love is concerned but the thing is, you need to decide what's more important to you: your family and their money or Miss Wilcox and your love. In my experience, that last thing wins every time."

Mr Gatliffe cast her a sad smile but didn't have chance to respond before Vastra returned to the room and said, "I couldn't agree more, my dear," in a manner that even Mr Gatliffe seemed to pick up on.

Again he flushed a deep red, his eyes flicking from one to the other of them. After a long moment, he said, "I thank you both for your advice, ladies, and for all of your help today. I really don't know how I could ever repay you but," he hesitated and then said, "but I very much hope that you will both attend my wedding at some point in the future."

"In the not too distant future, I hope," Jenny said.

With that he excused himself, expressing his gratitude once more and accepting their best wishes with embarrassed joy. As they made their way out after him, Vastra noticed that he had left a small, handwritten note for Miss Wilcox on the console table by the door.

Jenny saw it and grinned, "Young love, eh Madame?"

"And are we too, 'love's young dream', my dear?" Vastra said.

"Well, I'm still young...how old are you exactly?"

"Such impertinence," Vastra tutted, before adding "And such a difficult question to answer."