Gwenn's POV

Eastbourne, August 11, 1941

President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met on Newfoundland a few days ago. Apparently they signed an agreement for after the war but I wonder if there's more. I have a growing feeling that the States will soon join the war.

We will see.

OOO

It was a warm evening in May 1886 and I was at St. James's Hall. Camille Saint-Saens in person was going to direct his new 3rd Symphony in C, an event I had been looking forward to for weeks. I had even delayed my departure for France to attend.

I arrived early and I was looking for my seat when I noticed Sherlock Holmes, alone, in an immaculate white tie.

"Good evening, Mr. Holmes!" I greeted him. I considered him good-looking even before but in that suit he was handsome and dashing. His countenance was full of the quiet energy that I was beginning to recognise.

"Good evening, Miss Le Goff" he replied with a slight bow.

We exchanged some pleasantries, then I asked: "Does Dr. Watson not like symphonies?"

"He enjoys them a great deal but he has a raging back pain and he preferred to stay in bed"

"Oh, what a pity, missing Saint-Saens!"

While talking, we had reached my seat.

"You can take Dr. Watson's ticket if you wish. We have very good seats next to the stage… the advantages of having solved a little problem for the theatre's administration" he offered.

"Thank you, Mr. Holmes, gladly!"

He handled me the ticket and we walked to the second row, where I sat beside him. The concert was beginning in ten minutes and we spent them talking about music.

"I must confess I am surprised that you like Saint-Saens, Mr. Holmes. I thought you preferred German musicians"

He shot me a surprised look and I knew that I had hit the target.

"As a matter of fact I do. German musicians are my favourite ones, I like their depth and introspection. But there are also several French composers that I appreciate and Saint-Saens is one of them".

Soon the concert began and we were completely taken by the music. The great Saint-Saens, with his benevolent gaze and his soft-looking white beard, moved smoothly on the stage, his arms almost fluctuating in the air. The music was by far Saint-Saens' best symphonic work. The superb "Maestoso", with the power of the organ and the gentleness of the piano and strings, was simply breathtaking.

Sometimes I shot a glance at Sherlock Holmes and found him very different from the composed man I had seen so far. He leaned back on his chair with his eyes shut and a small smile on his lips. His hands moved gracefully, following the music's tempo. He breathed slowly but so deeply that sometimes I could hear him inhaling.

When Saint-Saens lifted his baton at the end we both didn't move, mesmerized.

OOO

During the interval, Sherlock Holmes chivalrously offered to fetch me something to drink but I felt fine. We both preferred to stay in our seats.

"Any interesting cases lately, Mr. Holmes?"

He was in a very conversational mood, probably because of the music. He told me about the case he had just solved, which would later be published with the title "A case of Identity". In case you're wondering: no, the young woman's real name was not Mary Sutherland and her stepfather's one was not James Windibank. Besides, the story took place before "A Scandal in Bohemia" and not after it. Dr. Watson always changed the clients' names and often the dates and places, not wanting to expose the people who had sought their help.

Sherlock Holmes told me about this young lady whose fiancée had disappeared leaving her at the altar, after making her swear on the Bible that she would never brake their bargain. He then revealed to me that the "fiancée" was the lady's stepfather, who had disguised himself to upset her and ensure that she would not marry.

"But why should one do such a thing?" I asked, surprised.

"The young lady inherited some stocks from an uncle and she is currently leaving the interests to her family. That is, as long as she lives with them" he explained.

"Is he doing all of this just for some pounds"

"He is doing much more. He came to my house and mocked me admitting his actions but also telling me that I could do nothing against him. I went after him with my riding crop but he fled" he concluded grimacing.

"And how did she react when you informed her?" I asked.

"I did not inform her" he answered curtly.

"I beg your pardon? She was treated shamefully!"

"Indeed. But what would she do if I told her that her suitor doesn't exist? I am confident that she would not believe me" he said with a shrug.

"And does this confidence result from something objective or just from prejudice?" I snapped. He looked at me, slightly surprised. This display of presumption and arrogance confirmed my impression that his opinion about women was flawed.

"Prejudice?" he repeated.

"Yes. Maybe you presumed that she would react that way because she is a woman and not because of her personality" I explained trying to be polite.

He reflected about it for some time, then he spoke slowly.

"If something like that had happened to you or to one of the many sensible women I have met because of my job… I would have informed you. The point is that you -or another sensible woman- would have noticed that something was wrong while she blissfully ignores it"

"Well, let's assume that the young lady is not the brightest one" he raised both eyebrows at me at this "but that doesn't mean that she is not going to believe you. Besides, I think that accusing her of blissfully ignoring something is a bit unfair".

From his gaze it was obvious that he dearly wanted to contradict me but he was too gentlemanly to do it.

"Try to step into her shoes, Mr. Holmes. Her stepfather wants her to stay at home, so she doesn't attend events of any kind, she doesn't meet new people. And then comes this man who treats her gently and offers her an escape from her suffocating family. All she has to do is to accept his quirks"

"She has a job and enough money to live by herself" he retorted.

"Yes but she is not a man. Not many young ladies would leave their parents' house while still unmarried even if they have means to do so. She is probably quite a shy person and doesn't even think about it".

He opened his mouth to reply but the second part of the concert was announced and we went back to the music.

OOO

In the second part, Saint-Saens delighted us with some older pieces: marche heroique, une nuit á Lisbonne, la jota Aragonese, Hymne á Victor Hugo. But even if I was enjoying the music greatly, a slight annoyance prevented me from relaxing completely. I knew that I was right and Mr. Holmes' patronizing attitude just irritated me. He was brilliant and kind-hearted: why did he have to be like this?

When the concert was over, we took a cab. I stayed silent or gave one-word answers, too annoyed to speak.

I spoke again only when we were at the end of Bond Street.

"My mother always obeyed her parents, Mr. Holmes. But when they told her that she could not marry my father she did it nonetheless, even if she was banished from their house and their presence because of it. You never can tell"

"Maybe you are right" he answered after a moment and I turned to him, almost shocked.

"I will try to reveal the truth to her"

OOO

On the following day, I gave the last violin lesson before my usual departure for France. When I came back I found a small note waiting for me.

I opened it and found just three words and a signature:

"You were right. SH".

Thank you everyone for reading!

Author's notes:

- Camille Saint Saens' 3rd Symphony actually premiered in St. James's Hall in May 1886, with Saint-Saens as a director. I don't know if there was a second part in that concert so I invented that there was one.

- The inspiration to write about Mary Sutherland came from the fiction "The fate of Miss Sutherland" by Eclectic Butterfly (very good fiction, by the way)