Wow, this is turning out to be longer than I thought it would be…

Will try to include more Jonathan-beating in other chapters!!

Disclaimer - I do not own Sherlock Holmes or John Watson. If I did I would be very much richer than I am at the moment!

Chapter 10

24th December, Early Afternoon

There was a knock at the door, and Sir Gregory entered. He smiled at the two of us, and shook our hands - a rather formal gesture, I thought. "I hope," he said "that Sir Jonathan did not make too much of a nuisance of himself…"

"No." Holmes said, "Not after Watson had finished with him…"

"I thought he looked rather beaten. Well done, Doctor! Believe me, there has been many a time when I have wanted to do just the same to him. Unfortunately, he was rather father's favourite."

"You are not married" I said, "and you have no children. You're obviously clever and well-read. Why could you not leave this place?"

"For the same reason that Meredith never did. We could not leave our brothers and sisters to our father's hatred and actions. We had to stay for them - to do all we could to protect them. But, I am the first to admit that I did not suffer as much as the younger ones did. Meredith, Ralph, Jeremy and Kitty were the ones who bore the brunt of his anger. You see, he got worse as he got older, and by that time, he moved on to emotionally torturing me, rather than physically beating me."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He took to telling me that if the children died at his hand it would be my fault, reminded me that I had no money, no qualifications, that if I left this house I would be destitute, penniless. You see, due to being educated at home, we have no friends to call on. My mother was an orphan, with no living relatives, and my father's relatives are just as bad as him, if not worse." He smiled at us "As you can probably tell, I have rather a large motive for wanting him dead."

"Did you kill him?" Holmes asked.

I was rather taken aback by Holmes' question, but Gregory smiled "That is a rather forward question, Mr Holmes. Let me put my answer like this - I wished to. I really did. There have been many times when I have considered the best way of killing him."

It seemed to me that Gregory did not really answer the question, but Holmes moved on with the interrogation anyway. "Where were you last night?"

"I went for a walk."

"In the grounds?" I asked.

"In the Rose Garden. It was my mother's favourite place."

"Did you see Sir Jonathan?" Holmes said, curiously.

"No. I made sure I went in the complete opposite direction to the man. I cannot stomach him. His advances to my sister…his sycophancy to my father…his condoning of the treatment of my younger brothers and sisters, and my sibling's children…I could never forgive him that. I tried to have as little to do with him as possible."

Holmes nodded, as did I, quite understanding his feelings. "May I ask about your mother, Sir Gregory?" Holmes said.

"Her name, before she married, was Henrietta Donnelly. She was the third daughter of an Irish peer, although her older siblings had pre-deceased her before she turned eighteen. My grandparents were kind people, but they were deceived in the character of my father, and I believe this is what drove them to their deaths. My mother was a quiet, loving soul, very much in character like Jane. She tried to stop my father, but she couldn't. She didn't deserve to die such a death."

"You are of the opinion that your father murdered her?" I asked.

"As the policemen who came said, I wouldn't know because I was not present. But in my heart, I have always known that he did it. My younger brothers and sisters saw something that day, and I put a lot more stead in their word than in that of my father."

"You have always been close to your brothers and sisters?" I questioned, feeling a great deal of sympathy towards this man who looked so much like his father, but acted so kindly and considerately to his siblings. I saw in his eyes regret and guilt that he could not protect them from their evil father.

"You have to be close if you live somewhere like this," Gregory said "Otherwise there is no hope for you. In our own little ways, we helped each other out when we could. The older children, as you saw, took the blame for the younger's mistakes when we could, we hid each other when father was looking for one of us, nursed each other when he went too far. But…I will leave as soon as I know that they are provided for - even if I have to take the younger ones with me. I won't stay any longer than I have to."

"What will you do?" I said.

"Try to go to university, or get a job…"

I nodded, making a mental note to tell some of the more prosperous business-owners I knew about this man as soon as I returned to London. It was a small thing to do to find him a job.

"What about your father's will?" Holmes said. "Do you have any idea what it said?"

"It will be in his office. I think he would leave the estate to Marcus, but I don't know…"

"He never talked of it?"

"Only when he threatened to disinherit us."

"Do you think he will provide for all of you?" I asked.

"He was a rich man…but he was also mean. I could see him leaving money on condition that we stayed here…or married certain people…"

"You think he would go that far?" I could hardly believe my ears "To get Jonathan to marry Lady Meredith?"

"Further. I take it, Mr Holmes, that you saw the state my sister was in last night?"

"I did."

"I have seen her, and the others far worse." He paused "I would like to thank you, Mr Holmes, for taking care of her. She told me how kind you were to her, and that you got her back to her room safely. I would not have her wondering around the house on her own - especially not with certain people present."

"One more question, Sir Gregory…"

"Of course, Mr Holmes."

"Did you go into your father's office last night?"

"No. I went in there at about three o'clock yesterday afternoon for a book, but I couldn't find it and I left."

"Did your father know you had been there?"

Gregory rose an eyebrow "No. He was very private about his office. He would have no qualms, despite my size in trying to give me a good thrashing if I had."

"Thank you, Sir Gregory."

"That is quite alright, Mr Holmes. I believe that at some point this evening, we are to play some Christmas party games, and then go to the service at midnight. Will you join us?"

I smiled at the look on Holmes' face. He was not the 'Christmas Party Games' kind of fellow, so I answered for him "We would love to join you, Sir Gregory. How kind of you to invite us… Is it not, Holmes?"

"Erm…yes…" Holmes, for once, seemed rather lost for words.

"Are you almost finished?" asked Sir Gregory.

"Almost…I need to ask Lady Meredith some questions, and the children…"

"And do you have any ideas?"

"A number. But I will keep them to myself."

I was rather taken aback by the tone of Holmes' voice and waited for Gregory to leave before saying "for heavens sake, Holmes. The man was only trying to be polite!"

"They are keeping something from me, Watson. Yet another with no alibi. And he would not give me a straight answer to my question…"

"It was rather forthright, Holmes - 'did you kill your father' - he was probably a bit taken aback."

"No. There is something else. They are all trying to cover for someone."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Holmes smiled "Beginnings of ideas…"

"My money is on that cad Sir Jonathan…"

"My dear Watson, you are always so predictable. You always suspect the most unpleasant man of the crime…"

"Not the most unpleasant man…unfortunately there is no possibility of suicide."

"Why not Sir Gregory? Or Lady Meredith?"

I looked at him, carefully "If they did it, I should understand their actions. But I do not believe that you think they did it."

"Well, perhaps we shall know soon enough. Watson, will you ask a passing maid if they will bring Lady Meredith here?"

"Very well, Holmes. But I know one thing…"

"And what is that?"

"You don't want Meredith to have done it…"

Holmes looked at me strangely as I got up, went to the door, and asked the young girl outside to fetch the lady. When I looked back, I could swear that Holmes appeared almost worried, as if I had discovered a secret.