"Welcome!" greeted Mr. Rucastle, as the door to his large house opened. Natalie introduced herself in return, entering the house and waving back as John drove away regretfully. Natalie felt shy and rather afraid of entering a stranger's house, but Sherlock had pushed her to take the job. The requirements were odd, and a curious man like Sherlock was surely going to learn more.

Mr. Rucastle led Natalie to the sitting room. He was tall and thin, and had an air of richness to him. He was middle-aged but older than most of the men in Natalie's life. "So, it's Natalie, isn't it?" Natalie nodded. "Ah, an associate of the great Sherlock Holmes, I see." Rucastle paused with a thought. "He helped me out of a lawsuit once. You must be so happy to be living with him." Natalie laughed inside her head. "So, Natalie, let us begin." Natalie smiled and listened as the man went on about the requirements of the job. "You will be taking care of the house, and you will read to us…" Natalie listened. "…also, you will care for our youngest child…" Natalie felt bored. "…and you must cut your hair."

Eyes widening, Natalie jumped at the gesture. "Sorry, what?!"

"You will have to cut your hair." Rucastle appeared surprised. "Didn't you read the paper?"

Cursing silently, Natalie bowed her head and agreed. "I'll cut it someday, then," said Natalie, vowing in her head never to agree with Sherlock's plans again.

"Oh, also," he said, turning to look for an item. "She must have left it…" Mr. Rucastle stood up and began searching, eventually calling out, "dear!"

"Yes, honey?" said a voice from above the stairs. Natalie deduced that this was his wife.

"The dress!" Rucastle called. When the wife said she would bring it down, the man retook his seat. "How old are you, Natalie?" he asked, in an attempt to make conversation.

Natalie sheepishly replied with "15."

"Oh, perfect," he smiled. Natalie did not know how her age could be "perfect."

Steps sounded from the stairs and a small woman appeared with a large smile on her face. She had tied hair and wore glasses, high heels, and a short dress, and carried another in her arms. "Hello, dear! I am Mrs. Rucastle." Natalie introduced herself once more. "And this," the woman held out the dress in front of her, "will be your uniform." The dress was short, coloured electric blue and had a thick design.

"Go to the dressing room and put it on," asked Mr. Rucastle, leading Natalie to a door upstairs.
Moments later, Natalie walked back down in her new uniforms. Delightedly, Mrs. Rucastle exclaimed, "oooh, lovely!"

"How shall we begin, dear?" asked Mr. Rucastle to his wife.

"Well, since it is Natalie's first day," she began, "let me show her around the house, and then she can go back home and prepare for actual work tomorrow." She never ceased to smile, leading Natalie around the house. "Here is the kitchen… and here is Mr. Rucastle's office… here is the living room…" Natalie was bored, but being polite, she continued to listen. "And here is our bedroom… you must never touch that!" Finally returning to the dining room, Mrs. Rucastle pulled a chair for Natalie. "This is a dinner we like to do every time we find a new worker."

Mr. Rucastle appeared with a steaming pot of stew. It was not a normal dinner, as Natalie thought, but it would do. Natalie ate alongside the other two as few attempts at conversation were made around the table. Most were about Sherlock, and Natalie discovered that she missed him.

After hours at their house, Natalie slowly left and walked towards John's car. She heard the Rucastles shout "goodbye!" and the young girl found it difficult not to immediately begin sprinting.