Chapter 33

The winter winds faded to the first thaw of spring. The mice of Linlithgow heard rumors that the famous mouse detective, Basil of Baker Street was living at the Flaversham's house until mid-summer.

Many of the town mice went to him for services. The cases that landed on Basil's lap kept him busy through the months of March and April. However, Aunt Sophie steadily became weaker with each passing week, but the stubborn matriarch's soul wasn't ready to rest in peace.

"My body is ready, but it seems my soul just wants to see the change of seasons," she said one day and insisted on sitting outside. The family would come by to see Aunt Sophie and to meet Olivia, whose stomach was getting bigger.

Olivia had spent much of her time with her aunts who were sewing baby clothes. A lot of Olivia's family members were divided on the baby's gender, so they made both girl and boy clothes.

"It needs to be a boy! The Basil family lineage needs to be carried on!" one of Olivia's older aunts said.

"Girls are just as important!" a few others replied.

Olivia hated to be stuck in a nasty debate, so she stepped away from her family and finds her husband in the other room. He had something in a piece of cloth, but places it on the table. "Elliott, what do you have?" she asks.

He looks at her with a smile and opens it up to reveal a huge white colored gem. She gasps in shock, she never seen a gem so big before. "Is it real?" she asks.

"Actually, it's not," he answers and holds it up to the light. "My new client said he was suspicious of this when he took it out to be examined. His jeweler said this is nothing more than glass," Basil adds.

"So, the real one was swapped?" Olivia asks and he nods.

"Now, I need help understanding who would want to steal the real on," Basil said to her. He produces a notebook that had a list of suspects and their motives.

"I've never seen so many suspect names on here, the mouse who owns the gem must have a lot of enemies, but why is the gem so important?" Olivia asks, but Basil pulls out a book and points to a few pictures of an extravagant diamond necklace. Olivia looks over the text, but it was in French. However, something clicks in her brain.

"Wait, you mean the...The actual diamond necklace that..." Olivia tries to talk.

"Took down the Bourbon Dynasty in France? Yes, although the infamous Diamond Necklace Affair was part of the starting point of the French Revolution. It would take a few events to set things in motion," Basil replies and adds, "I wonder how the diamond came to Mr. McConnell's position?"

"Well, the diamonds were separated and sold in London. Maybe the McConnell's were living in London at the time of the revolution," Olivia said and Basil's nods.

"Sounds possible," he replies and they look over the list of suspects. Olivia takes a look at the glass gem, despite how worthless it was, it still looked pretty.

The two worked on the case, which was Basil wanted to do. Olivia was able to pinpoint that the thief was Mr. McConnell's own friend, who claimed that he was connected to the French royal family, but he was nothing more a lunatic who became obsessed with the Diamond Necklace Affair and sought to find any of the diamonds.

The real diamond was found and given back to Mr. McConnell. Basil and Olivia were personally thanked by the McConnell's in their home and Mr. McConnell speaks to them about how the diamond came to be in his possession.

"My grandfather actually won it in a poker game, so it was dumb luck that we have it now," Mr. McConnell explains and continues, "I don't plan on giving it to a museum. I have a piece of history and I would like to hold on that history."

The two left the McConnell's house and took a stroll, just to breathe in the cool air from the far off sea. "I would like to go by the water someday," Basil said and Olivia nods.

They made it home, but something was not right when they walked up to the stoop. Basil opens the door to see Aunt Hannah crying while her husband comforts her. Uncle Logan sat at the base of the stairs, his hands covering his eyes.

"What is going on?" Olivia asks, but Mrs. Judson has them sit at the couch.

"My dear, I'm so sorry, but your Aunt Sophie passed away an hour ago. She went peacefully while she slept," the housekeeper said. Both Olivia and Basil were overcome with shock, but then sadness filled their thoughts. Basil holds Olivia in his arms as she begins to cry and he also sheds a few tears.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The funeral for Aunt Sophie was similar to Hiriam's, with family coming from everywhere and attending to the burial of the Flaversham's matriarch. There was not a dry eye anywhere, even Dawson and Mrs. Judson cried.

Basil thinks back on the day of Hiriam's funeral. It was full of grief, but at the end of the day, it was replaced with happiness. However, he believes that no joy would come and turn the day around.

After the burial, Basil and Olivia decide to visit Hiriam's grave. "Hello Daddy," Olivia said to her father's headstone, "I have some exciting news. You're going to be a grandfather," she talks to the stone, but there was no response. Basil, however, was sure that Hiriam was listening and the toy maker was ecstatic about becoming a grandfather come summer.

The funeral after party was quiet and the family received condolences from their neighbors and other townsfolk.

The day after the funeral, a lawyer came to discuss Aunt Sophie's last will and testament. The lawyer came from Glasgow, but he made note that Aunt Sophie revised her will six months ago.

The lawyer begins reading the distribution of Aunt Sophie's estate. Her two children Hannah and Logan, with their families would receive the majority of their mother's estate, while a portion went to charity.

The lawyer then goes through a list of items that the other family members would receive. Basil waited for Olivia's turn, but he was sure she wouldn't get anything that would be of value, but he didn't care.

"To my great-niece Olivia and her husband Elliott Basil," the lawyer begins and most of the mice were shocked to hear Basil's name. "I leave you my summer villa in Scarborough," the lawyer said and the whole room went silent.

"We get the villa?" Olivia gasps and everyone looks at them as the lawyer hands them the key.

"But no one has set foot in that place for at least eight years," Uncle Stewart said.

"I'm thinking Aunt Sophie wants you to have a bigger home," Uncle Logan replies and places a hand on Basil's shoulder. "You do need a lot of space to raise a child, but you decide what you want to do with it," he adds.

Basil places the key in a small case and puts it in his pocket. "We'll think about it, although I would like to see it sometime," he said and Olivia nods in agreement.

"I actually never gone there since the case ten years ago," she replies, but she was eager to set foot in it again, that is if it was in good condition. The lawyer then settles everything with Aunt Hannah and Uncle Logan and then heads back to Glasgow to file the documents.

That evening, everyone settles down with a simple dinner and talk about Aunt Sophie. Uncle Stewart brought in photographs of when he and his brothers, including Hiriam were younger. Basil looks at the younger face of Aunt Sophie and her three nephews, whom she took in after the death of their parents.

"OH!" Olivia lets out a surprised gasp. She places a hand on her stomach and Basil thought something was wrong with the baby.

"Olivia, is something wrong?" he asks, but he sees a smile form on her face.

"It's moving," she answers and places his hand over her slightly swollen abdomen. Basil felt the little living being moving about and there were smiles all around for the rest of the evening.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Spring faded and a summer wind blew into Linlithgow. It was a welcoming feeling for Basil as he never experienced summer this far north in the UK. While the air was still cool, the sun was beaming down on the rolling hills of Scotland.

June 19th came, Olivia's 21st birthday and it was a grand celebration. Basil made sure that no clients would come in either the day before or after. He wanted to spend this momentous occasion with his wife and spoil her for three days. Olivia's belly had gotten bigger, it was round as a balloon and it was then that they were counting down to late July.

Olivia had a feeling that the baby would come by the 30th or 31st of that month. She was also having a debate with Basil about naming their child.

"If it is a girl, I want to name her Leana after your mother," he insisted, which took Olivia by surprise.

"And what if it's a boy? I wanted to name him after your father," she replies and Basil begins to think about it. "What was your father's name?" she asks.

"John, although he had a habit of telling mice that they call him by his full name 'John Frederick Basil'," he answers, but then adds, "I was hoping to name our son Hiriam after your father."

"Why? You picked my mother's name, why not a name from your family?" Olivia asks and Basil begins to think, again.

"We still have about a month," he replies, but he was anxious, as would any new father would be feeling. He then begins to think about The Master, Sherlock Holmes. The human never settled down with a family, but Basil thought Holmes missed out on that opportunity.

The days continued to roll by, Olivia was struggling to get out of bed at times as her belly was heavy to balance. Basil had called his siblings to come and be part of the birth.

When July came, Olivia was overcome with joy when Basil's twin sisters Emma and Penelope arrived first with Penelope's son Sebastian. "Now look at you! That belly of yours looks like it's ready to pop!" Emma exclaims and kisses Olivia's cheeks.

"I have a feeling that you have a big boy in there," Penelope said, "Sebastian was a big baby when I had him."

"Mom," her son replies in an embarrassed tone. The women laugh at this and the sisters settle in their rooms with Sebastian settling in his own room. Oscar and his family would come later in the week as Oscar wanted to settle some things with the hospital he worked at.

That evening, Basil came home with Uncle Stewart and Dawson. The three were out on a case and Basil brought home a case of some kind. Olivia was curious about it and when Basil opened it, she was overcome with delight to see a beautiful looking violin.

"Elliott, where did you find that?" Olivia asks her husband.

"It was in an abandoned barn, all strings broken and the bow shot. I took it to a luthier and he replaced the strings and bow. The frame looks good, but only one way to find out," he answers and takes a seat with everyone watching.

He moves the bow over the strings, making sure they sounded right. "Hmmmm, sounds good. Now, what should I play?" he asks.

"Elliott, I haven't heard you play since...um...well when you sat on your original," Olivia replies and Basil chuckles at the memory. When Olivia was ten and they were ready to set out to find her father, Basil tried to explain how dangerous it was. However, he crushed his treasured instrument by accident.

"Well that violin was a total loss, but I had the habit of playing whenever there was a spare one," he said and Olivia smiles at this. He then begins to play a harmonic tune and everyone listens.

Olivia was in awe of her husband's talents and the baby inside her seemed to be hearing the music. It moves gently about and Olivia rubs her stomach.

When Basil was finished playing, there was a round of applause from everyone, but Olivia lets out a gasp when the baby kicked. "Oh you!" she exclaims, "I think she doesn't want you to stop."

"She?" Basil asks.

"Well I hate to call our baby an 'it'," Olivia said and Basil smiles at this.

When the last week of July came, Oscar arrived with his family and it was also the day Dawson decides to check on Olivia's progress. He feels around the baby by pressing his hand against Olivia's stomach.

"Well I certainly feel a bum," Dawson jokes and checks some more. "I am certain that it'll be any day now," he adds.

"It won't be the 30th or 31st?" Olivia asks.

"Some babies like to come early, but who knows. Just have to keep your wits up," Dawson replies and assures his partner that everything was normal.

"Oh I am so nervous," Basil said, but his brother Oscar laughs at this.

"I was the same way when Hugo was born, but with you being up here, I say you made a good move. It's not healthy for a woman and a child to be in London at the moment," Oscar replies and Basil nods at this, but he was still worried.

Then the 30th came, but nothing happened. Basil thought he would be disappointed, but they still had another day to look forward to. When the 31st rolled in, nothing happened either.

"Maybe this one wants to wait a bit," Emma said, "You did say it would be early August too?" she asks and Olivia nods.

"You might be having a 1st day baby, the 1st of the month is always good," Penelope said in a cheerful tone. Everyone settles down for the night, except Olivia who crosses off July 31st.

"Olivia, don't be upset, sometimes we're wrong and it'll be all right in the end," her husband said to her, but she doesn't answer. She then settles down to sleep. Basil looks at his wife, she was tired and perhaps disappointed that her prediction didn't come true.

He then settles down to sleep, maybe tomorrow would be a better day.


From the author: As Basil said in the last chapter, the sun sets on someone's time, but it will rise to new life.

Now we're at the end of the waiting period, but will the baby come at all? Trust me it will!