Day 26 - From Book girl fan: What does Irene Adler do for Christmas?
A/N: Another 221B!
.
.
It was an ostentatious Christmas Ball. Ribbon and wreaths decorated the staircases framing the large ballroom, candles lined the walls, and an enormous Christmas tree took up the center of the room.
Tables were loaded with every food imaginable, from roast duck to sweetbreads, and I looked longingly at a few of the dishes, while Holmes and I stood unobtrusively on the edge of the crowd. Unfortunately, we were not here to partake in the festivities, just observe.
As we stood watching couples twirl by on the dance floor, I heard a sharp intake of breath from Holmes, then scanned the crowd to see what had caught his eye. It took me longer than I am willing to admit to find her, though in my defense she had dyed her hair in disguise. She was dressed in furs and pearls and red lipstick, perhaps outwardly different from how we had last seen her, but her smile and sharp cunning gaze was unmistakably Irene Adler.
Holmes stood frozen as she approached. I took from his surprise, that he had not expected her to be in attendance. Otherwise, we doubtless would have taken greater care with disguise.
"Why Mr Holmes," Irene said feigning surprise. "Fancy meeting you here. Would you care for a dance? After all, why else would one attend a ball?"