"I warn you. It's not straightforward or conventional. You may not agree to the conditions, and I don't know when the proof will present itself."

"Continue." Holmes gave none of his thoughts away except a raised eyebrow. Still, she hesitated. What she was about to suggest would sound extremely unreasonable in her time, and absolutely scandalous in Victorian time.

"Miss Williams, this conversation grows tiresome. Either state your possible solution and allow us to decide for ourselves, or please be on your way."

She squeezed Mrs. Hudson's hands once for courage then returned them to her lap. Katie focused on Holmes, not wanting to see anyone else's reactions.

"Allow me to write and seal several letters. I will write them all at once and in your presence. When finished, I will give them to you, Mr. Holmes, for safekeeping until I shall call upon you to open one. It is vital that at the time you open the letter, you are sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that it has not been seen or tampered with in any way; not even by you, Dr. Watson, or Mrs. Hudson. And…" She struggled to continue meeting Holmes' eyes at this point, but she knew she needed to show her conviction. His decision would determine her future. "At all times, you must know where I am, who I am speaking with, and what I am doing."

Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson were silent. Katie didn't dare look at their expressions. The only indication of Holmes' thoughts were his rigid posture and increased smoke rings leaving his pipe. Nothing happened for a few moments, still, she did her best to not look away from the man in front of her. Slowly he pulled his pipe away.

"Miss Williams. Do you have any family in England?"

"No."

"Is there any family in America that we could send a message to?"

"No."

"Indeed. Will you please excuse Dr. Watson and myself for a few moments?"

She could only nod, and both gentlemen stepped into a nearby room. The silence was deafening. With Holmes out of the room, her need to look strong left, and she deflated like a balloon. Katie still couldn't bring herself to look at Mrs. Hudson. The only sound heard for several moments was the muffled speaking of the two gentlemen.

"Would you like another cup of tea, dear?" Meekly, Katie nodded. Mrs. Hudson gave nothing away in her voice. Soon a warm cup was placed within her view. "What do you expect, Miss Williams?"

"I really don't know, Mrs. Hudson."

"You say that quite a lot. Don't you?" Now Katie could detect the smallest bit of humor in her voice. This gave her the courage to take a peek at Mrs. Hudson's smiling face. "There you are. So, let's start with what you do know."

"I know that I am in London; a place hundreds of miles from where I should be. I have no family and no friends. No job and no home."

"Those are a lot of negatives, my dear."

Katie smiled sheepishly. "I know that you three have been very kind to me, and I feel safe with you."

"If it's not too painful, would you mind telling me of your family?"

"Thank you for your consideration, Mrs. Hudson. My parents were bakers, and my brother was set to inherit the family bakery one day. We've owned it for generations."

"How old was your brother?"

"Let's see, if I'm 25 he would have been 22." Katie began to tear up at that. It finally hit her that she may not see her family again. Though she knew they were alive and well, they may as well be dead to her. Grief was an odd thing, but now was not the time to allow herself to mourn.

"I'm sorry. You do not need to speak further if you do not wish."

"Thank you. They were good, generous people. My parents saved what they could so that I may follow my studies and have a good future. And though they saved every little they could, they chose to donate any leftover bread to the hungry of the neighborhood. My brother was a jokester. He couldn't bear a sad face very long, not his nor anyone else's. He made the difficult days brighter."

"They sound like wonderful people."


"What do you make of it, Watson?"

"It is a rather strange situation. Why would a young woman of apparently modest means and no connections be brought to London and then left alone?"

"What brought you to the deduction that she was brought here?"

"Her last memory is of walking to a park in America and applying to university. This suggests no thoughts of traveling any time soon. Thus, I assume her arrival in London was not by her own volition."

"Very good." Watson felt a bit of pride at Holmes' statement. He did not give out praise unless he felt it fully deserved.

"It is a rather unusual situation. There is much she is not telling us. She is most likely utilizing half-truths. A most effective method of concealment. If she was indeed brought here against her will, for what purpose? Does she truly not know who abducted her? Is she perhaps a spy sent to obtain information by gaining our sympathies? Or perhaps she really should be in Bedlam."

"Holmes really."

"These are the necessary questions to ask oneself when presented with such a strange case as this."

"Will you take her case, then?"
"Do you think I should?"

Watson paused for a moment. "I do not believe she is a spy, and she seems harmless enough." Holmes just hummed. "While her request is outlandish, and I don't understand her need to hide things, I feel that her confusion and distress are genuine and that she really does need our help."

"You are a better judge of such matters than I, Watson. On this I will trust your verdict. Should I take the case, though, there comes the rather difficult question of how to handle it."

"How could you possibly know everything she says and does every day for goodness knows how long?"

"That is the question now, isn't it? If she is an enemy, should she stay nearby? If she is far away, could the conditions still possibly be met, even if I employed the Irregulars?"

Holmes cracked open the bedroom door and hushed Watson. He was curious. He had noticed that she focused more on himself than the others. What would she do now that he was out of her presence? The conversation between Mrs. Hudson and Miss Williams was pleasant. If nothing else, the girl was fully honest in her love of her family. Holmes wanted to learn one more thing before making a final decision and so stepped back into the room.


Katie focused once more on the stoic figure.

"As you have stated, you have nothing, no one, and nowhere to go. People in those situations usually turn to the workhouses." She felt sick. In all the craziness and panic, she had forgotten about that horrible place. It hadn't been an option in her brain, but that's exactly where society expected her to go in her current situation. It was a glorified prison. People went in and could never escape; often dying there of overexertion, starvation, or disease.

"Should I take your case, that is the likeliest of options for your near future accommodations. There I could easily know where you are and what you are doing. Should I not take your case, you are free to find work. You are an educated young woman. That should not be too difficult."

"I see your reasoning. But what of the third requirement: knowing who I speak with?"

"I am a resourceful man, Miss Williams. I have my ways." And she knew he did. Katie was torn. Should she brave the workhouse and have the chance of Holmes helping her home? Even if he did help her, there's still a good chance of her ending up in Bedlam when he opened the first letter. She knew how to work hard and learn quickly. Victorian life wasn't ideal, but she had a good chance of getting by. But would she make it home on her own? She still didn't know how much, if any, of this was "real".

"I thank you. You have been more than generous in even considering my case with the required accommodations. It is only fair that I meet yours. If you decide to pursue my case, I accept your condition of going to the workhouse."

"Very well. I accept your case. And-"

"And you are hired." Everyone looked to Mrs. Hudson.


This was much easier to write. Hopefully this is a good sign.