Chapter 15

-July 24, 1901-

The Beach House, Isle of Wight

The following morning, Barok and Albert were the first of their group to enter the dining room, wishing the Halls a good morning before seating themselves at the table. A look out the window told them that, while the rain had not completely stopped yet, it had died down to a fine drizzle, and the sky had lightened considerably compared to the previous day. With a little luck, the sun would show itself again come this afternoon.

Today, Albert's face already looked far less reddened than it had been yesterday, and he had confirmed when they had run into each other in the bathroom a little while ago that he was not discomfited by the remnants of his sunburn any longer. Good – the fact that it had only lasted for about a day and a half should hopefully mean that his friend would not shy away from further outdoors activities solely due to concern of a repeat.

Mrs. Hall was in the process of bringing out coffee and tea when Asogi walked into the room, curiously unaccompanied by Lestrade.

"Good morning." Seating himself, he noticed Barok's questioning glance and explained with a grin, "Operation 'Wake the Detective' is currently underway – Gina was working on picking the lock of the bathroom door leading into his bedroom when I left. Chances are that we'll hear whether it ended in success right about… now."

As if on cue, something slammed into the wall of the dining room from the side of Sholmes's bedroom, and both shouting and laughter could dimly be heard.

Snorting, Asogi added, "In case you're wondering whether you're missing anything, Gina's on that case – she said she'd nick his camera and have it ready before Iris went into action. You'll just have to wait until the prints are developed."

"Excellent. I shall do my best to remain patient until that time." Barok lifted his cup to his lips with a chuckle.

At that point, the three people who had been involved in the 'operation' walked into the room, Sholmes clad in a gray bathrobe above his sleep clothes and sporting a rather impressive scowl. Iris and Lestrade, meanwhile, were in good spirits, the latter still grinning broadly due to the spectacle she had just enjoyed.

"Good morning Bertie, Barry!" the girl greeted while seating herself.

The new appellation for Barok promptly netted her a disbelieving glance from Asogi. "Barry?"

Iris merely shrugged. "It's shorter and nicer than 'Mr. Reaper,' don't you think?"

"I completely agree," Albert stated next to her, and the two exchanged a smile.

"I suppose so, but why?" Asogi appeared to be incapable of letting the matter go, at least until Lestrade playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Aww, are you mad 'cuz 'is Lordship got a better nickname than you?"

Noticing from the corner of his eye that Mrs. Hall was approaching with the breakfast items she had prepared, Barok decided that it would probably be best to head off their squabbling for the time being.

"All you need to know is that Iris is welcome to use that name for me – I, too, find it more pleasant than the one she used until yesterday. And if we could now settle down and have breakfast in peace…"

It would take Sholmes four full cups of coffee, taken black and with four lumps of sugar each, until his scowl at the home invasion style awakening had finally vanished.

Well. This explains his habit of flitting around all over the place at the drop of a hat – it's a wonder he manages to sit still at all.

The uncharitable thought had just managed to fully manifest inside his mind when Barok clamped down on it, internally shaking his head at himself. Perhaps it would be best if you stopped judging the man on every move he makes – his morning routine is his business, as long as it has no negative effects on Iris.

After all, as the trial last November had driven home most emphatically, judging a book by its cover led to severe misjudgment all too frequently.

Once everyone had concluded taking breakfast, Barok and his guests proceeded to the sitting room, save for Sholmes, who went to get dressed in proper clothing for the day.

Upon his return, the detective held out a collection of loose sheets of paper to Albert. "Here. As promised, I saved my notes for you – but if you need help regarding anything contained therein, I would ask you to postpone any questions until after our return to London. Truth be told, I already found it incredibly difficult to not destroy these pages after I had finally worked out the solution."

"Allow me to express my gratefulness that you didn't choose to start a fire in your room last night," Barok commented blandly while Albert excitedly looked over the formulae on the topmost page, soon pulling a pencil out of his pocket and scribbling his own commentary on the margins.

Everyone spent the remainder of the morning hours in the house, whiling away the time until lunch with a variety of activities – Albert pored over the chemical equations he had received, Iris wrote more of her story draft in her notebook, Sholmes was amusing himself by attempting to play some classical pieces on his violin from memory and actually doing quite well where accuracy was concerned, Barok was reading a novel he had been meaning to get started on for quite some time, and Asogi and Lestrade were seeing to their reading practice. The young woman was not too inept at sounding out the words, her pace barely stalling anymore and her intonation nowhere near as flat as that of most learners.

While they were taking lunch, Asogi noted that the rain seemed to have finally let up for good – the sky was still somewhat cloudy, but the sun managed to peek through what was left of the cloud cover quite often.

"Blimey, it's about time! When I took Toby out for a tick to do 'is business last night even while it weren't rainin' cats 'n dogs, I had to towel 'im off after, 'n 'e wasn't too chuffed about 'aving to stay in all day yesterday otherwise." Lestrade heaved a rather theatrical sigh of relief. "When I'm done eatin', me 'n my li'l pal are gonna go for a long walk in the fields so 'e's good 'n tired and all peed and poo'd out when we come back."

"There's a small stretch of woodland over on the other side of the road leading to Whippingham – how about you let him have a look around there? Maybe he can chase a squirrel or two," Asogi suggested.

"You wanna come wiv us?"

The young man scratched his chin as he made a show of pondering Lestrade's quasi-invitation. "I have felt a little boxed-in for most of yesterday, so a lengthy stroll sounds pretty nice right about now…"

True to their word, the junior inspector and Asogi left as soon as they had finished eating and put on footwear that would be able to withstand its share of mud, the dog excitedly skipping around between their legs before the entrance door closed behind them.

Sholmes, meanwhile, stretched himself out on the couch in the sitting room; thankfully, he had at least had the decency to remove his shoes before lying down. "I hope you won't mind, my dear fellows, if I take a short digestive nap – I've been up quite late working out the conundrum of the mistaken oxidant, and considering that my intended morning lie-in was cut short by some rather muscular tactics…"

"… Feel free to do so." Barok somehow managed not to comment on the fact that being able to sleep after the amount of sugar-laden coffee the man had gulped down during breakfast indicated a near-superhuman caffeine resistance.

Instead, he turned toward his friend and suggested, "Would you perhaps care for a walk, as well? I have to admit to being quite keen on stretching my legs for a while, myself, and the beach almost feels like an entirely different environment after a rainstorm."

"Oh, I should like to see that – and besides, I'm a bit stuck on Mr. Sholmes's equations, perhaps a nice walk will help me clear my head," Albert agreed right away.

Before he could think better of it, Barok asked Iris, who had taken a seat in the armchair that had been occupied by Lestrade during the morning hours, "How about you? Would you like to come along, as well?"

"Oh, thank you for the offer, but I believe I'll stay here for the time being." The girl smiled at him and raised the notebook she was holding. "I'm almost finished with this story – I just have to write out the solution of the case. Once I get it done, I'll have something to turn in to Randst on time next Monday, so they won't have to publish an issue without a 'Sholmes' story – Susie would be so disappointed after having to wait over a month to get the magazine sent to her!"

"I see. Far be it from me to interrupt a fruitful bout of creativity." Additionally, if Iris managed to complete her work on her planned submission today, she would be able to enjoy the next few days, which would presumably feature better weather, without further concerns about it.

"Well then, Albert – let's ready ourselves for emerging from our seclusion." With those words, Barok made to leave the sitting room, his friend following him.

Less than ten minutes later, he and Albert had descended down to the beach via the footpath next to the house. Sadly, the heavy rain of the previous day had made short work of the impressive sandcastle erected on Monday – all that was left of the lovingly decorated edifice was a pile of sand topped with random accumulations of the shells that had been used to accessorize the walls.

"Ah well, we'll still have Mr. Sholmes's photograph to remember it by," Albert stated with a shrug, after initially looking somewhat disappointed at the havoc the weather had managed to wreak.

They started walking northward, away from the area where they had spent all of their time the day before yesterday.

Albert glanced around curiously as soon as they had begun to move away from the remains of the sandcastle, including out to sea, or what could be seen of it at the moment, as well as the sky.

"You were right – if I didn't know that we're still in the same place we were two days ago, I probably wouldn't recognize it!"

"Your impression is probably helped by the fact that we have low tide at the moment," Barok pointed out. "If I recall the forecasts correctly, the water should rise again sometime within the next half hour."

"Ah yes, a very interesting phenomenon – I've read about it, but I've never witnessed it in person. I look forward to it."

Just when he had uttered the last word, Albert tripped and pitched forward, Barok only barely managing to grab his friend's shoulder and keep him from falling flat on his face.

"Thank you… goodness, walking on sand after a day and a half of rain is quite different from doing so when it's dry, isn't it?"

Letting go of Albert, Barok nodded. "It can be."

Then, he angled his left arm to leave space for his friend's hand. "Feel free to hold on to me – we should hopefully manage to maintain our balance together."

"Oh… well, if you don't mind…"

At first, Albert's hand settled in the crook of his elbow somewhat gingerly, as if still unsure whether his touch would be welcome, but after a few steps without being rejected in any way, his hold became steadier, yet not so tight that Barok would think his friend was concerned about another impending mishap.

For him, the prolonged physical contact, in a setting that would not necessarily have required it after preventing Albert's fall, proved to be unexpectedly pleasant, unspoken testimony to their being at ease around each other. Perhaps, Iris's hug last night had unconsciously reminded him that he had not exactly encountered a lot of situations in which touching another person was wanted by all involved parties in a rather long time prior to his friend's return to Britain. The warmth of Albert's palm permeated his shirt sleeve and felt for all intents and purposes as though it belonged there, engendering a sensation of peace and a sense of togetherness.

Before long, the tidal forecast would prove to be accurate, as the sea gradually began inching back toward dry land in gentle waves, lapping higher and higher by the minute. The process was well underway when they happened upon something like a minuscule inlet formed in a rocky ridge, observing how the water rushed into the partially enclosed area with every wave, swirling and foaming within it, then flowing back out.

Albert stilled next to him and seemed rooted to the spot while he watched the phenomenon; Barok could almost hear his friend's mental gears beginning to whirr at full steam.

"… If I recall correctly, the tide comes in twice every 24 hours, right?"

"Yes, that's correct." Barok was tempted to ask why it mattered, but ultimately decided against it – if Albert was having a flash of inspiration, it would not do to interrupt him.

They stood there and watched the process repeat itself three, four, five more times, then his friend suddenly let go of Barok's arm to ball his hand into a fist to smack into his other palm.

"Yes… if it was possible to create a turbine that can turn reciprocal motion into circular… but wait, we already did that with the charging apparatus for the accumulator…! Yes! Eureka!"

He turned towards Barok with a look of fervor on his face, his eyes filled with scientific zeal and excitement at whatever he had just thought his way through.

"Would you mind if we returned to the house? I really want to write this down and sketch out some preliminary ideas!"

"Of course." Turning to face the direction from which they had come, Barok offered Albert his arm to hold on to once more, feeling gratified when his friend did so right away as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Would you care to enlighten me about your idea?"

"Gladly! See, if we could harness the water motion caused by the tide rising and ebbing with a turbine designed to take advantage of it, we might well be able to produce electricity without the need to burn wood or coal – it would be cleaner, safer, and more affordable…!"

On their stroll back, Albert continued talking, gesticulating animatedly with his free hand but never once letting go of Barok's arm, his stream of words infused with that irresistible optimism that never failed to cast its spell on Barok. Witnessing him thinking his way through a new idea out loud easily eclipsed the rugged beauty of the landscape – Barok honestly thought he could listen to and observe his friend for hours without ever tiring of it.

All too soon, they had made it back to the front yard of the house, and Albert finally loosened his hold on Barok's arm to approach the door with long steps, clearly already throwing together equations and machine parts in his mind to achieve the effect he was hoping to create. While his enthusiasm still suffused his companion with happiness at having been able to inadvertently provide his friend with the inspiration that had caused it, he somehow found himself wishing that Albert's hand was still resting comfortably in the crook of his elbow.


-July 25, 1901-

The Beach House, Isle of Wight

Thursday dawned sunny yet cool on the group of holiday makers, making beach activities feasible but swimming unlikely to be in the cards lest someone was hell-bent on taking ill as a result.

After breakfast, Asogi approached Barok with a somewhat puzzling request.

"My Lord, would you permit me to borrow the horse for an hour or so?"

Raising an eyebrow at his assistant, he inquired in return, "Have you received training in horseback riding before coming here?"

"Yes, and from everything I've seen, Japanese and British riding methods don't differ all that much, so I should be able to let her know where to go, and how fast. I'll also be able to saddle her on my own, before you ask – no need to bother Mr. Hall."

Less concerned now that he had ascertained that Asogi was not enough of a daredevil to try and mount an animal ten times his weight without previous experience, Barok found himself curious.

"For what purpose do you need to make use of her?"

The Japanese man raised his hand, in which he was holding a still-open envelope. "I'd like to take this to a post office that can handle international mail, and perhaps look around if I can find a few picture postcards to include."

"Ah, I see. In that case, I'd recommend trying the post offices in either Cowes or Newport – I'm not certain that the one in Ryde would be able to process anything going overseas beyond continental Europe, and Whippingham's is even less likely to be of much help," Barok advised. "Make sure to return here by lunchtime, or I'll have to prevail on the authorities to find you. After all, I signed an agreement that the horse is to be returned to her owner unharmed."

"I'm deeply touched by your concern for me." Asogi snorted. "At any rate, I'll be long back by then. If you would excuse me…"

Shortly thereafter, while Iris and Lestrade had stepped out together to walk Toby, and Albert had withdrawn to his room to continue working on his notes for his newest idea since he had apparently fallen asleep while doing so the evening before, Barok found himself in the sitting room with only Sholmes for company.

Today, the detective was only plucking away at the strings of his instrument, rather than playing anything recognizable. After a short while of occupying himself in that manner, he sighed.

"It appears I'm not made to be a creature of leisure beyond a certain point. While I of course still appreciate your gracious invitation here on both my own and my co-lodgers' behalf, I suspect I'll have to conduct some experiments or take the first case that presents itself as soon as we're back in London, even if said case involves yet another escaped pet."

"And yet, in spite of your claims, one of your work arrangements involves standing motionlessly in the same spot for minutes, if not hours, at a time," Barok remarked.

"Ah, my dear Lord van Zieks, don't be so hasty in equating stillness of body to not engaging in any sort of activity. I'll have you know that I use my time there not only to earn money to put toward the rent, but also to observe the museum visitors and hone my deductive capabilities by drawing conclusions from their attire, accessories, and company."

"I see." Not sure if he would regret asking in short order, but finding himself compelled to stop the man from continuing to mistreat his instrument due to boredom, Barok prompted, "Could you give me an example of what you'd be able to deduce without any interaction with your subjects?"

Thankfully, his words caused Sholmes to gently place the violin on the coffee table after leaning forward, his motions more animated now than they had been ever since his regular coffee annihilation spree during breakfast.

"While I could tell you of some of the things I have deduced during my Madame Tusspells shifts, I'd obviously not have any evidence on me to back up my conclusions, so… would you like me to demonstrate using some of the members of our group here as examples? Granted, I have interacted with them as you well know, unlike the museum visitors, but my deductions aren't based on any chats we've had with each other on the matters in question."

Now, it was Barok's turn to sigh. "Very well – under one condition: You won't reveal anything that might be in any way detrimental to the person or people in question."

He was not in the mood to participate in a gossip session that could inadvertently turn out to become a problem for one among their number.

"Ah. Well, that puts paid to one of my examples, but fortunately, I have two others to share."

Deciding immediately that the now-excluded example remaining untouched would likely be for the best where his as well as everyone else's peace of mind was concerned, Barok decided to follow up on Sholmes's statement, as the detective had undoubtedly both expected and desired.

"And those two deductions are…?"

"The first would be that, while young Mr. Asogi approached you a short while ago under the pretense of seeking out a post office so you would let him borrow the horse you rented, he was intending to visit a different establishment all along, even if he might also send out his letter to Mr. Naruhodo."

"I… see?" Barok did not see where the man was going with this line of thought, as a matter of fact. "What do you suppose this 'different establishment' that is his true destination is then?"

"Why, a barbershop, of course!" Sholmes's smile gained a satisfied cast as he raised his right hand, index finger pointed upward.

Now, Barok was completely at a loss – he did not think Asogi's hair was in such urgent need to be tended to that it could not have waited until their return to London. "Explain."

"Let's just say that Mr. Asogi is seeking to acquire a specific item commonly sold at such shops – one that isn't at all related to hair- or beard care, as it were." The detective raised both eyebrows during the second half of his statement.

The penny dropped.

Barok sat up straighter as he stared at Sholmes. "You mean he and Lestrade…?"

"Oh yes, that's exactly what I mean, my dear fellow." The detective sighed. "I'll admit that this deduction wasn't particularly hard to come by, given that I was treated to auditory impressions of the preliminary festivities the last couple of nights. The only reason I didn't mention to them that I overheard them after the first evening was that I was concerned that they'd decide to move matters to Miss Lestrade's room instead – better I lose sleep to this sort of racket than Iris."

Grimacing, Barok nodded – this explained why the man had been so tired yesterday morning. "In that case, I appreciate your sacrifice – I'd offer you a different room, but unfortunately, there are no unoccupied bedrooms left in the house."

"That's quite all right, Lord van Zieks – should this continue, I may just opt to sleep out here on the sofa for the remainder of our stay. It wouldn't be the first time, nor would it be the last." Sholmes shrugged. "Miss Lestrade is lucky that Mr. Asogi is a responsible young man, considering that their joint assets wouldn't be nearly enough to support a family in a safe and financially stable environment."

"I suppose so." While he would vastly prefer it if those two did not disturb any of his other guests while under his roof, Barok was hardly a prude or in any way puritanical. The people involved were both adults, and obviously participating in these shared activities out of their own volition - beyond these crucial aspects, he frankly did not care what any given couple decided to do in private.

Casting about for a good way to change the subject, as he nevertheless did not want to think about this particular topic any further, he recalled that the detective had mentioned a second 'deduction' he had arrived at without directly interacting with those involved.

"… Considering that you decided to utilize this situation as your first example, dare I ask what the second one entails?"

"Ah yes. There's no need to be concerned, my dear fellow, as that other deduction I mentioned is quite simple indeed, and does not contain any scandalous aspects." Sholmes turned toward him before speaking on. "You see, I'm aware that Iris has figured out her connection to you, clever girl that she is, and that she has sought you out to discuss the matter."

How the hell…?

Barok crossed his arms. "If you're thinking to imply that I had any hand in goading her toward her conclusions–"

"Oh, not at all, not at all!" The detective raised his hands to stop him in his assumptions. "I have no reason to assign any blame to you – after all, we were agreed that we would determine the right time to let her know together, and I don't think you would have changed your mind so drastically within 24 hours."

"Indeed I wouldn't have," Barok agreed. "What was your evidence for your deduction, then?"

"For one, she's been behaving somewhat strangely after we happened to discuss her in the study – she seemed unsure of whether she wanted to forget that you were present, or whether she did, in fact, want to spend more time in your presence. For another, her appellation for you had changed all of a sudden yesterday morning and you were clearly not surprised, indicating that she must have premiered it in your presence sometime between me withdrawing to my room the night before and encountering her in the dining room at that point. I'm assuming that she somehow managed to listen in on us while we were speaking with each other, which then became her catalyst for seeking you out after everyone had left the sitting room the following night?"

There was nothing for it but to confirm the man's line of reasoning. "You're correct in all aspects."

Sholmes nodded. "It was to be expected that she would catch us off-guard sooner rather than later – she's a girl of keen insight and possesses a highly logical mind. Since she already had a number of the necessary puzzle pieces on hand by the end of last year, it wouldn't have taken much more for her to arrive at this conclusion."

"Are you intending on discussing the matter further with her?"

"I've considered it, but decided that it'd be best to wait until she decides to speak about it with me – I'm not in the habit of constantly making her the subject of my deductions, both because I want her to know that she has a right to decide what to share with me, and because I'd rather not be subjected to her inevitable retaliation." The detective's voice was drier than Barok had ever heard it before.

With a snort, he responded, "In that case, please notify me once this particular talk has taken place, considering that I seem to be doomed to keep both your and her secrets in this regard until that point."

"Your wish is my command!" Sholmes affected an obsequious bow in spite of remaining seated on the sofa.

He had just straightened once more when the sound of the house's front door being opened reached their ears, followed by a bark – apparently, Iris, Lestrade, and Toby had returned from their stroll.

The girl was the first to enter the sitting room, a wide smile on her face.

"Ahh, taking a nice long walk with a friend when there's no one else around is just lovely – I could get used to this!"

"Oh, but in that case, procuring materials and substances for our various inventions would instantly become more time-consuming and costly," Sholmes remarked, causing her to wilt a little.

"You're right, I didn't even think about that… ah well, I suppose we'll stay based in London, but I'm sure we can leave the city here and there for a spot of relaxation. Can't we, Barry?"

Surprised that the follow-up question was directed at him, Barok started slightly, responding with the first words that would come to mind. "Erm… yes, of course, that shouldn't be a problem."

When his thoughts caught up with his mouth, he glanced over at Sholmes to look for any signs that her guardian objected to the implicit offer, noticing a small smirk on the man's face.

Note to self: Whether she does so consciously or not, she's a master at coaxing others into doing her bidding, either by logic or by surprise. While he was not about to think of Iris as a manipulator par excellence, he would have to keep reminding himself that this was a technique to which she occasionally resorted, or he would completely hand over his metaphorical reins to her sooner or later.

It may already be too late. He doubted that he would be able to deny her any request that was not in some way dangerous or completely unreasonable.

Now, Lestrade and her dog also joined them, the pup perching on the young woman's arm. It seemed that Toby had managed to locate some sort of puddle, bog, or pond, as his paws were wet; at least the junior inspector had been conscientious enough to clean him up so he would not leave dirt on the furniture and carpeting.

"Kaz ain't back yet, is 'e?" Her inquiry sounded too deliberately casual, now that Barok had been pointed toward the truth of what was going on between her and his assistant.

Grand. Even if he never participated in gossip about the two of them again, his brain would likely insist on providing all the commentary he could stand like the chattiest of market fishwives from this point forward.

Thank you very much, Mr. Sholmes.

Apparently, the detective did not share his difficulties, as his expression did not change at all when he responded, "Not yet, though I would expect him to return quite soon unless he rode clear to the other side of the island before turning back."

Indeed, the clopping of hooves as a horse slowed its gait in the front yard sounded a mere fifteen minutes later. Since Mrs. Hall had apparently enlisted her husband to aid her in preparing lunch, if the quiet conversation from the kitchen was any indication, Barok decided to step out and ensure the mare was properly unsaddled, returned to her box, and watered after this bout of exercise.

When he opened the front door, he was surprised to feel a tug at his shirt sleeve. Half turning around to see Iris standing nearby, he inquired, "Did you need something?"

"Well, not need, rather… do you think I could sit in the saddle for just a moment before you put the horse back in the stable? I've only ever ridden in carriages, and that's quite different from actually sitting on horseback, isn't it?"

Barok thought for a moment before answering. She's already saddled anyway, and another five minutes won't harm her, even if Asogi rode her hard all the way to his destination and back. Then again…

On one hand, the mare was quite docile and it was unlikely that she would ever throw a rider unless presented with sudden acute danger, but on the other, if Iris had no prior experience in horseback riding, letting her sit on a horse the size of this Percheron unaccompanied, even while leading it by the reins, was not entirely without risk nevertheless – with her slight stature, simply falling off the animal's back sideways might well lead to injuries, and the saddle was not meant for someone of her height, so she would not be able to use the stirrups to steady herself…

"… As long as you don't mind that I'd rather avoid putting you on her back by yourself for safety reasons…"

"Oh, I don't mind at all!" The girl smiled up at him in obvious delight, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"Very well then." After sending her a smile in return, Barok strode towards his assistant, who had by now dismounted and was about to lead the horse toward the stable.

"Asogi, hold on for a moment."

After conferring with the Japanese man for a short while, he motioned for Iris to come closer, then placed his right foot in the stirrup in preparation for getting in the saddle himself.

Once he was seated securely on the large mare's back, he requested of his assistant, "Now, if you could hand her up to me…?"

Turning to glance down at the girl, Asogi heeded him once she had raised her arms, grasping her with both hands just above her hips and hoisting her up high enough to where Barok could help her seat herself in front of him.

"There we are. Hold on to the saddle pommel so you stay in place when she starts walking."

He made sure to wait until Iris had done as he had told her before signaling the horse to move. She obediently walked once around the yard, coming smoothly to a halt at about the same spot from where they had originally set out.

Unlike Albert, his niece seemed to relish the experience. "This is quite fun, isn't it? Could we maybe go a little faster too? For comparison's sake?"

Her eager request made Barok smile. Both Beryl and Klint had enjoyed horseback riding immensely, and apparently, Iris had inherited the predilection from them. In fact, he recalled his brother telling him once that his sister-in-law had favored riding astride instead of sidesaddle when they had been among themselves, putting on breeches and boots underneath her skirt so she could unburden herself of the outer layer once they had been no longer in the presence of the grooms. Scandalous behavior from a lady of high birth, to be sure, but neither she nor Klint had ever been overly concerned with traditions.

"Far be it from me to discourage scientific curiosity. How fast did you want to go?"

"I don't know – how fast can she go?" Iris glanced back at him over her shoulder with a grin.

He snorted. "A quick sprint it is, then. To the road and back?"

"Yes, please!"

Upon hearing her confirmation, Barok double-checked that she was securely seated, angled his legs to bracket hers and stretched his arms forward to the left and right of her to hold the reins more closely to the horse's head, both for improved control and to make sure to leave as little room for her to slip off the saddle as possible.

"Once again, make sure to hold on so we don't have any mishaps. Are you ready?"

When she nodded, he turned the mare around and, as soon as the horse was facing the gate leading out toward the main road, he goaded her into a gallop, the crunching sound of hooves on gravel not managing to entirely drown out Iris's delighted laugh. As they approached the road leading toward Whippingham, he reined the animal in, causing her to slow to a canter, then a trot. Upon reaching the crossroads, he had the horse stop for a moment.

"Was this what you had in mind?"

The girl giggled. "That was even more fun than I expected! Do you think I'll be able to ride like that by myself at some point, Uncle Barry?"

Oh yes, the firebrand apple definitely didn't fall far from the tree.

Chuckling slightly, he responded, "I don't see why not, though we'd have to find you a horse that is both well-trained and suitable for your size. If you'd like and your guardian doesn't object, I'll take a look around the leisure riding stables back in London to see if they have such an animal available and we'll proceed from there."

"Oh, would you? That'd be lovely!" The unbridled joy and anticipation in her voice constricted his chest with affection for a second or two.

"… For now, let's return to the house – I'm certain that Mrs. Hall is just about finished preparing lunch, and we wouldn't want to make everyone wait for us."

"All right. We'd better hurry then, hadn't we?"

"Indeed."

Once more turning the horse around, Barok spurred her on until she was veritably flying up the path with powerful movements. When they had reached the gate, he once more signaled her to slow, then had her walk parallel to the house until she came to a halt only three yards away from the entrance door, where Asogi was now standing together with Sholmes.

The detective was the first to step closer, one eyebrow raised at Barok. "Were you planning on going somewhere all of a sudden?"

"Not at all. Iris merely asked whether she could experience riding a horse," Barok replied calmly, joined enthusiastically by the girl a moment later as she exclaimed, "And it was delightful!"

"Ah. Then I'm glad Lord van Zieks decided to heed your request." Sholmes smiled at her. "Now, since lunch is about to be served, why don't we go inside and wash our hands so we can sit down to eat?"

"Sure!" Iris leaned sideways toward her guardian's waiting arms until the man could fully lift her out of the saddle.

In the meantime, Grant Hall had come out of the house, and took hold of the mare's reins once Barok had dismounted as well. "I'll see her back to the stable, my Lord."

"Thank you."

Asogi turned and followed Barok as soon as he reached the front door threshold, asking quietly, "I suppose you've kept your promise to her, then?"

"Naturally." His assistant did not need to know just when she had called in the favor he had promised her, and what it had entailed.


-July 28, 1901-

The Beach House, Isle of Wight

As eventful as this holiday had turned out to be, it nevertheless seemed to pass all-too-quickly. Sunday morning saw Barok and his guests packing their bags after taking an early breakfast in preparation for their impending return to London.

Once he had placed all of his clothes and personal items in his trunk, Barok decided to survey the study and the sitting room one final time – after all, it could be months or even years before he would return here.

In the former, he ensured that the beverage bottles were securely stoppered, and placed them into one of the cupboards underneath the book shelving – this way, the spirits would remain palatable until the next visit. When facing the photographic prints on the wall opposite the window, he found himself with an unexpected conundrum: On one hand, these images had been lovingly hung by his father and brother, and had obviously been intended to remain here, but on the other…

I should have a duplicate made of Klint and Beryl's wedding photo. For Iris. He would have it returned to its rightful spot after taking care of this matter.

The decision facing him in the sitting room was far less complex – only a few minutes later, his cello case was leaning against his travel trunk back in the master bedroom, ready to accompany him back to the capital. While it might well be a while before he would meet with another opportunity to play, leaving it here seemed like a waste of what was, after all, a good instrument.

Before long, all of their belongings, properly stowed away in an assortment of trunks and bags, had been placed on the ground in the front yard, ready to be loaded onto the rented carriage which would arrive to pick them up soon.

Turning toward Grant Hall to hand the man the arranged amount of payment for his and his wife's services for the duration of their stay, Barok stated quietly, "Once again, we thank you for all of your hard work this past week and a half. Feel free to claim any remaining foodstuffs in the kitchen for your business, and…"

He pointed toward the stable while fishing the card of the Cowes business where he had leased the mare out of his pocket. "… If I could prevail upon you to return the horse to her owner before the day is out, you may keep the deposit you should receive in return."

Hall's eyes widened. "Are you certain, my Lord?"

"Yes. Consider it a bonus for the short preparation time I gave you, as well as a token of appreciation for your help during potential future visits."

At that, the local man bowed deeply. "We thank you for your consideration, and look forward to serving you and your guests again another time."

Nodding in return, Barok was about to turn away when he became aware that someone had been standing next to him for a while. Looking over at Sholmes, because of course it would be Sholmes, he noticed that the detective was holding his camera in his hands.

"Mr. Hall, could I possibly ask you for one final favor before we take our leave? I believe more than one person among our number would appreciate a commemorative photographic print of all six of us…"

"Of course."

It only took a few minutes for everyone to arrange themselves for having their picture taken. Barok's trunk had been pulled over from the remainder of their luggage to serve as a makeshift bench, on which Asogi and Lestrade had taken a seat, and behind them, Barok was standing with Albert to his right, while Sholmes, with Iris held on his right arm, stood to his left. They managed to get this matter squared away just before the rented carriage finally pulled into the yard, and the two coachmen moved to load everything into the storage compartments and onto the roof. After Sholmes had retrieved his camera from Hall and Iris had curtseyed in front of him and his wife, the holiday makers seated themselves inside the vehicle, and the carriage began to move.


-July 28, 1901-

Train from Southampton to London

Six hours later, the train they had boarded in Southampton after crossing over by ferry had just passed Guildford; only about 50 minutes of their journey remained until they would arrive back at Victoria Station.

Their return to London had taken somewhat longer than their sojourn to the Isle of Wight the Saturday of the previous week as, while Iris had provided generous travel rations to the entire group on the way there, by the time they had disembarked the boat in Southampton, many a rumbling stomach had indicated that it would be wise to see to lunch before moving on.

Although it was only shortly past four in the afternoon, no conversation had taken place for a good hour – in fact, their compartment had turned silent the moment Lestrade and Asogi had completed their reading lesson for the day. The reasons were readily apparent: In spite of being aware that they would have to rise quite early today to prepare for their departure, the assembled group had remained seated along the waterfront on folding chairs until past 10 PM the evening before, as no one had wanted to think about returning to their daily routine just yet. Asogi and Lestrade had retrieved some firewood from the house when the previously hot day temperatures had begun to drop, the provisional campfire they had started providing enough heat and light to keep them comfortable even after the sun had finally set.

As a result, none of them had been able to get more than about six hours of sleep by the time they had risen once more, and Barok privately assumed that at least Lestrade, Asogi, and Albert had made do with even less. While he was not certain what his friend had been doing prior to falling asleep, he was unfortunately all too aware of what had likely occupied the two young people, much as he did not want to think about it.

This is none of my business, as long as their affairs don't negatively impact their work.

At any rate, the quietude of their small part of the train was easily explained by the fact that currently, Barok was the only one fully awake – next to him, Albert had not turned the page of his book for at least half an hour, and although his friend's eyes remained open for the time being, his gaze was glassy and unfocused. On Albert's other side, Asogi had leaned his head back onto the top of the backrest, his eyelids closed and his mouth open slightly as he slept. Across from his assistant, Lestrade had rid herself of her boots to pull her legs up, her arms wrapped around them. She was leaning against the wall separating the compartment from the carriage's walkway, snoring quietly. Her dog had curled up behind the high shafts of the footwear on the floor, occasionally twitching while chasing something in his dreams. Iris, who was seated between Lestrade and Sholmes, was half-lying on her guardian's lap, likewise fast asleep. The detective, meanwhile, only occasionally blinked his eyes open to gaze down upon his ward with a smile, his hand gently brushing through her fringe again and again.

Truth be told, Barok rather enjoyed the peacefulness of the current moment – there was something to be said for having company, yet feeling no need to perform a specific role, nor to make trivial conversation to head off potential awkwardness. The compartment felt like a cocoon designed for him to relax after an eventful week and before he would have to return to the office for work.

He had just finished this thought when he felt something warm touching his right shoulder. Turning his head, he found that Albert had finally given in to the beckoning of dreamland, his book forgotten in his lap and his cheek pressed against Barok's upper arm.

While he had seen his friend worn out and even sleepy before, this was the first time he had a chance to watch Albert sleep. There was a touching innocence to his relaxed expression and his ever-so-slightly parted lips, to the way one of his hands still loosely held on to his reading material, to his glasses sitting on his nose slightly crookedly due to the way he had settled against Barok. Apparently, he favored a lavender-scented aftershave, the note mellowed out quite a bit this late in the afternoon, but still present in its clean, soothing lull.

Barok's face was close enough to his friend's head that some of Albert's more unruly curls brushed against the side of his nose, his hair surprisingly soft in spite of its stubbornness. For a moment, he found himself tempted to remove one of his gloves and let his palm run over it repeatedly, but resisted the urge – he might well awaken Albert with such a movement, and considering that Sholmes was not fully asleep, he would likely never hear the end of it if he succumbed to this impulse.

He trusts me enough to fall asleep while leaning on me. Somehow, it was never not surprising that Albert, for all of his occasional bouts of awkwardness, managed to always be completely open and straightforward in his friendly affection toward Barok, never not a source of pleasant warmth suffusing Barok whenever he realized it all over again.

I should let him rest until we arrive.

Smiling down at his slumbering friend, he did his best to shift his position without waking Albert to get more comfortable, likewise settling into a half-dozing state to conserve his energy until the time to disembark came.

Before he knew it, the train had pulled into Victoria Station and the conductor in the hallway shouted his announcement that they had reached the final stop. The racket served to awaken his companions, Albert scratching the back of his head in embarrassment almost as soon as he had opened his eyes and realized that he had used Barok's shoulder as a pillow.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you…"

"It was no bother, Albert. Don't worry about it."

"A-alright…"

A mere fifteen minutes later, railroad employees had unloaded all of the luggage stowed in the cargo carriage, and reunited the various bags and trunks with their rightful owners. The six travelers turned toward each other once it had become clear that the end of their journey had arrived at long last to say their goodbyes.

Lestrade and Asogi were the first to take their leave after the young woman suggested, "Want to share a cab and maybe stop at a chip shop for dinner before we 'ead 'ome?"

Nodding right away, the Japanese man responded, "Let's, I'm famished!"

Then turning toward Barok, he bowed slightly. "Thank you once again for the invitation, my Lord. Until tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll see you at the office."

Lestrade also chose to chime in. "Right, thanks for 'avin' us, it was good fun!"

I'm sure it was. Barok only barely managed to not voice this thought, instead replying, "You're welcome, Miss Lestrade."

Obviously convinced that all proprieties were satisfied, the young woman turned away from him after a nod, and reached for Asogi's sleeve. "C'mon, let's go eat, I'm starvin'!"

They were jogging down the stairs leading from the platform to the main station hall the next moment, Toby following them with an excited bark.

When Barok glanced over at the three Baker Street lodgers, Sholmes shrugged after looking at Albert and Iris in turn.

"Perhaps we should emulate those two and acquire something for dinner before returning home, as well – if we don't, I fear that we shall have difficulties finding back into regular life due to sleeping until noon tomorrow. It would be for the best if we all turned in early."

"I'd have to agree." While Barok was certainly capable of seeing to his duties on little sleep, he expected that a number of reports had accumulated during his absence, and would rather not read his way through them all after two consecutive nights of truncated slumber.

"Please come visit us for tea sometime next weekend, Barry!" The girl entreated, a smile temporarily displacing the fatigue her face had displayed. "It'd be sad if we didn't see you again soon after spending so much time with you this past week and a half."

"Barring a trial taking place Friday afternoon, I shall be by after leaving the office that day," Barok assured her with a smile of his own.

"We look forward to receiving you Friday, then," Sholmes added before half-turning toward the staircase. "Well… shall we, Professor, Iris…?"

Once they had left, Barok requested of one of the station employees to watch over his luggage while he went to send a telegram to his staff with orders to pick him up, surprised at how bereft of company he felt in spite of passing many a person on his way to the telegraph office.