A/N: Hello, This is my sequel to the Ultimate Challenge I do not own
anything that has to do with Sherlock Holmes, such as Watson, Sherlock,
etc. I do, however own Julia Stamford and Kathryn Granger. Enjoy and please
R/R!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over three months had passed after the kidnapping of Sherlock Holmes, which I described in the account, "The Ultimate Challenge". Nothing more had been heard of Colonel Moran, or of Julia Stamford. The event had almost slipped out of our minds, when a particularly singular train of events brought it back into clear memory
Sherlock Holmes and I had been strolling in Hyde Park on a beautiful, summer morning when this singular chain of events begins. He had been silent all morning, and had been in deep thought. Suddenly, he said, "Oh, and by the way Watson, are you free for the next few days?"
"Why yes," I replied, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, a very good friend of mine if coming to London to visit me for about three weeks, and I was wondering if you would like to meet her."
"Her?" I asked incredulously, "Who is she?"
Holmes's face broke into a small smile, and said, "Her name is Kathryn Granger and she is a writer by profession. I met her when I was at university and she later helped me on one of my little cases. She is one of the foremost members of the fair sex. She is a very bright lady and I think you'll like her very much."
"How did you come to meet her?" I asked.
"It was when I first went to Cambridge for my university education. I had just decided on my career as a detective after my happenings with Victor Trevor and the 'Gloria Scott'. She sat next to me in my chemistry class for several weeks, but we had hardly exchanged a word of conversation. Then, on the first day of the lab work, we were paired up together. We had just set up our experiment, when I accidentally knocked over a beaker of acetic acid all over her hand. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get it off in time and her hand was badly burned.
"I was very distraught at having caused Kathryn Granger her wound and was anxious to see if it healed. For the next few days, I inquired upon her, and in the mean time we had become fast friends. By the time her hand fully healed, we had become very close friends. We had many things in common and could sit and talk for hours.
"She is a very complex person, and is a very remarkable exception to her sex. She is energetic and vivacious, yet introspective and calm. She shares my talents for observation and deduction, and her gift for imagination greatly surpasses my own. But do not let me bias your judgement of her, for you will get to meet her soon enough."
I had never heard him talking about any woman in that fashion and was very impressed by the way she made an impact on him.
*************************************************************
She called on us the next morning after we had finished breakfast. Kathryn Granger was a tall, vivacious woman in her mid thirties. She had a pair of sparkling green eyes, which held the clear, introspective gaze that I had often seen with Holmes. Her long, jet-black hair was tied elegantly into a knot at the back of her head. She held herself very elegantly, and her whole complexion was very attractive, but she had a mischievous, mysterious tone to her, as though she was always hiding something.
"I am very pleased to meet you," she said in a silky but firm voice after Holmes has introduced us. "Holmes had spoken highly of you in his letter to me a fortnight ago. I have read many of your chronicled adventures of him and I find your style of writing very refreshing."
"Thank you very much." I replied, "So, what brings you to London?"
Kathryn smiled and answered, "Well, I've come here to get a little inspiration for my next novel. I was thinking of writing a mystery, and what better place to go than the home of the greatest detective in the world?"
"My blushes, Granger." Holmes said sardonically, "Watson and I were planning to go to Covent Garden this evening at seven o'clock to see the beginning of the Summer Music Festival. Would you like to join us? I think they are playing several pieces by the notorious composer, Camille Saint- Saëns."
"Of course I'll come. Saint-Saëns is one of my favourite composers," replied Kathryn, a little flattered, "I'll come around at six o'clock."
We continued to talk for some time, Holmes had been telling her about some recent cases and of his kidnapping. Kathryn had been very interested and sometimes had commented as how she would herself have handled the cases, had she been there. By the time she left us, Kathryn Granger had struck me as being a very extraordinary woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over three months had passed after the kidnapping of Sherlock Holmes, which I described in the account, "The Ultimate Challenge". Nothing more had been heard of Colonel Moran, or of Julia Stamford. The event had almost slipped out of our minds, when a particularly singular train of events brought it back into clear memory
Sherlock Holmes and I had been strolling in Hyde Park on a beautiful, summer morning when this singular chain of events begins. He had been silent all morning, and had been in deep thought. Suddenly, he said, "Oh, and by the way Watson, are you free for the next few days?"
"Why yes," I replied, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, a very good friend of mine if coming to London to visit me for about three weeks, and I was wondering if you would like to meet her."
"Her?" I asked incredulously, "Who is she?"
Holmes's face broke into a small smile, and said, "Her name is Kathryn Granger and she is a writer by profession. I met her when I was at university and she later helped me on one of my little cases. She is one of the foremost members of the fair sex. She is a very bright lady and I think you'll like her very much."
"How did you come to meet her?" I asked.
"It was when I first went to Cambridge for my university education. I had just decided on my career as a detective after my happenings with Victor Trevor and the 'Gloria Scott'. She sat next to me in my chemistry class for several weeks, but we had hardly exchanged a word of conversation. Then, on the first day of the lab work, we were paired up together. We had just set up our experiment, when I accidentally knocked over a beaker of acetic acid all over her hand. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get it off in time and her hand was badly burned.
"I was very distraught at having caused Kathryn Granger her wound and was anxious to see if it healed. For the next few days, I inquired upon her, and in the mean time we had become fast friends. By the time her hand fully healed, we had become very close friends. We had many things in common and could sit and talk for hours.
"She is a very complex person, and is a very remarkable exception to her sex. She is energetic and vivacious, yet introspective and calm. She shares my talents for observation and deduction, and her gift for imagination greatly surpasses my own. But do not let me bias your judgement of her, for you will get to meet her soon enough."
I had never heard him talking about any woman in that fashion and was very impressed by the way she made an impact on him.
*************************************************************
She called on us the next morning after we had finished breakfast. Kathryn Granger was a tall, vivacious woman in her mid thirties. She had a pair of sparkling green eyes, which held the clear, introspective gaze that I had often seen with Holmes. Her long, jet-black hair was tied elegantly into a knot at the back of her head. She held herself very elegantly, and her whole complexion was very attractive, but she had a mischievous, mysterious tone to her, as though she was always hiding something.
"I am very pleased to meet you," she said in a silky but firm voice after Holmes has introduced us. "Holmes had spoken highly of you in his letter to me a fortnight ago. I have read many of your chronicled adventures of him and I find your style of writing very refreshing."
"Thank you very much." I replied, "So, what brings you to London?"
Kathryn smiled and answered, "Well, I've come here to get a little inspiration for my next novel. I was thinking of writing a mystery, and what better place to go than the home of the greatest detective in the world?"
"My blushes, Granger." Holmes said sardonically, "Watson and I were planning to go to Covent Garden this evening at seven o'clock to see the beginning of the Summer Music Festival. Would you like to join us? I think they are playing several pieces by the notorious composer, Camille Saint- Saëns."
"Of course I'll come. Saint-Saëns is one of my favourite composers," replied Kathryn, a little flattered, "I'll come around at six o'clock."
We continued to talk for some time, Holmes had been telling her about some recent cases and of his kidnapping. Kathryn had been very interested and sometimes had commented as how she would herself have handled the cases, had she been there. By the time she left us, Kathryn Granger had struck me as being a very extraordinary woman.