Chapter 20- Gifts of Parting
A light tap at the door beckoned my attention from my breakfast of sausage and scrambled eggs a few days later, heralding the stately form of our landlady into the room.
"What is it, Mrs. Hudson?" Holmes asked languidly without looking up from his morning paper, with his favourite clay pipe lodged firmly between his thin lips as it sent billows of acrid smoke curling around him.
"It's Miss Granger, sir," Mrs. Hudson replied, with fondness tangible in her voice. "She's come to say goodbye before she leaves."
"Really?" Holmes asked, folding away the newspaper hurriedly as he drew his penetrating gaze on our landlady. "Well, tell her to come in if she will."
The door opened obligingly behind Mrs. Hudson, revealing Kathryn Granger at the threshold, appearing recovered from her previous ordeal. Vigour and colour had returned to her pale complexion and her rosy lips were once again curved into gentle smile. The full splendour of her sparkling green eyes was once again hidden behind a pair of round wire-rimmed glasses and her dark sleek tresses of hair were once again tied elegantly into a knot behind her head. Her left hand supported a somewhat large leather rucksack slung over her shoulder, while her right was concealed within the folds of her burgundy robes and cloak.
"So are you really leaving," Holmes asked as he extracted his pipe from his mouth and rose from his lounging chair, "without even staying to hear any of the trials?"
"Yes, I'm afraid," Kathryn answered with a sheepish smile. "Inspector Gregson was good enough to record my account of the case in writing, so there is no need for me to appear in court. There is not much more I need to do in London, and I must return to Edinburgh before they get too near."
I raised my eyebrow questioningly as Holmes nodded gravely. 'Who on earth would want to go after her?' I pondered curiously. Neither Holmes not Kathryn seemed willing to elaborate on this mysterious "they," so I had to be satisfied with my own ruminations.
"So what is your situation with Scotland Yard?" Kathryn asked curiously as I returned my attention to the conversation before me.
"Dear old Lestrade was simply flooded with reports and other necessary paperwork at the conclusion of the case," Holmes replied amusedly. "Apparently your explanation is much harder to put into a report than he previously thought, especially with the lack of people to put in the dock. Luckily for me, everyone believed the solution of the case as you stated it, so there is little left for me to do; I have been given a full pardon and an official apology from the superintendent himself."
"What about Miss Thompson?"
Holmes's face turned slightly grim at this, and averted his gaze from Kathryn's penetrating eyes.
"Well, the situation is somewhat bleak for her," he admitted gravely. "She was the only survivor out of those who participated in the crime, which will make it more likely that a harsher punishment will be given. However, I have gotten the superintendent's assurance that the prosecution will push for leniency. At least she won't have to deal with Colonel Moran anymore- prison never seemed to do him much good, anyway."
Kathryn nodded in understanding, and a brief silence fell over us as each of us reminisced over the recent events.
"Before I take my leave, I want to thank both of you for making my time in London so enjoyable," Kathryn stated gratefully as she tactfully broke the silence. "You've given me the inspiration I need to start my next novel."
"I assure you that the pleasure was ours, though unfortunately I didn't seem to have too much time to chat," Holmes commented wryly. "I think that I owe you thanks for getting me out of the dock as effectively as you did. I think the look on Lestrade's face when he apologised to me was priceless- it certainly made up for those lonely nights with only my own mind as company."
A keen grin tugged playfully at Kathryn's lips. "All your thanks must go to Dr. Watson, I'm afraid," she stated amusedly, turning her gaze to me. "Holmes, you aren't generous enough with your compliments of him."
She pulled out her hand from the folds of her traveller's cloak, bearing a thick sheaf of papers bound tightly with scarlet string, before handing it to me. "I think you'll find this an enlightening read," she commented knowingly, shifting her glance to Holmes, before her eyes rested on the cover page of the manuscript.
"'University Life,'" I read aloud with curiosity the title neatly handwritten in long, looping letters. There was a small note attached to the front written with pencil in the same legible hand, which read:
'My dear Dr. Watson,
'Once again, I must say that I am indebted to you for the services
that you have done both for me and for Mr. Sherlock Holmes. The
friendship that you share with Holmes is of a special calibre, and I'm
sure that you will treasure it always in your memory.
'I seem to recall the fact that you expressed interest in the events
surrounding my acquaintance with Holmes during our years at Cambridge.
I must confess to you that we have not been entirely frank in our
brief summaries of those episodes in our lives, due to my own
reluctance, I'm afraid. I apologise now for not doing justice to your
inquiries, and only hope that this manuscript will help you understand
my motives. The document details the time of our previous association,
including the cases and adventures that we had encountered. Hopefully,
this will give you some more insight on your friend's past, which can
be useful in more ways than one.
'You may do with this in any way that you see fit; I trust you to use
it in the best way possible.
'Very sincerely yours,
'Kathryn Granger
'P.S. Judging from the state of things, it seems that we will meet
again soon. Keep well till then.'
"Thank you," I breathed in amazement as I looked up into Kathryn's joyful face.
"It was the least I could do for a friend," she replied, with her eyes twinkling as brightly as stars.
"I think he'll be bored to death reading about our younger selves scooting about this way and that," Holmes drawled sardonically, eyeing the papers with interest.
"Don't be silly, Holmes" Kathryn chided lightly. "We weren't that vapid, to my recollection."
"No, I suppose not," conceded Holmes with a seemingly nonchalant shrug, but I could tell from his eyes that the past was far from always pleasant. "Oh, this reminds me of something!" he exclaimed, before striding swiftly towards his room.
"What's that about?" I wondered quietly, looking enquiringly at my long- time friend's rapidly retreating figure.
"I'm not sure," Kathryn answered, as equally puzzled as I. "Holmes, my train leaves in an hour- please, don't make me late."
"It is impossible for you to be late, Granger," Holmes countered returning to his position at the breakfast table. "You are always exactly on time. In any case, the station is only half an hour away at most."
Kathryn sighed exasperatedly. "Well, what was all the fuss about? Aren't you going to show us what you retrieved from your room?"
"Oh, very well," Holmes replied, equally exasperated. "Whatever happened to your patience?"
"Holmes." Kathryn began warningly.
Holmes smirked mischievously, before plunging his wiry hand into the depths of his trouser pocket. He extracted a small lacquered wooden box engraved with a small violin upon the lid. "Open it," he beckoned, holding out the box before him.
Kathryn shot Holmes a gauging glance, before cautiously reaching for the box. Slowly, she slid open the carved cover, before gasping in amazement at the contents within.
"It's beautiful, Holmes," she exclaimed, picking the brooch from the box. The pin was in the shape of a sword placed between a pair of golden wings and entwined with twin spirals of silver snaking from the hilt to the very tip similar to the Staff of Hermes. The central jewel was a gleaming emerald, the size and colour of which comparable only to Kathryn's twinkling orbs. It was affixed onto the sword's golden blade placed in between the wings. A smaller emerald accompanied this, secured onto the sword's hilt and surrounded by smaller rubies that gleamed at the tips of the handle.
"It's a belated Christmas present," replied Holmes, winking. "I never had a chance to give it to you before, so I hope it was worth the wait."
"Thank you so much for everything," Kathryn uttered appreciatively, beaming as she fixed the brooch onto her cloak, "I will wear it always, and it will remind me of happier times."
Holmes returned the smile warmly, before heading to the door. "I believe you have a train to catch, Granger. We'll just come and see you off, won't we, Watson?"
My gaze shifted from Kathryn to Holmes, before shaking my head slowly. "I think I'll stay here and start on this story you've given me," I answered, knowing that my two companions were seeking some time for private conversation.
"I'm impressed, Granger," Holmes commented with a laugh. "You're writing's so good, that you've enticed him into reading the story when he hasn't even opened the book, yet."
Kathryn smiled warmly at the joke before returning her gaze to me. "It was an honour meeting you, Doctor."
"It's been nice working with you as well, Miss Granger," I said, bowing. "I hope that we will meet again, someday."
"We will, Doctor, don't worry," Kathryn replied assuredly. "See you soon."
"Goodbye."
With that, she turned and followed Holmes out of the room, slipping the door closed behind her with a soft click. I sighed, realising that I was left to my own thoughts once again, and turned to look at the thick pages of the handwritten manuscript still in my hands. Holmes's joke had held a grain of truth behind it, as I felt intrigued just pondering about the possible tales told and the secrets, long forgotten with the passage of time, that would be revealed in the text. Taking my unfinished cup of coffee from the breakfast table, I made my way towards the fireplace at a leisurely pace. I settled down comfortably in my favourite easy chair before I turned to the first page and began to read.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Well, that's the end of "New Ally." I really hope you enjoyed reading this story, and if not, feel free to flame me all you want. As you can see, this story ties directly into "University Life," which will hopefully get another update soon. Once again, thanks a lot to all of you who reviewed!
A light tap at the door beckoned my attention from my breakfast of sausage and scrambled eggs a few days later, heralding the stately form of our landlady into the room.
"What is it, Mrs. Hudson?" Holmes asked languidly without looking up from his morning paper, with his favourite clay pipe lodged firmly between his thin lips as it sent billows of acrid smoke curling around him.
"It's Miss Granger, sir," Mrs. Hudson replied, with fondness tangible in her voice. "She's come to say goodbye before she leaves."
"Really?" Holmes asked, folding away the newspaper hurriedly as he drew his penetrating gaze on our landlady. "Well, tell her to come in if she will."
The door opened obligingly behind Mrs. Hudson, revealing Kathryn Granger at the threshold, appearing recovered from her previous ordeal. Vigour and colour had returned to her pale complexion and her rosy lips were once again curved into gentle smile. The full splendour of her sparkling green eyes was once again hidden behind a pair of round wire-rimmed glasses and her dark sleek tresses of hair were once again tied elegantly into a knot behind her head. Her left hand supported a somewhat large leather rucksack slung over her shoulder, while her right was concealed within the folds of her burgundy robes and cloak.
"So are you really leaving," Holmes asked as he extracted his pipe from his mouth and rose from his lounging chair, "without even staying to hear any of the trials?"
"Yes, I'm afraid," Kathryn answered with a sheepish smile. "Inspector Gregson was good enough to record my account of the case in writing, so there is no need for me to appear in court. There is not much more I need to do in London, and I must return to Edinburgh before they get too near."
I raised my eyebrow questioningly as Holmes nodded gravely. 'Who on earth would want to go after her?' I pondered curiously. Neither Holmes not Kathryn seemed willing to elaborate on this mysterious "they," so I had to be satisfied with my own ruminations.
"So what is your situation with Scotland Yard?" Kathryn asked curiously as I returned my attention to the conversation before me.
"Dear old Lestrade was simply flooded with reports and other necessary paperwork at the conclusion of the case," Holmes replied amusedly. "Apparently your explanation is much harder to put into a report than he previously thought, especially with the lack of people to put in the dock. Luckily for me, everyone believed the solution of the case as you stated it, so there is little left for me to do; I have been given a full pardon and an official apology from the superintendent himself."
"What about Miss Thompson?"
Holmes's face turned slightly grim at this, and averted his gaze from Kathryn's penetrating eyes.
"Well, the situation is somewhat bleak for her," he admitted gravely. "She was the only survivor out of those who participated in the crime, which will make it more likely that a harsher punishment will be given. However, I have gotten the superintendent's assurance that the prosecution will push for leniency. At least she won't have to deal with Colonel Moran anymore- prison never seemed to do him much good, anyway."
Kathryn nodded in understanding, and a brief silence fell over us as each of us reminisced over the recent events.
"Before I take my leave, I want to thank both of you for making my time in London so enjoyable," Kathryn stated gratefully as she tactfully broke the silence. "You've given me the inspiration I need to start my next novel."
"I assure you that the pleasure was ours, though unfortunately I didn't seem to have too much time to chat," Holmes commented wryly. "I think that I owe you thanks for getting me out of the dock as effectively as you did. I think the look on Lestrade's face when he apologised to me was priceless- it certainly made up for those lonely nights with only my own mind as company."
A keen grin tugged playfully at Kathryn's lips. "All your thanks must go to Dr. Watson, I'm afraid," she stated amusedly, turning her gaze to me. "Holmes, you aren't generous enough with your compliments of him."
She pulled out her hand from the folds of her traveller's cloak, bearing a thick sheaf of papers bound tightly with scarlet string, before handing it to me. "I think you'll find this an enlightening read," she commented knowingly, shifting her glance to Holmes, before her eyes rested on the cover page of the manuscript.
"'University Life,'" I read aloud with curiosity the title neatly handwritten in long, looping letters. There was a small note attached to the front written with pencil in the same legible hand, which read:
'My dear Dr. Watson,
'Once again, I must say that I am indebted to you for the services
that you have done both for me and for Mr. Sherlock Holmes. The
friendship that you share with Holmes is of a special calibre, and I'm
sure that you will treasure it always in your memory.
'I seem to recall the fact that you expressed interest in the events
surrounding my acquaintance with Holmes during our years at Cambridge.
I must confess to you that we have not been entirely frank in our
brief summaries of those episodes in our lives, due to my own
reluctance, I'm afraid. I apologise now for not doing justice to your
inquiries, and only hope that this manuscript will help you understand
my motives. The document details the time of our previous association,
including the cases and adventures that we had encountered. Hopefully,
this will give you some more insight on your friend's past, which can
be useful in more ways than one.
'You may do with this in any way that you see fit; I trust you to use
it in the best way possible.
'Very sincerely yours,
'Kathryn Granger
'P.S. Judging from the state of things, it seems that we will meet
again soon. Keep well till then.'
"Thank you," I breathed in amazement as I looked up into Kathryn's joyful face.
"It was the least I could do for a friend," she replied, with her eyes twinkling as brightly as stars.
"I think he'll be bored to death reading about our younger selves scooting about this way and that," Holmes drawled sardonically, eyeing the papers with interest.
"Don't be silly, Holmes" Kathryn chided lightly. "We weren't that vapid, to my recollection."
"No, I suppose not," conceded Holmes with a seemingly nonchalant shrug, but I could tell from his eyes that the past was far from always pleasant. "Oh, this reminds me of something!" he exclaimed, before striding swiftly towards his room.
"What's that about?" I wondered quietly, looking enquiringly at my long- time friend's rapidly retreating figure.
"I'm not sure," Kathryn answered, as equally puzzled as I. "Holmes, my train leaves in an hour- please, don't make me late."
"It is impossible for you to be late, Granger," Holmes countered returning to his position at the breakfast table. "You are always exactly on time. In any case, the station is only half an hour away at most."
Kathryn sighed exasperatedly. "Well, what was all the fuss about? Aren't you going to show us what you retrieved from your room?"
"Oh, very well," Holmes replied, equally exasperated. "Whatever happened to your patience?"
"Holmes." Kathryn began warningly.
Holmes smirked mischievously, before plunging his wiry hand into the depths of his trouser pocket. He extracted a small lacquered wooden box engraved with a small violin upon the lid. "Open it," he beckoned, holding out the box before him.
Kathryn shot Holmes a gauging glance, before cautiously reaching for the box. Slowly, she slid open the carved cover, before gasping in amazement at the contents within.
"It's beautiful, Holmes," she exclaimed, picking the brooch from the box. The pin was in the shape of a sword placed between a pair of golden wings and entwined with twin spirals of silver snaking from the hilt to the very tip similar to the Staff of Hermes. The central jewel was a gleaming emerald, the size and colour of which comparable only to Kathryn's twinkling orbs. It was affixed onto the sword's golden blade placed in between the wings. A smaller emerald accompanied this, secured onto the sword's hilt and surrounded by smaller rubies that gleamed at the tips of the handle.
"It's a belated Christmas present," replied Holmes, winking. "I never had a chance to give it to you before, so I hope it was worth the wait."
"Thank you so much for everything," Kathryn uttered appreciatively, beaming as she fixed the brooch onto her cloak, "I will wear it always, and it will remind me of happier times."
Holmes returned the smile warmly, before heading to the door. "I believe you have a train to catch, Granger. We'll just come and see you off, won't we, Watson?"
My gaze shifted from Kathryn to Holmes, before shaking my head slowly. "I think I'll stay here and start on this story you've given me," I answered, knowing that my two companions were seeking some time for private conversation.
"I'm impressed, Granger," Holmes commented with a laugh. "You're writing's so good, that you've enticed him into reading the story when he hasn't even opened the book, yet."
Kathryn smiled warmly at the joke before returning her gaze to me. "It was an honour meeting you, Doctor."
"It's been nice working with you as well, Miss Granger," I said, bowing. "I hope that we will meet again, someday."
"We will, Doctor, don't worry," Kathryn replied assuredly. "See you soon."
"Goodbye."
With that, she turned and followed Holmes out of the room, slipping the door closed behind her with a soft click. I sighed, realising that I was left to my own thoughts once again, and turned to look at the thick pages of the handwritten manuscript still in my hands. Holmes's joke had held a grain of truth behind it, as I felt intrigued just pondering about the possible tales told and the secrets, long forgotten with the passage of time, that would be revealed in the text. Taking my unfinished cup of coffee from the breakfast table, I made my way towards the fireplace at a leisurely pace. I settled down comfortably in my favourite easy chair before I turned to the first page and began to read.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Well, that's the end of "New Ally." I really hope you enjoyed reading this story, and if not, feel free to flame me all you want. As you can see, this story ties directly into "University Life," which will hopefully get another update soon. Once again, thanks a lot to all of you who reviewed!