At these revelations, Mrs Kendrick looked of two minds, unsure of whether to laugh or cry. For a moment I feared that she should either faint or go into hysterics, but she recovered herself quickly. "I suppose that it is rather lucky that events transpired as they did then," she noted, still slightly breathless with the shock of it all, "for the Royal Navy only began to use women as nurses a few years ago, and I had only barely finished serving out my first year when I first met my husband."

"However things have not been nearly so providential for Trumper and his associates," Holmes commented. "For as they found upon planning their attempt to gain control over the fortune, you and your uncle are now the sole remaining family members that may draw upon the funds. Should your children decide not to pursue some form of sea-service, you will be the last of the blood-line and the fortune will go to your heirs."

"In fact," Thomason added, "it was their inquiries that led your uncle to realize that you had fulfilled the requirements of the inheritance. He wrote to tell you of it, but the letter was intercepted."

"No good," Mrs Kendrick recalled, "K now it."

"Exactly," Thomason interjected. "Oh, but I am glad to see that you received all the letters I sent. I had feared that they would not get through to you, for I could not generally deliver them myself, lest George discover that I was onto him."

"We received the four," Holmes assured him, "although we determined their full meanings only yesterday."

"I regret to say that I did not recognize the code immediately," Mrs Kendrick told him, "else they should have been deciphered far earlier. I did not even think of it when I saw the notes, for it has been so long since last I used it, and the indications that we had once used not the same as in these notes. If only I had…"

"Only four?" cried Thomason in dismay, interrupting the lady. "I know that you have certainly received the message that I delivered myself to the doctor's home, for you knew how to contact me, but that means that you came into possession of only three others, when there was more than twice that number that you should have had."

"We received enough information that I was able to determine what was at stake and fill in the missing links between the information to know nearly the whole thing," Holmes assured the old sailor. "Had Mrs Kendrick not been so close to the matter, and had I not withheld information from her, she should herself have likely figured out the difficulty, though she would have been unable to take the necessary actions to prevent disaster."

"Have you acted then?" demanded Thomason fairly jumping to his feet. "If you have acted wrongly, then you have likely ended it all!"

"I needed hardly take action at all," Holmes assured him, "for natural events have contrived to keep Trumper from being able to act. Even he cannot take action when he is confined aboard ship."

"Of course," said Mrs Kendrick with a laugh. "No man, not even a captain, is able to disembark ship when it is under quarantine."

And with a sudden flash of clarity I understood. The epidemic that had cost me so much trouble had begun in the east of the city, the area where the docks were located and ships returning to London from the east would first encounter the English population. City officials were anxious to prevent another outbreak and to keep other areas of the country safe, so it was not unexpected that quarantine orders would be issued to all ships that left the same ports, preventing them from docking until they had been proved to carry no disease.

"Aye," agreed Thomason, dismay still in his voice, "but messages may be passed. Trumper still remains with the Navy and had managed to secure a posting to the ship where his friend and accomplice is captain. If they learn that we have discovered them and will reveal them, they will act against us the only way they may. Trumper and the captain, Brenner, will act against Doctor Kendrick, while their shore-bound accomplices will act against you here and against the old man. I ask again, what actions have you taken?"

Sherlock Holmes's posture did not change by so much as a single muscle. If he had any misgivings about his actions, or any doubt as to their outcome, he did not reveal any of them to us, and when he spoke, his voice was as calm and steady as I had ever heard it. "I am not without connections," said he, "and upon the steadfastness of these men I would stake my own life.

"You may well have just done that, sir," Thomason replied with perfect seriousness. "For it is no longer a secret that what George and his accomplices desire is here with you. If they learn they have been discovered, they will come here in search of it."

"I am not merely some object," Mrs Kendrick objected rightly. "And whatever plans have been set in motion, I insist upon being a part of them. There are more lives than just mine at stake in this." She was right, not only her life, but the lives of all her family depended on what actions we would now take.

I began softly, "There is nothing…"

"There is nothing more than may be done at this point," interjected Holmes. "There is nothing more that any of us may do until we have received word from my associates that all has been taken care of. Any rash action on our part would be the undoing of us all."

The clock began to strike the hour just as Holmes concluded his speech and Thomason turned toward it with a start. "I must take my leave from you now," the sailor stated, "else I be reported absent from my station. I leave you, Mr Holmes, and you, Doctor Watson, in charge of all I have worth guarding, the life of a dear friend."

Holmes nodded solemnly as the man collected his walking stick from near the door and shuffled off into the corridor. It was poor form for Holmes not to show the man out, and I rushed to do it. At the door, Thomason turned to me and grasped my hand. "Take care of her, doctor," he repeated gruffly, "for I promised Arthur that I should see her safe if it was the last thing I should ever do." I assured him once more that we would do everything in our powers to keep Mrs Kendrick from coming to any harm.

I returned up to our rooms with nothing but questions remaining. Although all things should have been clear, I was not satisfied with all that had been said. Why was the multi-layered cipher needed if both Trumper and Hancock knew all? Surely it was too cumbersome for simple use between the two of them. How had Trumper kept abreast of things if he had been at sea with Doctor Kendrick? What actions had Sherlock Holmes taken against Trumper?

Both Holmes and Mrs Kendrick were sitting in silence, neither one appearing ready to be the first to break the silence. I took the task upon myself, saying, "Surely the story is not finished here."

"No, Watson," replied Holmes seriously, "it is not."

I waited to see if he would be forthcoming with the rest of the details, but Holmes said nothing further. Instead he drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his long fingers around them, appearing deep in thought. For a case that was so nearly resolved, I did not see what further cause for deliberation there was, but did not make so bold to say so. Holmes would reveal his thoughts to us when it suited him, and he could not be pushed to do so before he was ready. I had long since learned that and had given up trying to force the issue.

Mrs Kendrick, however, was either unaware of this characteristic of Holmes's or she was determined to press him until he had revealed all he knew. "Mr Holmes," she began entreatingly, "there is nothing now to be gained by withholding information. Surely it is better if all is revealed."

"Except perhaps the delay of action," Holmes muttered. I was standing close and still I could barely distinguish the words. Mrs Kendrick, seated on the opposite side of the fire, had no chance and her face revealed that she had not been able to determine what Holmes had responded.

"There are a few things that have not yet fallen into place," said I, attempting to excuse Holmes. I knew nothing about what action he was attempting to prevent, for he had not shared his plans with me, but I trusted that he had reason for what he had done and what he was continuing to do. I hoped fervently that my trust would not be betrayed.

"I cannot profess to understand," replied Mrs Kendrick with a sigh, "for I am sure that Mr Holmes still knows more than he is willing to reveal to us."

"There is generally a method to his madness," I assured her. It felt strange to be discussing my friend as though he were not in the room, though he sat beside me, but Holmes himself did not move so much as a muscle as we spoke. He had lapsed into a state of deep concentration and would be disturbed by very little so long as he could maintain his high level of mental activity.

"Would you care for some breakfast?" I asked Mrs Kendrick, aware that Holmes would not think of his own physical needs until he had wound his problem to a conclusion.

"No, thank you," she replied, much to my surprise, "I think that I would rather sift through things at this juncture. There is so much that I was never made aware of."

"Of course," I assured her, watching as she leaned her head back against her chair and closed her eyes. It was unlike her thinking posture of earlier, and I could not help but wonder what thoughts now occupied her mind. No doubt she was worried for her husband, held captive by the potential of disease aboard ship with men who were his enemies.

I well remembered my own unease when I thought my own wife in danger, and was inclined to offer comfort to her, but she had made it clear that she did not much care for conversation at this juncture and I did not want to add to her worries in any way by inadvertently saying the wrong thing.