Author's note: I am changing my cover picture to the same one as I used for my first honeymoon story. I received permission to use it again from the talented myqueenismollyhooper.


Sherlock woke to discover Molly was no longer in bed with him. He sat up and saw she was sitting at a little table, using her iPad.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

Molly turned her head towards him. "I thought it might be nice to look for a church we can attend, seeing as it's Sunday."

"Any luck?"

"Actually, yes. Holy Trinity Church is close, and they have a service at ten. It also happens to be the church Shakespeare attended. But I have to call and make a reservation."

I assume the denomination is Church of England?"

Molly smiled at him. "Yes. Like we both attended as children. I'm used to the more informal style of worship at our church, but I think it would be nice to revisit one that does things in a more liturgical way. But they need you to call ahead to make sure they can accommodate you because of Covid. Can you please grab my phone from the dressing table?"

"Of course." Sherlock got out of bed, noting that Molly had already set out clothes for him. He didn't dress immediately, but retrieved Molly's phone and handed it to her. "I hope they have room for us. It would be interesting to experience a different style of worship."

He put on his boxers and listened to Molly as she called the church, but only reached an answering machine.

Noticing her disappointed look, Sherlock said, "It's not even eight o'clock. You can try again after breakfast."

She looked down at herself in her sleeveless summer dress, and a sudden twinge of sorrow twisted Sherlock's lips as he realised it was the dress she had worn not only for Easter, but that it had also been the day she had miscarried. "I dressed up especially for church." She noticed his expression and added, "I'd like to have a good memory to associate with this dress."

He nodded. "That is a good idea."

She raised her phone again and changed the subject. "I'll call Kara now to say we are ready for breakfast."

That was Sherlock's cue to get a move on, and he dressed in the purple shirt Molly had given him on his birthday the previous year to replace his old one, as well as his trousers from yesterday. If they did go to church, his trousers were definitely a better choice than the jeans she had insisted he also pack.

A few minutes later, they went downstairs and enjoyed a hearty English breakfast, courtesy of Kara's excellent cooking.

As Kara set the plates before them, she said, "I'm so glad you are doing the jigsaw puzzle. That box has been sitting on the shelf since we bought it three years ago. I thought it might be a pleasant activity, but perhaps it is too time-consuming for most couples."

"Sherlock and I enjoy puzzles," said Molly. "We couldn't find one of the edge pieces yesterday, and Sherlock wondered if a piece might be missing."

A crease formed between Kara's brows. "I don't think anything should be missing, unless the manufacturers made a mistake. Like I said, I don't think anyone has ever attempted the puzzle that I know of."

"I'm sure it will turn up, in that case. We must have just missed it," said Molly.

"I hope so. Well, enjoy your breakfast. I'm going to go back to my place to get ready for church, and then I'll be back to take care of the dishes before I head down to do the bell ringing before the service."

"We are planning on attending church this morning also, if we are given permission to come. Molly tried calling but got an answering machine, so we'll have to try calling again," said Sherlock.

Kara gave him a quizzical glance. "Our church requires reservations because of Covid, because it's also a historical church that attracts a lot of tourists. Martin and I go to the Holy Trinity Church. Is that the one you'd like to go to this morning?"

Sherlock smiled. "Indeed, it is."

Kara beamed. "In that case, let me call my friend and make sure you're added to the list. She's the church secretary."

Molly beamed. "That's so kind of you!"

Kara left them and returned fifteen minutes later, wearing a dress, rather than the more casual attire she had worn to cook their breakfast. "You're all set. You can check out the Covid regulations on the website, but in case you don't get a chance, I'll just tell you that when you arrive, you have to sign in for the purposes of contact tracing should the need arise. And face coverings are mandatory as well right now."

"Thank you," said Sherlock. "We will keep that in mind."

"If you are interested in doing a tour, the church is also open to the public for tours at noon."

Sherlock and Molly exchanged glances. "I noticed that on the website, and I think it would be lovely to do that."

Sherlock nodded. "Yes, we will definitely do that. Thank you for the delicious breakfast."

Kara picked up their finished plates. "You're most welcome. I'd offer to have you ride to church with us, but Martin and I have to be there more than half an hour before the service to participate in the bell ringing. If you arrive a few minutes early, you'll get to hear it more clearly, but you can still hear the bells even from here."

"We will definitely come a little early," Molly answered for both of them. "And, as Sherlock said, the breakfast was delicious. Thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll see you at church then," said Kara with a smile, heading off to the kitchen with the plates.

"Well, we have over an hour before we need to leave for church," said Sherlock. "Should we work a little on the puzzle or do something else?" He gave her a decidedly suggestive look.

Molly raised a brow. "As in, go upstairs and remove the clothing we dressed in for church?"

He grinned. "Perhaps."

She stood and moved to where the jigsaw puzzle awaited. "I'd prefer to wait so we do not have to feel rushed. We will have plenty of time this afternoon and evening."

He pouted. She was right, but that didn't mean he couldn't be a little disappointing. "Very well."

He joined her, and they worked together on the puzzle until it was time to leave. The missing edge piece remained elusive for the time being.

Sherlock drove to the church and parked a little distance away. They could already hear the sound of many bells with different tones ringing, and he enjoyed the joyful sound.

They exited the car and Molly said, handing Sherlock his mask, "I love the sound of the bells. It must be so much fun to pull them."

"I imagine it takes a good amount of endurance to ring a bell for an extended period of time," noted Sherlock.

They entered the church and used the hand sanitiser provided, then signed their names in the book before following several other people and finding an empty pew near the back.

Just before the service started, Sherlock observed Kara and her husband coming in, and they headed to a pew several rows ahead, waving as they passed by.

Sherlock enjoyed the service, although it was definitely a change from what he had become accustomed to. The vicar wore a robe of green with embroidered designs on it, including sheaves of wheat.

There was a choir, which sang on a couple of occasions during the service.

Despite the liturgical nature of the service, Sherlock noted the concession to technology, with two view screens that showed responses, prayers and words for the hymns. He also saw the camera that indicated the service was being streamed. He wondered if the church had only begun streaming during Covid. It was a very recent development at his own church, where they were now also live streaming. Elisabeth, who was excellent when it came to all things of a technological nature, had volunteered to take charge of this task, and her boyfriend, Timéo, had volunteered to oversee the use of the video camera. It was good to see that young couple working together, and they had found other volunteers within the church to help them.

At one point during a hymn Sherlock didn't recognise, Molly leaned close to say, "Isn't the pipe organ splendid? Quite a change from having just a piano for the hymns."

"It is indeed." Sherlock also enjoyed the sonorous sounds that emanated from the magnificent instrument, and it was true that hymns definitely sounded more majestic on a pipe organ.

Sherlock found the communion celebration, or the Eucharist, as it was called, quite different from what he had become accustomed to at his church where things were less formal. Here, everyone walked forward as directed to receive communion, keeping socially distanced. The vicar donned a mask also for communion.

Sherlock was able to enjoy singing the final hymn, "Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer," as one he was familiar with from church. Singing through a mask was not ideal, but it felt good to sing. Congregational singing had only recommenced at his church weeks earlier, but the church council had agreed that masks should no longer be mandated, and that mask wearing should be at the personal discretion of the congregants. Being fully vaccinated, he and Molly no longer wore them at church, feeling that the vaccine afforded them the best protection from contracting the virus, or at least reducing the risk of serious illness if they contracted it.

Sherlock knew there was continuing debate over mask effectiveness, but he and Molly were definitely of the same mindset, that people should be free to make their own decisions. At this point, all adults had had the chance to be vaccinated, and if they chose to not have the jab, they were obviously willing to deal with any consequences that might result from that decision. It was a matter of personal liberty.

When the church service ended, Sherlock looked at his watch. It was almost a quarter past eleven. He took Molly's hand, and they exited the church.

"Why don't we get an early lunch, and then we will come back for a little tour after it opens at noon?" he suggested to Molly once they had emerged.

"Sounds good to me."

A throat clearing caused Sherlock to turn his head to see Kara and Martin behind them. "I didn't mean to overhear," she said apologetically, "but you'll have a hard time finding anything open before midday."

"Oh." He looked at Molly. "I guess we will just return to the B&B then for a little while."

"Feel free to help yourself to the fruit that is on the kitchen counter," said Kara. "And I was planning on bringing up some scones I baked yesterday, if you'd like those so you don't have to go out for lunch."

Molly responded before Sherlock had a chance. "Thank you, Kara. That sounds lovely. And I really enjoyed the bell-ringing, as well as the worship service. I think it's great that you live stream your services too."

"As we were going out, I just overheard the sound technician say there was a problem with the audio cable today, so it looks like people won't be able to actually hear the service, unfortunately," said Martin.

"What a shame," said Molly. "Our own church has just begun live streaming services. Guess Covid has been good for something."

"Yes, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining," agreed Kara. "Well, I will pop up to the B&B with those scones when we get home. See you soon."

Molly was already responding with a "Thanks, Kara," before Sherlock could even give his own word of thanks.

He took off his mask and handed it to Molly as usual. She always took care of the infernal things.

They strolled to the car, hand in hand.

Fifteen minutes later, they were back at Shadyside Guest Cottage, eating their early lunch.

"Almost as good as Martha's, but not quite," said Molly. "She has yet to tell me her secret ingredient."

"The secret ingredient must be love," quipped Sherlock with a grin.

When they had finished eating, they took their plates to the kitchen. "Ready to go and have that tour?" asked Molly.

Sherlock pulled her close. "There's no hurry. You look beautiful in that dress, but I'm thinking I'd quite like to see you out of it." He pressed a kiss to her neck and tugged a strap downwards to kiss her shoulder. He raised his head to look into her eyes. "No bra, I see."

Molly giggled. Well, when I wore the dress at Easter, I noticed that my bra strap was showing, so I thought this time I wouldn't bother."

"Mmm, I approve." He bent his head to kiss her lips this time, reaching at the same time to pull the other shoulder strap downwards.

She pulled her mouth away from his. "Sherlock, don't you think we should finish this in our bedroom?"

"Spoilsport," he muttered with a pout, but as usual, she was right. A kitchen was not exactly the ideal location.

He contemplated whether to lift Molly into his arms, but the thought of ascending a flight of stairs with her was not very appealing.

Fortunately, Molly grabbed his hand, making the decision for him, and she pulled at him to go upstairs.

In the bedroom, Molly gave him a coquettish look and said, "Now you may continue."

It really was quite liberating to be able to make love to his wife in the middle of the afternoon, with no need to worry about one of the girls interrupting them. Sherlock took full advantage of that fact, savouring every moment as he and Molly removed each other's clothes before falling onto the bed and enjoying a most satisfying, uninterrupted lovemaking experience.

Sherlock was in no hurry to get up afterwards. He just enjoyed having Molly in his arms.

Finally, it was Molly who sat up. She tugged at Sherlock's hand as he was about to drift off to sleep. Come on, honey, let's go."

He opened his eyes and yawned. "Do we have to? Why don't we do it tomorrow instead?"

Molly pursed her lips. "We decided to do this today, and you know I don't like procrastination. Come on. You'll be fine once you are dressed."

Sherlock sat up as well. He could never argue with his wife, nor did he care too. "Very well," he said with an exaggerated huff, just so Molly would know what a concession he was making in acceding to her wishes.

Not surprisingly, she called him on it. "Drama queen."

They dressed and were back at the church in fifteen minutes. Sherlock had suggested Molly drive, and she was thrilled to accept the offer, even though it meant adjusting the seat for her smaller frame and the mirrors.

At the church, Molly said, "I think we don't need to worry about going back inside the main church area, seeing as we were there this morning. I'd like to visit the chancel, where Shakespeare is buried."

Sherlock was happy to follow Molly's lead.

They paid a small admission fee to enter the chancel. Inside were the graves of several people, including Shakespeare, his wife and oldest daughter.

Off to the side was a stone font. "Look at the font, Sherlock," Molly said with a note of enthusiasm in her voice. "Just think, that would have been where Shakespeare was baptised as a baby."

There was also a bust of Shakespeare in the chancel, but Sherlock found most interesting the epitaph at the rear of Shakespeare's grave, which he read aloud. "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones."

"That's rather grim, isn't it?" said Molly, with a little grimace.

"It is, rather," Sherlock agreed.

They visited other areas, including The Clopton Chapel, which held an elaborate tomb containing the remains of a couple who died in the 17th century.

Molly read the various information posters that were situated in different places, and Sherlock recalled her enthusiasm in reading all about Shakespeare during their honeymoon. He was content to let Molly talk about what the posters contained, rather than bothering to read them himself.

Sherlock was glad there were not many visitors today. He still recalled having difficulty with sensory overload on the day he and Molly had visited Shakespeare's birthplace. Hearing incessant chatter from foreigners, and smelling the various scents of their bodies had caused his brain to start analysing, and it was too much at once. Molly had sensed his distress and had drawn him outside, away from the crowd. She was always so perceptive and sensitive to his moods. It was another of the many things he appreciated about her.

Sherlock dutifully followed Molly to wherever she wanted to go. She was fascinated by all the history of things. Sherlock was more interested in current events. In recent years he also enjoyed watching live performances of operas or other entertainments, but he didn't mind indulging Molly. Perhaps it was part of her love of historical romance stories as well.

Finally, Molly said, "Alright, I think we've seen everything I was interested in." She slipped her hand into Sherlock's. "Thanks for walking around with me and being patient."

He squeezed her hand. "When you are happy, so am I."

Molly's eyes crinkled at the corners, and he knew she was smiling behind her mask. "I love you so much, Sherlock."

"I love you too. So, what now? Should we head back to the B&B?"

Molly took off her mask as they walked, now that they were a little way from the church. "I was thinking I'd love to do something special, like go get ice cream."

"When we get to the car," said Sherlock, taking off his own mask and handing it to Molly as he had done earlier, "I'll do a search for ice cream places on my phone."

When they reached the car, Sherlock opened the driver's side for Molly and went around to the passenger side. He didn't mind her driving around the town, but he hoped she wouldn't ask to drive home on Saturday. He preferred to be the one behind the wheel on the longer drive. Reaching into his pocket, Sherlock took out his phone and did a search and squinted at the screen. He should have brought his reading glasses. He pinched the screen to zoom it in and enlarge the results. "This one sounds promising, and it's not far from Sheep Street either."

Molly leaned across and said aloud, "Hooray's Gelato. Sounds perfect. Give me the directions and I'll drive there."

Sherlock put the address into his maps app and found it was only half a mile from their current location, near, as he'd seen from the online map, Sheep Street.

While Molly drove, Sherlock had a quick look at the website. There were Covid guidelines with instructions to be masked and to use hand sanitiser upon arrival. There was also a warning that wait times might be long as they were operating with less staff than usual. "Molly, instead of driving to the shop, why don't you just go back to the B&B and we can walk to the shop from there?" he suggested. "We can just eat the ice cream as we walk back."

"That sounds like fun, to walk along, eating an ice cream cone while holding hands," she responded with a smile.

Minutes later, Molly parked the car and said, "Actually, I think I'll just dash to the loo while we are here."

"I'll go also," said Sherlock.

Bodily functions taken care of, they walked to the ice cream shop, which was only a few minutes away.

Molly had slipped the masks onto her wrist rather than take her handbag, and she gave Sherlock his before they entered the shop.

As the website had warned, there was quite a line of customers, and it took almost twenty minutes before their turn came.

It was time well spent because Molly took almost that long to decide upon the flavor of ice cream she wished to have. She had finally narrowed it down to Ferrero Rocher and coffee by the time they reached the counter.

"Why don't you just get a scoop of each?" asked Sherlock.

Molly looked at him. "I don't think I could manage two scoops."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you can, and if you are unable to finish it, I will assist you."

"Fine."

So Molly ordered a cone with 2 scoops and Sherlock did the same, but he chose toffee, and mint chocolate chip. He would have been content with a single scoop, but he didn't want Molly to feel embarrassed about getting two scoops to his one.

Cones in hand, they exited the shop, took off their masks and began the walk back to the B&B.

Fortunately, The weather was cool enough that the ice cream did not start dripping faster than they could lick the ice cream, although Molly did manage to get some on her nose, which Sherlock, being a good husband, dutifully licked off. They also sampled each other's cones. Sherlock declared his favourite to be the mint chocolate chip, and Molly finally decided the Ferrero Rocher was her favourite, but only just.

Sherlock did not recall doing anything like this before, and he was glad Molly had suggested it.

They were still eating their cones when they got back to Shadyside Guest Cottage, so they walked around to the open terrace and sat together on a bench outside to finish their cones.

When they were finished, Molly said, "I think we should go back there again before we leave. There are so many other flavours to choose from that I'd love to try. What do you think?" She gave him a hopeful look.

Sherlock smiled indulgently. "Whatever you want, sweetheart." Then he leaned over to kiss her lips, still cold from the ice cream, but soon warmed by their embrace.

When they separated, Molly gave a contented sigh and rested her head on Sherlock's shoulder. "I don't think I'm going to want a big dinner tonight after all that ice cream."

"We could just get takeaway," Sherlock suggested.

"Maybe we could go to that fish and chip place again." Molly furrowed her brow. "I don't remember the name."

"The Kingfisher," said Sherlock promptly. He never forgot the name of a fish and chip shop, and he remembered the food had been good last time. It was also apparently a popular venue, judging from the long line in which they had waited.

"Oh yes, that's right." Molly stood and reached for Sherlock's hand. "Ready to go back inside?"

He stood also, clasping her hand firmly, and they went inside through the unlocked French doors.

"Fancy a game of chess?" he asked, after they had washed their hands in the downstairs bathroom.

Molly quirked an eyebrow. "Should we take the board upstairs and play our 'special' game?"

Sherlock contemplated that. It was tempting, but they'd already made love earlier, and he had plans for later that night, which involved a romantic bubble bath. Let's stick to the traditional way of playing today," he said at last. "So we can just play down here."

"Fine," said Molly. "Just know I am not going to make it easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

They went to sit on either side of the chessboard. Sherlock didn't mind that Molly took her time contemplating her moves as usual. She was an excellent player, and he remembered her saying now she had been taught by her father. And as they played, Sherlock was reminded of something else. Years earlier, during their engagement, Sherlock and Molly had entered a Harry Potter shop at King's Cross Station. He had seen a wizard chess set and had wondered if Molly played chess. Molly loved Harry Potter, and Sherlock had thought if she enjoyed the game, he would return some day to buy the chess set as a gift, but he had never got around to it. Now, he decided it was something he would make a point of buying for her when they returned home as a late anniversary gift. He hadn't thought of buying anything for their anniversary this year, too engrossed in his own depression, and now he felt guilty about that.

Sherlock won the first game, Molly the second, and the third was a stalemate. By the time they were finished, Sherlock realised it was time to get dinner.

Leaving the B&B, Sherlock told Molly he remembered where The Kingfisher was located, and they set off to purchase their dinner.


Author's note: Well, Sherlock and Molly are enjoying their first full day of their second honeymoon, aren't they?

A lot of research went into this chapter. I was delighted to discover that Holy Trinity Church streams their services. I was disappointed that the sound was not working on the recording on the day Sherlock and Molly went, so I wrote it into the story. I wanted my description of the service, though, to be faithful to the real one. The pipe organ really is magnificent!

I also watched some YouTube videos and visited the Holy Trinity Church website, where I found out about the bell ringing and also the other historical things I put into the chapter. I hope you, as my readers, felt like you were a part of the tour.

I also looked at Hooray's Gelato. If I ever go to Stratford-upon-Avon, I certainly want to visit that ice cream shop!

I made a couple references to Sherlock's sensory overload and events that took place in A Honeymoon Journey in this chapter as well. There is also a brief mention about a special Harry Potter themed chessboard that relates back to events in A Journey to Love, Faith and Marriage.

I hope you are enjoying learning more about Stratford-upon-Avon through the eyes of my characters. Reader responses are highly anticipated and appreciated.