Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Final Act
October 21st, 1879
London, England, United Kingdom, Europe
Marie wrapped her dressing gown tighter around herself, freshly bathed and hair tied back in a braid, watching her dress from Milverton's villa burn in the fireplace. No amount of scrubbing would remove the soot stains that covered the front. William had urged her to get rid of it, so there wasn't any evidence she was at Milverton's villa in the first place, should the police come investigating. She picked up the poker and prodded the burning fabric. She had liked that dress. It was a lovely fabric and didn't restrict her movements.
But that was a small price to pay for their plan to go into effect.
The final act.
It suddenly became all too real.
Marie opened her bedroom door at the sound of a quiet knocking. Fred stood on the other side, looking troubled. He held a paper in his hands. They were shaking slightly. Marie didn't say anything, only opened her door wider and gestured for him to come inside. Something was obviously bothering him, and she could likely guess what—or rather who—it was.
Fred took a seat in one of her two chairs that faced the fireplace. He didn't comment on the burning dress going up in flames. Instead, he handed Marie the paper in his hand without a word. She took it and scanned the contents. It was the final plan she realized. She had a copy of the document on her desk now that Sebastian, Jack, and Fred had put her room back in order.
Wait.
There were some changes. Marie read the contents of the paper more carefully and recoiled as if struck across her face.
William had changed the plan, so he would shoulder all the blame and burden. With Milverton gone, his and Marie's name would be released to the newspaper all over the country and reveal him as the Lord of Crime and Marie as a serial killer. Her name and ledger would be released to the public and expose her poisoning endeavors, but people wouldn't see it that way. They would just see her as a ruthless killer, not someone murdering abusers. However, William must have changed something so that it would be the Lord of Crime instead of Marie's name being released.
How he managed this, she had no idea. But he had.
Marie would get off scot-free.
Instantly worry flooded her chest, and she sank into the chair next to Fred. The paper crinkled in her hands as she stared at the now-familiar cursive of William's handwriting. She looked to Fred. He was staring into the fire, a grim look on his face.
"Mr. William intends to die." He whispered, and Marie felt a cold feeling grip her heart. She may not have liked William very much, but for him to die?
Fred straightened up and clasped his hands together, fidgeting with his fingers.
"I intend to save him. Mr. Louis too. I want you to come with us to talk to Mr. Sherlock Holmes." He said firmly, and she paused, thinking it over. William, Louis, and Albert were the only ones that Sherlock knew about thus far. This would expose both her and Fred.
But…
If it meant saving William, she would do it. She nodded to Fred,
"I'll go."
…
October 22nd, 1879
London, England, United Kingdom, Europe
Marie couldn't help but fidget with her black glove with one hand while the other held up the newspaper with William's letter.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
October 22nd, 1879
A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD OF CRIME!
To all the citizens of this nation,
This morning, I, William James Moriarty, took the life of Baron Hazel as the Lord of Crime.
This is but the beginning.
I declare here that I will eliminate the privileged aristocracy who nest in this country.
And no one will be able to stop me.
Marie read the words over and over again, a sinking feeling in her gut. She watched Fred and Louis converse quietly out of the corner of her eye. Fred sat to her left while Louis sat directly across from her. She folded the newspaper and smoothed her hands over her dress skirts. Then, focusing on the details of her dress, she was able to relax slightly.
The dress had a white top with a thick black ribbon tying the top and bottom together. The skirts were a dark emerald green. She had a matching emerald broach pinned at her throat and black gloves to tie everything together.
"It's me. Sherlock Holmes." An unfamiliar voice came from outside the stationary carriage, and Marie jumped. She clutched the paper close to her lap as Fred leaned over and opened the carriage door.
The man who entered was tall, probably close to William's height. His dark hair was tied back in a small ponytail, and his eyes matched his hair. She recognized him both from the Noahtic and the newspapers as Sherlock Holmes. His suit was rumpled, and he looked slightly disheveled, like he had just rolled out of bed. He started when he looked inside and saw the three of them sitting there.
"You three are…." He said and then Fred spoke up,
"Please take a seat, Mr. Holmes." He said and took his seat next to Marie.
Sherlock pulled himself up into the carriage with one hand and took a seat next to Louis.
"You're the third brother of the Moriarty House." He commented to Louis before turning to Fred, "You're the guy who fought me during the Hope Case. You're Fred Porlock." He said to the raven-haired boy and finally turned those scrutinizing eyes on Marie.
Marie swallowed hard and refrained from fidgeting with her gloves again. "You are Harriet Maxim. Maybe I should say, Alice St. Clair? Or would you prefer Edith Cavell?" Her blood ran cold, and she froze.
How did he know all three of her aliases? Especially from her time at the Christie House! She felt the blood drain from her face as Sherlock swung the carriage door closed and effectively cut them off from the outside world.
Louis and Fred both looked worried as Sherlock didn't say anything more. Marie chewed on the inside of her lip and spoke in a quiet voice,
"Are you going to arrest me?" She asked, and after a moment, Sherlock shook his head,
"No, I don't have the authority. But what is your true name?" He asked, and she hesitated before answering,
"Marie Dubois."
Louis spoke up,
"Can we get to the point of the telegram, please? No one else knows that we've come. We—"
"Your story is pretty predictable." Sherlock cut in with a wave of his hand. Marie frowned,
"What do you mean?" She asked and Sherlock sighed as if it were a dumb question,
"Look at this timing… And you've come into contact with me without Liam. I can only think of one explanation." He sat up straight, squaring his shoulders as he looked to Louis, "Save Liam." He finished, and at that, Louis made a noise of surprise as if shocked that Sherlock made that deduction.
Sherlock wasn't finished,
"That's a bingo. Liam's initial plan involved either the arrest or murder of the "Lord of Crime." Between the two of those, it's obvious that the one he would choose is 'death,'" he took a breath and continued. "There are two patterns he could have chosen to achieve this: a fake death and one that's real." He pointed at the three of them, "If he'd planned on deceiving the world with a fake death, then the three of you wouldn't have betrayed him and come to me. In other words… Liam actually wants to die. That's why you guys and the lady came here without Liam…."
Now Louis interrupted in a burst of anger,
"I've had enough of such pretentious talk! You are—"
"I'm going to save Liam, as his friend. Well… I don't know if he thinks the same way of me… That's all I have to say for now. Are you satisfied with that?" Marie watched as Louis's anger faded, and he sat back in his seat, quiet now.
"Yes, that'll do." She said softly, and Sherlock glanced at her briefly before nodding to himself.
"We're done talking." He said and opened the carriage door, but not quite stepping out just yet. "Honestly, I was relieved to learn that you are a flesh and blood organization." He moved to step out of the carriage when Louis spoke up,
"Mr. Holmes, we're prepared to accept any punishment… That being said, please help my brother no matter what." He urged, and Sherlock nodded, pulling out a cigarette and settling it between his lips.
"Leave it to me. And congratulations on the courtship Miss Dubois." He said and stepped out of the carriage and shut the door behind him.
Marie sat in stunned silence,
"How did he know about my and Albert's courtship? We haven't even gone public with it yet!"
