So in case you haven't noticed, our lovers are on a first-name basis now and a sudden realization has come over me. Charlotte and the Professor have hardly interacted in this story and for some reason, it's kinda bothering me. I think I should probably...do something about that. What do you think? Yes? Alright then.
I was the one to reluctantly break the kiss and we leaned our foreheads together as we stared into each other's eyes. I couldn't remember what I wanted to say, everything became a blur and I began trembling, but again, it wasn't out of fear, or the inevitability of failure, but the opposite, it was out of pure happiness and joy. I couldn't fight against the thoughts and urges that were going through my mind at that very moment, everything seemed foggy, my head was spinning, and I was unaware of what was going on around me.
"Can't we just stay like this forever?" I panted, smoothing down the collar, which had become slightly rumpled. My lips felt swollen from kissing, and my skin beneath my dress itched with the sudden heat that had come over it. It had been so long since I trusted myself to be intimate with a man, since the last one I had been with had betrayed my trust and therefore, I had promised myself to keep my guard up and to never let anyone over the wall which surrounded me.
"Oh, if only we had the time for such pleasures, my dear." His hand lightly brushed my hair and he placed his lips against my temple, before whispering in my ear so that no one else would overhear our conversation. "But unfortunately, we don't have forever, we have a war to stop."
"The two of you make a lovely couple!" I heard someone shouting from somewhere behind us and I turned to see a woman smiling at us. I smiled back, a little bit embarrassed. I wondered how long we had been standing there and whether everyone at the embassy had seen our passionate embrace.
"Next time, we should find somewhere more private," I muttered under my breath, and immediately, I brought my arms around my shoulders in a lazy attempt to keep warm. "Somewhere much less crowded and a lot warmer."
Even though there won't be a next time. I have to look away for a moment so that no one will see the tears in my eyes.
No, don't say that. Don't be so pessimistic, I'm sure there will be a next time.
I subconsciously brought my hand up to my neck where I still felt the kisses lingering, earning a light chuckle from my companion.
"I have a suggestion." He wagged his eyebrows and I laughed, shoving him playfully. "Smile now, everything will be alright."
"Do you think the others know where we've gone? I don't want to have to explain it to them." I looked down at my feet, watching as the snowflakes melted on them.
"They may have their suspicions. No doubt Sim knows, and your sister, and Watson has been teasing me relentlessly, saying how pleased you would be seeing that I managed to clean myself up so well."
"Well, I am pleased. And though I do admit that you do look rather handsome, like a prince, I much prefer your rugged, devil may care look."
"I will say that this suit is itchy," he complained. "Though I suppose you can rid me of it once we're back at our hotel." There was a wide grin on his face and I laughed again. This was very unlike him to say such things, but I knew that he was trying not to show how nervous he was and also giving me something to keep my mind off of things.
"Don't let Jane hear you say that; or it actually will be Armageddon. She will tell my mother and father that we are together. But then again, I've never cared what people think. I care about you and nothing can change my mind about that." Those words slipped out of my mouth faster than I could stop them, but I didn't regret it. "Jane is right about one thing, Charlotte Holmes does have a nice ring to it."
I felt his fingers link with mine; our gloves completely contrasted, black and white, light and dark, war and peace. Perhaps I was a hopeless romantic after all, or maybe the mountain air was getting to my head. Who knows?
Taking one more deep breath, we straightened up and walked through the tall doors into the ballroom; I was able to come back to reality, we walked over to Watson, Mycroft, Jane and Simza, who were all waiting for us. Jane was giving me an odd look, and I'm pretty sure Simza and Watson sensed it, too. I tried to look nonchalant and shrugged as if silently asking what was the matter and why we had taken so long to get here.
"Now we're present, I can tell you the targets are the German Chancellor and his ambassador, the French Prime Minister and his man and the other nations are really working out which side to take, should hostilities erupt. As Prince Michael is a cousin of the Tsar and the Russian ambassador, Archduke Karl Ludwig and the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, Romanian Prime Minister and his ambassador. And of course, our Prime Minister and the British Ambassador," Mycroft informed us.
A lot of names and faces to remember.
I stared at every one of them, memorizing who was who. For the time being, everyone seemed to be getting along, though it was possible that things would escalate quickly; I spent a few seconds scanning the large crowd for any sign of them, but neither of the faces were familiar.
What does Rene even look like? How will we know when we've found him?
I looked over at Simza who was also keeping an eye out, but no one seemed to stand out to her. Then again, we were too far away to get a good look at them all.
"He'll chose a moment when all the dignitaries are assembled...preferably standing still. Is there to be a official photograph?" Holmes asked.
"Indeed. In uh thirty eight minutes," Mycroft replied as he looked down at his pocket watch.
"In which case, might as well dance," Holmes said as he took my hand and led me out on the floor.
"I've never done this before," I said. I could hear my heart beating in my head and my breath hitched.
"Just...follow...my...lead," He said to me slowly, which made my heart skip a beat. I placed my left hand on his right shoulder, once again making sure I did not put too much pressure on it, while his right hand wrapped around my waist and his left hand took my right and the two of us begin to waltz across the floor as the music grew louder.
I liked the feeling of being in his arms, like nothing could harm me. I wanted to stay like this for as long as possible, for eternity.
Jane smiled as a young man approached her. I stared at him warily, but he looked harmless. He had blond hair, combed on one side and blue eyes, when he offered a hand to her, it was his right hand. That's one of the things I was able to determine just by that small action.
"Jane looks like she's found a new friend."
"You know my sister, always the center of attention." I laughed a little, glancing at the man, then calling out to Jane. "Just remember, you are already in a courtship!" I saw her gesturing to me in a quite unladylike way, then turned my attention back to my partner. "He's right handed, could have cut himself while shaving this morning, I can see the mark on his chin, but otherwise he is quite clean and polished, just like everyone else in this room. He is here with his lover, she's talking to one of the ambassadors, just over there."
"It seems my talents have rubbed off on you." He grinned proudly.
"Seems so." As we continued to dance, I noticed that Holmes was looking off to the side nervously, looking for Rene, but every now and then, he would look at me. "What do you see?" I asked him.
"Everything," he replied, making me smile. "That, as you know, is my curse," he muttered to me, looking deep into my eyes.
I shook my head. "You call it a curse, I call it a gift," I said, making him raise his eyebrows at me. "Oh! Don't act so surprised. You're a wonderful man, Sherlock Holmes, whether you believe it or not."
"Even when I'm, as you said, a selfish bastard?" He asked with a smirk. He looked around him then back at me with a serious look. I could almost see the gears turning in his mind.
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, even then, you're still a wonderful man." He chuckled, making me smile, as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. He kept his arms around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder, holding him as close as I could. I wanted to remember his voice, his scent, his face, everything I wanted to claim as mine.
Mother would be proud of Jane for finding someone who would be able to support her and provide a good life for her, like she had always hoped we would find. She wanted us to have every pleasure and comfort in the world, and to have a nice little family. She would always remind us that we needed to find someone who would look after us after she and father grew old and could no longer take care of us.
I hoped that she would be proud of me, too. I had never wanted to marry for money, but for love. I know that sounds a little cliche, coming from a wealthy family, but it was true.
"Everything alright?" I whispered, clutching his hand a little tighter.
"Yes, I just need to talk to Watson," he replied then the two of us walked to the sides of the ballroom and found Watson, Jane and Simza. Holmes reached a hand out to Watson, who sighed and rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd never ask." Watson said, sarcastically, making me giggle and the two began to waltz off.
My eyes shifted to my right and a sick feeling rose in my stomach. The man whom my mother had become such a fan of, was now standing beside me and was watching Sherlock and Watson with malicious intent.
"A wonderful night for a gala, don't you think so, Miss Berkeley?" I didn't even have to turn my head to know that his eyes were sparkling dangerously. "It would be a shame if something were to happen which would put an end to all the festivities."
I didn't say a word. Instead, I focused on the guests.
Don't let him sense your fear. Stay strong.
"Are you looking for someone?" He raised his glass of champagne to his lips and the crimson liquid swirled in the glass and stained his lips; once he had swallowed it, his eyes followed mine. "I see you have become rather close with Mr Holmes." When I was silent, he shook his head, some of his hair got out of shape. "You know the last woman he was with, Irene Adler, passed recently."
My anger rose, but I failed to hide my curiosity. I did not remember Sherlock ever telling me how Irene had died; the only evidence was the stained handkerchief, and I did not ask him about it, since it was a delicate subject and because he never gave any indication, other than that day on the boat, that he was grieving. Maybe he still was.
"A rare form of tuberculosis," the professor said after a brief interlude in our conversation. "She succumbed in a matter of seconds. You should always be cautious while drinking tea, Miss Berkeley, you never know when someone could slip something into it."
Watson's eyes widened so I knew he had spotted me.
"Her last words concerned your beloved. 'I love you, and I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to tell you.' If only she had not given into her feelings for him, or if he reciprocated her feelings, perhaps then I would have considered showing her some mercy." His wide smirk and glowing eyes told me otherwise and without another word, he slithered away into the crowd, like the snake he was.
"Charlotte?" I heard Simza ask beside me and she took my hand in hers.
The men walked over to us a moment later, and Jane separated from her partner.
"What happened? Did he hurt you?" asked Sherlock with fierceness in his voice I hadn't heard before and that startled me and he brought me into a tight and protective hold. "It's alright, this will all be over soon. I promise." Then he and Watson explained what they had just figured out which was that Dr Hoffmanstahl did a surgical experiment on people by removing their face and replacing it with a different look. So with that information that narrowed it down to one of the six ambassadors who might have been Simza's brother.
"You three shall find her brother...of this I have no doubt."
"Holmes-" Watson said with concern.
He looked to Watson. "You know my methods."
"And we'll know where you'll be," Jane replied.
"No possible solution could be more congenial to me than this. By the way, who taught you how to dance?" Sherlock asked Watson.
Watson smiled and chuckled before replying, "You did."
"Well, I've done a fine job." Holmes said then he turned to me and I gave a sad smile, grabbing onto his hand and did not want to let go. "Be careful," I whispered. He nodded once, bringing my hand up to kiss it sweetly before he walked away and out the door.
I couldn't break down now, or lose focus. I took a few quick breaths and calmed myself down. Jane took my hand, sliding through the crowd.
Watson explained the plan and the four of us made our way over to the other side of the room as a man stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please gather for the portrait."
We walked along the room, looking around and observing as many people as we could. "Right, the surgery would've left scars," Watson stated. "And only four of them have the hairline to hide them."
"They're all my brother's height, right build, but...their eyes. Their eyes are wrong. Rene has blue eyes," Simza informed us.
"He could be wearing glass lenses to change the colour," I replied to her. I had seen people do it before, though it was a relatively new procedure and I imagine it would be painful. "In which case his eyes would be hurting."
Simza looked between the four men. "Rene is left handed," she whispered as we noticed that all four men were holding certain items in their right hand. "I think it might be him." She pointed at a man with a mustache and sideburns.
"You think? You have to be sure," Jane said sternly. She continued to stare at the man for a few more minutes, making certain.
"If I tackle the wrong man to the ground, we start a war," Watson warned her.
"I don't know," said Simza, panicking a little as she continued to look at the suspects.
"I have an idea," I said, and whispered it to Watson who looked around and we noticed a man setting up a camera and he informed us to stay where we were and watch as he walked over to the photographer. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look, only to open them a split second later.
Watson walked by a man carrying a tray of drinks and slapped the tray out of his hand, causing all the ambassadors to look over at the same time. We watched the men and Jane and I caught sight of a man walking away from the group.
That's him.
Simza looked over at me and I looked over at Watson, who nodded at me. I nodded at them and she walked up to the man, who looked like he was about to pull out a gun from his coat. She placed her hand on the man and said, in Romani, "My brother. I beg of you."
Jane, Watson and I watched the two as Rene said, "Sister, forgive me." And he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the ambassadors then pulled the trigger but luckily it didn't hit anyone as Watson tackled him down to the ground.
"Protect the Prime Minister," Mycroft ordered Carruthers, as Jane and I ran over to Watson, who held Rene down long enough for the guards to come and take the gun away and pull Rene to his feet.
"Germany will pay!" He shouted over and over again as the guards dragged him out of the ballroom. Simza began to cry silently and I pulled her into a hug, shielding her as Rene kept screaming out, it went to my own heart, but I needed to stay calm and collected. Then he went silent and Watson and I thought it was strange until we realized something.
"No loose ends," he stated and he began to run out the door.
"Watson!" Jane shouted and she followed him out.
"It's going to be alright," I told Simza as I gently released her; truthfully, I wasn't so sure about that, and neither was she, but I couldn't stand to see her so upset. "Come on, we have to go." I took her hand and we raced to join Jane and Watson.
We made it over to him. The guards moved out of the way as Watson and Jane knelt down and saw Rene convulsing. I stood back as they looked him over and checked his pulse. Jane looked at his leg and saw a dart sticking out of Rene's thigh. She pulled it out and showed Watson.
"What's wrong with him?" Simza asked as she broke out of my arms and looked down at Watson.
"Curare," he said after he tasted the dart and spit out the residue. "It's poisoned."
"Do something!" Simza shouted at them, her voice breaking, Watson stood up and glared across the room, his eyes locked dangerously on a familiar face, but he had disappeared into the shadows as Simza held her dying brother in her arms and she began to cry when he stopped convulsing. He ran after the stranger and two men dressed up in suits took Rene off the floor and Simza stood up, wanting to go after him, but I held onto her tightly.
"I'm so sorry," I said to her, my own voice breaking, the last thing we wanted to do was separate a family, and her determination to save him had crumbled to the ground, just like that. She kept her face hidden and I watched as the crowd dispersed, whispering amongst each other in concerned and anxious tones. Jane looked down at me, unsure of what to do.
"I need to check on Holmes." I said to her, straightening up. "Jane, stay here with Simza until we come back, he won't be long." She nodded, the two ladies stepped aside away from the chaos, and I ran out of the hallway and towards a room that had a door leading out to a balcony. I opened the door and see Holmes has his arms wrapped around Moriarty's neck. I looked at him and he gave me a look that said, 'I'm sorry' as he closed his eyes and used his right foot to kick both him and Moriarty off of the balcony and they fell.