Prison Release

„Let it profit thee to have heard/by terrible example the reward/ Of disobedience; firm they might have stood,/ yet fell; remember, and fear to transgress."

Paradise Lost

We spent the night at a small wayside tavern, having first concealed our vehicle in a deserted barn. I had convinced Holmes that it was too easy to track us like this, besides, on the next day at the very latest we would have to refill fuel. So we entered fake French names into the guest book, and secured two rooms on the upper floor as well as a trap and a team of horses for the remainder of our journey.

During the simple dinner at the table d'hôte, Holmes was almost permanently absent, making one phone call after the other. I resolved not to be curious, and withdrew to my chamber for the night. However, there was no repose to be found in the cold, strange bed. I lay awake, wondering about the countless travelers that must have rested their tired heads here over the years.

A wintery gale was coming on out of doors, and the howls and the creaking sounds in the timber of the roof made me anxious. Were I given to superstitious notions, I might have imagined Mycroft, in the gigantic dimensions that a child would picture in a nightmare, trying to lift the roof and expose the house to the raging of the storm.

I also thought of Holmes, resting next doors. Did it really not concern him at all I had extinguished the life of his elder brother? I had been instilled with a sense of family ties that was irreconcilable to such stoic acceptance. In Limehouse, my place of origin, a deed such as mine would mark the beginning of a bitter, and sometimes violent, family feud.

But he had promised not to hate me, and I had to be content with that.

oooOOOooo

To my utter relief and not a little to my surprise too, we reached the capital on the next day without being spotted and arrested. Holmes steered right toward the eighth arrondissement, halted without the least sign of reverence in the Rue du Fauburg St-Honoré in front of a magnificent building, and helped me out of the trap, leaving it and the team of horses to its own devices.

We hurried up the flat stone steps to the British Embassy, and were admitted at the mention of our names. Knowing myself safe now from the grasp of the French officials, I relaxed considerably. This was a home away from home, a small patch of England on foreign territory. We were received by a Mr. Raleigh, a small rotund man who seemed to have very little in common with his 16th century namesake, and who ushered us into a parlour where we were made to wait.

One hour had gone by when the arrival of several gentlemen was announced at the sound of whose names I experienced the heebiejeebies. Never before had I met with such high-ranked statesmen, and never had I felt less up to the task! My state as a persecuted criminal came back to mind. How awful, having to answer to the questions of the President of the Republic and his cabinet ministers!

The picture of my late aunt resurfaced before my inner eye. Yes, she had been convicted for attacking the Baron Gruner, and had been in gaol for no less than a year. Aunt Cathy had been able, to some degree, to ignore the conventions, to spurn public opinions of her. But I, and I felt this for the hundredth time, was not like her. I had a larger craving for society's acceptance, I had worked too hard on becoming an established member thereof.

I was frightened.

I think Holmes was sensitive of my anxiety when the double-winged doors where opened wide, and an elderly gentleman, adorned with a large white moustache, stepped into the room: Félix Faure, 7th President of the French Republic. In his wake there followed a trousseau of men, all of whose faces seemed more or less familiar to a regular subscriber to the official papers.

„Mr. Sherlock Holmes!"

„Monsieur le Président. Gentlemen." Holmes insinuated a bow by the slightest incline of his upper body. „Allow me to introduce my niece, Miss Frances Morris, who has been my partner in this rather extraordinary business about the missing Orb."

„Partners in crime, some might say, Monsieur Holmes", Félix Faure returned in quite a cool note, taking a seat on one of the Louis Seize chairs and motioning the other gentlemen to be seated as well. „Not only have we been informed about the havoc you created at a number of locations in Paris - among them several places of worship! - but also out of the city. It would appear, for instance, that you abstracted a valuable automotive machine."

„To be here all the quicker, Monsieur le Président", Holmes returned, equally cool. „I had been made to understand I had carte blanche in my handling of the affair."

I could understand his annoyance, however, I hoped he would not fall out with the great man, but put him in a merciful mood. Still, what mercy could I expect for the killing of Mycroft if the man got worked up about a pilfered automobile?

„Carte blanche - yes, in financial matters. Also, we intended, of course, to give you free reign in the way you conduct this business. We had not, however, given you leave to make a major stir in several spots of this city who were reported as causing -„

„Who were massively exaggerated, I presume", Holmes interrupted. „And I can guess by whom. Monsieur le Président, Gentlemen, I can only recommend to you the instant removal of Monsieur Simon from his post as well as Superintendent André Dulage. Both of them, and several others, had been corrupted to act in the interests of my brother Mycroft Holmes - the man responsible for the disappearance of Madame Zhao and the King's Orb."

There was a loud murmur at the mention of the traitors, and some of the ministers protested violently.

„Simon, impossible!"

„Où sont les preuves?"

„Quelle impudence d'accuser un homme honnête comme ca!"

Félix Faure, for one, remained silent until the murmur had abated. Only one brow was drawn up until it almost touched the receding hairline.

„These are very grace accusations, Monsieur Holmes", he finally remarked. „I think we are right to demand proves for your outrageous claims. Can you provide any for the assumed guilt of your brother?"

„I am confident that I can do so. For not only did we find Ling Zhao in his house, half starved and much abused - now in the municipal hospital of Dieppe - but also this."

And again, he reached into his pocket and extracted the gem, producing the same awed response in the men that he had in Uncle John and me, every time. The president's reaction was also worth watching.

„The gem!" He all but rushed at Holmes, taking it from him and holding it up to the light. The sparkle and the translucent sheen of the colors seemed to convince him of its authenticity, for he lowered it again with a gasp and a look of bewilderment at the man before him. „And you say you found this in the possession of your brother?"

This enormous distortion of the truth took my breath away, but as I should see later, Holmes was able still to beat that. Besides, it would justify our doings and save us no end of time and explanations. So I did my best to look as though this were not news to me.

„And Monsieur Simon- you claim he was in on his game? How is that possible?"

„My brother is -„ Holmes began, stumbling over his own words, correcting himself: „my brother was a man of superb connections and a very far reaching influence. His network, I imagine, partly stems from the time when he worked for the British Government, or, as some might say, he was the British Government. But we may suppose that after his exclusion from public service, which came upon him as retribution for high treason against Her Majesty, we must assume he had been able to forge new alliances and even get a foot into the door of this country's ruling circles."

He let his eyes wander among the Ministers to great effect, for they fell silent without exception, some of them returning his gaze uneasily. Félix Faure was the first to recover.

„This may be so, Monsieur Holmes, and it may not. The fact remains that Mycroft Holmes was a naturalized citizen of France, and thus under the protection of my government. Yesterday, he was found dead at his home, after your intrusion into and flight from his house had reportedly taken place. How do you account for that?"

Holmes straightened himself, and not for the first time, he struck me as a very imposing man, who towered above Faure several inches. „Pray register, gentlemen, that I take full responsibility for the death of Mycroft Holmes and his bodyguard. I killed both in order to preserve my nieces' life and my own which had been immediately threatened by them. If you esteem the pending danger as overrated by me, I recommend you question Dr. Watson upon the point, who has been with us most of the time. Also, an interview with Ling Zhao might be instructive, provided she survives the atrocities that were inflicted on her. I have nothing more to say. My commission, I fancy, ends here."

„Mr. Holmes…" Faure raised a pair of soothing hands in an attempt to smooth his ruffled feathers. Secretly, I breathed deeply. Warm gratitude streamed through my veins. Imagine Holmes, taking the responsibility for his brother's death upon his shoulders! I had done nothing to deserve such kindness, and yet I had not possessed the courage to contradict Holmes's statement.

„I have nothing more to say", the detective repeated, sounding perilously displeased. „If you have further questions as to the details of our flight, I suggest you ask Miss Morris to provide them. As concerns myself, you'll find me in the hallway."

An he went out, just turning the back on the head of state and the most eminent men of the republic.

oooOOOooo

He enjoyed a deep inhalation of tobacco, lightly leaning against the stone balustrade and watching the afternoon turn into evening when a familiar footfall in the marble hall alerted him.

„Good evening, Watson", he greeted his companion, not turning around. „I trust your patient is well?"

„She is on the mend, Holmes. I was told to find you here, at the Embassy. Where is Frances?"

He made a non-committal movement of the arm. „Oh, still in a cross-examination with Faure and his cabinet, I imagine. It is a little bit like the last day in a school year, nothing more serious than that. So, Madame Zhao is healing?"

„Indeed, but she'll be too weak for transportation for a while. The - your - he has greatly impaired her health, poor soul."

„Not so much as we did impair his, I'll wager." He turned around for a brief smile, scrutinizing the doctor head to toe. He looked tired, worn out, having come all the way from Dieppe by train today. „It would not do to mention it in there, but Fanny has proven very handy with a pistol. It was a close thing Watson; she saved my life."

„Fanny has - „ Watson gripped the balustrade, resting against it in an attempt at regaining balance. „Holmes, do you have any idea what this may have done to the poor girl? How can you speak of it so cavalierly? Could not you have removed him from the face of the earth yourself?"

„Like I said, it was a close business. Besides, I think you underrate your warden. She has strong nerves, and a strong will. Otherwise, of course, I would not have minded to take matters into my own hand."

The doctor shook his head, aghast. „My God. All this is too terrible even to think about. I wish I hadn't enquired."

„You pity him, then?" Holmes frowned. „You pity the man who would fain have killed us if he could have, who with his last words confessed to pushing my wife off the cliff?"

„He…?" Watson blanched.

„Oh yes." With a grim nod, Holmes flicked away his cigarette stud. „Even in the company of Culverton Smith, Augustus Milverton and Professor Moriarty, my own brother Mycroft has been a remarkably evil individual, and I think neither Fanny nor I regret having finished his career in this world."

He shook his head. „I cannot understand. How can such hatred come to be? How could he have wished to bereave and destroy you so utterly?"

„I have no wish to speculate on the nature of hatred. But I should think that an early impression with antipathy could grow to abstruse dimensions - alongside such envy, spite and jealousy, as can only arise between siblings that are made into rivals through their parents' ambition."

„Yes…" Watson looked out on the darkening roofs of the city. „But at least, one good thing has come from the whole affair."

„And that may be…?"

Watson took one step back, placing his palms on the taller man's shoulders. „You can be absolutely sure now that Kitty did not commit suicide. No, don't budge, I know what it means to you, old boy. All those years, you had chastised yourself with loneliness and remorse at your comportment - when it had nothing whatsoever to do with her death! Holmes, you are a free man today, more so than if you had been a prisoner all those years. You can start all over again if you wish…"

He stopped, and took one step back, suddenly aware of what he had suggested. A moment of anxious hesitation went by. Then Holmes sighed, and clapped his hand on his old friend's shoulder. „I think not, old man. Nevertheless - thank you. You're right, I had felt haunted these past weeks and months, with the illusion of what I desired most constantly before my eyes, and withdrawn whenever I sought fulfillment. But the spook has passed, and, as you have remarked so adequately, I have emerged as a free person…we all have."

The doctor nodded. He clapped his own hand on top of his friend's, just when a door opened and Frances came out into the corridor. She saw him, smiled gladly, and came to meet him. Both men watched her as she approached. Her hair shimmered in a dark mahogany red. When a gust of wind blew some strands across her face, very white lids closed over watery grey eyes for the fraction of a second. Feminine curves were delineated by the fit of her frock, and when she called to greet him, there was a distinctive East London ring to her words.

But her hair was pinned up in a quick hair-do, leaving her white neck and décolleté exposed. There were no scars to be seen, and even the most thorough of lovers would not be able to find a single one on her body.

Wheeew! Happy ending like I promised, eh? Yeah! it doesn't always have to be dark and horrible.

One chapter to go, don't miss!

Love, Mrs F.