Sunday was my day off, marking two weeks I had been at 221 Baker Street. After having a pleasant enough night, I was up very early. I had tea prepared by the time Mrs. Hudson made an appearance. "Has Mr. Holmes been keeping you up at night?" she asked anxiously. "I should have warned you, he insists on playing his violin at all hours of the night."

"Not at all, Mrs. Hudson," I responded cheerfully. "I enjoy music very much."

"Do you have plans, Mary?" the housekeeper asked, apparently surprised by my light-hearted attitude. Before I could answer, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You're not meeting a man, are you?"

Horrified, I shook my head firmly. "No!" I denied. "My only plan is to get out and explore London a little and perhaps read a book."

And, of course, stop by the telegraph office, but I doubted that Mrs. Hudson would understand. Before she could question me further, the bell from Apartment B rang. Mrs. Hudson and I exchanged astonished looks. Never had I been summoned there this early in the morning, and clearly neither had Mrs. Hudson.

"You better hurry, Mary," Mrs. Hudson urged. "If the pair of them are up at this hour, they have some place to be in a hurry."

Nodding, I tied on my apron and hurried out of the kitchen. I entered the apartment. Only Dr. Watson was in sight, and he looked as if he had not got much rest. "Ah, good morning, Mary," he said. For the first time, I saw a twinge of pain on his face as he said 'Mary'. I had not considered the fact that I would be sharing the name of his dead wife. "Holmes and I will be away all day. There's no need for Mrs. Hudson to prepare breakfast."

"Of course, Doctor," I responded, my mind spinning. If Col. Forest rose within the next few hours, I could have a good ten hours maybe to myself. "Anything else, sir?"

There was a loud crash from Mr. Holmes' room. Dr. Watson also jumped, so I didn't feel so bad at being startled. "Holmes!" the doctor exclaimed. "What are you doing, man?"

Moments later, Holmes came out. "Are you ready, Watson?" he asked, reaching for his hat and coat. Only as he was shrugging the coat on did he seem to realize I was there. "Mary, I believe the good colonel will be up now. And he will want his breakfast. I'm afraid he will not be in a very pleasant mood."

"Yes, sir," I replied, entwining my fingers together behind my back.

I might have been mistaken, but there seemed to be a mischievous sparkle in those grey eyes. "Enjoy your day, Mary," Holmes told me. He started for the door, and as he passed me, he extended a thin envelope in my direction.

Surprised, I accepted it. Without another word, the detective was out the door and Dr. Watson followed him. I opened the envelope then and there. Inside was a ticket to a music hall.

I laughed in delight. An afternoon of music was just the thing for me. And, it was the very place my mother used to perform.

It was an afternoon I would not forget. I dressed in the finest outfit I'd brought with me: a white blouse and a hunter green skirt. I counted my coins and found that I didn't have near enough to catch a cab. So, I got directions from Mrs. Hudson and walked.

I made my usual stop at the telegraph office. There were no messages for me, though I did attract the unwanted attention of the boy behind the counter. I decided I would have to change the direction of my search before too long as I was getting nowhere.

It was a cold, windy day, and it was a relief to get inside the music hall. While there were some well to do people in the boxes, it seemed to be the day that most servants took to enjoy a concert. While normally I would have tried to study my companions, my attention was on the concert about to begin.

I left the hall two hours later humming. I felt no matter what came at me, I could handle it. What happened next was entirely my fault. Trying to keep my hat on in the wind, I ran straight into a passing gentleman. "Oh, pardon me-" I started to say. As I met his eyes, I froze.

"You!" John Barry hissed. He reached out and caught my wrist.

"Let me go!" I exclaimed loudly, jerking to get away. The people around me had fallen silent, some even backing away. "Sir, let me go!"

His fingers tightened painfully. "Where is it, you little thief?" he demanded.

So that's the way he was going to play it. Insinuating I was a thief would mean I would have no help from the gathering crowd. Well, it was a good thing I had a father who made sure I could defend myself.

As hard as I could, I brought my foot, specifically my heel, down on the top of his foot. He bellowed in pain. His grip loosened and I jerked free. I turned and took off at a run.

I heard him yelling for someone to stop me. At the corner, I caught the arm of a constable. "Please sir!" I begged, changing my accent. "I ain't done no 'arm and that man grabs me! I ain't that sort of girl!"

The officer's face hardened and stepped to intercept Barry. I took that opportunity to slip away. I dodged through the streets of London to make sure I wasn't being followed. It was growing dark and foggy when I finally reached Baker Street. I let myself in the back and Mrs. Hudson rose from the table to meet me.

"Mary!" she exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

I assured her I was fine and apologized for being late. "A gentleman gave me some trouble," I explained vaguely when she demanded to know what had happened.

Concerned, Mrs. Hudson nodded. It warmed my heart to know that she cared about what happened to me. I went and changed into my uniform since I could hear Col. Forest's bell ringing. Sure enough, the colonel was most unhappy that his evening tea was late. My left wrist was sore from being grabbed, so I wasn't able to hold the tray steady. He snapped at me for being a clumsy and I was quick to leave.

As I was hurrying past, Mr. Holmes called through the door, "A moment of your time, if you please, Mary."

I sighed and entered the room. He and Dr. Watson were sitting in front of the fire. It seemed Mrs. Hudson had kept things in running order despite her injured ankle. I found myself the target of those sharp eyes, and the curiosity of the doctor. "Yes, Mr. Holmes?" I asked.

In an instant, he was standing and by my side. He gently caught my left wrist and pushed my sleeve back. There were five distinct bruises forming where I had been grabbed so tightly. I made no comment as the detective studied the shape of the bruises and Dr. Watson joined us.

"I say, did someone grab you?" the doctor demanded instantly. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, sir," I said in answer to both questions.

Holmes turned his attention to my face. "Did you know the man?" he asked.

I hesitated. I could tell him everything now. Surely he would realize that I was in danger from that man. I couldn't be quite sure, though, so I opted for a compromise. "I did recognize him, sir," I answered. "It was the man who came here the day you returned."

With interest, I watched Holmes' eyes narrow. He let my wrist go and returned to his seat. I let Dr. Watson examine my injury. "I'm afraid I can't recommend anything, save you try not to tax it," the doctor told me apologetically. He turned. "What do you think Holmes?"

"Do you know what this man was after?" Holmes demanded. "Have you ever seen this man before?"

"I don't know what he wanted with me. I did see him once before. At a train station right before I came to London."

Steepling his fingers, Mr. Holmes seemed to go into a deep meditative state. "Good night," I said, nodding to Dr. Watson. I turned and put my hand on the doorknob.

"Mary." I looked over my shoulder at the detective. He was regarding me very seriously. "If you should go out, I recommend you go carefully and never in the dark."

"Yes, Mr. Holmes," I said obediently. I opened the door and paused on the doorstep. "I enjoyed the music this afternoon. Thank you for the gift."

Holmes made no response and I left.

The following day, I was on edge and I had a feeling I would continue to feel this way for quite some time. I made the daily run to the market for groceries. However, I was not alone. I noticed a small, dirty urchin following me everywhere. It took only a moment for me to realize who, or really what, he was: a member of Holmes' trusted Baker Street Irregulars.

I allowed the boy to follow me all the way back to Baker Street. His presence was reassuring. If anything happened to me, Mr. Holmes would know very quickly.

My experience outside the music hall seemed to set off something. On Tuesday afternoon, as I was leaving the market, I came face to face with 'Johns'. While I came to a halt, his eyes merely passed over me. He walked on and I remained where I was, trying to get my breath back.

It was only when several people bumped into me, and then cursed at my stupidity, did I finally uproot myself from the sidewalk. Thankful I was finished, I rushed back to Baker Street at nearly a run. I left Mrs. Hudson with my purchases and kept going to my tiny room.

Without taking off my coat, I sat on the edge of my bed, wrapping my arms around myself. I sat there for nearly an hour, trying to get my bearings. At least 'Johns' hadn't recognized me. I still was not sure on whose side he was. But to have run into him so soon after Barry was unnerving to say the least.

I realized what a naive, foolish thing I had done when I left Lynbrook Manor. While I had feared for my safety, I had only made things worse by running off on my own. I shouldn't have doubted that Leigh and Mrs. Leigh would be unable to care for and protect me.

My weeks in London had revealed only that my enemy had followed me here. I knew nothing about my parents whereabouts. And when faced with the opportunity to have help from the greatest detective in the world, I had refused, intent on trying it on my own.

I'd been treating this far less seriously than I should have. My first instinct was to run, but that would get me nowhere. I would have to make things right. It was time I trusted Mr. Holmes with my tale.