a/n: this one contains spoilers for "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches." A virelai ancien.
Holmes and companions do not belong to me.
POV of Watson.
A worthy client.
Dear Holmes, when I write up a case,
Deems crime to be quite commonplace,
While logic is rare.
He calls my penned words a disgrace
Each time he discovers a trace
Of novelist's flair.
~0~
On the day he began to despair
Of finding great crime anywhere,
Miss Hunter appeared.
A governess, freckled and fair,
With copper and chestnut toned hair.
His mood quickly cheered.
~0~
There were details she hoped could be cleared;
A new job had aspects she feared
Were strange to report.
This work; well-rewarded, but weird,
Was hers if she just persevered;
And cut her hair short.
~0~
We pondered the problem she'd brought,
She wanted to know what we thought
Of taking that place.
She seemed quite a capable sort;
Holmes offered our help and support,
For what she might face.
~0~
A week, and then two, came and went,
Before a brief message was sent;
The girl used her brain.
We hoped there'd be time to prevent
Any adverse alarming event,
And caught the next train.
~0~
We met Violet Hunter again,
Who clearly was under some strain,
And weighed down with care.
We sat; she began to explain;
A drawer had been found to contain
A hank of red hair.
~0~
The couple; a sinister pair;
The son; with a taunting, cruel air;
The daughter; away.
Miss Hunter, in blue, on a chair,
Positioned precisely with care,
As day followed day.
~0~
Sha sat, like a doll on display;
A strange way of earning her pay;
No clue what it meant.
A man on the road, waved away.
What reason to keep him at bay?
What was his intent?
~0~
A tentative step on the stair;
A secret she hoped to lay bare;
A wrong to put right.
She'd followed her foe to his lair;
A locked room, a shadow, a scare;
A terrible fright.
~0~
Two comrades prepared for a fight,
A rendezvous later that night;
A servant defied.
That room; barricaded, locked tight;
The scene of a prearranged flight;
A skylight flung wide.
~0~
No sign of his daughter inside;
Another grave crime was implied;
Our help was too late.
A large, hungry mastiff then spied
His master returning outside.
A horrible fate.
~0~
The servant was keen to relate
That he who was lying in wait
Had rescued the maid.
Her father had hoped to create
The image of love turned to hate;
And yet he had stayed.
~0~
And so, the last act had been played,
I'm glad that we offered to aid
The girl with red hair.
And even if Holmes is dismayed,
The tale of Miss Hunter won't fade.
She's written with flair.
~0~
a/n2: virelai ancien; originated in France in the Middle Ages. 2 long then one short line, any number of verses; a chain rhyme, with end rhymes in one verse appearing in the next;and the first verse end rhyme appearing in the last verse. Pattern of rhyme for 4 verses would be:-aabaab bbcbbc ccdccd ddadda. I arranged this as 3 sets of verses.