a/n: contains many spoilers for "The Adventure of the Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax". A variation on Sapphic verse.

Holmes and companions do not belong to me.

Lost and Found

Lady Frances Carfax went adventuring abroad;

The risks of female solitary travel were ignored.

She did not pay attention to the perils others feared,

And disappeared.

~o~

Miss Dobney, former governess, stepped out in great alarm;

(No letters from her former charge implied she'd come to harm)

From Camberwell to Baker Street: when notes were five weeks late,

She feared her fate.

~o~

Lady Frances Carfax blithely sallied into danger;

Stray chickens can be gobbled up by any foxy stranger;

A drifting, friendless woman can incite some men to crime;

Who bide their time.

~o~

Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street took on this lady's case

And sent his ever loyal friend and sidekick in his place.

To Lausanne, Watson headed, quite determined to succeed

And find a lead.

~o~

Marie Devine was Lady Frances' popular young maid,

Perhaps she held the key to how her mistress was waylaid.

He learned that on the day before she vanished, there appeared

A man with beard.

~o~

Lady Frances Carfax left for Baden, on her own:

A note to Holmes; and Watson followed on her trail, alone.

She'd met an ailing gentleman who'd led a pious life

With loyal wife.

~o~

Patient Dr Shlessinger, a convalescent saint,

Endured an unnamed tropical disease without complaint

His wife and Lady Carfax both attended to his care;

Content to share.

~o~

Bearded man, who stood outside, caught Doctor Watson's eye;

He could not let this clue to Lady Carfax pass him by.

He challenged him courageously, ignored the likely cost

And almost lost.

~o~

A "French" unshaven ouvrier, shot out to join the fray;

A cudgel cracked on forearm put an end to lethal play.

The bearded man, it seemed, was not the villain he should dread;

A friend, instead.

~o~

Lady Frances Carfax had returned to England's shore,

With wife and saintly missionary, then word was heard no more.

What perils had befallen her, where ever had she gone?

The search went on.

~o~

Sherlock Holmes and Watson, back in London, made a start,

The bearded man, in love with Lady Frances, played his part.

They learned the true identities of missionary and wife:

Their double life.

~o~

Holy Peters, was that shifty reverend's real name;

Attracting rich and lonely hopeful females was his game.

With fake wife as assistant he would wend his evil way

And hunt his prey.

~o~

Watson, Holmes and worried bearded friend worked very hard;

They scoured the streets of London, sought the help of Scotland Yard,

But Lady Frances and that dreadful pair could not be found;

They'd gone to ground.

~o~

Slowly, seven days went by before a new light dawned;

A Spanish pendant owned by Lady Frances had been pawned

A chance to find her captors, but their hope was tinged with dread;

She might be dead.

~o~

Bearded man worked tirelessly to track the pendant's course;

An undertaker's parlor then back homewards to the source.

As time was of the essence, the intrepid duo made

A daring raid.

~o~

Holy Peters smiled and seemed relaxed to see them there;

Convinced that they would not find Lady Frances anywhere.

They searched the house most thoroughly, checked every single nook;

Alas, no luck.

~o~

The brand new polished coffin seemed a likely hiding place,

But lifting up the lid; they found an older unknown face.

So where was Lady Frances? Precious time, without a doubt,

Was running out.

~o~

Sympathetic yarders gently ordered them outside;

With Holy Peters' unctuous triumph puncturing their pride.

John Watson, hot and angry at portrayal as a fool;

While Holmes stayed cool.

~o~

Sherlock Holmes just smoked and tapped and prowled around all night.

He thought about that coffin, knew that something wasn't right.

Then realized the box in which she faced eternal sleep

Was far too deep.

~o~

Funeral at eight o'clock; they left with all due haste.

A lady's life was on the line, no seconds spare to waste.

Beneath the corpse expected when they raised the coffin lid,

Another hid.

~o~

Lady Frances Carfax lay as white and still as death;

John Watson acted swiftly while the others held their breath:

Did everything he could to help this ill-used girl survive.

She was alive!

~o~

Lady Frances Carfax is a wiser, sadder soul;

She mourns the carefree innocence which Holy Peters stole;

And yet, she'll try to find a happy ending if she can

With bearded man.

~o~

Ladies, please be on your guard, if freshly middle-aged;

In continental hostelries a cunning war is waged.

Please watch your family fortunes if you feel compelled to roam;

Or stay at home.

~o~

a/n 2: Sapphic verse: Ancient Greek verse form named after the poet, Sappho. 4 lines to a stanza; first 3 lines longer than the fourth one. Does not need to rhyme, but I like the pattern when it does:-) Each stanza should start with a stressed syllable. Not all of mine do...