"Lord Sherrinford. I most certainly did not expect you."
John found the tall aristocrat standing in their public parlor, another room John hadn't really stepped into since his marriage. He really ought to take some time to explore his own house.
"I did tell you once that I worry about my brother, Captain Watson. When he is injured, I will, of course, take the time to inquire about his health."
"How did you know..?"
Lord Sherrinford merely raised one pale auburn eyebrow.
"Of course, what am I thinking?" John shuffled forward, gesturing for Lord Sherrinford to sit with the tip of his cane. "The servants are all in your employ."
"So, Sherlock's condition?" Lord Sherrinford prompted when John had settled into a chair of his own.
"He's uncomfortable." John was nearly as uncomfortable trying to decide how to answer Lord Sherrinford's question. It was a delicate subject. "Victor Trevor managed to inject a dose of one of his serums into Sherlock at St. Bart's this afternoon."
"Yes, one of his aphrodisiacs, I heard. One Sherlock was quite enamored of at one time." Lord Sherrinford shook his head slowly. "Sherlock is not reveling in his relapse? I suppose that is a good sign. And yourself?" The question came across so innocent, until John deciphered Lord Sherrinford's meaning.
"And myself, what?" John snapped. "If this is the nature of your concern for your brother, you can…"
"Pax, Captain Watson," Lord Sherrinford interrupted smoothly. "I apologize for my base curiosity."
"It's none of your fucking business," John gritted out.
"Please do forgive me, Captain Watson. I so rarely deal with honorable men, particularly in Sherlock's life."
Lord Sherrinford's calm, smarmy voice just grated on John's nerves. Of all the devils to be cursed with as brother-in-law, he had to be saddled with a politician. John clutched the handle of his cane until his fingers ached.
"Forgiven." That was an incredibly difficult word to say. John knew very well that it was his reaction to the question, not his answer that was the test Lord Sherrinford had given him. Nothing the man did was not completely deliberate, of that John was sure.
"Thank you. In return, you may ask what you wish of me. I will endeavor to be honest and forthright." Lord Sherrinford leaned back in his chair, crossing one long leg over the other, giving the impression of a man comfortable and at his leisure.
"That's quite a boon to grant, Lord Sherrinford." Not that John felt he could trust it, but he'd take what he could get.
"Quite. My time is limited, Captain Watson."
John cleared his throat, stalling as he considered what to ask first.
"He mentioned he was familiar with the drug he was given. He used to ingest it often?"
Lord Sherrinford's mouth tightened. "For a time, I thought him utterly lost. Of course, that was only one reason why I disapproved of Victor Trevor."
"And the other reasons?"
"Captain Watson, are you enticing me to indulge in gossip?" Lord Sherrinford's tone was playful, but had sharp edges.
"I am merely trying to ascertain the danger to my husband, your brother. For all I know, he sought Sherlock out today. I am certain he took advantage of their proximity to use a previously prepared dose of a strong aphrodisiac, inject him with it, and attempt to abduct him. I do need to know what else I may expect from the man, now that this attempt has been partially thwarted."
Lord Sherrinford folded his hands in his lap and stared at them awhile. When he spoke, he clearly chose his words very carefully.
"Victor Trevor is accorded the privileges of a foreign dignitary on our soil, Captain Watson. His obsession with my brother notwithstanding, he can be punished for very little except outright murder. However, given his prowess as a chemist, it is unlikely that any suspicions on that line would ever be proven. They certainly haven't been in the past."
"The past?" Lord Sherrinford could have meant that certain types of poisons were quite difficult to detect, but John didn't get that impression. His stomach clenched.
"His father died at quite a convenient time, Captain Watson. Young Victor had achieved his majority and the Baron's legal marriage to Trevor's mother had come to his attention, rendering Victor a legitimate heir. With that said, no accusation of foul play has ever been more than whispered. Even Sherlock did not suspect at the time."
"Sherlock was visiting there when Victor's father died." Sherlock had shared at least that much with John.
Lord Sherrinford inclined his head. "Of course, I have no jurisdiction over a crime that has taken place in another sovereign nation, but the events led me to keep a much closer eye on the relationship between Victor and my brother. It progressed very quickly to dangerous levels. Sherlock was never prone to excess, as such, but his curiosity knows no bounds. And Victor promised him every sort of indulgence, every sort of pleasure – always a new experience, more debauched and spellbinding than the last. Intoxicating substances such as the aphrodisiac Victor created, the opium pipe, women, men, often several at once, all of these were carefully contrived to keep Sherlock intrigued."
John felt a bit deflated hearing all this so clearly. He'd begun to suspect when he'd met Victor this afternoon, more so when Sherlock confessed he'd taken an aphrodisiac before, but knowing how utterly Sherlock had been corrupted by Victor was disheartening.
"To this day, I do not know what happened to make Sherlock put all that aside." Lord Sherrinford still sounded a bit astonished.
"I thought you had put a stop to it, honestly," John replied weakly. "Locked him in his room until he saw sense or something."
"If anything, my interference made it worse. No, Sherlock walked away from Victor one morning, quite on his own. Victor seemed certain he'd be back, but he hasn't voluntarily entered that man's presence in the year since."
"Has Victor been pursuing him all that time?"
"Not at first. He traveled back to his home in Darmstadt, stayed quite out of the way for several months. It wasn't until he returned to England in the summer that I started making inquiries for a husband on Sherlock's behalf."
"I see." It was all John could find to say though a thousand things ran through his head. Why couldn't you be bothered to assassinate Victor Trevor long before now? Would it be an international incident if it looked like an accident? Bar him from the country? What reason could one give for that? There is no proof, no legal argument even should Sherlock testify about the attempted abduction, and who would believe him about the drugs? Bribery? Hardly effective against someone as wealthy as the Baron. Blackmail? Doubtful that depraved bastard cared enough over any facet of his reputation to succumb to blackmail. Back 'round to assassination then, as simple reason would never work with a madman.
"I should let you get back to Sherlock, then." Lord Sherrinford rose from his chair. John rose as well, automatically, though still wedged deep into his own thoughts. "Do send word if anything unexpected happens."
"Of course, Lord Sherrinford."
"And it seems unnecessary to say, but don't eat or drink anything in the presence of Victor Trevor, Captain Watson. He does not seem to wish Sherlock permanent harm, but I highly doubt that concern extends to you. Goodnight."
Lord Sherrinford exited the room and let himself out the front door. Matthews was nowhere in sight, though Mrs. Hudson was lingering in the hall.
"Shall I send up some supper, Captain Watson? You must be hungry, even if Sherlock is not."
John wasn't hungry, either, not now, but he allowed a tray might be sent upstairs. The coffee he'd drunk earlier felt bitter and roiled in his stomach. He should have sent for tea, something calming. He began to wearily trudge up the two flights of stairs to Sherlock's room, leaning heavily on his cane.