"Welcome, Lady Blackwell. I'm so pleased that you were able to join me this afternoon." Emily said as her guest was lead into her family's drawing room. "Barclay." She added while looking at her family's butler, "Please see to it that we are not disturbed."

"Of course, my lady." Barclay replied. The other servants took this as a cue to leave. Barclay bowed and then shut the door as he exited behind the others.

"Would you care for some tea, Lady Blackwell?" Emily asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"One lump or two?" Emily asked whilst pouring the tea into a cup.

Lady Blackwell couldn't help but tilt her head at the color. "Oh, two."

Emily added two lumps of sugar to the teacup and then passed it to her guest. "I recommend trying it without cream first." She explained before standing up. Lady Blackwell watched as Emily walked towards the entrance to the drawing room and pulled a cord, causing a set of heavy curtains to fall closed in front of the door. "This will prevent eavesdropping." Emily explained.

Lady Blackwell nodded before taking a sip of the tea. She looked rather surprised upon tasting it. "Is this chamomile…?"

"It's a blend of chamomile and green tea." Emily replied calmly as she took her own cup, "One of my hobbies is blending tea. Lord William is very fond of tea and while traveling with my grandfather, I became interested in the different effects of various teas, so…"

"I'm not sure if I've ever heard of green tea." Lady Blackwell admitted.

"It's made from the same plant as black tea." Emily explained, "But the leaves are harvested before they are ripe. It is not common in India, but it's quite popular in the Far East, such as China and Japan. Like chamomile, green tea is effective at reducing stress, but it's also quite invigorating."

"How interesting…" Lady Blackwell remarked. "…So why did you want to speak with me?"

Emily hesitated, "Erm… first… I ask that you set your tea down. I don't wish to startle you and cause an accident." Eva looked confused, but did as the other woman said, "Right then, I'll get straight to the point…" Emily began, "Lady Blackwell, you are being blackmailed, aren't you? By Charles Augustus Milverton, no less. He's come across some sort of compromising information and is threatening to destroy your engagement to Lord Doverton, unless you meet his demands."

Eva's eyes had slowly widened into saucers as she heard Emily speak. "How did you…?"

"When the subject of your engagement was brought up at my salon yesterday, you were quite apprehensive. You were acting as though you were uncertain whether the marriage would actually happen. Your expression was not one of resignation, which would imply a marriage you did not want, nor one of apprehension caused by a mixture of excitement and nerves. Actually, your face looked rather drawn, and your strained smile contained a mixture of sadness combined with dread. The expression one would have when congratulations have been given too soon. Then, during intermission at the ballet last night, I noticed your reaction towards the arrival of Charles Augustus Milverton. He had already been watching us beforehand, but to be more specific, he'd been watching you. His haughty, predatory gaze towards you was that of a snake that had cornered a mouse. Your fear of him was obvious. You looked as if you believed he was about to reveal some sort of secret regarding you, and as you sank behind your fiancé, your face grew increasingly pale. I also briefly examined you once Lord Albert and I had taken you to sit down. Your pulse was racing, your breathing was rapid, your palms were sweating, your pupils were dilated, and you were shivering… in other words, you were on the verge of going into shock. Looking more closely at your countenance, I could also see that your eyes had dark circles under them—you've been losing sleep lately. Given all of that and Milverton's occupation, it wasn't hard to figure out that he is blackmailing you."

Lady Blackwell's eyes widened. "Lady Nicholson, I had no idea you were so perceptive…"

"It is merely a deduction based on observation and the information available to me." Emily replied calmly, "I brought this up because I want to help you. As you know, another one of my hobbies is working as a consultant for other noblewomen."

Lady Blackwell looked down sadly, "Thank you… but in fact, I've already spoken to a consultant about this matter—a consulting detective actually—but we haven't been able to find a solution. He tried to negotiate with Milverton, but Milverton wouldn't budge. I have no other choice but to try and come up with the money he has demanded."

"May I inquire as to the information he is using to blackmail you?" Emily asked, "You have my word as a consultant that it shan't reach society. Not from me anyway."

"…Prior to my debut, I exchanged letters with a squire in the countryside. The content of the letters isn't scandalous, but…"

"It shows imprudence on your part?" Emily asked.

"…Yes…"

"Hm… and the Earl is not the type to overlook such mistakes…" Emily mused whilst arranging pieces on a chessboard. "And Milverton's demands? You can't meet them?"

"No. The amount he's demanded is too much. I'm doing everything I can, but…"

"I see…" Emily replied. She finished arranging the chessboard. The pieces were spread out, rather than set up for a game. She tapped her arm in thought as she stared at it. "It's safe to say that Milverton never had any expectation of you meeting his demands. Rather… he was counting on it." She moved a few of the pieces around as she spoke.

"Pardon?" Eva said in confusion as she looked up. "But then, why would he…?"

"You said that the content of the letters was not of a scandalous nature. If that's the case, he'd have nothing to gain by publishing them." Emily remarked while continuing to rearrange the pieces. "I assume he threatened to show them to the Earl?"

Lady Blackwell bit her lip and nodded, "Yes. If I don't hand over the money by the appointed date, he's going to send the letters to Lord Doverton, which will surely lead to the dissolution of our engagement."

"And you can't take him to court because you would risk your secret being exposed." Emily stated while finishing the arrangement of the pieces for the second time. "The reason I say that Milverton never expected you to meet his demands is that he is a person who has vast amounts of information at his disposal—indeed, he is probably the most well-informed man in all of London. He would have known what amount would be within your ability to acquire. Furthermore, he is a shrewd businessman—the type who never does something from which he gains no profit. Since the letters aren't scandalous, they have no news value, and the Earl isn't likely to give him any sort of monetary reward. Where then, is the profit? If the profit is not extrinsic—a material reward—then it must be intrinsic—a feeling of satisfaction. A thrill you could say. He seeks to entertain himself by ruining your life."

"Yes… The consulting detective that I spoke to said the same thing." Lady Eva replied, "He said that he's dealt with Milverton in similar situations before, and that Milverton's hobby is ruining the lives of others."

"Quite a dastardly hobby indeed." Emily remarked. She'd been looking at the pieces arranged on the chessboard, but now she looked up at Eva, "Lady Blackwell, I will be frank with you. There is only one way for you to avoid Milverton's pre-contrived ending, and that is to have an honest conversation with the earl about the letters."

"Huh?!" Eva exclaimed in surprise, "But…" She trailed off as Emily stood and walked over to the bookshelf behind her, apparently searching for a particular title.

"If you can't prevent him from finding out, then it's better to be honest." Emily told her guest as she retrieved one of the books and began to look over it. "Perhaps your honesty will move the earl to forgive you." She turned a page in the book. "Of course… I'm not suggesting that you simply lay everything bare and hope for the best. The best way to protect yourself is with allies and information. I can provide you with both." She snapped the book shut as she turned back towards her guest.

"I'm not sure I follow…" Lady Blackwell said as Emily sat back down and began maneuvering the chess pieces again.

"When I mentioned Dudley Bale yesterday, I saw the earl flinch. He was probably one of the people that had paid Bale off, which means that he has not always acted with prudence himself. It shouldn't be that hard to find out what it was. Not all of the students' transgressions were actual crimes. From what I understand, quite a few were simple indiscretions. As long as it wasn't anything too problematic, it should serve to even the playing field. And if it was something unforgivable, you'll be able to break off the engagement without damaging your reputation."

"Lady Nicholson, breaking off my engagement is something that I wish to avoid…" Eva said hesitantly.

"Oh… I do beg your pardon." Emily apologized, "I didn't realize that I was thinking out loud at the end. Still, I assure you that I was only thinking about the worst-case scenario." She assured, "My priority at the moment is protecting you and your reputation."

"I am grateful for your lack of judgment towards me…" Eva said quietly.

Emily smiled gently at her, "We all have our faults and we all make mistakes. That's human nature. To expect anything more is just hypocritical." Eva blinked in surprise as Emily's gaze drifted towards the chessboard again, "Having said all of that… In order to help you sort things out with the earl, I will need to inform Lord Albert and Lord William about the situation. Even so, please trust that neither one of them will leak this to society. Lord William is also a consultant, and Lord Albert serves in the military, so they both understand the importance of secrecy."

"While I don't doubt you on that matter, Lady Nicholson, why exactly do we require their help? Also, if I may, what have you been doing with that chessboard all this time?"

"Both excellent questions. If you'll please move to the seat beside me, I'll show you." Emily answered, prompting Lady Blackwell to sit in the armchair on the other side of the chessboard as Emily removed all but the two kings. "This is something that I often use when dealing with a difficult opponent. It's a means to visualize. To begin with, in the game of chess, the two kings are less pieces on the board and more the overall objective. After all, in a game of chess, the two players' objectives are always in direct opposition to one another—to achieve one's own goal while preventing their opponent from reaching his. In this case, your 'king' is the preservation of your engagement…" She lightly tapped the white king at the back line with her index finger, "…While Milverton's is the dissolution of it." She now pointed to the black king before picking up two more pieces. "In Milverton's eyes, you are nothing more than a little pawn, trying desperately to protect your king, but ultimately helpless to do so." As she said this, Emily placed a white pawn down upon the board, directly in front of the white king. "On the other hand, Milverton fancies himself as the queen, the most powerful piece on the board, which no pawn can easily overcome." As she said this, she placed the black queen off to the side of the black king, with a diagonal line between it and the white king. "It's obvious that this is practically checkmate from the very beginning, yes?"

"Yes…" Eva replied with her brow furrowed in consternation. It was a bit frustrating to be considered as a pawn, but quite accurate nonetheless. The pawn could move forward to try and capture the black king, but it couldn't do so in a single move. However, the queen only needed one move to capture the king, and it wasn't a move that the pawn could prevent. According to the rules of chess, she would be obligated to move the king to a spot where the queen could not reach it in a single move, but that would be ultimately pointless. At best, it would result in a cat-and-mouse chase until the king was eventually caught. All the while, the pawn would be able to do nothing at all.

Emily reached for more of the pieces and began placing them on the board. "Now, one might say that the consulting detective you've hired is like a bishop, while Milverton's demands are like a line of pawns protecting his king." She placed a white bishop next to the white king, on a square the same color as that which the black king occupied. She also placed five black pawns in a row in front of the black king. "Perhaps we might also say that any sources of money you might have for meeting his demands are likewise pawns for protecting your engagement." She placed a pawn on either side of the one that represented Eva, with a space in between each of them. "A bishop has more maneuverability than a pawn, but ultimately, it must protect the king, so it cannot readily go after the queen." Emily looked up to check Eva's expression and saw that the other woman understood. At the moment, the white king was still in "check". She placed a few more pieces on the board. "While we're at it, let's say that Lord Doverton himself is unwittingly a rook for Milverton. After all, his personality is another obstacle for you." She placed a black rook down beside the black king, with one space in between them. "What you need then, is a rook, a knight, and a queen." Emily explained while placing the pieces in question down. The white rook stood in the corner on the black king's side, having a direct path to the black rook. The black queen was now positioned such that it was vulnerable to the white bishop, yet if it tried to attack, it would face danger from the white rook or the white queen instead. The black rook could attack the white rook, but would also swiftly be wiped out. "That will make it possible to corner the queen and the rook, while the knight catches Milverton by surprise to snatch his king." At this, she positioned the white knight such that it was poised to take the black king, with no piece able to stop it. Lady Blackwell looked at Emily in befuddlement and Emily smiled as she explained, "The reason why we need to involve Lord William and Lord Albert is because of Lord Doverton. Given his personality, he is unlikely to listen to a woman, and I would find it difficult to confront a man regardless. Lord Albert is not only a man, but he also shares the same rank as Lord Doverton. Thus, he is the most suitable person to reason with him."

"I see…" Eva said with a nod, "That's why you said I needed a rook." She understood that Emily was casting Albert as the white rook, to make him a proper counterpart to Doverton.

"Yes… I suppose I am the queen in this scenario, since I am the one who is confronting Milverton in a battle of wits. Your 'bishop' shall serve as my smokescreen."

"Smokescreen?"

"Sometimes when a person deals with a minor threat, it distracts them from the existence of a bigger threat. In this case, Milverton thinks that he has already dealt with your queen, but he is unaware that that person was only a bishop. The point is that having dealt with your consulting detective, he'll let his guard down, thinking that you have no other moves available to you."

Eva seemed mildly amused. "I cannot help but think that somehow, the queen suits you."

"I shall take that as a compliment." Emily replied, "Finally, your knight shall be Lord William, for he is the one we'll rely on to obtain the information we need to claim the victory. The one with the agility to come out of nowhere, from Milverton's perspective."

Lady Blackwell looked up at Emily. "Are you sure this will work?"

"I can't be one-hundred percent certain, but I consider the odds favorable. Certainly more favorable than fruitlessly trying to meet Milverton's impossible demands. Even if you did somehow meet them, he would still have the letters, which would mean that he could threaten you again. You are about to enter into a marriage, Lady Blackwell, an arrangement in which honesty is crucial for maintaining trust and stability. You must tell Lord Doverton the truth yourself. He may get angry, but I imagine he'll be even more angry if he finds out from a relative stranger. If nothing else, the fact that you hid it will only add fuel to the fire."

Lady Blackwell bit her lip, and then nodded. All right. We'll do as you say then."

Emily smiled in relief. "When is the deadline given to you by Milverton?"

"It's at the end of the week… On Saturday. Rather… I have until then to meet with him."

"Then we'd best take care of this straight away." Emily said as she took a stack of papers and a fountain pen from the drawer of the tea table. "I'll send a telegram to Lord Albert, asking him to arrange a meeting with Lord Doverton for Friday and then bring us along, as well as one to Lord William, asking him for the information we need. I'll be sending them as coded messages, so Milverton is unlikely to catch wind of it."

"Coded messages?"

"The Nicholson family has long served in Military Intelligence. All members of the family are trained as children in using codes in case of emergencies. So unless Milverton has an expert code cracker working at the telegram office, he won't find about this. Even if he DOES have an expert code cracker, I make my own codes, rather than using outdated ones from the military."

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"Welcome home, Brother." Louis told William as the young Professor walked through the front door of their residence in Durham. "Two telegrams arrived for you a short while ago. One is from Albert, and the other is from Emily."

"Emily?" William said in surprise, "That's odd. She doesn't usually communicate by telegram… I wonder if it's something urgent?" He walked to where Louis had placed the telegrams and picked them up, opening the one from Emily first. "That's odd. She's written it in code."

"I wonder if something's happened?" Louis pondered.

William scanned the contents of the telegram. The code was one that Emily had created, and she used it often with those who knew it to save time. "…She wants me to find out what Dudley Bale was holding over the Earl of Doverton from his time as a student at Durham."

"Why would she need something like that?" Louis wondered.

"I'm not sure…" William replied, "She says that she'll be sending a letter with the reason posthaste. The explanation must be too long to be sent in a telegram."

"Or more likely, it's not that she couldn't explain in a telegram, she just didn't want to spend the money." Moran remarked from where he was sitting. "Emily doesn't like things that aren't cost-efficient, but at least we know that if she could afford to split the message, she's not in trouble. She wouldn't have worried about the cost if it was an emergency."

At this, Louis nodded in agreement while William opened the telegram from Albert. After scanning its contents, he smiled in amusement, "Albert just asked that we fulfill Emily's request by Thursday. Apparently, the two of them are scheduled to meet on Friday."

Louis looked at the grandfather clock nearby. "Emily said she would send the letter posthaste, so she probably sent it with the six o'clock train from London. We should have it by morning at the earliest."

"Right." William said with a nod before turning to their gardener, who was watering a nearby vase of flowers. "Fred."

Fred looked up and nodded at him, "Right. I'll head out after dark."

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William and Albert had worked just as quickly as Emily had hoped. The following Friday, she and Lady Blackwell met one another in Mayfair on the premise of going shopping together. The plan was that Albert would "find" them there and take them along to his meeting with the earl.

"Where should we go first?" Lady Eva asked nervously. As far as she knew, she and Emily were to make themselves look busy while waiting for Albert.

Emily frowned as she surreptitiously glanced around. She could feel somebody's eyes on them. Milverton's men, perhaps? Or someone else? "Have you ever been to Lily Faire?" She asked abruptly.

"Hm? Of course! I think nearly every lady in London has been there at least once!"

"Let's go there then." Emily asserted, gently guiding her companion towards the shop in question. The workers at the store looked up when they heard the bell at the front of the store chime and smiled brightly. "Lady Nicholson! Oh, and Lady Blackwell? I don't think I've ever seen you come in together." The head clerk said, seeming a bit surprised.

"Yes, I'm here for the dress I spoke of the other day." Emily said with a smile, and understanding dawned on the clerk's face. "Of course, follow me." She led the pair of women towards the back of the store, to a waiting room for VIP clients. Lady Blackwell was a bit taken aback. Even as a noblewoman, she had never been led to this part of the store, which was usually reserved for higher nobility. Perhaps it was because Emily came from a very old family?

"Please wait here." The clerk said, gesturing to a sofa as some workers laid out refreshments. "I'll go and fetch Madame, along with the dress."

Emily nodded In confirmation before calmly taking her tea.

"You placed an order here recently?" Lady Blackwell asked.

"Something like that." Emily said as she sipped at her tea.

A few moments later, the head designer of the store came into the room. "Really, my lady… You didn't give me much notice!" The Madame exclaimed rather frankly.

Emily smiled apologetically as she set her teacup down. "I know. I'm sorry. But you were able to finish, weren't you?"

"Yes, and the girls were happy for the bonus." The Madame admitted.

Emily smiled as she turned to the confused Lady Blackwell, "Since I have learned one of your secrets, Lady Blackwell, I'll tell you one of mine: The truth is that I own this boutique."

"You own it?" Lady Blackwell asked in surprise, and with good reason. It was rare for women to own property, let alone a business. It was only even legal under specific circumstances.

"To be more precise, the deed for the building and the business itself is part of my Trust." Emily explained, referring to the trust fund that all ladies of noble birth had prepared by their families. The trust would serve as one's dowry upon marriage or would otherwise be used to support them if they passed the prime age for marriage. In the rare event of a divorce, a married woman would take her dowry back, so it was fairly accurate to say that Emily indeed owned the business.

"You… run a business?" Lady Blackwell blinked in surprise. Even if it was in Emily's trust, it was hardly typical among the nobility.

"Well I don't oversee the day-to-day operations." Emily said calmly, "But I am in charge of its executive management, such as the setting of wages. My grandfather founded this boutique on my behalf, you see."

"The late earl did? But whatever for?"

"As I prepared to enter society, I realized that I didn't like the idea of purchasing from stores that did not treat their workers fairly. The purpose of purchasing luxury items as a member of the nobility is to stimulate the economy, after all. And while I am quite dedicated to helping the poor, I believe that the best thing is to help people help themselves by giving them better opportunities. So my grandfather decided that it was better to let me fulfill my noblesse oblige by letting me run my own business."

"I see… I had no idea that the late earl was so progressive…" Lady Blackwell remarked.

Emily smiled at her and then looked back at the designer who managed the boutique, "Well then, please bring it out, Madame."

"Of course, my lady." The proprietress answered with a slight bow. A few of the employees hurried about, and soon, a dress was brought out on a dress form. The dress was made of a plaid fabric that mixed various shades of blue with hints of white, and gold colored trim above the lace on the hems. The overall hue of the dress was a soft sky blue, and the dress was in the Princess-line style that had recently become popular. Made to accompany it were a matching pair of shoes and gloves, along with a hat.

Emily smiled with satisfaction and then turned her head to look at Eva. "Well, Lady Blackwell, what do you think of it?"

"It's lovely." Lady Blackwell answered sincerely.

Emily smiled broadly. "In that case, try it on!"

"What?" Lady Blackwell looked at her in confusion.

"This dress is for you." Emily explained as she picked up her teacup again, "I told them to use the measurements from your most recent order."

"But… why?"

"My mother tells me that the right outfit is important when confronting a difficult problem." Emily replied, "The blue and white tones evoke a sense of femininity and purity. Blue is also a color known for its calming effects. The gold accents make one think of a valuable treasure. I don't particularly like princess-line dresses myself—I feel they restrict one's movement too much—but it will accentuate your beautiful figure. I personally think that plaids evoke a sense of elegance and add an air of intelligence. These are the things we want to achieve—that the earl will think you are beautiful and pure, a smart and elegant woman, and a valuable treasure, and that he will be calm enough to be reasoned with. I did ask the Madame to make the dress a tiny bit understated—given the circumstances, it wouldn't do for you to show up wearing something ostentatious—but it is still befitting of your social rank."

Lady Blackwell blinked, but she nonetheless allowed the employees of the store to help her change into the dress. "How does it look?" She asked as she stepped out in the ensemble.

Emily clapped her hands together in satisfaction. "It looks marvelous! Oh, and don't worry about the bill. This is a gift!"

Before Lady Blackwell could protest on that front, an employee of the store came into the room, "Lady Nicholson, Lord Moriarty has arrived for you."

"Oh, thank you!" Emily said as she stood up before looking at Lady Blackwell, "Shall we be on our way?"

"Oh… yes." Lady Blackwell seemed a little bewildered as she followed Emily back into the showroom, where Albert was waiting for them. The young earl escorted the two ladies into the carriage and then they set on their way.

"Thank you for agreeing to help me, Lord Moriarty." Lady Blackwell murmured once the carriage was underway.

"Think nothing of it, Lady Blackwell. I can't very well sit back when a lady's reputation is in danger because of extortion."

The three of them soon arrived at the Earl of Doverton's London Estate. The man in question was a bit surprised when he saw Albert assisting the two ladies out of the carriage. "Eva? What are you doing here?" The earl asked.

"I… had something I needed to speak to you about…" Lady Blackwell faltered, unsure how to explain, "It's a rather difficult matter…"

Albert smiled and kindly took over for her, "Emily was concerned for her, so she asked me to arrange this meeting."

"Oh, I… see…" The earl seemed a bit taken aback before he cleared his throat, "A-Anyway, let's go inside…"

Thirty minutes later, the earl was as angry as anticipated, having heard the truth from Eva and read the letters for himself. "Lady Blackwell, this is an absolute outrage! Do you take me for a fool?!"

Eva's eyes filled with despair at the sound of her fiancé using her last name. She opened her mouth to plead with him, but Emily gently stopped her.

"Lord Doverton." Albert began firmly, "I would hope you can appreciate how much courage it took for her to tell you about this."

"Courage?! She would've never told me if it hadn't been for a blackmailer!"

"Yes, but I'm certain you have things you never planned to tell her about as well. About how you spent your days at Durham University for example." Albert said flatly.

The earl looked flustered. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, but I think you do." Albert said. "At present, William and Louis are living at our family's Durham estate. How difficult do you think it was for them to find out? It's not a very big town, and a good many of its residents live on our land."

"Are you threatening me, Moriarty?!"

"Threatening you? I'd hardly call it that. I'm merely saying that if you cancel your engagement with Lady Blackwell over this, your reputation will suffer far more than hers. After all, everyone will find out that you are an unforgiving man with double standards." He took out an envelope and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of him, "Of course, if you had committed some sort of serious crime, I would've recommended that the lady break off her engagement to you either way. Fortunately, that's not the case. Even so, compared to the lady's letters, your secrets are quite scandalous. I personally believe that a man shouldn't hold women—let alone his fiancée or wife—to a higher standard than he holds himself."

The earl flinched slightly and looked at the contents of the envelope. The color drained from his face and he looked at Eva nervously.

"She hasn't seen it. At least not yet." Albert remarked, "But I'd say she has a far more legitimate reason to break off this engagement than you." He turned to look at Lady Blackwell, "What do you think, my lady? Do you wish to go through with the engagement? Or would you rather end things here?"

Lady Blackwell had calmed down quite a bit as she listened to the conversation, and she now took a deep breath to steady herself. "If he is willing to forgive me, then I am willing to overlook whatever secrets are in that envelope. I don't even need to look at them." Now that Albert had put the power in her hands, she had the confidence to speak her mind.

"Well, there you have it, Lord Doverton. She is gracious enough to forgive your past. Are you willing to forget hers and move forward?" Albert asked.

The Earl of Doverton felt like cold water had been dumped on him. Now that Eva had voiced her willingness to forgive him, refusing to do the same would tarnish his reputation. Earl Albert James Moriarty may have been young, but he was shrewd. Doverton couldn't even hold anything over him with regards to conduct—he couldn't say that Albert was too tolerant of his brother's fiancée. Emily hadn't even said a word this entire time. Aside from silently soothing Eva, she'd been the picture of a gentlewoman. "Your brother is a very lucky man…" Lord Doverton muttered.

"Pardon?" Albert asked, pretending he hadn't been able to hear. Emily didn't even spare the Earl of Doverton a glance.

'Why is she engaged to the second son and not the earl anyway?' He wondered, 'She's beautiful, accomplished… She'd be the ideal wife for anyone with a title, so how did she get stolen away by a mere second son? A pity…'

Albert suppressed his anger as he waited for the other man to answer. How dare such a narrow-minded man covet Emily? Albert thought of Emily as his sister, and he was very protective of her. He considered her to be the only blood relative worth thinking about. Not to mention, he would never forget the day he'd given her his handkerchief when they were children, nor the vow that he'd made to her back then.

The Earl of Doverton sighed as he made up his mind, "Yes, well, everyone makes mistakes, after all…"

Albert smiled congenially, "I'm glad you see it that way."

憂国のモリアティ

"How can I ever repay you?" Lady Blackwell asked earnestly as she and Emily waited for Albert and Lord Doverton to return. Evidently, they'd had an unrelated matter to discuss, so the two women had been left alone in the sitting room.

"Well… there is one thing that I need." Emily confessed.

"And what's that?"

Emily took Eva's hands in her own. "A friend. Truthfully, I'm rather shy, so I don't really have any lady friends in high society…"

Eva smiled sincerely and nodded. "Of course. It would be my honor."

憂国のモリアティ

"Pfft!! BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!"

It was sometime after this incident that raucous laughter rang out in a flat on Baker Street.

"Sherlock, what's so funny?" A woman asked as she peeked cautiously inside her tenant's room.

"Miss Hudson!" Her eccentric tenant exclaimed with delight, "Take at this!"

"Hm…?" The woman saw that her tenant was holding a newspaper, so she came in and peered at the place he had pointed out. "'Congratulations to Lady Eva Blackwell on your recent marriage. I hope you and the Earl of Doverton live a long and happy life together. I wish both of you the best. Your friend, Lady M.'" Miss Hudson looked up at the man she had called Sherlock in surprise. "What? So Lady Blackwell got married to the Earl after all?"

"That she did." Sherlock confirmed in amusement, "She contacted me a little while ago and told me that everything had been resolved, though she wouldn't say how exactly. She only told me that a friend of hers within the nobility had intervened on her behalf. I thought perhaps she had unexpectedly been rescued by someone who was able to pay off Milverton, but seeing this…" His eyes glinted with amusement, "I can only conclude that her friend must've found some other way… and that this 'Lady M.' has quite the sense of humor. The purpose of this congratulatory message is clearly to rub it in Milverton's face."

Miss Hudson giggled, "It is pretty funny."

憂国のモリアティ

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!" Milverton exclaimed with rage. "Why is this congratulatory message in the society pages of all our newspapers?!"

Ruskin, Milverton's right-hand man, answered immediately. "I've already begun looking into it, but it seems the message was paid for by a different person at each publication. The message was written by typewriter as well, so there's no handwriting."

"Well then, what about Lady Blackwell's acquaintances?! Have you looked into that?" Milverton demanded.

Ruskin sweat-dropped, "I haven't, but… Sir, there could be any number of noble ladies who have 'M' as an initial. Furthermore, we don't even know if that is the initial of the lady's first name or her last. It could even be her middle name, or her maiden name if she is married. It's possible that not even the Countess knows who's responsible for this!"

憂国のモリアティ

"That was quite a prank you pulled." Albert told Emily with amusement. "Using neither of your initials, but a childhood nickname and shortening it to the letter it sounds like."

Emily concealed her smile behind her teacup as she drained its contents. She then set the teacup down. "Yes, well, I wanted to make sure that the blackmailer knew that this was also aimed at him. He shouldn't have anything else on Eva, and even if she asks me about it, I won't tell her. I'm confident that once he realizes that Eva doesn't know who is responsible, he'll leave her be."


Omake:

Doverton: Your brother is a lucky man...

Albert: Pardon? (Haha. You have no idea that it was actually Emily who came up with this plan.)