The Forgotten Niece of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 27

The next few days passed and we had heard nothing from Luke not Sherlock and it seemed that we were just wasting the days away. After Luke had left, it wasn’t too long before we too made our departures, however this seemed to be a rare occasion to which Sherlock did not require our services.

 As compensation he gave money to Jack and a day later we were under the railway bridge eating freshly baked bread with cheese and milk that were bought that morning. Although we may have been full, we were utterly bored. 

“’Ow’s about we find the Bletchley gang again? I’m dying to see fat Jacob’s face again when we wound ‘im up last time!” Skit laughed at the memory, although I grimaced at it. Jacob was a perverted brute and at my expense was thoroughly embarrassed.

“Not today Skit,” Kate sighed crossing her arms and wrapping them around herself as she sniffed. Under the railway bridge, even in the alcove that we called home, it was chilly and damp; I hoped Kate wasn’t catching a cold. 

Seeing Kate sniffle, Skit seemed to forget all about sabotaging the Bletchley gang and reached out to a make-shift shelf and pulled down a thick shawl – one I hadn’t seen before. “Here,” he tossed it to her. Although the throw was a little boyish the sweet intent he had on giving it to her was clear. 

Kate took it gratefully and slung it over her shoulders; she occasionally shivered but less so. I looked over to Skit who was now standing. Emily rolled her eyes, her brow furrowing. Too young and innocent to understand teenage ways, I thought to myself, watching.

“Jack, shall I go get some scraps for the fire? We’re totally out o’ wood.”

“Alright, take Em and Finch with ya’ though,” Skit nodded, turning and walking down the tunnel. Emily sighed at the chore but stood, nudging Finch with her foot. I hadn’t realised that whilst he was lying beside me he fell asleep. I smiled knowingly to myself. 

He opened his eyes and saw me smiling, I turned my head abruptly, finding the ashes of the fire that had died out ages ago very interesting. He sat up and yawned, stretching up his arms so the material of his shirt was pulled up a little, revealing a patch of pale skin on his lower back...

Behave Eliza! I heard the voice Matilda in my head cry and blushed as I realised by thoughts. It seems my conscience was the voice of Matilda, and that made my internal thoughts twice as embarrassing and thrice as inappropriate. 

Thankfully taking my blush as embarrassment for seeming to watch him sleep he not so inconspicuously brushed my cheek with a kiss and followed Emily out, turning back to smirk at me. Once he was out of sight and out of mind I caught Jack looking at me with an easy smile on his face.

“What?!” I cried my voice a little high; strangled in my throat. His grin seemed to widen. 

“Oh it’s notin’” he said, “just that young love will rule out, tis all,” he looked over to Kate who, from her facial expression, I couldn’t tell whether she was awestruck or embarrassed or both. 

“Skit was only being kind! And anyway, what about you Eliza? I saw that kiss!”

“Kiss?! What kiss? C’mon Liz...” I hid my flaming face in my hands and peeked through my fingers, Kate smiling coyly whilst Jack grinned mischievously. 

“Kate...” I murmured, my face still hot. Her and Jack laughed but seemed to let the subject drop, for now, nonetheless I was grateful. 

Once my cheeks seemed to have controlled themselves I removed my face from my hands and looked up around the alcove. It was all red brickwork, with dark green moss growing through the cracks between the cement.