Sherlock and Robin completed their journey to London and arrived at the Bridgerton house in the late morning only to find everything in disarray. Violet was nowhere to be seen, but Robin managed to grab Eloise by the arm as she ran through the foyer.
"Eloise, what's going on?"
Eloise paused and narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "You don't know?"
Robin shook her head. "No. We just returned to the city, and this is the first place we came."
"Marina is pregnant with her former lover's baby," Eloise announced bluntly. "She was trying to trap Colin into marriage."
Robin's eyes widened in surprise. "Is he all right?"
Eloise shrugged. "He's heartbroken, of course, but he managed to exit the engagement with his reputation intact."
Robin nodded. "That's good, at least. Where is your mother?"
"Right here," Violet answered, hurrying down the stairs.
Eloise pulled away and vanished as Violet came immediately to Robin and hugged her. "Oh, my dear. I'm so sorry."
"Sorry?" Robin blinked. "Sorry for what?"
"Your father, dear."
"Oh," Robin murmured. She had already entirely forgotten. "Don't trouble yourself, Aunt Violet. He was not worth being sorry for."
Violet tilted her head curiously, answering a question Sherlock had failed to ask his wife before now. Though her aunt had to have been aware that Robin's life had its difficulties, she couldn't have been aware of her father's abysmal attitude, otherwise she would have taken it upon herself to remove her long ago.
"I hear you are now wed," she continued, electing not to inquire further about Robin's comment.
"Yes, Aunt Violet."
Her aunt hugged her tightly, looking at Sherlock sternly over Robin's shoulder. "And are you taking good care of your wife, Mr. Holmes?"
He swallowed nervously, which gave Robin the time to defend him, even though she knew her aunt was only teasing.
"He has treated me very well, Aunt Violet. He's already begun fixing Norland Park."
"I am so happy for both of you," Violet replied. "Though I do not understand why you couldn't have waited so we all could have attended."
"I'm sorry we didn't invite you, Aunt Violet," she apologized. "But when I saw how happy everyone in the village was for me, I was overcome with a desire to marry at home. I had no idea that Sherlock already had a license, and once I told him, he wouldn't take no for an answer."
"It's quite all right, Robin. I understand. You'll be celebrating for your family and friends in the city before the end of the season, I presume?"
"Of course," Robin assured her.
"Very well, then. Let me know when you need help arranging everything."
"Meanwhile, is there anything we can do for you?" Sherlock wondered. "This business with Colin sounds serious."
"No, no. It's all been handled. We must simply wait for the gossip to die down, is all. It may take slightly longer because of Lady Whistledown, but soon there will be something else for the ton to talk about." She clapped her hands together decisively. "We're about to have tea. Come join us."
"Of course," they both agreed, following her.
As they sat, drank tea, and ate, they talked. Sherlock and Robin described the work currently happening at Norland, as well as their wedding.
"Have you given any thought to where you'll be staying while you're in London for the rest of the season?" Violet finally inquired.
"I have a flat on Baker Street," Sherlock told her. "We thought we'd stay there."
"A newly married couple needs their privacy," Violet agreed. "I think it's a wonderful plan. You're welcome here whenever you like, of course."
"Thank you, Aunt Violet. You're welcome wherever we are as well."
"You're very kind, dear. Will we be seeing you at any further ton events shortly?"
"We must direct our attention to solving Sherlock's case. We've quite put it aside in light of everything else," Robin explained. "So I'm not entirely sure yet."
"Just don't disappear on us, you two. I imagine you'll have children soon and won't want to be doing too much visiting while they're very small."
Robin beamed at Sherlock and blushed. "I imagine we will," she murmured.
When tea was over, her aunt hugged her one more time and repeated her pleasure at their obvious happiness. Robin promised to visit soon, and Sherlock went to retrieve their carriage.
As she was waiting, Eloise appeared again and came to stand beside her. Robin waited for her to speak, wondering what the younger girl was up to.
"I would like your help discovering the identity of Lady Whistledown," she confessed, "since I have recently decided that you're not her."
Robin turned to Eloise in surprise. "You thought I was Lady Whistledown? Why?"
"Her publication started right after your arrival in London," Eloise defended herself.
"Hm," Robin mused. "That was an excellent observation, Eloise. May I also ask what has removed me from your list of suspects?"
"Publication continued while you were gone, first of all. Even then, I thought you might have arranged for it beforehand, but you were clearly shocked when I told you about Colin, and that was in her last edition. You could be pretending, I suppose, but I think you're smarter than that. You wouldn't have asked at all, and if we'd asked you how you knew, you would have said you'd stopped and read Lady Whistledown when you returned to the city."
"Very excellent deductive skills, Eloise," Robin complimented her. "However, I'm not sure I should help you."
"But you're a detective!" Eloise protested. "I think that's what I might want to be as well."
"I'm not a detective, Eloise," Robin disagreed. "I'm helping Sherlock with his case, yes, and I am having a lovely time doing it. But it's a mere hobby for me. If you truly believe this is something you want to do with your life, you must find your own way. That is what will really tell you if it's what you want."
Eloise sighed. "Why do you have to make so much sense?"
Robin laughed. "You are already doing a wonderful job on your own, Eloise. I know you are more than capable. I am sure you will unmask Lady Whistledown in no time."
"I hope so. Thank you, Robin." She started to leave, then paused. "Are you happy being a wife?" she added, looking at her cousin curiously.
"I am, Eloise." When her cousin wrinkled her nose in distaste, Robin laughed. "That doesn't mean every woman would be happy with it," she pointed out. "It also doesn't mean that's all I am. There is plenty more to me than that."
Eloise nodded slowly. "That gives me much to think about," she decided before heading back up the stairs.
Robin shook her head a little, hoping she'd said the right things. She knew how hard it was to find one's way in the world for a woman. She was still working on it. She could only hope that Eloise found the kind of support she had. Her mother would be there for her, of course, and Robin promised herself that she would too, as long as it was appropriate.
Sherlock came into the foyer and smiled at her. "The carriage is ready," he told her. "Let's go home."
She took his hand and smiled happily. "Let's."
She was excited to see Sherlock's flat on Baker Street. It was famous in its own right, after all. But when she was finally standing inside the entrance, all she could do was blink rapidly to herself.
"Oh my," she muttered softly.
While the flat was large and had obviously designated living spaces, Sherlock was clearly using it as one giant office. Stacks of books and papers occupied every surface, including a good portion of the floor. A variety of unusual objects were stashed in between the piles. She spotted a deerstalker cap, a pipe, a magnifying glass, and, of course, his famous violin.
He slid his hands around her waist from behind and rested his chin on top of her head. "It's rather messy," he ventured.
She snorted loudly. "Rather messy?" she challenged him. "Sherlock, it's a disaster in here. A fascinating disaster, to be sure, but a disaster nonetheless. Don't you have a housekeeper and a cook, at least?"
"I can't have servants here. These are all of my work materials. It is highly possible that people might send someone here under the guise of being a servant to snoop."
Robin turned to him. "How do you eat?"
"When I remember, there's a lovely pub and a tea room on this street."
She shook her head at him affectionately. "You must let me organize all of this for you so we can actually live here with our children when we must. And I'll be taking over your kitchen as well."
He tipped her chin up and kissed her. "You know I don't expect that of you?" he wondered shyly. "I can hire someone if necessary. I'll just be careful."
She shook her head. "I know you don't, but I'm not going to make you compromise your work. Besides, no servants means more privacy."
"Thank you, Robin."
She nodded briskly, glad that she'd worn one of her sturdy cotton dresses. "You're welcome, Sherlock. Let's get to work."