by June Thomson
She was clearly overcome with emotion and left soon afterwards, Mr Cassell escorting her to the door and summoning a four-wheeler to take her home.
He returned to the office smiling broadly and rubbing his hands together with delight.
‘What a truly wonderful outcome!’ he declared. ‘Mrs Conk-Singleton is indeed a very fortunate lady. She will be financially secure for the rest of her life and there will be no further need for her to paint fake Constables on the back of old masters to save the cost of a new canvas!’
‘So it was a happy ending after all, Holmes,’ I could not help remarking later as we made our way back to Baker Street in a hansom.
Holmes threw back his head and laughed heartily.
‘Your optimism is indeed vindicated, my dear fellow,’ he replied, adding with a sly sideways glance at me, ‘At least on this occasion.’
1 The Reichenbach Falls is a series of waterfalls near Meiringen in Switzerland. It was where Sherlock Holmes met his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, for a final confrontation in May 1891. In the ensuing struggle, Holmes, who had learnt baritsu, a Japanese form of self-defence, succeeded in throwing Moriarty off balance and in consequence he plunged to his death in the ravine below. Dr John F. Watson.
2 Billy was the young pageboy who attended Holmes at Baker Street in The Valley of Fear. A similarly named pageboy also appeared in several much later accounts, ‘The Problem of Thor Bridge’ and ‘The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone’, and it is generally assumed that this is a different pageboy and that ‘Billy’ was a generic name. Dr John F. Watson.
3 John Constable (1776–1837). An English landscape painter, some of whose paintings, e.g. The Haywain, are world-famous. Born in Suffolk, he is considered, along with Turner, to be one of the greatest painters of the English countryside. Dr John F. Watson.
4 Among his library books in the Baker Street lodgings, Sherlock Holmes had an encyclopaedia that he had compiled himself and that contained newspaper cuttings and other sources of material that he considered of particular interest. There are several references to this volume in the canon. Dr John F. Watson.
5 Doctor Watson played billiards with Thurston at their club. Nothing else is known about him, not even his Christian name. Vide: ‘The Adventure of the Dancing Men’. Dr John F. Watson.
6 Jan Vermeer (1632–75). A Dutch painter, born in Delft, he was famous for his paintings of household interiors containing a single female occupant, often occupied with some intimate or domestic task, e.g. Young Woman Reading a Letter at an Open Window. Dr John F. Watson.
About the Author
JUNE THOMSON, a former teacher, has published over thirty novels, twenty of which feature her series detective Inspector Jack Finch and his sergeant, Tom Boyce. She has also written six pastiche collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Her books have been translated into many languages. June Thomson lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
By June Thomson
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES COLLECTION
The Secret Journals of Sherlock Holmes
Holmes and Watson
The Secret Documents of Sherlock Holmes
The Secret Notebooks of Sherlock Holmes
The Secret Archives of Sherlock Holmes
THE JACK FINCH MYSTERIES
Going Home
If you enjoyed The Secret Notebooks of Sherlock Holmes, look out for more books by June Thomson …
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THE SECRET ARCHIVES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
A mysterious veiled lady carries a counterfeit painting into an art dealer’s office. A widow with three hands slips out of a church door. A farmer lies dead in a barn, his son accused of his murder, and a skeleton with a silver locket is unearthed in a back garden. Who can solve these mysteries? One man. He lives in Baker Street.
Accompanied by the faithful Dr Watson, Sherlock Holmes is back and brilliant as ever in this brand new series of untold adventures from June Thomson, packed with enigmas and enemies of old …
HOLMES AND WATSON
Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson, famous for their crime-solving capabilities, are mysterious figures themselves. What is known about their pasts, and the reasons behind their very different personalities? This detailed and enthralling account ponders answers to the many uncertainties and enigmas which surround the pair.
And there are other puzzles to be solved. Who was John Watson’s mysterious second wife? And what is the real location of the legendary 221B Baker Street? A thorough investigation commences as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creations are placed under the magnifying glass …
Copyright
Allison & Busby Limited
13 Charlotte Mews
London W1T 4EJ
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First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2004.
This ebook edition first published by Allison & Busby in 2012.
Copyright © 2004 by JUNE THOMSON
The moral right of JUNE THOMSON to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–1286–1
