by Janina Woods
“He simply excused himself to look into the matter and was gone quickly.”
“You don’t think...”
My eyes widened in shock.
“I might not be the best judge of character, but if Leonard Hawkins is planning my murder, I’ll personally jump onto his open sword. There is no way.”
“Perhaps he was coerced into it, one way or another.”
“While that is a possibility, I strongly reject it. He’s no more suspicious than you are.”
Lou laughed. “Then he’s excused. I hope you believe me when I say that I’d rather have you die of old age than any other cause.”
“Likewise, my dear. There aren’t many people in this world I’d trust with my life, but you are one of them.”
“Don’t oversell it,” Lou admonished me and shook her head, but I could see a gentle smile on her lips, even in the semi-darkness of the carriage. “We’re almost there. Any last words?”
“We have to look into Chapman without drawing suspicion, of course. It might be best if we avoid talking to him altogether, and focus on the people, who could be his business partners and other connections. Like I said: He couldn’t possibly pull everything off on his own. He would need collaborators, money...”
“True. But we might need to greet him. It is his ball, after all.”
I pulled the mask from my pocket and fastened it with a golden ribbon around my head. The white leather covered the upper half of my face completely, and some white and gold feathers on each side obscured the view of my ears and hair. I had no special hair colour and no physical defects that would make me easy to place - and even if I did... the Holmes brothers hadn’t attended many functions in their youth, and after our parent’s death we had stopped the endeavour completely.
My face was known as Ian Ashdown to almost everyone in London, who had ever met me. The only unknown factor was Chapman himself.
“The odds of recognition are very low. Something else might be more dangerous, though. When I exited my house, there was another message... my name, this time in red paint on my doorstep. Someone is trying very hard to make me feel scared. With any luck, they might try something again tonight, if they have followed me and managed to sneak into the party. I’m starting to think whoever is behind this has a flair for the dramatic.”
“With any luck?” Lou asked and raised one eyebrow.
“Well, we’ll have many potential witnesses here. It’s a good opportunity. On the other hand, I might actually be safer among so many people. Maybe they won’t want to attempt anything out in the open. I suppose only time will tell.”
“I’ll have your back as well as I can without dropping my act...”
I nodded. It would’ve killed me to ruin Lou’s career with my problems, no matter how deadly they were. It was kind of her to invite me along, and I would do my darnedest to keep her out of any scuffle. Sherlock would’ve received the list by now and was hopefully off to pursue a more fruitful avenue of inquiry, so I could potentially waste an evening.
No, I couldn’t let myself be that pessimistic this early in the whole endeavour. Well aware of my tendency to see every little setback as a more dramatic obstacle than it actually was, I briefly turned into myself and silenced that unnecessary voice.
“One of Sherlock’s Irregulars saw the men, who left the message on my doorstep. She said they looked like dockworkers. There’s no way to know if that’s true, but if it is-”
“Then Chapman is looking more likely, yes. He has a lot of men at his disposal, who’d fit the description. And I wager that many of them would accept work of that manner for the right price.”
I nodded. “Not everything lines up yet, but for now he is definitely the most likely candidate. Many strings connect to him already and I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. At some point during the party, I need to slip away and find his office. This is his main residence, isn’t it?”
“In the city, yes.”
“If I can’t find conclusive evidence, at least the documents I could look into might give us a better understanding of his current plans, and another angle of attack.”
“I can only urge you to be utterly careful. I’m starting to regret asking you here. Maybe I should’ve-”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve faced worse people than Arthur Chapman,” I huffed.
“I know. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to be on our toes.”
“It’s been awhile since we worked together, Lou. You seem to have forgotten all about my skills. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, I always worry, Mycroft,” Lou countered. “That’s what keeps me alert. I remember enough about your modus operandi to render me very alert indeed.”
Just then, the carriage undertook one last lurch and the door was opened by a servant of the large townhouse we had finally arrived at.
“My lady,” I waved towards the door.
Lou shook her head, but went ahead anyway. She had donned her mask as well - black leather adorned with crow feathers and dark sequins, which sparkled blue when the light hit them. It was as if we had choreographed our look. The feathers matched perfectly, though my simple tuxedo was no match for her radiant gown, no matter how well I filled it out.
I jumped down the narrow steps and into the accumulated snow, which had already turned into a dark, sloshing mass, after too many people had walked through it. I spared a short prayer for my shoes and hurried after Lou to avoid my trouser legs getting soaked.
The entrance hall was well-heated, and we were quickly ushered through the doors into the welcoming warmth. We relinquished our coats and let a servant dry our footwear with a clean cloth before braving the ball itself. Other guests greeted us with simple nods and smiles. No names were exchanged. It seemed that it was to be an anonymous evening, at least for now. Well, that made many things easier for me.
While others would have difficulty placing me, in turn I would have no such problems. It was always painfully obvious who was behind the mask. The idea that you could hide an entire identity behind that little piece of decoration was preposterous, but apparently not everyone paid as much attention to the body language of other people as I did.
Gentle piano music lured us towards the main ballroom, which was situated to the left of the entrance hall. I offered Lou my arm, and we made our way in measured steps towards the accumulated mass of people.
The ballroom was well-filled, and I estimated about fifty people were already occupying the space. I had expected there to be fewer, but Chapman still had a certain lure of both old money and new opportunities surrounding him, despite his suffering reputation. The room itself had a high ceiling, dark wooden panelling covering all walls, and was decorated in dark green and golden tones, with many foreign looking plants and large ferns adorning the corners. A piano was situated on the far side. I couldn’t see it, but the sound was unmistakable.
Many people walked around us over the well-polished, inlaid wooden floor, as we stood near the centre of the room. Everything was illuminated by the orange light of gas lamps in the chandeliers and a few well-placed additions on the walls. It felt homely, intimate. The atmosphere was very relaxed.
“It took a long while for so many people to take to him like this again. But he’s balancing on a dangerous edge now... one hint that he’s back on his deviant behaviour and everyone might turn on him. And that would be his end,” Lou leaned in and whispered into my ear.
I nodded in understanding as I eyed the sea of sparkling dresses around us. “So he’s an upstanding businessman now?”
“We actually haven’t looked too closely at his trade since the he paid the fine. He would be mad to try anything again, and we had more important things to do. But maybe that was an oversight.”
A butler walked up to us and inquired about our drink preferences. I was about to ask fo
r a glass of port, when Lou opted for a sloe gin and I joined her, as I remembered that I hadn’t had a sip of gin in well over a year. A real shame. I didn’t plan on getting remotely drunk, but it would look suspicious if I didn’t indulge just a little.
After we received our glasses, Lou and I slowly walked around the room, her arm in mine. I didn’t think anyone would take me for Edward, but it didn’t seem like most of them even recognised her. Polite nods were exchanged, but people mostly stuck to the ones they had arrived with, as long as the crowd was still shrouded in anonymity.
As we walked, I deduced the identity of many and kept the names of only few in my head. They were overwhelmingly inconsequential - a few nobles mingling where they thought they wouldn’t be recognised - and no one an immediate threat.
But there was one person I recognised, who actually made me pause. Like the servants, the piano player didn’t wear a mask, so as I spotted him, a little gasp of surprise escaped me before I could help it. I felt Lou tense and cling imperceptibly closer to my arm.
“Relax,” I whispered, head leaned towards hers. “Just a possibly pleasant encounter.”
“Pleasant? I didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that.”
“Please.” I shook my head, then inclined it in the direction of the piano player. “Excuse me for a minute. I need to talk to him before he draws unwanted attention to me.”
“Don’t tell me he knows you?”
“The masks will come off at some point during the evening,” I said.
Lou nodded. “It’s customary to remove them, but that’s usually not until very late.”
“Still, you know how I hate uncertainty...”
I patted Lou’s arm. She retreated into the crowd, just as I stepped up to the large piano and leaned against the side, smiling at the man who coaxed a gentle melody out of the instrument. He nodded at me and continued his piece, just as I continued to enjoy it. I didn’t even have to pretend - the man possessed great skill. A few minutes later the last notes faded into silence and a polite applause rose throughout the room, which I joined in.
“Thank you, thank you very much, indeed. I’ll have to take a very short break now, but I will be back momentarily.” The tall man had risen from his seat and took an exaggerated bow towards the audience.
As the crowd turned away from him to continue their conversations, he signalled a butler, then pointed at my glass and held up two fingers. The servant nodded and disappeared quickly. The piano player gestured for me to join him in the corner, and I followed only too gladly. It seemed like the smile I had shown him during his performance had led to the desired outcome. Partly hidden behind a large fern, he leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, legs crossed and smiled as I joined him.
“Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?” the man asked in a friendly enough manner.
I sighed internally. He was still as devilishly handsome as in my memory, if not more so in the warm light. With short, black hair and a well-maintained full beard, he made a pretty picture, and a mischievous glint in his eyes completed it.
“I never did catch your name,” I remarked, not answering his question.
“Have we met before? I’m sorry, but I can’t place you with that mask in the way...”
Just then, the servant arrived with the fresh drinks, which we accepted gratefully. I raised the glass to my mouth and took another sip of the slightly sweet, predominantly bitter spirit, then slowly licked my lips. With one hand I grasped my mask, and with my back turned to the room, I lifted it so the piano player could see my face.
“What a bloody coincidence,” he muttered.
“Indeed,” I agreed and placed the mask back securely on my face.
“The last time I saw you, you were unconscious on a stretcher in the harbour of Alexandria. How in the hell are you here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, my good man.”
“Touché. Are you following me by any chance?”
“I wish I could say I was.”
He grinned in amusement. It was still the same grin he had on his face back on the Aurora - the very ship we had commandeered to take us to Alexandria on the quest to save Sherlock from the clutches of the Desert Wind.
“Alright then, what’s your business here? And what is your business anyway? You were with those other-”
I shushed him and looked around.
“Please, that’s why I needed to talk to you. I’m simply Ian Ashdown the tailor, tonight. You can’t mention anything else, no matter what you saw on the ship.”
The man frowned and took a deep sip of his liquor, then eyed the room over my shoulder. An internal debate was clearly written on his face, in the way his eyes darted to certain people, and in the look he had when he tried to discern anything more about my motivations. I could also see the moment in which he decided to give in, by the slight slump of his shoulders.
“Alright. Sure. I know better than to ask. But what’s in it for me?”
“Oh, I’m sure something can be arranged,” I replied and reached for his drink, turned it so that the side he had been drinking from faced me and slowly licked a few drops off the glass before I returned it to him. Some would’ve called such a move risky, but then they hadn’t seen the looks the piano player had given me.
At first I only received a raised eyebrow for my troubles, but then he laughed and downed the content of his glass, lingering with his lips on the clear surface.
“I’ll count on it,” he said. “But for now I need to continue. I’m not getting paid to stand around. And I’m not going back to ship entertainment. The Aurora ruined that for me.”
“I’m terribly sorry.”
“No, you aren’t.” He walked past me and brushed his hand against mine.
“By the way, the name is Hugo Fitzpatrick. And that’s my real name, Ian.”
I turned to watch him return to his instrument, hand over the empty glass to yet another butler and jump back into his performance. A happy melody, faster than the piece before my interruption, spilled from the piano and compelled a few couples to dance. I looked around the room to spot Lou and walked with paced steps over to the windows to join her again.
“So...?”
“A complete coincidence. I met the man earlier this year and he knows... well, he doesn’t know exactly what I do, but he certainly won’t believe my persona to be a tailor, either.”
“Do you think he would’ve made any problems or did you simply want to make your presence known to him?”
Even without seeing the upper part of her face, the smirk had the intended message.
“Frankly? A bit of both.”
“Mhm... He’s terribly good looking.”
“Alright, enough distraction. Do you know your way around the house?”
Lou looked about, but no one paid us any mind, even after my brief conversation with Fitzpatrick. “I’ve been invited here before Chapman’s episode, yes, and I’ve also strayed from the path before. If you excuse yourself to the washrooms, you can follow the hallway and reach the servant’s stairs in the back. They lead to the second floor, and come out on the other end of the corridor from Chapman’s study. While I don’t think the lock will be a problem for you, I don’t know if it’ll be guarded tonight. He’s been terribly paranoid.”
“Well, so have I.”
Lou raised an eyebrow.
“No matter now. I should move fast, if I’m to be prepared for any-”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I ask for your attention please?”
The room turned towards a tall man, who had appeared in the centre, clad in an azure blue suit that was unlike anything I had ever seen. The cut was traditional, but the colour stood out so brightly, it was astonishing. By the smirk the man had on his face, he was well-aware of the impression he made on the c
rowd. I hadn’t seen him so far - such an extraordinary appearance would have certainly made an impact - so he must’ve slipped into the ballroom while I had been talking to Lou. He made his heavy signet ring collide with the glass in his hand, which produced a high sound to get everyone’s attention.
“Please, just a moment.” He smiled and turned, the feathers on his navy blue mask bouncing with the motion, as did his wavy, brown hair. “Thank you all for attending my little soirée... whoever you may be.”
He tapped his mask and smiled. The joke was well-received, and a soft, collective laugh could be heard throughout the room. Fitzpatrick had stopped his music, so Arthur Chapman’s voice was the only thing audible.
“I won’t keep you long. This evening serves as a small thank you to some people, who have been indispensable to me in recent months. You know who you are. And of course as an introduction for my darling, who wanted to get to know you all without your cumbersome ranks and titles. It is in her honour this masquerade ball is being held.”
On the other side of the room, two doors opened and revealed a small woman, who made her way in measured steps to the centre. She was at least a head shorter than me, and from the way she walked so cautiously, I concluded that she was wearing high shoes that were hidden underneath the floor-length dress, and that she was still unaccustomed to walking in them. As she approached, I could make out only little about her person, which was at odds with everyone else in the room.
Her very long, dark blonde hair was stacked up neatly on her head. The only skin she showed was on the lower part of her face and neck, as the rest was wrapped in dark violet cloth, which made up the majority of the dress. She also wore black gloves, but many women - including Lou - had chosen to do so that night. Yes, her dress was a tad plain and old-fashioned, but that wasn’t anything inherently unusual. The stand-out element was her small mask, which was coloured in a simple black and fit snugly to her face, adorned on each side with long pheasant and peacock feathers, which reached taller than Chapman’s head.
