A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1)(55)

“Mrs. Hudson would let us know if we have gone on too long for him.”

Treadles lowered his voice, though he had the impression he was only being silly, rather than discreet. “I hate to ask this, Miss Holmes, but the episode, has it affected your brother’s mind?”

Miss Holmes smiled—was it an ironic smile? “Allow me to assure you, Inspector, that although the episode negatively affected many aspects of Sherlock Holmes’s life, it mercifully spared his mind, which remains as eccentric and intractable as ever.”

Was Treadles imagining things or did Lord Ingram let out an almost inaudible snort?

“You are still unsure, Inspector,” said Miss Holmes. “Would you like to know for certain that Sherlock’s powers of observation and deduction are very much intact?”

“I would take the lady at her word,” said Lord Ingram as he studied the rim of his teacup.

It occurred to Treadles that his lordship hadn’t looked directly at Miss Holmes since they arrived.

“The choice is yours, Inspector,” said Miss Holmes.

Treadles hesitated some more. “My lord, have you seen Miss Holmes’s brother face-to-face since his episode?”

“No, I have not.”

“Then, with all due apology, as this is a matter of public trust, I would like to be assured that Mr. Holmes’s capabilities are what they were.”

“Of course,” said Lord Ingram.

Oddly enough, his lordship’s voice contained no trace of annoyance, only the faintest hint of pity.

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” Miss Holmes went into the next room and closed the door.

Treadles turned to Lord Ingram. “My lord, I hope I have not given offense in following my own counsel.”

“Not at all. Were I you, I would have made the same choice.”

Treadles exhaled.

But then Lord Ingram added, “And were you me, you’d have issued the same warning.”




Miss Holmes returned with a bright smile for her visitors. She took her seat and arranged her skirts with practiced ease.

“This is what Sherlock has to say about you, Inspector.”

Him? Treadles glanced again at Lord Ingram, who seemed once again fascinated by the shape of his teacup.

Miss Holmes pulled out a small notebook from a pocket in her skirt and consulted it. “You come from the northwest. Cumbria. Barrow-in-Furness. Your father was employed by either the steelworks or the shipyard. The shipyard, most likely. He was Scottish, your mother wasn’t. He did well enough to send you to a good school, but unfortunately he died young and you weren’t able to go to university.”

Treadles stared at her. Had Sherlock Holmes learned all this from Lord Ingram? But he couldn’t remember ever telling his lordship what Angus Treadles had done for a living.

“You began your career in Cumbria but came to London before too long. Here you were married. A happy union—many congratulations. Your father-in-law was a well-to-do man. And like Lord Ingram, he appreciated your intelligence, industry, and decency. Unfortunately, he is no more and his heir, who is not a man of as exceptional caliber, does not feel nearly the same affection toward either you or your wife. Finances have become strained, but your wife is a resourceful and resilient woman, and your domestic contentment has not been adversely affected.”

Inspector Treadles, with some effort, closed his mouth. He was sure he had never mentioned his finances to Lord Ingram, who now wore an expression of mild apology.

“Mr. Holmes knows all this from having listened to me speak ten words?”

“You have spoken closer to one hundred words, far more than necessary to pinpoint your general place of origin and your level of education. Although in your case it is a bit more complicated, with the trace of Scottish brogue in your vowels—which, on the other hand, made it easier to conclude Barrow-in-Furness, with its large Scottish population attracted by work in the industries. As for whether it is the steelworks or the shipyard, your own expression gave away the correct answer.

“The rest is fairly obvious. You’re still a young man; to have risen to your current position indicates that you started early, but also possess a drive to succeed. Yet you are not one of those men for whom ambition is everything, or Lord Ingram wouldn’t have taken any interest in your concerns.”

She cast a look at Lord Ingram, who stirred his tea with great concentration.

“Indeed not,” said he.

Even in the midst of his own astonishment, Inspector Treadles was beginning to wonder at the nature of the association between Lord Ingram and the Holmeses. Between his lordship and Miss Holmes, especially.

Miss Holmes smiled again. “Does that answer your question?”

Treadles had to think for a moment to remember what his question had been: How Holmes could know so much about him from so little. “Not entirely.”

“Ah, your domestic situation. It is infinitely more likely that you left Barrow-in-Furness before you were married than after—you appear too prudent a man to marry early and of course it is far easier to relocate as a bachelor than with a family in tow. As for your late father-in-law’s comfortable circumstances, the fabric and cut of your garments indicate that they were made by a tailor whose work Lord Ingram’s valet would not have disdained—in other words, your late father-in-law’s tailor.