The grand estate was eerily quiet when under the drape of night, with only faint rustles of wind against the many windows breaking the silence for the men who were on guard. Watson, who had posted himself outside the Duchess’ chamber, was unfazed by the atmosphere. He was used to sitting in a trench waiting for hundreds of men to try to kill him, so he was used to the unnerving wait of what was to come. While the wait of this responsibly was still heavy on his mind, he could tell that the men Lestrade left behind were a little more tense than the good doctor was. Watson could hear their heavy sighs of frustration as they moved about like shadows, their boots barely making a sound on the stone floors as they patrolled about. The duchess was exhausted when she retired to her chambers but appeared determined to remain calm and give the men that were there to help her a chance as she locked the door behind her. The tension in the air was intense, as the men waited patiently as the clocks were counting down to the moment they all knew the mysterious intruder would return.

Watson consulted his pocket watch often, as the hour was well past midnight and despite the heightened security, there was no sign of the intruder who had been threatening the duchess. Watson shared a glance with one of Lestrade’s officers, who nodded back at the doctor other side of the hallway. Something gnawed at both men, a gut instinct that Holmes would often dismiss but was something that Watson himself refused to ignore. He had a feeling that something was about to happen. Suddenly, a low creaking sound was caught by Watson’s ears, as he sharply turned toward the Duchess’s door. It wasn’t the sound of footsteps in the corridor, as it came from inside her grace’s room. Watson signaled the nearby officer, who took a few steps closer, but stopped when Watson waved him back. There were no other sounds, so Watson determined that there was not enough activity to warrant opening the door to interrupt her grace’s sleep.

Inside the chambers, the dim moonlight filtered through the curtains casting long shadows across the room. The Duchess lay still in her bed, and her breathing steady but surprisingly calm. Yet near the far corner of the room, Watson’s instincts were actually correct as something was amiss. A section of the wall was slowly sliding open, revealing a hidden door that led into a dark passageway. A man emerged from the secret entrance, dressed in black from head to toe, his features obscured by the shadows. The intruder moved with careful, deliberate steps toward the bed and then began to speak when he was within a few feet.

“Your Grace,” the intruder started, “You will die in five days.”

Before the man could make another move, there was a sound that caught his attention. The clicking sound was right behind his head, and it was the cocking of a gun that was in the hand of the man standing right behind him.

“She may only have five days,” Sherlock Holmes replied, “But your time is up right now.”

The intruder froze, his surprise evident. He spun around, and there before him stood Holmes who was wearing a skintight body suit, that had a floral design that looked like it belonged on furniture. The intruder took a step back as he was trying to figure out how he might be able to get around the man with the gun and back to secret passage that allowed him in. Holmes was unwilling to let him think for too long as he pointed the gun away from the intruder and fired at one of the windows, aware of commotion it would cause.

The shot rang out for all to hear, and Watson came storming into the room with Lestrade’s men and they were all shocked to see Holmes standing there with the intruder at gunpoint. Rather than question his friend’s surprising presence, Watson rushed forward to assist never taking eyes, or his own gun, off the intruder.

“You won’t get away this time!” Watson called out, his voice steady as adrenaline pumped through him. “Hands in the air, right now!”

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The intruder briefly paused before realizing he had been outmaneuvered. Lestrade's officers moved in and immediately took the man into custody.

The Duchess was sitting up as she heard everything that had went down.

“Do you have him?” The Duchess asked.

Holmes turned toward her, his tone calm but firm.

“We have him, Your Grace,” Sherlock said, smiling back at Watson. “The man who has been tormenting you has been apprehended.”

The Duchess let out a soft gasp of relief, her hand clutching her blankets tightly.

“Thank you, Master Holmes!” She called out, “I never doubted you for a moment!”

“Where the hell did you come from?” Watson called out, but the answer came to him the moment the lights in the room were turned on. Holmes was standing there in a skintight suit that happened to match the exact pattern that was in the couch on the other end of the Duchess’ chamber. Holmes had camouflaged himself into the Duchess’ couch and was basically invisible to the naked eye.

“How long have you been hiding in here?” Watson called out to Holmes.

“Ever since that staged argument with Lestrade,” Sherlock answered, “That was not me who left the room earlier. Once I was changed into this outfit and perfectly blended into the couch, we staged the incident with Lestrade, and then had one of his men storm out the building wearing my clothing.”

“That wasn’t you?” Watson repeated, “I could have sworn that was you I heard!”

“It was,” Sherlock informed his friend, “I was shouting with Lestrade, but that was one of his constables walking out with my attire on. We did that to give everyone the impression that I was no longer in the building.”

“It was a ruse?” Watson asked, as he could hardly believe it.

“Precisely,” Sherlock confirmed, “I never truly left Her Grace’s chamber. Just in case the intruder was working within the estate, I needed to give almost everyone the impression that I had departed and was no longer here.”

“Hang on,” Watson said, as he did the mat in his head, “You were hiding on the couch for over ten hours?”

“Indeed,” Sherlock confirmed with a faint smile. “The key to solving this case was simple: patience. The man was counting on our frustration, thinking we were distracted by our squabbles. What he didn't know was that I was in here waiting for him the whole time.”

“I can’t believe that ridiculous outfit worked!” Watson exclaimed, “When did you move the couch in here from our place?”

“That’s not our couch,” Sherlock corrected him, “The Duchess happens to have the same fine taste in comfortable furniture. The moment I noticed she had the exact same chesterfield I knew this was the way to get our man.”

As Lestrade entered the room, he had an expression caught between annoyance and grudging respect as he too couldn’t believe that the ridiculous skintight suit actually worked.

“I had my doubts,” Lestrade confessed, “But nicely done, Master Holmes.”

“You were in on this too?” Watson asked.

“I was,” Lestrade said, smiling back. “How was my performance?”

“Adequate,” Sherlock answered, “But I wouldn’t recommend quitting your day job.”

“Magnificent work, Master Holmes,” The Duchess called out as she heard every word.

“You don’t seem so surprised,” Watson said, as he noticed her calm demeanor.

“Of course not,” Sherlock replied for her, “Her Grace knew I was here the entire time.”

“I did,” The Duchess confirmed, “That aftershave is hard not to notice.”

“That’s why she was so calm,” Watson continued, “I thought you were being brave, but you knew Sherlock was there the whole time!”

“That I did,” The Duchess said, smiling warmly.

“This is unbelievable!” Watson said, still unable to believe his plan worked.

“You’ll have time to accept it,” Sherlock said, patting his partner’s shoulder, “But for now I suggest we give Her Grace some privacy and let her get a good night’s sleep.”

“Thank you, Master Holmes,” The Duchess replied, “This will be the best sleep I will have had in a while.”

“Apologies, Your Grace,” Lestrade said, as he gave a slight bow, “But I’m afraid you’ll have to rest in a different room tonight. We need to investigate this secret entrance and where else it might go. Do you mind resting in another room tonight?”

“I do not mind,” The Duchess calmly responded, “I have a few other rooms I can easily access any time I want. With that, I bid you gentlemen goodnight.”

All the men in the room gave a bow as the Duchess was escorted out of the chamber by one of her ladies but was in good spirits as she did aware that the man who had been threatening her was now apprehended. She would go on to have the best rest of her life that night, all thanks to Sherlock Holmes.