“That’s a very large house, it’s also very nice.” I said as we stepped out of the cab at our destination. Mrs. Dodd was with us.

“Yes, his family is quite wealthy now. But before his father’s military career became quite so illustrious, we lived next to one another in much more humble housing. Though that was years ago, when we were children.” Mrs. Dodd informed us.

Thankfully, Mrs. Dodd had been able to make arrangements for us to stay a couple of nights there, and the Godfrey family had gladly offered us rooms in their home, which comforted her a little, knowing that she was still on good terms with the family, and had offered the detective insight into the nature of the problem, that the family was still glad to offer Mrs. Dodd accommodation.

“Shall we acquaint ourselves with the people of the house, Watson?” Sir Locke asked me as soon as he and the cabbie had unloaded our suitcases.

“That’s the general idea, I’m sure.” I told him.

“Indeed.” He flashed a quick grin at me before knocking on the door. It was good to see him smile, though it didn’t happen often.

A very old butler showed us in.

“Hello there, Ralph! It’s good to see you!” Mrs. Dodd said warmly, and embraced the old fellow.

“You too, Ms. Jessica! Your husband is well, I expect?”

“He’s very well. He’ll be better when I get back home to him, of course!”

“Of course!” the butler smiled. “I’m afraid that the Colonel is out, and Mrs. Godfrey is in bed with a headache, and regrets that she cannot meet you. But she told me to bid you welcome, and show you to your rooms, and to inform you that her husband will dine with you at eight o’clock tonight, if that pleases you!”

“That sounds lovely, Ralph. Do send her our many thanks, and give her my love.”

“I will, Ms. Jessica, she’ll appreciate that.” The elderly chap bowed politely to us. “Now if you’d follow me.” He picked up Mrs. Dodd’s suitcase, and began to walk. I started to pick up mine, perfectly willing to carry it myself, but saw that Sir Locke was stooping to pick mine up, as well as his own.

“Don’t, sir, I can carry it easily enough.”

“Are you quite sure?” he asked, seeming hesitant to allow me to carry it for myself.

“It’s not heavy, and I’m not entirely dependent on you, believe it or not.” I told him, only half-jokingly. “I’d like to keep it that way, too.”

My employer merely shrugged, but allowed me to do as I wished.

We walked quickly to catch up with the butler and our client.

Ralph showed us to our rooms, and bade us to make ourselves comfortable.

As I was stowing my clothes in a drawer, there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” I called.

“You’re unpacking?” Sir Locke asked as he entered, hands in his pockets.

“I know we won’t be here long, but I don’t like the way suitcases make my clothes smell.” I shrugged. “And I hate living out of one. It won’t take me long to repack them again, though, when the need arises.”

“It wasn’t a criticism.” He replied.

“I didn’t take it as one, I just felt the need to explain.” I shrugged. “Did you need something, sir?”

“I thought we might as well take the time to poke about the house, see what there is to find.”

“Alright.” I shut the drawer.

Our search was mostly fruitless, though we looked over the house from top to bottom, we found no sign of the missing man, save the room that he’d once occupied, and had so hurriedly vacated, leaving a few scraps of paper behind. We ran into no staff, but were later informed by Mrs. Dodd that the only two servants left in the house appeared to be Ralph and his wife, the housekeeper.

“Ralph also was most emphatic, when I asked him, that Emsworth was perfectly fine, and had just fancied a change of scenery for a long while. He also hinted that he suspected that my dear friend might have found himself a lady-friend overseas. But in my letters, I often inquired as to the state of his love life. We were close enough to discuss such matters, and he would always lament that he had no significant other to share his happiness with. In fact, in his last letter, he said that he’d all but given up on looking for a suitable companion! I find it highly unlikely that he has found a woman to court so suddenly.”

“Indeed.” The detective was thoughtful. “On a completely unrelated note, how big is the estate here?”

“Oh, it’s quite large. There’s an extended garden, and the old groundskeeper’s house. Then there’s a bit of a forest on the east side of the house, I think.” Mrs. Dodd told us.

“I think a search of the grounds after dinner is in order, Dr. Watson, when we’re supposed to be in bed.” My employer suggested, then added, “If you’re up to it.”

“I daresay I can handle a secret nighttime wandering. But what if we’re caught?”

“That’s highly unlikely. There is no one that patrols the grounds anymore, not since the groundskeeper retired years and years ago, but this is a fairly secluded place, and they fear no break-ins or such, it is a good neighborhood, Emsworth often told me that he liked living here…which all the more makes me think that he did not run across the sea to make a home for himself, with a woman he’d only just met.”

“Indeed the family’s explanation has seemed more and more unlikely to me.” Sir Locke agreed with a swift nod. “Meet me in the gardens at eleven, if you please, doctor. Do you wish to come with us, Mrs. Dodd?”

“I’ll leave your job to you, good sir.”

“Very well.” He nodded.

--

Dinner had been a pleasant occasion. Colonel Godfrey had entertained us enthusiastically, full of magnificent tales of his travels, full of much hilarity. The Colonel was in good spirits, though Mrs. Dodd had warned us that he might not be, and that we’d be in for a very tense evening if that were the case, as he had a terrible temper, when roused.

The Colonel was a large, square man of a clear military background that found it entirely amusing that I’d served as well, and continued to tell me how much he thought of me, as a woman of medicine who’d chosen to put her medical training to use in the military’s hospital tents.

“It was actually part of the program I was in.” I’d told him.

“Oh really? What program was that?”

“The government set up a training program that was taking almost anyone they could get, and training them to be doctors. It was free, so long as you agreed to enlist as a military doctor after your training was done. I was only sixteen when I enrolled, believe it or not. But with much pleading and even more tests, they turned a blind eye to how young I was, as I’d scored very well on their aptitude tests. I got my training in four years, and then went straight into the military.”

“What a tale!’ the colonel had chortled, extremely amused with my story, which was a little annoying.

Telling my story had been a little uncomfortable, as I’d been aware that Sir Locke’s penetrating gaze had rested on me as I’d told it. When I’d finally glanced his way, his expression had seemed thoughtful, and I wondered what part of my story had interested him so much.

Eventually, we had retired to our rooms. I waited until the appointed time, and slipped back into the hallway about a minute before the clock in my room struck the hour.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have told Gabriel that I was alright with going on a nighttime wandering, as the staircase that I was creeping down was a little creepy. Slipping from a side door that we’d discovered in our analysis of the house earlier in the day, I stepped into the garden.

“Right on time, Watson.” My employer’s voice made me jump.

“You mustn’t do that!” I gasped, putting my hand over my heart, startled.

“What, still afraid of the dark?”

“Not of the dark itself, exactly, more of what lurks in the dark. And most certainly I’m easily startled when it’s dark out.” I told him.

“Forgive me, doctor. Shall we proceed?”

“If you insist.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

We snuck about the garden. Part of me wondered why I was even there, as Sir Locke was the detective, after all. I was superfluous, really.

Suddenly, Gabriel jerked me to the side, and pressed me, somewhat urgently, back into a towering hedge. I was about to ask what was wrong, when I saw a lantern bobbing about in the dark, heading down the path we’d just been exploring. Ralph walked by with a small, mustached man wearing a pair of spectacles, and carrying what looked like a doctor’s kit.

“Some quarry to follow.” He breathed after the odd pair had hurried by, and motioned for me to follow.

We crept along, keeping a good way back from the butler and whomever it was that he was escorting. Eventually, they led us to the old groundskeeper’s home, and entered. As soon as the door had latched behind them, Sir Locke darted forward. I tried to catch up, my leg was causing me a particular amount of pain that night, and so I gave up, settling with eventually taking my place next to him at a crack in the shutters that were drawn across the window next to the front door. “What do you see?” I asked.

“Look for yourself.” He stepped aside.

Peering in, I saw a sad scene. A man lay on a bed, tied down with what appeared to be thick leather straps as he writhed madly, eyes roving wildly, nearly foaming at the mouth. The spectacled, mustached man was attempting to take his pulse and temperature, but failed due to the restrained man’s violent thrashing.

I stepped away from the window. “What’s going on? Is he sick? It looks as if he might be…although it might be a malady of the mind.”

“I will look again, and then give you my answer.” The detective stepped back to the crack in the shutter.

“I say, what are you two doing out here?!” Colonel Godfrey’s voice cried, sounding furious.

I whirled about, panicking, trying to think of some answer, but then quailed at the sight of the enraged Colonel. My employer, however, remained with his eye at the window, and gave a rather cool reply, “Looking into the disappearance of your son, Mr. Emsworth Godfrey, for the very concerned Mrs. Dodd.” Finally, he turned to the person who had caught us peeking in the window.

“A policeman?!”

“A private detective.” He corrected, still seeming unruffled. “And I believe that I know what sickness afflicts your son.”

Immediately, the Colonel’s anger faded. “Do you, now?”

“I’ve run into it before, in my travels.” He nodded.

“You’ve been across the sea as well?”

“If you must know, I’m far more well-traveled than even you, Colonel. But we are wasting time, and we really cannot afford that, your son is in a dangerous place. Will you let me see him? With the good doctor’s help, I may be able to help him.”

“Well, when you put it like that!” the man exclaimed, he raced forward, unlocked the door, and entered, motioning for us to follow. “I’m afraid the situation has been found out, Ralph, Doctor Kent.”

“Forgive our intrusion.” Sir Locke said politely. “And do stay that syringe, doctor. The cure does not work nearly as quickly if he’s tinged with narcotics.”

“How do you know the cure? This is a completely foreign disease!” Doctor Kent cried.

“Foreign to you. I’m familiar with it. But before I prepare the antidote, I must insist that you all leave, it can be dangerous to inhale.”

“What of you and Dr. Watson?” the Colonel asked, concerned.

“We will risk it, for our patient’s sake. Now, if you please!”

The men hesitated, but then left, as Gabriel had asked.

“You know how to cure this madness?” I asked him, surprised.

“I have a cure for nearly everything.” He muttered. “Magic is a wondrous healing tool, and I have seen it cure this precise brand of madness before. I believe it is brought on by some parasite that affects the brain.”

“How is it passed on?”

“There is a delicacy in a far away land, that you’ve likely never heard of, that, if not prepared correctly, can lead to madness such as this, so there’s no risk of us catching it.” He told me. “Now Watson, do stand so that you’re blocking the convenient crack that we were peering in through the window.”

“Oh, of course.” I casually adjusted my position so that I was blocking the very window that we’d managed to peek through, so the men outside couldn't see Gabriel doing magic.

“Let’s get you healed, Mr. Godfrey.” My employer stood by the bed, and held his hand some distance above the afflicted man’s head.

I felt a considerable magic well in the room, and was surprised when the detective’s eyes glowed. It startled me how powerful his magic was. I was nowhere near as strong as he. Then again, he was likely much older than I was.

Slowly, the afflicted man’s thrashings weakened, and he soon lay peacefully on the bed in a quiet slumber. “There.” Sir Locke sighed, letting his hand fall. “We found him in time, and all is well. Let the others back in.”

I opened the door, and the three men entered. “How on earth did you do that?!” Doctor Kent wanted to know.

To my great surprise, the detective laughed. I was even more surprised when he spoke again, as I sensed a strange sort of powerful magic laced in his words, directed at the three men that had just re-entered the small house. “Do not ask a magician to reveal his secrets!”

Something about the nature of the magic, the way it felt to me, made me realize that it would keep them from pressing him for more of an explanation about how he’d managed to cure Mr. Emsworth Godfrey. Very impressive…also a little frightening, that one was able to lace their words with magic. No wonder people were frightened of human magicians, if it was possible to do such a thing.

“You must forgive us for keeping him tucked away, here in this old place.” The Colonel apologized.

“I daresay you wanted him to have some privacy, in his sickness, as well as avoid any sense of scandal that might arise.” My employer shrugged. “But it’s really not me that you ought to apologize to. Mrs. Dodd was terribly worried for her good friend.”

“I will tell her the full truth of the situation in the morning.” The Colonel nodded. “I hated telling my wife to write such a silly lie to the girl, when we got her letter to Emsworth here, telling him that she’d somehow not gotten his last letter. But we panicked, and acted a bit rashly. She of all people would have understood, I think, and kept our secret. She’s been like a sister to my son here, and much like the daughter that I never had. But once the lie was told, it seemed even more difficult to un-tell it, so we let it be, especially when she didn’t send any more letters.”

“No, she waited for a couple more weeks, and when she didn’t hear from your son, she came directly to me.”

“Well, she’s a smart girl.” Colonel Godfrey nodded fondly. “Now, maybe we all ought to get some sleep, are you still able to tend to him tonight, Doctor Kent?”

“I’m very glad to.” The doctor nodded.

We finally left the small house, and headed back to the manor itself, as Ralph and the Colonel had elected to stay a little longer with the other doctor.

“Did I frighten you?” Sir Locke asked suddenly, as we walked back through the gardens.

“A little, perhaps.” I admitted.

“You seemed a bit meek after he’d been healed. It was not my intention to scare you.”

“I wasn’t scared of the healing magic, sir. I was impressed, and glad to see an example of such powerful magic. What frightened me was the way you were able to lace your words with magic…that’s a frightening gift indeed!”

He was quiet for a moment. “The spell will not affect you.”

“What, the word-magic?”

“Yes.”

“I could tell that much, it wasn’t directed at me, as you had no cause to fear any of my questions…but it’s no wonder that normal humans have learned to hate us, their magical counterparts, if such a thing is possible! One might order anyone to do anything!”

“The way that I use that kind of magic, it’s a bit like hypnotism, it cannot force someone to do something that they really do not want to do, and those men apparently did not feel that they absolutely, positively had to know how Mr. Godfrey was healed. Anyways, I don’t use that particular brand of magic lightly. I knew that I couldn’t come up with any sort of answer that would have satisfied them, particularly with a doctor present, so I did what I could to solve the problem.”

“Still.” I said, upset with the idea.

“I’m sorry I frightened you, doctor.” He said quietly.

I didn’t speak for a moment. “You can call me Joan, sir.”

“Only if you stop calling me sir. Deal?”

“Deal.”

We stopped outside my room. “Goodnight.” He bowed to me.

“Oh, don't bow to me!” I cried, embarrassed.

“It’s common to bow to someone that you respect.” The detective told me, sounding confused.

“I’m honored, but still, don't bow to me.” I shook my head, feeling a slight flush creep across my face.

“I’m not so base as to try and flatter you with compliments, but I do think it’s important that you know that I do respect you very much.” The man’s expression and tone was uncertain, and his brow was creased a little.

“Do you?”

“You sound surprised.” He seemed surprised that I was surprised.

“I am surprised.”

Sir Locke was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I’ve not done a sufficient job of showing it, then. I…I’m sorry if I’ve led you to believe that I don’t think highly of you. I…I’m not accustomed to having friends.”

“I know.” I said quietly.

“Is it that obvious?” his eyebrows rose, and a slightly amused expression appeared on his typically stoic features.

“You don’t make it any secret that you don’t really like normal people that much.” I shrugged.

“You’re not a normal person.”

“I feel normal, very normal.” I muttered.

“You’re special, Joan Watson, don't let anyone tell you different.” was his quiet reply.

“Am I?” I blinked, surprised once more with his words.

“Very. Not many people whose parents die come out so well.” As he’d spoken, his voice had possessed a quality that I hadn’t heard before, and it took me a moment to realize that it had taken the tone of kindness.

“Everyone’s parents die eventually.” I mumbled.

“I mean people who were still young when their parents died, like you were.”

“How do you know that I was young?”

“Some things about you are easy for me to read. But you still are young, your early twenties, by my count, though you could pass for younger. Although clearly you were younger when your parents died, but as to how much younger…Probably a teen, I think? I’m also guessing it was certainly before you started your doctor’s training at sixteen, but as to how much before, I cannot say.”

“I was fifteen when they died.” I looked away.

“I’m sorry.” He sounded truly upset, much to my surprise.

“Like you said, lots of people’s parents die. And when the person is still young, too, I expect.” I shrugged.

We were quiet for a moment.

“Goodnight, Joan.”

“Goodnight, Gabriel.” I said softly, and went into my room.

This show of his strange brand of kindness was unexpected, and caused me no small amount of surprise.