The Adventure of the King's Portrait (A Sherlock Holmes and Elizabeth Bennet Mystery Book 6) by Amelia Littlewood

Author:Amelia Littlewood [Littlewood, Amelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amazon, Detective, Crime Fiction, elizabeth bennet, jane austen, sherlock holmes
Publisher: Cyanide Publishing
Published: 2018-03-10T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five:

Holmes and the Woman

I called upon Miss Adler as Mr. Holmes wished, that very afternoon. It was impudent to call too late in the day for then it would be seen by the hostess as angling for an invitation to dinner—an intimate honor reserved only for the most revered of guests and intimate acquaintances.

Despite Mr. Holmes’s assurances, I personally was concerned that Miss Adler might discover the true reason for my visit. The fact that I myself wasn’t sure how I would find out the location of the picture was of little consequence—I knew this woman to be clever and that was enough to worry me. Many men may underestimate the intelligence of women, but I was an intelligent woman myself and knew better than to think Miss Adler a pretty face and nothing more.

Miss Adler, however, received me with great kindness. “I wanted only to thank you again,” I said, “And to tell you that your scheme has worked wonders. I am quite left alone now and can pursue honorable men.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Miss Adler replied, ringing for some tea. “Please, stay and take some refreshments. I confess I have been wanting to know more about you since our meeting last night.”

We talked for some time, and I found her to be an engaging and—as I had already suspected—intelligent woman. She was very well-read and educated on a number of subjects, and far more worldly than I, who had never been out of England. She still spoke with traces of an American accent, but years of singing opera in French, Italian, and German had muddled it. I had not had many occasion to meet people from the former colonies, but when I did, I found their accents to be bothersome to my ear. Miss Adler’s was sufficiently diluted to be pleasing.

I confessed to her my feeling of inferiority, having traveled not at all and certainly not as knowledgeable on the classics and art. Miss Adler only replied that I was quick witted and eager to learn, and that was all it took to make a pleasant conversationalist.

“To be honest,” I said, “I cannot find it in me to be drawn to any man. I have recently found myself a profession, and although I should think most would not approve, it fulfills me as I fear a marriage would not. I’m sure that you feel the same way about your artistry.”

“I do and I do not,” Miss Adler told me in return. “I love my art and I shall continue it, but I have longed for a life companion, someone to properly share myself with.” She leaned in and lowered her voice in a gesture of conspiracy. “I have found myself a proper gentleman recently, one that I dare say I might soon be joined with.”

This was a twist to the plot. Of whom could she be speaking, I wondered. “What is he like?”

“He is a proper man, one who respects me despite the ups and downs that my life has seen fit to throw at me, and the fact that I act upon the stage.

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