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“Thank you,” Enola started. They had settled down from the adrenaline rush, escaping the school gates. Tewksbury looked at the girl who seemed to be struggling with her expressions. “That was uh… You did save me,” He chuckled, he was thankful that the girl was trying to express her feelings to him, one of the many cute things she had.
“The best bit was my idea, but you did save me,” Of course, she can’t be sentimental without biting back her words, acting cocky and all that. He didn’t mind of course. Instead he put on his goofy little grin for her.
“You’re Welcome, I think,” He added. She gave a small puff, nodding.
“I didn’t like it there,” She explained. Her small frown and her eyes showed anxiety and fear. He understood the burden of being different. The feeling of not fitting in was a very lonely path. He cleared his throat, looking ahead.
“No, No of course not,” In some degree, he understood her. No one really wants them. They are different, unique. Something… Radical, not bound to society's rules, always trying to break free and express their ideas and opinions. “Now, let’s get back to London and find a proper hiding place,”
“And what? Hide forever?” She turned to look at him, having her always frowning glare. He shook his head.
“Of course not. We hide, gather information. Once we know we are both safe, we show the world. Show them that there is corruption happening, that society worsens as we speak. Show them that we have a voice, Enola,” He said, tightening his hold on the seat. He looked determined, fierce even. For once in his life, he wanted to do something, change something, not alone, but with her. Enola’s face softened into a smile, eyes glossy but no tears ever seemed to spill.
“For once, I actually agree with your plan, Viscount Tewksbury, Marquess of brilliant ideas,” She exasperated, always using his long name to tease him, but for once, it was a compliment. And he will take any form of compliment he could get from her.
“Wait, we don’t have lodgings let alone money,” She frowned, turning the automobile to the left path, heading straight to London. Tewksbury grinned, rummaging through his coat.
“Ah, that’s where you are wrong, Miss Enola Holmes,” He said in a cheery tune. Pulling out a brown sack, he opened it to reveal money, and lots of it. Enola’s eyes and smile widened by the second, seeing the piles of cash so casually in his hands.
“Oh my stars, Tewksbury! Where have you stolen such a large amount of cash?! How deceitful you are!” She scolded, but her smile and her shining eyes revealed that she didn’t mind if he actually did steal it. Tewksbury gave a laugh.
“My mother had given me an allowance every week since my father had died. She said it was in my fathers will that I would have an allowance fitting for an upcoming lord. I have been saving it ever since,” He explained. She gave an impressed look. “I told you, I am smarter than you think, Enola,”
“Indeed you are,” She agreed. He grinned, hiding the money back in his coat. They had one goal. London.
-
“We leave the auto-mobile here and cover up our tracks, let’s say we get some new names?” Enola asked, getting out of the seats. Many people were staring, but both of them didn’t mind. Tewksbury walked beside her, already frowning from her appearance.
“First, we should change into other clothes. The headmistress has seen us in these,” He muttered. She agreed. After a few short walks, they made it into a very clean and posh store. Ignoring the dirty looks once more.
“Your finest clothes, please,” Tewksbury ordered at the front. The man who was operating the shop was red with fury and anger. Who could blame him? A delivery boy and a lady with a turn dress walked right in.
“I don’t think you or your wife can afford such in our esteemed shop!” The man said, a few of the other people were giggling and laughing, mocking them. Enola was ready to fight back but Tewksbury held her back.
“I suppose… there may be better shops other than this horrible place, don’t you agree, my dear wife? ” Emphasis on the wife, he quite enjoyed Enola’s perplexed look. He held out the fortune of cash in front of the man. In an instant, his breath stopped, looking at the two in horror and possibly excitement.
“Perla! Bring this lovely couple our finest dress and suit!”
After another annoying ordeal from Enola about hats and gloves not being needed and Tewksbury begging her to just wear them this once, Enola and Tewksbury transformed from a runaway couple to a fine lady and gentleman. A pretty silk dress, adorned with frills and intricate flower patterns, a nice hat that matches her dress and silk cream white gloves. Tewksbury had a matching set, vest being the lovely silk flower patterns and a nice black coat, a nice top hat with gloves to match.
“We look….” He started, looking at the mirror as he fixed his cuffs. Enola, more comfortable with the gloves, rolled her eyes.
“Like nincompoops.” She ended. He laughed and agreed. They finally paid and left that horrible shop. It was crowded now, well, London is always crowded, but they were in a very busy street. Enola huffed, muttering something about not being fair that Tewksbury had longer legs than hers with Tewksbury commenting that he is taller, meaning he should have longer legs.
“Hold out your arm,” She ordered, being the obedient man - boy - he is, did as he was told. Her hand easily wrapped around his. “Now, how about your name being Louis?” She asked. He scoffed.
“Enola, that is my name,” He explained. She looked at him, puzzled. Tewksbury was grinning from ear to ear, he hadn’t really said his full name to her and now was the perfect time!
“Wait- what?” She asked, speechless. He sighed, leaning closer to her.
“Viscount Louis Fredrick Charles Tewksbury, Marquess of Basilwether,” He said. Enola was in shock, not only did his name get longer, it was seriously a miracle that she hadn’t even asked for his first name! Or multiple thereof!
“Viscount Louis Fredrick Charles Tewksbury, Marquess of Basilwether?” She repeated. He nodded. He grinned, pulling her as they walked a bit faster.
“Bit of an explanation. My mother, father and uncle couldn’t decide on a name for me. In the end, they settled for just taking their 3 best names and adding them in. Mother’s was Louis, Father’s was Fredrick and lastly my Uncle picked Charles,” he chuckled, telling her the story. Enola was left speechless as he continued. “To be fair, my grandmother would have added one more, Edward, but a nurse at the time had told them that it will be too long for their registry,”
“So… You’re telling me that you have 3 whole names other than Tewksbury!?” Enola hissed. He couldn’t help but laugh some more. “Is that why you introduce yourself as Viscount Tewksbury?”
“Well, 3 names can be confusing, besides, I like my surname,” He shrugged. After a bit more of explaining and well, taking in the information, they finally settled with their names and background.
He will be Patrick W. Burkesty and she will be Patrisha W. Burkesty, a young couple looking for a new apartment they have been saving up for. Enola was quite proud of her little cipher. W. Burkesty, Tewksbury, you see it?
“What does the W mean?” Tewksbury asked. Enola just shrugged. They walked into a housing agency.
“It doesn’t need to have a meaning, just to hide our little tracks, now come along, we have a house to find,” She muttered, pulling him along the front counter. A nice looking lady welcomed them.
“We are here to look for a new home! You see, my husband has been saving up to find a better place to live! Today we finally reached our goal,” Enola gave a hearty chuckle, like it was a small joke. As always, she gave too much explanation, leaving the woman struggling to listen along. It was one of the best ways to keep the people from thinking too much about them. Tewksbury grinned, following along.
“I see, shall we show you some apartments first? Furnished or unfurnished,” The lady asked, quickly rummaging through the listed apartments.
“Furnished please, My wife’s late mother had such old furniture, I’m afraid that my wife might get hurt if one ever breaks,” Tewksbury explained, following what Enola had done. “ How can I let my wife suffer like that? What Man would I be if I were to?” He added, looking at Enola, holding a caring stare. Enola grinned, patting his shoulder tenderly.
“Oh my dear . How sweet! I am a housewife you see, always waiting for her husband to come home and eat my wonderful dinner- Oh and he always brings home such fine desserts from my fav-”
“Of course, how lovely! Now, shall we look at the apartments?” The woman, looking tired from their overbearing information, cut them off. They grinned, nodding.
...
They got out of the store, giggling and laughing away.
“We sure did annoy her!” Enola snickered. Tewksbury laughed along. The two look like a couple in their own little world.
“Agreed, we make such an annoying pair,” He added. Enola gasped, agreeing almost immediately. They naturally hooked their arms together.
“Now that’s something to be proud of!” She exclaimed, nodding proudly. Tewksbury did the same, laughing.
“Of course!” Now, with their apartment lease paper, arms together, they had finished their first phase of their plan.
-
“She escaped?” Sherlock looked at his fuming brother. He had gotten an urgent telegram late in the afternoon from Mycroft asking him to meet him. When he got to the men's bar, he was met with his red and angry older brother.
“That girl-” Mycroft fumed. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “Miss Harrison had informed me that she escaped. She got help with a boy who looked too polished to be a delivery boy, so they took her Auto-mobile,” Mycroft explained. Sherlock went back to his memories, putting the pieces together, he gave an airy chuckle.
“And this is why I told you to make me her ward, older brother,”
“I swear- How can a young girl cause this much trouble in less than a few months!? First running away because she didn’t want to go to boarding school and now running away - with a boy! - might I add! From that said boarding school!” Mycroft was already red as a tomato. Sherlock just simply found the whole thing amusing, a bit concerned, but amused.
“That’s it! I rid my hands off her! Do as you wish, brother, but I doubt she’d listen to whatever you say, let alone reveal herself to you!” And with that, Enola Holmes’ Ward has been changed to Sherlock Holmes. “How did she meet a boy willing to run away with her, anyway? Did she blackmail him, bribe him with money?”
“I have a feeling of who that boy might be,” Sherlock revealed, smiling happily. Mycroft could only stare blankly before persistently asking him again and again who it was.
It wasn’t until Sherlock had enough of his older brother begging him to reveal the boy's identity. Mycroft's worried and anxious face changed into a more delightful one.
“At least she has good taste in men,” Mycroft admitted, to which Sherlock simply laughed at. “He's a bit Radical but a good boy, better to marry the two, maybe it will tame them both” He added. Sherlock only simply nodded in agreement.
“Let me buy you a drink, for your troubles, older brother,”
“That would do me good, younger brother,”
“How are the votes by the way?”
“It has been held back seeing as they are more interested in finding the said boy who wisped our sister away. Until then, the votes are down, which is a mess considering that everyone is tense from fighting with each other,” Mycroft sneered, not doing all too great these past few days.
“Those two truly make a lot of trouble, don’t they,”
“Don’t remind me,”
-
For the past week, Enola and Tewksbury had been undercover, A newly wed couple by day and a commoner by night, listening into the news from the house of Lords while also sneaking in and hearing many of the discussions. From what they have gathered. A small group of old Lords and widowed women, mostly dowagers, had been scheming behind the eyes of society. They had managed to track down a meeting that would happen at night, right before midnight strikes.
Enola and Tewksbury, obviously wanting to finally end it all, were willing to sneak in and listen.
“A fancy dinner date? How lovely!” Their neighbor exclaimed. They almost left unnoticed if it weren’t for the fact that the neighbor had caught them by the door. Tewksbury, or rather, Patrick, had quickly held Enola - Patrisha - by the arm. The woman chuckled lightly and bid them a lovely ‘date’
After bribing a few working boys, they changed and finally set off to the meeting place. It was a lord's estate. A small baron, but it was the best since no one would suspect a baron.
They hid behind a bush, counting the number of people walking by. 5, 6… 10… 15. 15 in total. They had papers, probably their backgrounds, to show to the guards. These were the people who were against the change, the opposing team. What shocked Tewksbury the most was seeing his grandmother. It was true. His own family would do this to him. He was left speechless.
“Tewks. Tewky! Focus. Think about it later, we have corruption to clean,” Enola snapped him out of his trance. He had glossy eyes and a betrayed look. She understood him to some degree, experiencing a family member turning on her not once but twice. She intertwined their hands, giving a soft squeeze of encouragement before finally sneaking in.
It was your usual old grandparents' talk. They were shouting curses at the other opposing team, horrible and disgusting things they spoke of. Some even killed their children because of their different beliefs. Enola was disgusted. Mycroft, the brother who tried to suppress her beliefs, was way better than these people. At least, although Enola does not want to admit it, Mycroft still cared for her.
Enola noticed the papers on a small corner of the room, safely guarded off from anyone. There were two, one fraud papers whilst the other were the real ones, the fraud was likely there to explain why they were secretly meeting if they were to ever get exposed. It wasn’t their background information, it was their contracts. No one was to enter unless they had a contract stating that they were partnered up. Enola truly struck gold, and she will risk anything to take it.
“Your grandchild, is he dead?” A man spoke. The Dowager of Basilwether simply shook her head.
“That boy is like his father, having such ridiculous thoughts. The man I paid hasn’t killed him off yet,”
A loud thud and a crash surprised all of them.
“Someone has been listening! Quickly! Guards!” A man shouted. The group turned to the guards, quickly realizing that they had been knocked out unconscious. Their contract papers were gone.
Enola quickly ran back to the window, going back to Tewksbury. It was a genius plan! He would make a loud noise whilst she dashed to the papers, knocking the guards in the process.
All they had to do was run away.
-
“Ah! Mr Holmes! I’m glad to see you back in our store!” The man greeted him. Sherlock simply nodded. He was at Barnebies clothing store, it was where he would usually buy fancy looking clothes that are certainly expensive, but still, he quite liked how they felt. He noticed the new window display.
“Someone actually bought those ridiculously expensive clothes?” He asked. The old man laughed in glee. They were certainly in season and very fashionable but not many in this part of the town could afford it.
“An odd looking couple came by a week ago! They had torn and dirty clothes. I mean, the young woman had a torn dress for Christ sakes! But they asked for our finest clothes and they didn’t even bat an eye for the price! I’m sure they are runaways, maybe from a Duke’s family,” The old man explained. Sherlock stopped dead in his tracks. He paused. He smiled, if there weren’t eyes on him, he would have probably laughed at such a lucky lead.
“Did you see where they went after here?”
“Of course! It’s-”
…
Sherlock walked into the Housing agency, and a woman greeted him. The place was comfortable, only the needed things like waiting chairs and a receptionist were at the front. Truly, a place no one would suspect young teens would go to.
“Good evening. Say, have you seen a rather flashy couple buying an apartment… let’s say around a week ago?” He asked before she could talk. She paused for a moment before nodding.
“Good evening, Mr. Holmes. There are many couples who come here to buy housing, but there was one that particularly stood out to me,”
“Were they wearing something fancy? A few floral patterns here and there?” Sherlock asked once again. The woman was happy to answer.
“Oh yes! They looked rich, they even afforded a bit pricier apartment, but why is Mr. Holmes asking for their information?” She asked, looking curious. She opened up a drawer, already searching for the paper and names. Sherlock grinned, happy that she was more than willing to help.
“It is simply part of the investigation I am doing, now, may I please get their names or the address?”
He left with a smile and a paper with the address and their names.
“Patrick and Patrisha W. Burkesty, Ha!” Sherlock laughed heartily. After a week of nothing, he struck a goldmine full of information and a lead. He is impressed, truly. If only his dear sister had picked another clothing store, he would have been stuck, figuring out their tracks for months. Oh how the God of luck blessed him more. He only felt a short pity for his sister before going back to his excited feeling.
-
This was bad. This was truly bad. How did Enola miss such an unforgettable face? It was the bowler hat man, chasing right after their tails. They were finally actually going to make it. They were almost safe and sound, ready to release the truth about disappearances and the corrupt. But of course nothing ever goes right with Enola’s plans, not a single one of them!
“What do we do!?” Tewksbury asked, running in fear for his life, although he was out of breath, he was still able to follow Enola to some extent. Enola could only just grumble.
“I don’t know! Let me think!” She shouted. It was fine, all they had to do was to get him to lose their trail. The only problem is-
“Tewksbury, duck!” She reacted quickly, tugging him into cover as he duck. A shotgun was heard. If he were a second late, his chest would have bullet’s in them. He gasped for air.
“Shh-” She covered his mouth. At times like this, he would have probably blushed over the fact that her body was close to his. But it was really not the time, both of their lives are in danger and if they don’t find a way to get his man off their trail, hey might just-
“Raagh!” Enola pounced up, just in time to knock over the man’s shotgun away. She wrapped her whole body around him before throwing the contracts to Tewksbury.
“Run!” She shouted. Tewksbury was certain that this was dangerous. I mean- that man has a gun for christ sake! He swallowed his saliva, running to the contract and swiping them away. But instead of running, he grabbed the shotgun.
“Get off him!” As quickly as he said that, Enola threw herself off. Just in time for Tewksbury to fire.
Tewksbury has never held a gun. Fencing, yes. But a gun? No. And it is safe to say that he is bad at it, but with this close of a distance, any part of the body will suffice.
A chest shot. He dropped the gun, gasping and wheezing from the high adrenaline he has been through. Enola ran to the man, checking if he still had enough energy to fight back. None.
The pair stood there, taking their time to breathe again.
“I- I- I just shot a man!” He shouted, hands shaking. Enola sighed.
“A man that was trying to kill you! We have proof, Tewks, We just have to-”
“Enola!”
Time moves quickly. Before Enola could even react, Tewksbury was already in front of her vision. In front of her… bleeding.
“Tewksbury!” She screamed, holding him before he could slump down onto her. Her vision was blurry but she could still see that woman's face. Dowager of Basilwether, Tewksbury’s grandmother.
“It’s such a shame…” Was the only thing she said. Enola, rushed with anger, was going to stand up, but something caught her eye. For the second time that night, she struck gold.
-
Sherlock knocked onto the door of a very stereotypical housing unit. Fancy walls with beautiful engraved doors. There were no lights inside but he still tried to knock.
“Sir, if you are trying to meet the couple, they have gone on a date,” A woman, presumably their neighbor, had explained. He gave a smile.
“I see, You see, I wanted to visit my sister. There’s an urgent family meeting to attend to and I badly need to find her, do you perhaps know where they left?” He gave the kindest smile ever. Of course it was easy to get the information.
And soon he was off again, heading into the direction they were last seen. After a few more talks from passersby and an odd looking group of boys, one wearing women's clothing, he finally managed to catch up.
Baron Perrytoil, one of the people on his list. Sherlock has been keeping up with politics, because of his older brother and mostly because he had a habit of needing to know everything.
He reached the Estate, only to be blocked off by guards. But he did manage to get something out of that. 2 shadowy figures that he is sure he knows of. The only thing he had to do is give them a little push.
He truly is a prideful individual and to be fair, it runs in the family. He rang up the police, most of whom were working for him and headed straight back to the Estate, only to learn that it had become a mess.
“Catch them!” The baron shouted loudly. The guards at the front quickly did as told. Sherlock followed close after.
“Truly troublemakers,” He muttered to himself. He lost them for a short while until he found the Dowager of Basilwether walking along like she was on a stroll, the only thing that was off was the pistol she held.
“Sir! We must hurry!” One of the policemen noted. Sherlock knew that this was more dangerous than he had thought. They quickly run over.
“Enola!” And a loud gunshot. Sherlocks blood ran cold.
He turned the corner to see Enola holding up the young boy.
“Tewksbury!” She screamed, anger rising up her body. Sherlock calmed down, quickly letting the police do the job.
“It’s such a shame…” The woman started, but she wasn’t going to end her speech. The pistol snatched out of her hands and her hands cuffed behind.
“You are under arrest!”
A sigh of relief.
-
Enola looked at the boy, sleeping soundly. Lucky for him, his bad aim was probably because of genetics. His grandmother had shot him on the shoulder, not on his chest. But it still does not dismiss the fact that he had been shot.
“Wake up Viscount Louis Fredrick Charles Tewksbury, Marquess of Basilwether,” She muttered. Such a long name for such a weak and fragile boy. “Wake up, you nincompoop,” She said, a bit louder this time. It had been a full night. He was sent to the hospital and as soon as visiting hours opened, Enola was by his side, waiting.
“I am not… a nincompoop,” His throat was dry and deep. Enola could hardly believe that his eyes were open right now. She smiled brightly.
“Tewksbury!” She cheered, hugging him, only to jump back when she heard him groan in pain. “Sorry,” She gave an apologetic smile. He could only laugh and nod. He asked for water, which she quickly gave and after a nurse checked up on him and a few more ‘are you okay?’ They finally settled down.
“So… what happened while I was passed out?” He asked her, now sitting up right. She cleared her throat.
“Well, Sherlock arrested your grandmother and I handed the evidence only to him. I’m sure he and Mycroft will take care of it. Oh! Your mother and Uncle have been informed. Turns out, it was your grandmother, not uncle who killed your father,” Enola explained, checking on him from time to time if he was alright.
Tewksbury was just disappointed. His own grandmother killed his father, all because she didn’t want change to happen. A hand touched his own, he looked back up to see her hopeful smile.
“Your mother and Uncle were terribly worried. I assured them you were fine, they said they’ll be back early afternoon,” He held her hand tight, smiling a little.
“Yes…” for the first time in the last few weeks, Tewksbury felt safe. The anxious feeling of death washed away, relief took over.
...
After that it was all a fast blur. His mother and Uncle visiting him, the police questioning him and asking for a statement, Enola whispering to him a goodbye while he was half awake at night and then she was gone. But he had no time to even ask or find her. He had to hurry and make his statement, finish healing up and finally have a place in the house of lords. No time was spared for his question... Where did Enola Holmes go?
-
“Don’t fuss over him, Caroline,” His uncle sided with Tewksbury. Caroline could only sigh, trying to fix any more imaginary creases.
“Please, mother,” Tewksbury insisted. Caroline pouted a little.
“Oh, I can just…”
“No, I am trying to have these men’s respect,” She finally backed off, sighing once again. “It’s quite the style, you know,”
“Yes, I suppose it sets your face off nicely,” She smiled, looking at her son with love and care. She almost wanted to tear up!
“Your father would be very proud of you,” Tewksbury gave a thankful smile, looking around. But something, or rather, someone caught his eye. Without much thought, his legs moved, leaving his mother and uncle.
Caroline looked at where he was headed, smiling softly when she noticed the familiar girl at the hospital.
“I supposed he is enamored by the girl,” Whimbrel, her brother, noted. She chuckled, nodding a bit.
“Yes, I suppose so. Her brothers are quite remarkable figures and she is not normal like the rest as well,” She muttered. She remembered the middle child, Sherlock, a great detective, to be quite calm and mature, maybe even a bit soft when it came down to his sister. Mycroft, the Heir of the Holmes family, is a remarkable and respected government official.
“Perhaps, Radical, like my nephew,” Whimbrel commented. Caroline laughed, looking away as she saw Enola’s hands on Tewksbury’s. It would be quite rude to involve herself in her son's love life, she has class, a bit over protective, but never taking away his freedom.
“Then they would be a lovely pair, don’t you agree, brother?” She smiled. Her brother smiled as well, nodding in agreement.
“Lovely, indeed,”
-
“You are in a good mood, because of the vote, I assume?” Sherlock looked at his older brother. They were in their usual men's bar. Mycroft had telegrammed him to meet up. He smiled, chuckling softly.
“Passed by one,” He said in a delighted tone. “That boy who is enamored by our whimsical sister proved to be the final decision,”
“I see that you’re already planning a wedding,” Sherlock teased, Mycroft could only chuckle.
“If there was one thing me and Enola would be on the same page on, is marrying that little toadstool Marquess of hers,” He hummed in delight. Sherlock laughed, taking a sip of his drink.
“Sounds like you’d rather marry the boy himself,” He joked, Mycroft frowned before putting his chin up with pride.
“Please, don’t be silly. If Enola has taken a liking to him, he is probably as whimsical as she,”
“To which I would agree, that boy listens well to her,” Sherlock said, although he already knew his older brother had realized at least that much.
“Hm, that's a given. Radical attracts more Radical, like a pack of wolves, they stick together,”
“Isn’t that all the better? She has someone, unlike us, brother,”
“Better, means someone as Distinct as her can tame her a little,” He scoffed, looking away, but Sherlock knew, he was smiling softly. They both did have a soft spot for their sister.
And so, everything was settled. Enola was off to chase her dreams. To become a detective.