Work Text:
It began with Sherlock Holmes solving the mystery of a solitary cyclist who followed Miss Violet Smith to the train station. Holmes flattened a boor whose villainy was clear from the start, but reserved his revulsion for Carruthers, who'd hired Miss Smith and didn't warn her about the danger to keep her close by. Violet Smith acquired her inheritance and left that household.
Then a Miss Violet Hunter asked my friend whether she should cut her beautiful hair to acquire a governess position in another eccentric house. Holmes, uneasy about the odd request, nevertheless respected her decision – and we dashed to Copper Beeches when he deduced the truth about the Rucastles. Violet Hunter struck me as stout-hearted, intelligent, and would have been a fitting match for Holmes (had he the slightest interest in a woman's company).
But when we were asked to talk sense into the lovestruck Miss Violet de Merville, Sherlock Holmes recognized the pattern. Only an outright burglary to show her the man's revolting keepsake ended her infatuation.
"These women must rebel at their name being associated with weakness and shrinking, Watson," he said afterward. "Stubborn, strong, brave, all of them. But I'll be glad not to see another of that name for a while."
A knock at the door. "A Miss Mary Morstan to see you," said Billy.