The Glass Rose

Chapter Five

Adelaide watched the sun rise as her train pulled into the station in London. She quickly grabbed her bag and hurried out of her compartment, eager to get home and away from the large crowd of people she was surrounded by. As she began her walk to her apartment, fearing a carriage would be too easy to track, she dreaded the mess that would greet her. Remembering how she didn't clean up after tea before she rushed to her childhood home, she feared she would never be able to get the smell of rotting food out of her apartment.

Once she unlocked her door, she quickly locked it behind her, all while plugging her nose. She quickly made her way over to the window, prying it open. At last, turning to face her kitchen table, she realized it was entirely empty except for a piece of paper. She let the hand plugging her nose drop to her side as she approached it cautiously. Picking up the paper carefully, she saw a drawing of a bouquet of flowers and her neighbor's handwriting explaining how he would have gotten real flowers but didn't want them to wilt before she got back.

A smile spread across her face as she gently placed the piece of paper back on the table. She let out a sigh, shaking her head at her reaction, and made her way over to the sofa in her apartment, and dramatically collapsed onto it. Now that some of her anxiety has subsided, she felt the extent of her sleep deprivation. She didn't even bother to change into more comfortable clothing or climb into bed. She fell asleep on the sofa, corset and shoes still on.

When she woke, it was the middle of the night and she was covered in sweat. She dreamt that her family found her and dragged her back to marry a stranger she met at the end of the aisle. She pulled herself off of the sofa and began to bake scones absentmindedly. Baking always helped soothe her and Sherlock had never complained about her baked goods. Once they were finished, she put them in a basket and brought them up to his apartment so he would have them when he returned. She was hoping it was within the next day or so. Both for the scones and for her own sanity. She always secretly missed him when he was away.

She checked her pocket watch and realized she was expected at work in an hour. She swore under her breath and returned to her apartment to dress quickly. She put on fresh clothes and fixed her hair until she was satisfied and hurried to work down the London streets.

Closing the door behind her, Adelaide made her way into the office, hanging her coat and hat on the coat rack and making her way over to her desk. She quickly sat down and immediately got to work filing the papers that had been messily thrown on her desk in her absence.

"Where have you been, Miss. Evans?" Her boss stormed over to her desk. He was a detective years ago but retired from that to own his own detective company so he could order around younger detectives for a living.

"I apologize, Mr. Taylor. Unfortunately my father had fallen ill and my presence had been requested at home. I just returned yesterday afternoon."

"I hope he is well now." He walked back to his office, grabbed a large stack of paper, and dropped it gently onto her desk. "This is a new case we picked up. A boy has gone missing and we have been hired to find him by his mother. Please file the information as you usually do." With a nod, she immediately dug into the case and began making piles to separate the information. "I am off for a business lunch. I will return in a few hours." He opened the door but turned around to look at the blonde again. "Oh, and congratulations on the engagement, Miss Evans." Her eyes widened, looking up at him. "Your family announced it in the paper." He gestured to the paper on a desk in the corner of the office before closing the front door behind him.

Adelaide quickly rushed over to the table, eager to see what had been written. Sure enough, the article announcing their engagement was on the front page. Letting out a small gasp, she skimmed through the article. It said that the wedding was in a little less than two weeks. Breathing deeply, she stumbled backward to her chair, finding it harder and harder to breathe each second.