detective

chapter nineteen

chapter nineteen, absence makes the heart grow fonder

SHE HAD MET HER BROTHER on the train, which was quite good seeing as he was just a tad too close to a mental breakdown, which Emilia subdued as soon as they were sitting in a carriage. The two had arrived home and visited their mother in bed and stayed with her for a good bit of the afternoon before being ushered out by their uncle seeing as the town's doctor had arrived.

Hours bled into days and days bled into weeks and finally was their mother up, walking and healthy again, the two children thankful for her recovery and now wanting to spend every moment together. A chat was had with her mother though in the middle of the week about her wanting to find Emilia a husband before she was gone as her death scare had made her realised Emilia was not the young teenager she once was and nearly half her lady friends were already married, she didn't want to see her only daughter a spinstress after all, she had ended the conversation with a quick, "I want grandkids!"

Of course Emilia had always found the prospect of marriage beautiful, like almost every young girl she had grown up being told someday she would marry some prince. She had dreamed of her long white dress with a tiara and everything, the love of her life at the end of the alter and sharing their first dance together, and spending the rest of her life with that someone.

At heart, inside and out Emilia was a girly girl, the perfect young lady her headmistress at the boarding school had called her once when family was visiting, if only she knew the amount of times her and Jane had snuck out with the older girls to go see Dorian and his friends from the opposing boy's school.

It was a wonder to all around her she hadn't been married off as soon as she came out of school, her mother insisting she would find somebody she loved and then marry as she didn't want her sweet Emilia to be stuck in a loveless marriage so she could experience love just like she had.

It was now, that Emilia was sitting outside in the back garden by the patio, Emilia embroidering a few flowers onto some fabric for her dress that she had almost finished, proud she was finally finishing her first project with only the help of her self, her mother reading a book, Jane and her mother sitting out enjoying the sun also as they were staying for the week for a trip out when her uncle came out from one of the glass doors with an odd look on his face.

"What is wrong dear brother?" Her mother asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked over to the man, the other three copying her actions.

"A man is here." He then said, the free women now growing confused before looking to each other with questioning looks, "Julia? Did you bring another one of your admirers in again?" Her mother joked, Jane's mother giving her an unamused look with her eyebrows raised although there was a grin adorning her face.

"No, he's here for Emilia." Her uncle then spoke, seeming to have not caught on to the joke.

Immediately, all three woman looked over to the girl who was now more confused as ever as she had not known many people from the village, so why was a man here asking for her? She looked to her uncle then before standing up and setting down her items on the table where her mother sat. "I guess, uh I'll be back in a moment." She said, before walking in with her uncle, the three other women scrambling to jump up and follow her in to see who exactly it was, before the three were about to follow her into the drawing room, her uncle then closed the door shaking his head and pointing a finger to his lips for them to be quiet, Emilia's mother then pushing him away and leaning in to place her ear on the door.

At that moment William was walking down the stairs, looking towards the three woman who were now stuck up against the wall, "What are use-" He was soon interrupted by a chorus of "Sh!"s and "Be quiet!".

Emilia had walked in the room to see the back of Sherlock Holmes who then turned round at the close of the doors, immediately turning red before bowing low, as if the pink hue would disappear. Emilia quickly bowed wondering what in the wonder was Sherlock Holmes doing in her home.

"I- I was in town, and I thought since you were here," He began, messing up his words a few times, "I thought I'd uh pop in and say hello?"

"You don't sound so sure of yourself detective." Emilia smiled, moving to stand behind the sofa, Sherlock standing just a few steps away behind the other one.

"There's a case." He said quickly, "Some grandmother's luxury jewellery gone missing, she thinks the uh- son in law had done it."

There was indeed no case and no grandmother's missing jewellery.

"Oh?" She asked, "I thought I would've heard about that one, seeing we're so close to the village and all." She teased him although her face feigned actual curiosity.

"Uh yeah, I'm not sure about that one yeah." He replied with an awkward smile, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

"Know their names by any chance? Maybe I could help?"

"Oh, yeah uh sure," He answered, not sure what way his words were taking him, "Actually, there is no case. I just wanted to see you." He then said, a small laugh forming in his mouth that then turned into an awkward laugh.

"Well, well, well. I never took you for such a liar, Mr Holmes." She then teased again, moving to sit down at the sofa, him still standing.

"Emilia." He then spoke, serious as she had ever seen him, which was odd truly because he was usually ever so serious. "I cannot deny the way you make me feel anymore, And of course I am not sure if you even share these feeling with me yet still the times when I am without you I do not know myself and I cannot deal with it no longer and yes, there will be some tough times and hardships along with it but ever since the first day I met you at that stupid ball where the two of us were only there for information I haven't once stopped thinking about you." He rushed before then pausing, getting down on one knee, a blue box being opened to show a small silver ring that shone in the small chandeliers presence. "Will you marry me?"

Like said many times before, Emilia Tewksbury barely ever cried but now as she sat there looking at Sherlock Holmes, the tears had formed in her eyes before nodding her head rapidly and all but jumping out of the chair to kiss him. The two laughed happily as three screams of joy were heard from the outside, the said screamers then running into the room, Emilia's mother going to hug Sherlock who she had of course never heard of but had been updated by Jane of all the little things she had noticed or heard. Jane and her mother were hugging Emilia repeatedly as they kissed her on both cheeks, Emilia's mother then bundling over to her moving the two out of the way as they moved to Sherlock, her mother too crying tears of joy as she hugged her daughter and placing kisses on her forehead repeatedly.

"And so the wedding plans begin!" Jane shouted, the two engaged smiling over to each other with the largest grins on their faces the others had ever seen.

THIS IS NOT ALLOWED I AM LITERALLY SQUEALING AND SCREAMING INTO MY POOH BEAR PILLOW PLEASE