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We didn’t go to the Tate that nextWe didn’t sneak out for breakfast on a couple hours’ sleep, as we’d done in the days before We packed in silence, Holood-bye to my mother and my teary little sister, alked to the station in silence We rode to Sussex in a private compartment, her face turned resolutely to theI pretended to readher, or anyone

When we finally got off the train at Eastbourne, a black car aiting for us at the curb

Holmes turned to me, hands stuffed in her pockets "This will be fine," she murmured "You’ll be there, so it’ll be fine"

"It would probably help the whole ‘fine’ thing if ere, you know, talking to each other" I tried not to sound as hurt as I felt

She looked surprised "I alant to talk to you," she said "But I know you You alant toto each other right noill do anything but e, she patted my shoulder in her absent way and stepped down to say hello I stood there holdingon silence as a way to handle this Forevery decision She treated ht, and it ca lostness I hadn’t felt in otten me into the whole in with, and I wasn’t so far gone as to not appreciate the irony

HER PARENTS WEREN’T WAITING FOR US WHEN WE GOT TO the house, which was fine by e to be friendly to them, or anyone A housekeeper e She took our coats and showed us down to Holmes’s rooms, and it was dark by the tiht down to us on a tray

That night, after my impromptu lesson on European history, that same housekeeper produced a wooden box for th oftape draped over her shoulders She’d been the only person in Holmes’s roo not to fidget, I tried to i pool in a billiards rooh some family obstacle course, the way Hol chocolate biscuits in the closet

"Finished," the housekeeper said finally She stood up to survey her ith some satisfaction "You look very handsome, Master Ja on my cuffs "Please don’t call me that Do you knohere H-- where Charlotte is?"

"Upstairs, I iine"

"There’s a lot of upstairs here" I had a vision of h their house in a borrowed suit Speaking of obstacle courses "Second floor? Third? Fourth? Uhis there a fourth?"

"Try her father’s study," she said, holding the door open "Third floor, east wing"

I think it et from London to Sussex, but I found his study at last, at the end of afelt older, darker than the rest of the house The paintings glowered down at s were clustered around a table piled high with books Alistair Holhter, serious and withdrawn, hands folded before hiht I wondered if he’d arrived yet, and hoped he had

"Come in, already," said a h I hadn’t knocked Of course they kneas there There were secrets in this house, it was clear, but I wasn’t going to be able to keep any of my own

I reached for the handle, then stopped I hadn’t noticed this final portrait Beside lass clutched in one hand, clearly annoyed by the whole enterprise of being painted, at having to do his best impression of hireat-grandfather, stood behind hi hand on his friend’s shoulder

I could’ve taken it as a sign that everything would be okay But I looked at that hand for a long minute and wondered how many times Sherlock Holenerations of masochists, and pushed open the door

The room was dimly lit It took my eyes a moment to adjust A massive desk stood in its center, and behind it, bookshelves spread out like wings Sitting in front of all that collected knowledge was Alistair Holmes, his canny eyes fixed on h I knew I shouldn’t By all accounts, he’d driven his daughter half to death with his training and expectations But he knewlook on his face, one I’d seen on Charlotte Holain He saw me for what I was, a flustered e Honestly, I didn’t think he cared about my social class one way or another After the emotional turmoil of the last few days, it was nice to encounter a little i tenor "Please, sit It’s a pleasure to finally meet you"

"You too" I perched in the ar le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">