"The Widow" Bertha

The gentleman took the girl's hand and guided her slowly to the dance floor.

The four looked at each other, and after obtaining Bertha's permission, Mycroft leaned his palm on Bertha's back, feeling the gentleman's care from the other party. Bertha smiled, and her palm really fell on the man's. Shoulders, the posture is casual and natural, as if this is not the first time they have danced together.

"I haven't danced for a long time, sir," said Bertha, "you are so kind."

"where."

Mycroft said politely: "I believe that your level, Ma'am, won't step on me."

The words were serious, but no matter how they sounded, they sounded a bit teasing.

But Bertha is not worried, so what if she steps on it?Could it be that dignified Sherlock Holmes can still show his face in public?

Of course, Bertha didn't make such a basic mistake, a slow dance, and she couldn't be bothered.

Besides, neither Bertha nor Mycroft cared about dancing, which was also done for the "audience".

A decent gentleman and a beautiful lover dance together while loving each other tacitly. While admirable and jealous, it is tantamount to "pulling the elder Sherlock Holmes off the altar".

As we all know, Mycroft Holmes's style of conduct has always been as tight as an iron barrel.He rarely shows up and his whereabouts are low-key. Even many congressmen only know that there is such a number one person, but they don't know what he does in the government.

The gathering of cabinet ministers tonight has greatly satisfied people's curiosity.

It turns out that Sherlock Holmes is also a human being just like them, with emotions, joys, sorrows, and joys. The most empathetic thing for the gentlemen present is that he has a decent, dignified, but also charming lover, Miss Bertha Marple.

People are gossipers, even if they are not nobles or officials present, no one wants to have a big devil behind them, and the appearance of Bertha Marple just eliminated such rumors - as the saying goes Well done, the hero is saddened by the beauty. This stunning beauty really fits the "weakness" of Sherlock Holmes as imagined by others.

On the whole, whatever Mycroft himself was thinking, Bertha felt that he had achieved what he wanted.

It was already late at night when the salon ended, and Mycroft offered to take Bertha back to the hotel, which she naturally did not refuse.

As soon as they entered the carriage compartment, the noisy sound stopped abruptly.Bertha took her seats, and there were only her and Mycroft left in the narrow and dark space.

No one spoke for a moment.

Bertha's eyes fell on the cane that Mycroft held by her leg.

Gentlemen in the Victorian era often carried a cane to show their status.Their canes are often carved with different patterns and decorations according to the owner's character, property, and family background, but Mycroft's is different.

His cane is just a cane, standard in standard, but without any decorations, a simple wooden cane body with a metal handle.

In fact, this is very similar to his usual low-key and serious dressing style. Just looking at the clothes, you can't define the identity of Mycroft Holmes. You can only conclude that he is a gentleman. Judging from the clothes When it comes to the cane, it can't play the role of showing identity at all.

unless……

"It's just an ordinary walking stick, madam."

Mycroft's voice suddenly sounded in the carriage, and he politely explained: "There is nothing special about it."

Bertha raised her eyebrows: "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

Mycroft smiled: "Many people think that I carry some secret weapon with me. Even such an ordinary cane must be able to draw a blade from it."

Bertha: "Then you bring it?"

"The premise of carrying a weapon is that I have many potential enemies," said Mycroft bluntly, "but I have no enemies, so why carry a weapon?"

"Then what is the truth?"

"Investigation object."

"..."

The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light. At present, the only clue in Miss Ingram's hand has been broken. If it were someone else, Bertha would definitely make a mockery.But at this moment, Mycroft was sitting in front of her, leaning on a cane, with a straight back, and an appearance of sincere communication, which made Bertha feel that his self-confidence was groundless.

"You man," laughed Bertha, "is very interesting."

"Thanks to your kindness, ma'am," Mycroft seemed to appreciate it very much. "At the end of the banquet, I noticed that you had already made an appointment with Mrs. Ward for afternoon tea."

Hearing this, Bertha leaned on the armrest on the left side of the car, showing a somewhat impatient expression, and said as if to blame: "Are you still talking about business? I've been working with you all day, Mycroft, let's Can't we talk about other things?"

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Could it be that there is no other topic between lovers except work?" Bertha's tone changed to mournful, "We just met, my dear, why did we enter the state of the seven-year itch?"

Mycroft couldn't help laughing.

In the huge London, who doesn't know that the time of Mycroft Holmes is precious?He never wastes his life in small talk.

It's just that the lady sitting across from him has a gorgeous face and exquisite makeup, with a dissatisfied and coquettish expression full of coquettishness, as if she really belongs to Holmes' lover - but the temptation in her dark golden eyes must be ignored.

Therefore, Mycroft put on a posture of enjoying his lover's acting like a baby, sighed helplessly, and said with a smile: "Then Madam can talk about whatever she wants to talk about."

What else can we talk about?Bertha did not believe that Mycroft could not guess.

But he still handed over the power to control the topic to Bertha, and it has to be said that compared with the genius and unconstrained Sherlock Holmes, his brother's style of conduct is more subtle: what can private communication affect?This flattering behavior will help them continue to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.

"You know all about who I am and what I have," said Bertha frankly. "Then you must tell me something about yourself, sir?"

"That's natural, trust is mutual."

Mycroft did not reject Bertha's proposal, but after he agreed, he changed the topic: "But before that, I have a question, ma'am."

"Please."

"You didn't even know who I was until you came to London," he asked. "Why did you choose to work with me without hesitation?"

Of course it's because I actually know who you are!Bertha murmured in her heart, but she couldn't say that it was because she traveled from 100 years later.

"I have no reason not to cooperate with you, sir."

Bertha responded: "Colonel Dent tried to throw the murder charge on me, which annoyed me. But he did offer a lot of money, so I chose to charge the account to the Truth Society. You in We are in the same camp to investigate the matter of the Truth Society, and it is not a matter of course for me to rely on a backer to find an opportunity to retaliate."

Mycroft turned his head sideways, with a bit of blame in his tone: "Now you are talking about work, ma'am."

Bertha: "..." It was you who asked the question!

She said angrily, "Well, I'm too happy to be happy when a handsome, decent and powerful man comes to your door and says he's my lover. Does such a reason satisfy you?"

Mycroft smiled.

This satisfied but somewhat indifferent gesture made Bertha suspect that he was actually teasing her.

"I'm not a big shot." After the joke, Mycroft got to the point, "I just help the government deal with some shady things, and collect information clues that won't be put on the bright side. I don't know what to say, do you understand? ,lady?"

"So you belong to the intelligence agency."

"It's far from an institution," said Mycroft. "It's just me, with a few helpers, though I intend to form one."

If you think about it carefully, the famous Sixth Bureau of British Army Intelligence, that is, MI6, was officially established in 1909, and it is still some years away from now.Even in the 21st century, few people know what the predecessor of the Sixth Intelligence Bureau was.It can be said that Mycroft has achieved the greatest degree of candor in being so vague.

So this Sherlock Holmes is really engaged in intelligence.

It's a pity that this is the Victorian era, and Bertha is destined not to witness the legendary and dangerous stories in John le Carré's book.

"You don't dislike me for that, do you, ma'am?" Mycroft said.

"Of course not," Bertha responded, "You didn't dislike me either. Even when I came to London, you and I never met—Mycroft, aren't you afraid that I'm not what you want? "

Mycroft showed an open-minded look asking for advice: "May I ask what I want, what does it look like?"

Bertha: "That's up to you, sir."

The gentleman sitting opposite her twitched the corners of his mouth, but he didn't really smile back.

In fact, Mycroft looked much more friendly and easy-going than Bertha had imagined.He always has just the right politeness, and he speaks very politely, often saying "please".Even if the arrogance engraved in the depths of his soul was exactly the same as that of his younger brother, the arrogance he displayed was not so unbearable under the background of this politeness.

But for some reason, Bertha still felt that Mycroft Holmes's "friendliness and easy-going" were only cosmetic.

"Ma'am, I want a lot."

Mycroft said slowly.

"It depends on whether you are willing to give it."

Under the cold night, his calm words fell to the ground, and the humid indoor air brought a chill that didn't exist just now.

But Bertha's expression remained unchanged.

She was still leaning on the armrest of the carriage, with a vague smile on her gorgeous face, as if she didn't understand Mycroft's hint at all, and her hoarse voice was charming and ambiguous when she spoke: "So you really need A lover, Mycroft Holmes has physical needs too."

When Bertha finished speaking, the carriage stopped.

Mycroft looked back, and he turned his head slightly: "We're at the hotel, ma'am."

Bertha: "Would you like to kiss me good-bye?"

He turned a deaf ear to it: "Mrs. Ward likes tea culture, if you want to please her, you can seize the opportunity of afternoon tea."

Bertha: "So don't kiss me goodbye, I'm a little disappointed, Mike."

This time Mycroft gave her what could be called a genuine smile.He knocked on the window behind him, and the driver immediately opened the window and handed in an object wrapped in a handkerchief.

Mycroft flicked his veil and drew a gun from it.

"Just in case, ma'am," he said, "if you don't know how to use it, you can ask your Thomas Thames for advice."

He turned the gun over, took hold of it, and held the stock to Bertha.

Bertha pursed her lips, reached out her hand, and took the pistol.

The icy weapon gleamed coldly under the moonlight. She held the gun stock, curling her fingertips slightly. While touching the temperature of the metal, she also felt the warmth that belonged to Mycroft Holmes.The skins of the fingers of the two touched briefly, almost scalding against the cool metal.

The touch of a moment is fleeting.

Bertha stood up and pushed open the door of the carriage with her skirt in her hand. She turned her head before stepping out of the carriage.

Under the night, the woman carried the bright light of the hotel behind her back. She raised the pistol, brought it to her lips, and gently kissed the muzzle of the gun that Mycroft had just held.

"That counts as a good-bye, sir," laughed Bertha, "and I wish you a good night's sleep."