"The Widow" Bertha

On the weekend, the government office building near the Lombard district.

Government offices are closed on rest days, but this does not mean that the office building is empty.Many staff members saw the carriage belonging to Holmes leave with a high profile, and then returned with a high profile not long after. It was a woman with a fluttering skirt who got out of the carriage.

"Miss Marple," the coachman said respectfully, "Mr. Holmes is waiting for you in the second room from the left on the third floor."

"Thank you."

——Miss Marple, this is Holmes' lover, Miss Marple?

The coachman's words attracted the attention of other staff members, and they all stared at the tall lady as she walked into the government building frankly.

She wore a maroon velvet long dress and didn't wear any jewelry, except for a hair accessory that seemed to be of great value pinned to her thick black hair.This is the most typical dress of a London girl, but Miss Marple's honey-colored skin and dark golden eyes also show that she does not belong to the exotic blood of the United Kingdom.

Obviously Miss Marple was not ashamed of it, of course, with such a face, no one would be ashamed.She is tall and straight, with a generous demeanor, exuding a kind of confidence and strength that is rarely seen in women.

In a word: Sherlock Holmes' lover!

As for such overt and secret curiosity and exploration, Bertha at this time has only one mood: she has grown up so much that she has traveled far and wide, and has seen countless rare things, but she has never seen the scene of meeting the man's parents in the office.

In truth, she had thought she would have the honor of being a guest at the lodgings of Mycroft Holmes.Bertha was really curious about what his residence would look like, but what she never expected was that Mycroft's carriage left South Bank Street and went all the way south, and pulled herself directly to the Albert Embankment on the south bank of the Thames. No. 85.

You know, in the 21st century, this is the office building of MI[-].

Before crossing, Bertha didn't have the ability to enter the door for a visit. After crossing, she not only walked in grandly, but also enjoyed such a high "watching" treatment.

Now Bertha understood what he was plotting when he happily accepted the existence of his "lover".

——Of course, to save trouble.

In official affairs, he brought a lover to show up, which caught people's attention and at the same time lowered the curiosity and vigilance of others. After the mystery disappeared, Mycroft Holmes was just an ordinary British man; in private affairs , as the eldest son of the Holmes family, just in his thirties, even if Bertha thinks with her toes, she can imagine what kind of "pressure" Mycroft has endured at home.

Bertha was also single before time-traveling, and she understood the feeling of being urged to marry very well.but……

Forget about being a contract lover, but also acting as a rental girlfriend, Bertha's mood can be described as complicated.

The sky and the earth are big, and my mother is the biggest.Helping people deal with their mother's excessive care is tantamount to saving people in dire straits. Mycroft has provided a lot of convenience, and Bertha should return the gift.

So Bertha withdrew her dumbfounding emotions, accepted the scrutiny of everyone present, picked up the corner of her skirt, and walked towards the stairs.

And Mr. Holmes prepared everything early.

Mycroft Holmes, who appeared in the daytime, returned to his usual gentle and courteous appearance. When he saw Bertha, he smiled and said, "Miss Marple, I've been waiting for a long time. Please do what you want."

He politely guided Bertha to sit down, and even picked up the teapot himself: "I tasted the new tea that I just bought yesterday, and it was very good."

Bertha: "..."

Mycroft gestured to Bertha for tea: "May I have something on my face, miss?"

"No," Bertha withdrew her burning gaze and picked up her teacup, "I'm wondering if you live in the office building."

"Of course not."

Mycroft seemed surprised and said, "Why do you ask such a question?"

Bertha: "Nothing."

After she finished speaking, she hooked her lips: "So you said you wanted a lot, and this kind of thing was included among them."

When it came to the topic of being alone that night, Mycroft's smile didn't change at all, as if he wasn't the one who threatened him at the exit of the carriage.The eldest son of the Holmes family smiled frankly: "You are right on one point, miss. Mycroft Holmes does have physical needs, but before that, it is more important to meet the ardent expectations of his parents."

That wouldn't directly enter the link of meeting the parents, Bertha scolded in her heart.

Bertha really admired Mycroft's ability to switch postures at will - that night in the carriage, he said coldly, as many devils as there are devils, as many dangers as there are dangers.But after warning Bertha, he could sit in the office and treat her to tea and talk about family affairs, waiting for Mrs. Holmes to arrive.

Just like now, seeing that Bertha was only serving tea, Mycroft even reminded quite considerately: "The chef's pastry skills here are quite good, why don't you give it a try?"

Bertha didn't have the habit of eating desserts, but when she heard the kind words, she casually took out a fruit tart from it: "Thank you."

"No matter what," Mycroft said, "I owe you an afternoon tea, thanks to you for taking care of Shelly. He is not easy to get along with."

"His investigation went deeper than mine."

Bertha said truthfully: "But it's not my turn to take care of him. Obviously he is leading Thomas to investigate."

Mycroft: "My mother will be here in a while. If you ask about Shelly's situation, you can tell the truth."

"...Okay," Bertha paused while holding the teacup, "Do you and I need to speak to each other?"

"Confession?"

Even Mycroft was taken aback when he heard Bertha's analogy, and then couldn't help laughing: "I don't think it's far from the point of giving a confession."

"Not necessarily," Bertha teased. "How do I know how you mentioned me to Mrs. Holmes?"

"Don't say you are Mr. Rochester's buried crazy wife. Don't be too nervous."

Bertha raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"I have nothing to be nervous about, Mike," she teased, "I have nothing to lose if I screw up."

"..."

The smile on Mr. Mycroft's face subtly stopped, he put down the teapot, and said with a bit of sincerity in his tone: "Then I beg you not to act badly, miss."

Of course, Bertha would not play badly on purpose. The Holmes brothers had golden and heavy thighs, and she had to think about it to offend them.But it didn't matter that Bertha was happy to see Mycroft deflated.

This is Sherlock Holmes.

"I'll do my best." Bertha agreed.

Mycroft was somewhat relieved when he got the promise.

Before the cup of tea was finished, Holmes' office came again. A strange young man walked over, first nodded politely to Bertha, then walked to Mycroft, and whispered something.

"I see."

Mycroft nodded, and then the youth left.

"What do you want?" asked Bertha.

"It's nothing."

Mycroft, who was sitting across from him, put down his teacup, and he suddenly looked up.

Bertha:?

Before she realized what happened, she saw Mycroft get up without warning and walk forward.

The tall man leaned over slightly, closing the distance with Bertha.His palm landed discreetly on the side of Bertha's collar - just between her dress and the exposed skin of her neck.

"Miss, I'm sorry."

Mycroft's voice rang in Bertha's ears, and she felt the man's other hand lightly resting on the ornament of her bun, carefully but solemnly helping her align the jewelry.

Bertha looked up in surprise, meeting Mycroft's gaze.

Being so close, skin to skin, breathing intertwined, his arms brushed against the back of Bertha's neck, almost standing up and pulling her into his arms——

"Well, did I bother you?"

Until a woman's voice with a smile sounded in Holmes' office.

"Good afternoon, Mom."

Mycroft immediately let go of Bertha, turned around and said with a smile, "Bertha and I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Bertha: "..."

As a reporter, Bertha has often seen awesome people posing in front of the camera.But forgive her for seeing the short-term. This is the first time that Bertha has seen a loving posture in advance and waiting for her mother to come to the door.

Fake or not, Mr. Holmes, fake death.

Bertha almost burst into laughter from the bottom of her heart, but on the surface she stood up and showed a polite gesture.

The woman welcomed by Mycroft looked about sixty years old, with gray hair, but an extremely young face. Except for the eye lines that appeared at the corners of her eyes as if she had been smiling all year round, it was almost impossible to tell that she was the mother of two grown gentlemen. .

"Mother, this is Bertha Marple," Mycroft said, "Bertha, this is my mother."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Holmes." Bertha nodded.

"You too, Miss Marple."

"You can just call me Bertha," Bertha laughed. "Please be sure not to meet outsiders."

Bertha's generous words brought Mrs. Holmes a joyful smile: "I just came to see you and Shelly, why bother to invite Bertha here?"

"Should be."

Mycroft took Mrs. Holmes to a seat, poured tea for his mother respectfully, and said, "Bertha just has nothing to do on weekend afternoons, so she just stopped by to see me."

Bertha: "..."

A drop in from Whitechapel to the South Bank of the Thames. A drop in, Mr. Holmes.

After pouring the tea, Mycroft didn't forget to cut a fruit tart for Bertha and put it on her dinner plate.

If the men of the Holmes family were considerate, even thousands of affectionate prodigal sons would not be able to catch up.Mycroft said seemingly indifferently: "You like this best, Bertha."

Bertha: "..."

It turns out that even persuading her to eat dessert just now seemed deliberate, those who knew thought you were entertaining mother, those who didn't know thought you were guarding against thieves.

Mycroft Holmes, the dignified intelligence leader who wished to cover the sky with one hand in London, did this in order to deal with his own mother. Bertha couldn't help laughing.

Mycroft's gaze turned immediately.

"What's the matter, Bertha?" asked Mrs. Holmes curiously.

"It's nothing, ma'am," Bertha said with a smile against Holmes' scorching gaze, "I'm just happy to think that Mike is so considerate. I really 'like' fruit tarts."

"It's all small things."

Mycroft stared at Bertha, and seemed to respond cordially: "If you like it, I'll ask the cook to make another one for you."

The implication is that, not to mention Apple Tower, it can help Mrs. Holmes deal with it, and other benefits can be discussed.

Bertha: "..."

It can be seen from the sky that her words are just teasing, without any hint of pushing an inch to seek benefits!

Mr. Mycroft Holmes was too knowledgeable. He thought he was here to repay the favours, but the other party rushed to continue giving favors, which made Bertha feel a little embarrassed.

This made her look at Mrs. Holmes, and she couldn't help raising her spirits: If Mycroft could treat her like this, wouldn't the mother be a devil above the devil?

The author has something to say:

Bertha: Damn, what should I do if I screwed up?

Maggie: As we all know, the salary of renting out girlfriends is very high.

Bertha: .I'm just feeling casually, I really don't want any benefits! !If you are too knowledgeable, you will lose interest! Do you understand!

Maggie: Then what kind of fun do you want to have :)?

Bertha: =. =