Aylia Holmes

16. Lestrade

"I found your flower pressings," Enola said to Louis as they walked together ahead of the older pair. "They were quite beautiful. I don't give a fig about flowers, of course."

"That's because you're ignorant," Louis replied cheekily.

"Ignorant? How dare you?" Enola said.

"Ignorant and willfully so," Tewksbury added.

"You could change your mind about a boy," she said.

"I'm not a boy," Louis said. "I'm a man."

"You're a man when I tell you you're a man," Enola corrected.

Suppressing an amused smile, Tewksbury said, "You do look better in breeches, I'll give you that." Ignoring a playful swat, he said, "I've missed you, Enola Holmes."

"I wanted to miss you," Enola replied, "but I kept getting dragged back towards you. Now, come on. We're in serious danger, if you didn't know." Turning back towards Elwin, she said, "It's good you're here, actually. You'll want to hear all of this too."

"Oh?" he replied, glancing at Aylia in surprise.

She shrugged as they followed Enola up some stairs and into her grubby room.

"Oh, Enola," Aylia sighed.

"Is this how you're living?" Tewksbury said.

"Did you rent a room at the Ritz?" Enola sassed.

"I afforded myself a shade more comfort than this," he replied.

"As did I," Aylia added.

"Well, the woman I boarded off assured me this was a fine room," Enola replied defensively.

Peeling off his jacket, Tewksbury replied, "The woman you boarded off lied." Noticing a large pile on her bed, he asked, "Why do you keep all these old newspapers, Enola Holmes?"

"My mother," she explained.

"You left her a coded message?" Aylia guessed.

Enola nodded.

"So no one's found her, yet then?" Elwin said softly.

Enola and Aylia shook their heads.

"She left," Enola explained, spotting Tewksbury's confused expression. "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I don't want your pity, Tewksbury," Enola said, almost snappishly. "If you don't stop looking at me like that, Viscount Irritation, Marquess of Bothersomeshire, I'll murder you myself."

"There was something you wanted to talk about?" Elwin interrupted, clearing his throat to hide the laughter that threatened to break out.

"Right," Enola said. "I'll make us some tea."

She got up, crossed the stairs, and went into the tearoom with the other three following behind as Tewksbury asked, "So you genuinely believe my life's in danger? From whom?"

"Your past and your future," she replied.

"Whatever does that mean?" Elwin asked.

"Your family, Tewksbury. They didn't send a detective to find you. They could have, and they didn't," she said. "Instead, they sent a murderer."

"Bowler Hat," Aylia said.

"Why would anyone want me dead?" Tewksbury asked.

"Countless reasons," Enola, Elwin, and Aylia replied simultaneously.

He looked between the three of them in surprise as Enola crossed into another room and elaborated, "Your personality, your ridiculous hair, your silly smile, or possibly your land, your estate, your title, your seat. Same reasons they wanted your father dead. Greed does funny things to people, Tewksbury."

"So now you're saying you think they killed my father?" Tewksbury retorted.

"I don't think," Enola replied, straightened from where she had been putting the pot on for tea. "I know."

Glancing back at Elwin, he retorted, "No! No, none of this makes the slightest sense. My father's death was caused by a botched burglary, and - and it would have been easier to kill me before I ran away, rather than now-"

"I entirely agree," Enola interrupted. "I think they tried to. I found the branch that almost killed you. It had been cut."

"Cut?" Tewksbury repeated.

"This doesn't make any sense," Elwin intervened as Enola grabbed the pot and swung.

Letting out a cry, Aylia ducked as Elwin pulled her out of the way. The pot hit a man, no older than his mid-forties who had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere in the corner of the room.

"Come on!" Aylia shouted, grabbing onto Enola as the four of them sprinted from the room into Enola's.

"Who's he?" Tewksbury cried.

"Doesn't matter!" Elwin retorted, shoving him inside the room.

Slamming the door shut behind them, Aylia pushed against it as hard as she could as Elwin and Enola pushed her chest of drawers in front of the door.

"Open up, Miss Posy, or should I say Miss Holmes?" the inspector shouted through the door.

"Inspector Lestrade, I need to report an attempted murder!" Enola shouted as all four of them fought to keep the door closed. "You're supposed to be on our side!"

"Help me get in through this door!" they heard him shout.

They heard only the faint buzz of voices from the other side as Aylia said, "Enola, you and Louis need to go, now!"

"If Mycroft finds you, he'll kill you!" Enola retorted.

"I can handle the weight of his disappointment!" Aylia retorted. "I cannot bear seeing your spirit rushed in that finishing school."

"See that window over there?" Enola said. "It leads out onto the roof. I need you two to climb out and take off into nowhere."

Aylia and Louis opened their mouths to protest as Elwin said, "She's right, Ayla! You need to go. I'll stay here and give Enola as much time as I can, but you two need to go!"

"No!" Ayla retorted. "They'll throw you in jail, Elwin!"

"I won't leave you, Enola," Tewksbury insisted. "You need to get away too."

"If he catches you, your life will be in danger," Enola retorted. "If he catches me, it's simply a life I do not want. Now go!"

"I don't want to leave you, Enola," he said.

"Louis, I'll hold the door as long as I can," Elwin promised with a grunt. "Once you and Ayla are in the clear, I'll give Enola as much time as I can."

Brushing a curl out of his eyes, Aylia kissed Elwin's cheek before pulling Tewksbury towards the window. He gave one last look towards Enola before slipping out the window.

"Go, Enola," Elwin grunted.

She hesitated only a moment before letting go and making a dash for the window, but before she could reach it, a powerful thrust against the door knocked Elwin off his feet and to the ground. Before she could reach the window, Lestrade had grabbed her by the waist and forced her still.