Holmes and The Old Army Friend Ch. 02

Blessed cold engulfed my forehead followed by pain as cold pressure was applied to my, apparently bruised, cheekbone. I opened my eyes and was baffled into confusion as my dark and wanton surroundings disappeared, as if instantaneously, to be replaced by a harshly lit but thankfully airy atmosphere. Any more of my surroundings I could not discern, my vision was blurry, my eyes watering heavily. I realised I was lying down and tried to sit, gentle pressure from the coldness on my forehead prevented me.

'Slowly Sir, slowly, you passed out with the heat. Just lie still for a moment and let me cool you down.' A soft voice, with a French accent, came from beside me. It was Marie. 'Your friend has just gone to arrange transport home for you, rest, rest.'

She wiped my face with the blissfully cold cloth. I tried to speak to thank her but my mouth had gone dry and I felt nauseous. I took a deep breath and let myself slip back into slumber while she continued her most welcome ministrations. Before I knew it however, a gentle hand on my shoulder was bringing me round again.

'Sir, Sir, your friend has returned to take to you home, do you think you can sit up now?'

I opened my eyes to find that my vision was stilled blurred. I could see enough to know that Marie was bent over me, still naked as her breasts were brushing my upper arm as she looked into my eyes. I tried to sit up but I felt weak and started to sag down again. Marie quickly moved to support me, pressing her body against mine as she did so. I still felt dizzy but managed to sit and with Marie's help, I swung my legs over the side of the table on which I had been lying. Marie gently pushed my knees apart and moved to stand between my legs, her naked hips pressing against the inside of my thighs.

'We will make you look a little more presentable to travel home Sir, I think.' She said, straightening my jacket and tie, and though leaving my collar unfastened, tucking it into my shirt in such a way as to make me look less untidy. As she did this her hips moved against my thighs and her perfume filled my nostrils. She moved in closer to run her hands around the back of my collar and her breasts pushed against my chest and her public hair brushed the fly buttons of my trousers. Despite still feeling disorientated and a little queasy I felt myself become aroused again. Marie took longer than necessary to smooth down the back of my collar and pushed her crotch against my stiffening member.

'I hope you will return when you are feeling better Sir, we will make a special fuss of you to make up for this unfortunate introduction.' And with this she took a few steps back and the unfocused image of Drummond came into view.

'Ah, you're looking a little better old chap. Well, not a lot better if I'm honest but at least you're upright . . . in more ways than one!'

He guffawed, which my head did not appreciate, and I was too befuddled to acknowledge his crude attempt at humour at my expense. It was all I could do to remain upright as I felt like the table and the room were moving around under me.

'Now come on, let's get you back to Baker Street to sleep off this bug you've obviously caught. The club have said we can use their carriage and they've even laid on a couple of nursemaids to look after us on the journey.'

Two young women who, if my glassy eyes could be trusted, may have been two of Aphrodite's hand maidens appeared, wearing full length hooded cape coats that looked altogether too heavy for the summer heat. They took station, one at each of my arms and gently helped me to stand then, with Drummond in the lead we slowly left the room and made our way, along a whitewashed stone corridor to what must have been the rear courtyard of the club where a fully enclosed four wheeler carriage was waiting. Drummond opened the door and stepped up inside then turned to offer me his hand up. My two nursemaids helped as best they could but a sudden lurch of dizziness caught me and I had to step back off the step putting my left hand out as I did. I caught the front of one of their capes and it pulled open to reveal that the girl was completely naked beneath, but for shoes. The shock nearly made me swoon again but Drummond had reached out and grabbed me and he pulled me quickly back up and into the carriage laughing. He dumped me heavily down onto the plushly upholstered seats and the two girls followed us in. As Drummond closed the door behind them they unfastened their capes and dropped them to the floor then sat naked, one on the seat next to me and the other opposite me, next to Drummond.

The enclosed cabin was hot and dark and this caused me to slip in and out of consciousness again. The nurse next to me took my head in her hands and gently lowered it into her lap, smoothing my hair and whispering gently to me. I fought unconsciousness, trying to keep my eyes open and my senses working. I could smell her intimate scent and realised that I could feel her pubic hair on my face. I felt comfortable and comforted yet started to feel the familiar tightening of my trousers again, a feeling that was heightened when, through the half dark and my blurry vision I saw the girl opposite me slide from the seat and deftly remove Drummond's sizeable penis from his trousers and start to minister to him with her mouth. The rest of the journey passed in a surreal fog of comfort, arousal and the erotic display occurring not a foot in front of my face. From Drummond's coarse commentary it was evident that the girl was a skilled practitioner of her art and the increased musky odour and moistening of my cheek suggested that my own nurse maid was finding the episode arousing also.

After a few minutes Drummond put both of his hands on the back of the young woman's head and started to clutch at her hair, entwining his hands and finally pulling her head onto his member causing her to gag and cough, but it was obvious that Drummond had reached climax and, despite her obvious difficulties, he was going to give her no option but to take his ejaculate in her mouth and make her swallow it. When he had finished he released her head and she sat back on her heels, gasping for air, but did not admonish him in any way, merely wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and taking her place back on the seat next to him. Drummond, with some difficulty, refastened his trousers around his still half-swollen penis and then, patting her on the knee, gave the girl a condescending compliment.

Very soon after there were two sharp raps on the roof from the driver and my nursemaid gently encouraged my to sit up again, which I did with some difficultly, wedging myself into the corner of the carriage seat then the two girls retrieved their capes from the floor and with some difficulty redressed themselves, pulling up the hoods.

'Nearly home old chap, you'll feel better in your own surroundings I'm sure, sleep off this bug of yours.' Drummond said, leaning forward and starting to go through my pockets, 'Where do you keep your key?'

I weakly indicated my waistcoat pocket with my hand and Drummond retrieved it as the carriage came to a halt, rocking on its springs. Drummond opened the door and a painful assault of daylight and the cacophony of London threatened to overload my senses once again. Drummond exited the carriage quickly, leaving the two girls to help me up onto my unsteady legs and out into Baker Street. I looked towards the familiar door through vision blurred by a blinding headache and saw that Drummond already had it open and was stood inside motioning us in. My two supporters made an admirable job of getting me across the pavement and up the steps and I was soon in the blessed shadow of the hall.

'Let's get you upstairs and into that comfortable looking chaise-lounge in your sitting room old man.' Said Drummond but again he led the way up the stairs leaving the girls and I to make our own, considerably slower way up the stairs.

When we arrived in the reassuringly familiar sitting room I suddenly felt like nothing on earth was more necessary than for me to get to chaise-lounge, it was my every desire. If I could simply recline there for a while and sleep the world would stop spinning around me and I would feel less like vomiting was in my immediate future. Once the girls had manoeuvred me, with some difficulty around the clutter of Holmes' possessions, to within a few paces of its heavenly upholstery, I flung myself down on it.

'Careful dear' said the girl who had provided her lap as a pillow for me in the carriage and came over to loosen my collar and place a cushion behind my head.

'A shot of brandy will perk you up old chap, where do you keep it.' Said Drummond, his manner and tone seeming to make no allowance for my condition, as he started to rummage around the place looking for brandy.

My dutiful nursemaid unfastened my boots, removing them and then lifting my feet up on to the chaise. She found a thin blanket over the back of Holmes chair, probably left from a night of unsleeping deduction on the part of my friend and lowered it gently over my legs then stroked my hair again before standing up and retreating from view.

'Must be a rare old life sharing the fellow's adventures,' said Drummond, taking a drink from a glass tumbler in his hand. He had obviously found the brandy but had decided he required the medication more than me.

For myself, I craved nothing but sleep but Drummond proceeded to walk around the room, talking of Holmes, asking me questions and, apparently absent-mindedly, taking papers off desks and tables and looking through them while enjoying the hospitalities of my drinks cabinet. I passed in and out of sleep, trying to stay awake and answer his questions but having severe difficulty retaining a grip on the reality of my situation. I was aware of myself speaking occasionally but I had no idea what words were coming from me and I became confused as to the number of nursemaids that were in the room. I was sure that only two had accompanied us in the carriage but at times I was sure I could see three of them in the room. My attentive nurse had left for a time but had returned with a cold flannel and a drink of water for me yet her companion seemed at times to be standing, uninterestedly regarding some of the pictures on the wall, sometimes opening her cloak to reveal her nakedness beneath to combat the heat and at other times conversing with Drummond and taking volumes of Holmes' notes from the shelves and then again sometimes all of these at the same time.

My world became yet more confused when the infernal whistling of the workman from the house across the road suddenly broke into my consciousness and added another layer of confusion. My mind conjured him to be in the room, remonstrating with the girls, who fled, much to my dismay as my nurse dropped the cold flannel from my head as she left. The workman made a grab for one of the girls, catching the hem of her cloak but Drummond intervened and as she struggled free of it I realised that she was fully clothed beneath it. The workman dropped the cloak and made another grab for the woman but Drummond struck him from behind and the woman made her escape. Drummond fell on the workman from behind but the workman appeared to strike him with an elbow then reached sideways and grabbed the poker from the fireside and turned on Drummond, holding the poker in a fencing pose, pointing at Drummond's face. I tried to get up to help my friend but it was beyond my faculties. I was therefore heartened to notice that Drummond pulled a pistol from his jacket and levelled it at the workman's chest. The workman seemed to freeze for a second then with a deft swish of the poker struck the pistol from the Drummond's hand but something caused the pistol to fire and the loud report echoed round the room and I finally passed out again.

I awoke in my own bed between clean crisp sheets, the window opened but the blind down allowing me a shaded breeze. My head felt clearer and I opened my eyes without feeling nauseous or dizzy. I was surprised to hear the comforting lilt of Mrs Hudson's voice reassure me that everything was now alright and would I like a drink of water. The cool water was nectar to my parched mouth and I started to gulp it down.

'Slowly there Watson, take it easily, it will take a while for the narcotics to come fully out of your system.'

It was the unmistakeable voice of my friend Sherlock Holmes and I sat up quickly, looking in his direction. The rapid movement caused a sudden dizziness to overcome me but before falling back to the pillow I saw the workman where I expected to see Holmes. The workman walked over to the side of the bed and bent over and I was temporarily worried, having seen him attack Drummond but as he came closer I soon realised that it was indeed Holmes, clad in one of his disguises.

'I most apologise for my deception Watson and for placing you in harm's way again, but in my defence I did not realise they would act so quickly on you and the prize that I craved was great. I have been intrigued by a number of high-profile but unreported burglaries and offences committed against some of the highest ranking members of European society and my investigations drew me ever towards the Anthemusa Club. It seems their victims were unwilling to report the crimes as they would occur when they were being, ahem, entertained by the clubs more unusual distractions and because of the secrecy of the club the connections were not made.'

'Your old friend Drummond seemed very high up in the organisation and when he came to London and I heard that it was because they were getting uncomfortable under my gaze and were putting out enquiries after how much I knew, I thought that if I were out of the picture they may put out an invitation for your membership in an effort to reconnoitre our rooms. I apologise for not realising that they thought my investigations more urgently dealt with and it appears they doped you up with some narcotic or another first time out.'

At that moment Lestrade knocked and entered the room.

'Right Mr Holmes, Drummond is safely on his way to the Yard with four of my best men and I've got to shoot off to the club to look over things after the raid. My men only found some underdressed young ladies and some very embarrassed members of the Upper House, it appears your main quarry got clean away again I'm afraid. Ah, good to see you back with us Doctor Watson, you had me worried there for a moment, very pale you were. I'll leave you all be, you be sure to follow Mrs Hudson's instructions Doctor.'

He doffed his hat to Mrs Hudson and left again.

'Your main quarry?' I enquired of Holmes, 'I thought he said Drummond was in custody.'

'You are coming back to your senses sure enough Watson to pick that up, yes.'

He walked across to a chair and gathered up an expensive looking hooded cape that had been laid across the back and held it reverentially, looking at it with unfocused eyes for a beat before talking again.

'It was her Watson . . . that Woman.'

'Irene Adler, she was here?' The mention of her name seemed to physically affect him and he snapped out of his reverie.

'Yes Watson, she was behind the whole web of the Anthemusa Clubs throughout Europe. She is a formidable and dangerous woman Watson and she has eluded me again. She is already en route to the continent I have no doubt.'

He looked at the cape again and seemed to slip away to the memory of his latest brush with perhaps the only woman that truly held any power over him emotionally. I may have still been under the influence of the narcotic but I would swear that as he left my room to let me rest he lifted the cape to his face and inhaled deeply once with his face in the deep velvet folds. Whether it was the act of a frustrated admirer or a bloodhound putting himself back on the scent I would not like to guess.