Capítulo 6: Dinner (1)
It was 5:45 at night, Christine was dressed and ready for dinner. She waited patiently in the living room, while Mrs. Hudson tried to convince her to cancel her date with Mycroft. All of this, had been going on for at least 4 hours.
Christine had no idea what to do with Mrs. Hudson. She could not tell her the truth, that the Holmes brothers are testing her. She could not afford to cancel the dinner with Mycroft. She must make the British Government trust her, or at least, do not watch her. Otherwise, if the Holmes brothers decided to work together, there would be no way she would be able to stay at Baker Street for long.
She must say, Mrs. Hudson's ex-husband was a drug dealer, meaning that she was nowhere being reserved herself. Plus, the arrival of Sherlock had sometimes put her in danger. However, Christine really didn't want Mrs. Hudson to worry, she had thought of Mrs. Hudson as her mother. Not to forget, Sherlock would be involved in this.
Therefore, Christine could only tell Mrs. Hudson that this was not a date. Unfortunately, a date and dinner were the same things in the land lady's eyes, no matter how much Christine had tried to explain. After a while, she had just chosen to ignore it.
About Sherlock, he was long gone with Ms. Molly Hooper, leaving a slip saying that they would be helping the Scotland Yard to solve some cases.
Christine was amazed how someone else except Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft, and her would be able to withstand Sherlock, but after seeing Molly's gaze towards Sherlock, Christine knew, that she had loved him from the very depth of her heart. No matter what the consulting detective had done to her, no matter how he had hurt her, this tiny little forensic would always be there when Sherlock wanted anybody. Even though she was already engaged to someone else, all Sherlock wanted was a substitute.
Most of all, it was Gregson Lestrade that had managed to amaze Christine completely. He was literally begging Sherlock 0n the phone.
Christine understood with Sherlock's intelligence, the case would advance on a faster scale. However, his repulsive actions and sharp words would easily destroy the team spirit in a blink of an eye. Even with this, the inspector had gladly provided him with cases.
She could never understand, but when she thought of Sherlock's brother, who was said to be the British government, she realized the whole situation to a certain degree. It was obvious that the older brother had in some way protected and covered for his younger brother. Otherwise, the next thing Christine would know, the British Isles would sink and disappear from this world, due to the consulting detective's boredom.
Christine couldn't help but feel agitated and restless. She still had no idea how to fact the dinner with Mycroft tonight, how should she deal with all the challenges that the British government would be likely to throw at her? Being too straightforward would be a stupid idea. Mycroft would not believe her that easily. Even worse, he might lose his trust in her completely. Plus, no way in the world would Christine reveal everything, there would be no need anyway.
Two Holmes brothers, each with a different goal. Sherlock wanted her to leave, so he would find out a way to get rid of her completely, making Christine disappear from his world. As for Mycroft, he was merely doing his job. He wanted to figure out if she would pose any threat to them and what had made her change her living habit.
That was why when it came to Sherlock, Christine could remain hard and unbreakable, stopping his goal in any way possible. But when it came to Mycroft, she had no choice but to bend her head, replying to his challenges with care. She couldn't act like she had no idea what this dinner was about, that would just be lowering Mycroft's IQ; but if she touched the truth too quickly, that would be lowering her IQ.
In the last 24 hours, Christine had shown off her superior observing skills, familiarity with the stairs, and the ability to know what someone else was thinking just by observing their actions. These skills, would not be present in an ordinary person, or the general public. She must provide Mycroft with a valid reason, or the British government would never develop trust in her. If in any case, she ended up on the black list, she would be chased out of England in no time.
Christine felt relieved that Sherlock had provided her with a reasonable excuse. She could just pretend that the dinner was just an interview, a chance to show off her skills. If Mycroft was satisfied, she could even get a temporary job, one that could contradict the consulting detective openly.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!..." Christine's alarm rang. She glanced at the time: 3 minutes to six. She stood up and made her way towards the fireplace, inspecting her dress. The last thing she wanted was to make her future employer think of her as an uneducated lady.
"Christine! Do you really have to go?" Mrs. Hudson tried for the last time.
"Just pretend that I am going to an interview, Mrs. Hudson!" Christine stated the truth, but Mrs. Hudson didn't believe it in the least.
"But-" Mrs. Hudson was about to say something more, but Christine had already opened the door. In the same second, a black car stopped at the front of 221 Baker Street.
"Miss Su, please make yourself comfortable," The driver, dressed in a black suit with an earphone in the ear, opened the back door of the car, covering the top to avoid the guest from bumping her head.
"Thank you!" Christine smiled gratefully, sitting down.
Beside her sat a lady with black hair, staring at her phone screen. When she saw Christine, her eyes widened in surprise, but quickly lowered her head, frantically typing on her blackberry phone, making no move of starting a conversation.
The driver sat at the front of the car, divided from the back row by a glass wall, thick enough to stop any bullet, let along with any sound. As for the decorations, they were the same as any other vehicle, but Christine doubted that there were no traps whatsoever.
After observing her surroundings, Christine decided to rest for a while, closing her eyes, her ears sharpened to catch the tiniest sounds from outside the car, trying to deduct where she was being taken, but failing miserably after arriving at the outskirts of the city.
"We have arrived, Miss Su," Christine was one inch to Dream Land when a female voice appeared beside her ear. She opened her eyes. The lady with the BlackBerry phone had gotten off the car and opened the door for her to exit.
"Sorry, I didn't know I would fall asleep." Christine rubbed her face awkwardly, inspecting her looks in the mirror. When she was sure nothing was wrong, she asked nervously, "Where are we?"
"Mr. Holmes's house," the Blackberry lady smiled and straightened her body, moving aside, what appeared in front of Christine was a Victorian home that was a decent size.
Although Christine once said "a mystery makes everything exciting", she couldn't help but make a few assumptions. It was true that she didn't know Mycroft as well as Sherlock, but knowing Mycroft's character, no way in the world would he invite a stranger to his house for dinner.
But when Christine finally arrived at the entrance, she realized the truth behind Mycroft's arrangement. This was obviously not his private home, but a stage specially made to welcome unknown guests. No one outside would be able to detect anything about him, but he could use every single corner to observe his captured prey.
"Please come in," The Blackberry lady addressed Christine and went back to her phone.
Honestly, being the secretary of Mycroft Holmes didn't seem to be an easy job after all. Christine felt sorry for the Blackberry lady and made her way towards the opened door. Given the fact that Mycroft equaled to the British Government, his residence was of some huge value. The moment Christine entered the room, she felt as if she was back in the 18th century when the Victorian ages were at their strongest and most beautiful.
Christine closed her eyes, savoring the remains of the history. The Blackberry lady didn't object but turned down the sound of her phone, waiting quietly by the side, until the guest opened her eyes again.
"Sorry, I was too in the moment," Christine explained with a smile, the other lady glanced at her momentarily. "Where shall we go now?"
"Dining room," the Blackberry lady mumbled and lowered her head, moving across the hallway.
Christine followed behind. She didn't fasten her pace, nor did she slow down too much.
During the Victorian Ages, the Victorians had loved to use ridiculously long tables. Naturally, there was one in Mycroft's dining room. The owner was sitting on the main seat, deep in thoughts about something. Seems he had been waiting for quite some time.
"Will we be having dinner beside this table?" Christine didn't wait until Mycroft was back into reality and asked curiously, this made the Blackberry lady raise her head up again.
"No," Mycroft didn't answer immediately, but paused for a while, "This table would only be appropriate for when there are many guests. We will be moving to somewhere else tonight." He stood up and grabbed the black umbrella by his side, waving to the Blackberry lady, telling her to leave.
"Mrs. Hudson said you always liked to bring a black umbrella with you. I didn't believe at first, but now, seems like it was true," Christine joked at Mycroft's accessory, observing it closely.
"You know how the weather is like in London," Mycroft didn't make a drama of Christine's clothes, which was cheaper and lower than his in many levels. He offered his hand like a gentleman.
"Are you sure that it didn't have any more special abilities?" Christine looked at Mycroft with curiosity, placing her hand lightly in his palm, not nervous at all in this particular atmosphere.
"What are your suggestions?" Mycroft asked with a smirk, leading Christine.
"Yes," Christine returned the smirk, starting to observe her surroundings, "it seemed like there was no difference in weights between the two umbrellas to a normal person. But for someone like me who's very sensitive to rhythms, the sound that it makes is not very sharp and precise. Obviously, something extra was placed inside the main body of the umbrella. European sword, I would say?"
"I tend to prefer going classic, not like Sherlock. He seemed to be deeply fond of, what should I say, deviant things," Mycroft pushed the dining room doors, gently leading Christine to a room with large glass windows on the side of the room. The decorations were similar to all the other furniture in the house, the only difference was that there weren't many objects placed around the room. The only thing that could be seen as a square dining table, situated at the best spot in the whole room if wanting to look out the window. Their dinner was already placed on the table neatly.
"I suspected that if I made you choose between having hot food and a quiet environment, you will lean towards the last," Mycroft turned around and smiled, earning a brighter one from Christine.
"I'm sure tonight is the night that I will never forget."
Both walked towards the dining table. Mycroft pulled out the chair for her politely. After waiting for Christine to take her seat, Mycroft turned to his. His black umbrella had been by his side all this time.
The meal had gone on without fail. The atmosphere wasn't awkward at all, with the two smart enough not to bring up any sensitive topics. This made Christine feel quite at home. She believed that this British Government with a crazy brother wouldn't mind any of her actions. Not surprisingly, she was proved to be right. Mycroft had been
enjoying his meal, only bringing up the main topic after the both of them had finished dessert.
"I've always been curious. If you don't mind, could you inform me why you decided to change your habits and stay in England?" Seemingly polite, Mycroft's eyes were fixated on Christine.
"It's my mother. Well, she is my biological mother's twin sister. My brother and I call her mother because of the will." Christine placed her head on her arms, suddenly sounding a bit sad replaying the memory. "She suggested for me to settle down so that it would be convenient for her to visit me sometime in the future."
"Well then," Mycroft stopped playing with the wine glass, his eyes trying to catch hold of any change in Christine's expression, "can you tell me about your family?"
"I'm really sorry," Christine said apologetically. "I'm sure you know about confidential contracts. And sadly, truth is that I can't say I know my family more than what you have in your hands." The light seemed to have escaped her eyes.
"My apologies for bringing back bad memories." Mycroft sounded he was sincere. Christine gave him a smile and waved it off. Seeing she was back to her normal self, Mycroft continued, "Are you planning to stay in England?"
"Yes." Christine nodded, "Before my mother comes and visits me, I will not move out of 221 Baker Street."
"That's not an easy thing to do." Mycroft curled his lips, "Sherlock is not someone you would call a good neighbor." He twirled with the liquid in the glass.
"I'm sure I have enough experience in hand to deal with him." Christine smiled, "But will you interfere?" The worried tone was clear.
"I was more looking forward to you helping to distract his overflowing energy." Mycroft held up his glass.
The rock on top of Christine's heart was finally raised after Mycroft's sentence. She knew that this was Mycroft's promise, a promise that stated he and Sherlock will not lay a finger on her. For now, anyway.
Mycroft suddenly thought Sherlock's dinner idea this morning was excellent.
"Miss Su, would you like a job?" He asked suddenly.
"A job?" Christine paused but understood him straight away. "Mr. Holmes, you want me to be a set of eyes? Watching Sherlock for you?"
"No, of course not." Mycroft put down his glass and stared straight into Christine's eyes, "I don't need another Dr. Watson. Sorry for my following words but, he had become Sherlock's tag-along. I didn't mean to speak negatively of him though."
"Plus, he's planning to marry." Christine pointed out the most critical.
"Ah yes. Marriage, something that will change one's future." Mycroft's gaze seemed to wander elsewhere but quickly returned to Christine. "I had a chat with John on the first day they met, unfortunately, he seemed to have misunderstood my point." Mycroft frowned. "But I can't really say I was on very good terms with Sherlock at that time. So even if he wasn't the best alternative, I had no choice but to trust him."
"Then what are your expectations?" Christine asked curiously, "I don't think your brother would be very happy if I watch him like a stalker and become Dr. Watson's replacement. Plus my current occupation sometimes requires all my attention. I'm sure you're clear that I can only help you as a part-timer, Mr. Holmes."
"I am very clear what you are capable of, Miss Su. That's why," Mycroft stood up and closed up his distance with Christine, "all I need is a pair of eyes that are extremely sensitive to signs of danger." He admired the pair of dark brown eyes.
"Fortunately you found just the right person." Christine's smile widened, feeling her heartbeat fastening. Dealing with men was never one of her specialties.
"What would you like in return, Miss Su?" Mycroft pulled himself back. He realized Christine's odd reaction and wondered. His sources had informed him otherwise.
"My goal is to become an author Mr. Holmes, an author that is capable of creating a new world simply by words." Christine lowered her head, slowing her sentence to let it sink in. "Money is not a problem for me, what I need are new ideas." She believed she truly lacked experience.
"You raised the bar quite high, my lady." Mycroft blinked, his lips in a thin line. Things such as ideas and inspiration are abstract. Not that it is impossible, but the prize he has to pay is far too much than he would prefer.
"Maybe not as high as you think." Christine straightened her back, both of her hands on the table, and looked at Mycroft with uncertainty. She suspected it wouldn't be a good idea to challenge the trickiest straight away, however getting him to cooperate like that was once in a blue moon, and she wasn't going to let go after everything.
Christine swallowed and didn't budge, "Mr. Holmes, your brother just showed me a new world, maybe you'll show me another."
Mycroft looked at Christine blankly, but understood very quickly. A smile of relief crept between his lips. After all, this payment was much easier and much more interesting than he initially thought.
The man stood up slowly and tidied up his suit, offering his hand to the slightly unnerved lady. He fixated his gaze on Christine, bowing slightly with a smirk, "Sure, My Queen."
Christine swore she was blushing like crazy, taking into consideration that she was feeling hard to breathe. Instincts told her she should get out of here as soon as possible, but her legs were like lead, making it impossible to move a single step.
"Would you like to dance?" Mycroft asked while fishing out his phone picking the right music. He didn't let go of her hand.
"Sure." Christine took a deep breath to gain back her senses. "But I've received lessons concerning social dances."
"I'll teach you." Mycroft smiled and showed her the phone screen, "What do you think of Waltz?"
"Your choice." Christine ignored the phone screen and looked at Mycroft.
"This is a beginner's course, I'm sure you will master it in no time." Mycroft picked out the right music and placed the phone on the table.
"Hopefully I won't be stepping on your foot." Christine stood up nervously, placing her hand on Mycroft shoulder and following his instructions.
It was true Christine had never been good with music, but her sense of rhythm had been fantastic. Something such as Waltz was a piece of cake, and Mycroft seemed to have plenty of time to spare to take her to the next level.
Anthea couldn't believe what she was witnessing. According to her experience, her superior had never spent this much time on one ordinary woman. Usually, it only takes an hour or so for any female to give out her heart. However, this lady living downstairs from Boss's brother had broken the record. Not only did Miss Su succeed with having dinner with Boss at his house, but he had also taught her how to dance, taking his time to chat with her on the balcony, acting as if there was no work waiting for him on the other side of the door.
Anthea felt the urge to call Boss's private doctor to give Boss a check-up. But she was also very clear that if she disturbed Boss's "romantic" dinner in any way, it would be the end of her.
Which meant, she had no choice but to wait at the door, silently praying that Miss Su would get her butt out of here as soon as possible and stop distracting the British Government from doing his work.
"I'm sure that tonight is the night that I will never forget." Christine finished off her wine in one gulp, smiling dreamingly at the man.
"So I've heard," Mycroft smirked and held her waist to stop her from falling. He didn't know Christine was a light drinker.
"Wouldn't hurt to say it again." Christine raised her gaze to meet Mycroft's as if expecting something.
But something unanticipated destroyed the atmosphere once and for all.
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