The Furt The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Titanic Tragedy

‘Thank you, young man. Any suggestions on what I should see first?’

‘There’s much to see and do throughout the first class, sir. Just two things to look out for. Stay away from the professional gamblers, and know where the doctors are, in case you get seasick. Beyond that, this is a luxury ship, sir, and we hope you enjoy your voyage.’

The steward accepted my tip with a quick salute and rushed back to the gangway to assist other passengers.

The ship was due to depart at noon, just minutes away. I left my cabin to witness this colourful event and to attempt to locate Holmes. I walked down the hallway and, instead of climbing the stairs to B Deck, decided to make use of the ship’s most modern convenience. One of the three lifts was already open, so I stepped inside the dark mahogany cage, which was occupied by several passengers and crew. Overhead, the large winding gear that moved the cage up and down was visible through a glass ceiling.

‘Most impressive,’ I told the lift operator, as he looked outside to check for other passengers.

‘Yes, sir, quite a new idea for liners.’

As he began to close the collapsible gate, I noticed a tall man in a naval uniform running towards us. I put out my hand to hold the gate back to let him in.

‘Thank you, friend,’ said the navy man, who seemed to smile and eye me suspiciously at the same time. He had an easy air of authority, which was suggested, perhaps, by his brisk Scottish accent. His hair, including his well-trimmed beard, was fully grey. As the lift ascended, he glanced at each of the passengers over the rim of his glasses. All seemed eager to leave as the gate opened on B Deck.

I climbed the stairs to the boat deck and saw that the rail was already lined with passengers, waving to friends and family on the dock below. Suddenly, the air vibrated from the booming sound of the ship’s huge whistles. The crowd on deck cried out with excitement and waved final farewells to their relatives and friends. The Titanic was preparing to depart.

‘It’s just about time,’ said a raspy voice to my left. ‘I see that they have singled up and we’ll be leaving in a minute or two.’

I turned and saw the naval officer standing next to me. His hands were folded behind him, with his head tilted back. Ignoring the crowd, he focused his attention on the layout of the ship and the crew’s preparations for departure.

‘It’s a very exciting moment, is it not?’ I replied. ‘That is...being on this grand ship as it begins its first voyage.’

‘Oh, I’ve headed out on more ships than I care to remember — Navy ships mostly. If you take away the fanfare and hoopla, one trip’s pretty much the same as the next.’

‘You’ve been at sea for a long time, then.’

‘All my life. Been on just about every type of ship — some in battle. I believe I know the sea as well as the next man.’

‘By the way, my name is Watson. Doctor John Watson. And you are...?’

‘Commodore Giles Winter of the Royal Navy. Pleased to meet you, Doctor.’

‘I cannot understand, for the life of me, why a Navy man would want to spend his holiday on a cruise. Or is this perhaps a business trip?’

‘Business. Just doing a routine evaluation of the vessel. I did the same thing on board the Titanic’s sister ship, Olympic. White Star has a third ship planned of the same design. In the event of war, we like to know the capabilities of all ships that are available. This ship, for example, could be useful as a troop carrier or hospital ship.’

‘That makes sense. But I must say, I’d just as soon not think of prospects like that on a day like this.’

‘And that, Doctor, is precisely my remit — to ensure that civilians like you can go about your lives without worrying about war.’

‘I assure you, Commodore, I have seen battle. In fact, while serving as an army surgeon in Afghanistan, I was seriously wounded at the Battle of Maiwand.’

‘Afghanistan, yes, that was a bad one, all right. But land wars just do not compare to sea battles, if you will forgive me saying so. There is nothing worse than having a ship sink under you. Your only hope is that your enemy will be generous enough to pull you out of the water.’

‘You know, you are as stubborn as a friend of mine. You may have heard of him, a detective of the name of Mr Sherlock Holmes.’

‘Holmes... So, you’re that Doctor Watson. I have read a few of those stories. He must be an extraordinary fellow, that Mr Holmes.’

‘Oh, I suppose so. But I have to confess, I exaggerated his talents a little, to create a better story, you understand.’

The commodore paused for a moment, considering this revelation. ‘Are you saying this Holmes was not the great detective you made him out to be?’

‘Oh, I’d say he was certainly a great detective but he had some flaws. For example, at times he was prone to exhibit over-confidence. And you know how I referred to him as a master of disguise? Well, he was not always in top form.’

‘What do you mean?’ he asked, narrowing his eyes to a cold stare.

‘Take that disguise you are wearing now. Did you really think that a beard, some hair dye and a disguised voice would fool an old friend?’

The commodore’s features remained the same. But there was something familiar in his laugh that confirmed that I was once again in the company of my friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes.

At that moment, the ship’s whistles, mounted on the two forward funnels, sounded the three traditional salutes of departure. The crowd cheered in excitement as the engines grew louder and steam billowed into the air. Our journey had begun.

‘My dear Watson! And for just how long did I manage to deceive you?’

‘Certainly in the lift. But it did not take long for me to doubt the naval officer after we started chatting on deck.’

‘It is a simple disguise, I grant you. But I do believe that no one on board has met me before. It should be good enough. And thank you for coming, Watson. Did Mycroft explain our little mission?’

‘In general terms,’ I said, wondering how I was going to break the news of Mrs Norton’s daughter. ‘He said we were to look after a young woman on board who is carrying some secret government documents.’

‘Indeed. She will be contacting me in my cabin after departure. In fact, we should go there now and await her arrival.’

Holmes had been given cabin C30, which was in the same block of rooms as my own. There was a connecting door that opened to the porthole passage in my cabin. I was not surprised to find that the furnishings in our two cabins were similar.

‘Holmes, I fear I have a question to ask of you: how long has it been since you have heard from Irene Norton?’

The question startled Holmes, but he answered without hesitation.

‘As you know, Watson, we have been corresponding for some time. The last letter I received was about six months ago. But why do you ask that?’

My readers may recall Holmes’s relationship with Irene Adler from the adventure I called A Scandal in Bohemia. Holmes had long admired her as the one woman who had ever bettered him in a case. Several years after she married Godfrey Norton and left London, Holmes received a letter from her. It said how much she had enjoyed their little contest and hoped that there were no ill feelings. Holmes replied with a short note, assuring her that he too had found their adventure an interesting challenge, and wished her well. After a time, they began a regular, though not frequent correspondence.

‘Well, during my brief conversation with Mycroft before boarding the ship, he told me the name of the agent we will be expecting. The agent is Irene Norton’s daughter, Christine.’

Holmes stared at me for a moment, then responded in casual tones. ‘That is a surprise. I would have thought she is too young for field work. She is in her early twenties, I believe. Well, her mother has a first-rate mind. If she inherited that, she will serve Mycroft and His Majesty’s government very well.’

It was another quarter of an hour before we heard a knock on the door, and Holmes admitted Miss Christine