Norton. She was an attractive young woman, dressed very properly in a brown dress and hat. On seeing Holmes, her eyes widened, as if meeting a member of the royal family on the streets of London.
‘Mr... Commodore Winter. We have never met, but...’
‘Won’t you come in, Miss Norton. You have your mother’s eyes and ears. Ears are generally quite distinctive among individuals, and often a family trait.’ He motioned for her to enter, and closed the door behind her.
‘Yes, you’re certainly Mr Holmes,’ she said, smiling and appearing more relaxed. ‘You are just as Mother described you...beneath that disguise, that is. And, of course, I feel I know you from reading Doctor Watson’s adventures.’
‘Allow me to introduce you to the author himself. Miss Norton, this is Doctor John Watson.’
‘Miss Norton, I am very pleased to meet you. Will you not sit down? I’ll call the steward and order something cold to drink. Will lemonade be suitable?’
‘Yes, yes, Watson,’ Holmes interrupted. ‘Lemonade will be just fine. Tell me, Miss Norton, what are the particulars of this little assignment my brother Mycroft has given you? He is a very secretive fellow and, I’m afraid, he has told me very little.’
‘Of course. But before I begin, I must remind both you and Doctor Watson that what you are about to hear is a matter of the highest national importance. I am providing you with full details of the mission, only because your brother knows your methods, and understands that you will only accept cases in which you are in full possession of the facts.’
‘Neither Doctor Watson nor I would repeat a word of this, Miss Norton. Please proceed.’
‘You are no doubt aware of the growing tensions that exist between His Majesty’s government and Germany.’
‘They would be difficult to ignore,’ I said. ‘Stories of German spies and infiltrators have been in all the newspapers recently.’
‘Those stories may be exciting to the public, but not altogether accurate. Nevertheless, they do tend to contribute to already strained relations between our two countries. The threat of war is very real.’
As Miss Norton spoke, I sensed a change in the ship’s motion and heard some shouting through the porthole. I was tempted to remark on this extraordinary event, but Holmes, after glancing about for just a moment, continued to question Miss Norton.
‘We are familiar with international affairs, Miss Norton,’ Holmes said, leaning forward in his chair. ‘Please tell us about the documents you are taking to America.’
‘Yes, of course. The plans are for a new, prototype submarine called the
‘I see. But you have not yet explained why you are carrying the plans to the United States. Are the Americans involved in the development of this vessel?’
‘Indirectly. The plans are nearly complete, but our engineers are having some difficulties with the engine design. We have to adapt certain German engineering methods, and we are hoping the Americans can offer some fresh ideas.’
Holmes smiled, then rubbed his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. ‘Miss Norton, please explain why German design appears in British submarine plans. I suspect that there is something you are not telling us.’
‘You’re asking very difficult questions, Mr Holmes. I must decline to answer further.’
‘My dear Miss Norton, my brother told you to provide me with all the facts in this case. I cannot possibly protect these plans unless I am fully conversant with all details, and any potential threat to their safety.’
‘Very well. We have, for some time, had an agent in Russia who is providing us with German ship designs. You see, the Russians have begun to build a vast number of ships to replace vessels lost during the Russian— Japanese war. Germany has arrangements to build many of those vessels. Our man in St Petersburg has infiltrated the Russian ship-building industry at a very high level. This has given him the opportunity to request German designs, and pass them to us. Some of the ideas used in the
‘Yes, I thought I detected a trace of a Russian accent during my discussions with Mr Reilly,’ said Holmes, tapping his fingers together, then turning to glance at me.
Miss Norton’s eyes widened for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she settled back in her chair and offered a word of caution.
‘This agent, who is one of our best, would be in great danger if his identity were ever revealed.’
‘Whoever he is, his secret is safe with Doctor Watson and me. Now then, Miss Norton, do you have any reason to believe that any foreign power or potential adversary is aware of these plans, or the fact that you are carrying secret documents on this ship?’
‘None at all, Mr Holmes. But plans that have existed as long as those of the
‘I agree,’ said Holmes. ‘And if I am not mistaken, that knock at the door is the steward bringing our lemonade.’
I opened the door and a steward walked in, holding a jug and glasses on a serving tray. He was an older, more relaxed man than the one who had shown me to my cabin.
‘The ship seems to have come to a stop, steward. Is there any trouble?’
‘Looks like you missed all the excitement, sir,’ the steward said, as he arranged the glasses on a table. ‘As we moved out, another liner that was docked nearby, the
After the steward left, Holmes handed glasses to Miss Norton and me, then held his own glass high. ‘My friends, here’s to a pleasant, successful voyage.’
The cabin was warm, and I drank half my drink in one swallow.
‘And now, Watson, Miss Norton, I suggest that we take our glasses on deck to see what all the commotion is about. This may be the last excitement we see on this trip.’
As we walked to the stairway, Miss Norton stopped suddenly and turned to Holmes. ‘The plans,’ she said, containing her excitement in a whisper. ‘Someone could have used all the activity on deck as a diversion to break into my cabin.’
Holmes put his hand on her shoulder before she had a chance to hurry back through the hallway.
‘Steady, Miss Norton,’ he said with a reassuring smile. ‘Let us all walk back slowly, as though you were returning to fetch your shawl. We do not want to attract the attention of any of our fellow passengers. And besides, I doubt that the mishap with the
Miss Norton took her cabin key from her bag and heeded Holmes’s advice. She walked calmly to cabin C26, directly opposite Holmes’s quarters, and opened the door. Her movements had been most casual. But once inside, she quickly placed a chair beside the porthole and climbed on top of it. With her keys, she prised away a small section of wooden moulding. Behind it was a keyhole, into which she placed a charm from her bracelet. This allowed her to swing back a metal door, revealing the interior of a small, shallow safe. A folded packet of papers came tumbling out.
‘Captain Smith arranged this personally before the voyage,’ Miss Norton noted, after stepping down to retrieve the plans. ‘My superiors thought it would be less obvious, and more secure, than storing them in the ship’s safe.’
‘Let us hope they are correct,’ said Holmes, who was now standing on top of the chair, inspecting the safe’s hinges and lock. ‘Incidentally, Miss Norton, I am sure you know the story of how I once tricked your mother into revealing the location of a photograph, just by creating the illusion that the building was on fire. Your mother ran
