A study in scandal Read Online Free PDF Page A

Watson.”
    And that’s when it hit her. He’d seemed familiar because he’d reminded her of Sherlock himself. It was as if he’d walked off the page into her home. But she couldn’t tell the girls that. They already teased her for fancying a man who wasn’t real. Admit to this and they’d think she’d gone mad.
    Meg’s words seeped into her head. She could be Inspector Brindley’s Watson. Her stomach bubbled with excitement. Although he hadn’t seemed too keen on her helping him yesterday. In fact, he’d seemed rather annoyed by her mere presence.
    “Suppose this particular inspector has an aversion to my assistance? What, then, shall I do?”
    “Why would he do a silly thing such as that? You know more about your father’s antiquities than even your father. You can’t afford not to help. The inspector will need your help. Surely he’ll recognize that.” Meg nodded once with authority.
    “What is he like?” Charlotte asked.
    “Younger than I would expect an inspector to be, perhaps five and thirty,” Amelia said. “And taller.” She frowned, trying to remember preciselyhow tall he’d been. When he’d turned around and nearly bumped into her, he’d stood a few heads above her. She’d definitely had to look up to see his eyes.
    “Very tall,” Amelia settled on. “His hair is thick and brown and his eyes are the color of chocolate. He didn’t talk too much, but his voice is pleasant. He was precise and tidy—I could tell by his movements and dress. And he smelled clean, as if he’d recently bathed. I must admit, he was rather dashing.”
    She could instantly recall his image simply by closing her eyes. Amelia remembered in great detail every last feature in Colin Brindley’s face. She opened her eyes to find the rest of the girls openly staring at her. How humiliating. She gave them a sheepish smile and shrugged.
    “Oh, no,” Willow said.
    “Oh, no, what?” Charlotte asked.
    “Did you not hear her specific description?” Willow asked.
    “She’s aware of precise details?” Meg offered. “It’s what makes her good at solving those stories.”
    “A dashing inspector? That sounds like a recipe for disaster,” Willow said, sounding worried. “I think it would be highly indecorous for you to assist him with the investigation.”
    “Of course you would,” Charlotte said. “But enlighten us, Willow, why would it be indecorous?”
    “Because Amelia obviously fancies this inspector, and spending time alone in his presence will lead to nothing but trouble. We certainly should not encourage such behavior.”
    Spending time alone with Colin Brindley. It sounded rather delicious to Amelia, but that was precisely Willow’s point.
    “With Amelia, it will all be harmless. Work and nothing more,” Charlotte said.
    Yes, work and nothing more. She could do that. She might find the inspector intriguing, but she certainly would not do anything indecorous with him.
    “But I must say, tall and handsome,” Charlotte continued. “Sounds a bit like Sherlock himself. I should like to meet this inspector.”
    Amelia’s hopes shrank a little. She wasn’t precisely harboring dreams of Colin Brindley falling in love with her, but once he met Charlotte, any chance of that happening would be ruined forever. Every man that met Charlotte fell instantly in love with her.
    She was exquisite. Beautiful where Amelia was plain, confident where Amelia was unsure, and bold where Amelia was shy. No man would ever choose her over Charlotte. Amelia had acceptedthat years ago. In fact, the only reason Charlotte was unmarried, as the rest of them were, was simply because she chose to be. It was certainly not for lack of men asking for her hand, as the current count for proposals sat at twenty-seven. Amelia doubted she herself had danced with that many men in her entire life.
    Other women frequently considered Charlotte cold, but Amelia knew her abrupt nature resulted from the fact that Charlotte, unlike most women,