[identity profile] thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] holmes_minor
Title: Violets for Valentine's
Form/Word Count: 420
Characters/Pairing: Mr Sherlock Holmes, Dr John Watson, Inspector Lestrade, Inspector Hopkins, Ferret, Mouselet
Rating: G
Warning/Content: Phoebe, the new maid, has been cooking.


Illustration from here

“Apparently it is Valentine’s Day,” Dr Watson explained to Sherlock Holmes.  “And Mrs Hudson has indulged Phoebe by letting her make the cakes for tea.”

“I suppose one cannot complain,” Holmes said, “or at least not very loudly.  If Mrs Hudson were to hear we would be without cake for a week.”

“Precisely,” I replied.  “And at least Lestrade and Hopkins will be joining us, so we can consume sufficient to send the rest back with the suggestion Phoebe enjoys some of her labour.”

Holmes inspected the cakes again.  “This one appears to be missing rather a lot of icing, and only has one sugar violet left.”

“Ah, I suspect it may recently have been in close proximity to a certain Ferret, who is currently cleaning his whiskers to remove the butter cream.”

“Would this be the same Ferret, who was told, only this morning, not to snack so his new jacket will fit without having to let out the seams again?”

“The very same.”

There was a snort, and a scuffling sound as a fat Ferret hurriedly departed.  It should not be thought the Ferret was in the least concerned about the comments about his waistline, but there’d been a knock on the door, so he had gone to finish his wash elsewhere.

Inspectors Lestrade and Hopkins came in, and Watson poured the tea whilst Holmes handed round the little cakes.

“Phoebe made them,” Holmes explained.

“Yes, somehow I didn’t imagine they were Mrs Hudson’s work,” Lestrade replied.

“They are very pretty,” Hopkins said.

Dr Watson noticed Hopkins carefully picked the sugar violets off his cakes, and surreptitiously dropped them behind his chair.  This might have seemed rather strange behaviour in other circumstances, but it wasn’t long before he also saw a small mouse scurry over and retrieve the violets.  By the time Hopkins deparated there was no sign of his actions.

After the two inspectors had left, Phoebe came to collect the tea tray.

“The cakes were very good,” Dr Watson told her.

“Thank you, sir,” Phoebe replied.  “Mrs Hudson said if you were happy with the cakes then she would allow me to make the Simnel cake for Easter.  May I tell her what you said?”

“Of course,” Dr Watson smiled.

When the door was closed, Holmes said happily, “We’re going to get a Simnel cake this year.  Mrs Hudson says they’re too much trouble and hasn’t made one for a long time.”

“I told you it would be wise not to complain about the violet cakes.”

Date: 2018-02-14 08:07 pm (UTC)
ext_1789368: okapi (Default)
From: [identity profile] okapi1895.livejournal.com
Aw. I do like the image of Watson slipping Mouselet sugared violets. And I had to look up Simnel cake. That sounds good!

Date: 2018-02-15 07:17 am (UTC)
debriswoman: (cat and mouse)
From: [personal profile] debriswoman
I wonder if Mouselet consumed the violets, or treasured them forever:-)
Nice fic:-)

Date: 2018-02-16 01:46 am (UTC)
ext_1620665: knight on horseback (Default)
From: [identity profile] scfrankles.livejournal.com
Another reader smiling over the sweetness of Hopkins giving his sugared violets to Mouselet ^__^

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