Insomnia is a strange thing. One can be exhausted at noon, yet wide awake at...say, three in the morning.

I contemplate this from the rooftop of my building. It actually is that late--er, early, as it may be. Three in the morning. 4 May, 1897. Indeed. And here I am, sitting on a roof, looking out over the streets of London.

Only my street, actually ( Read more... )

"What are you reading, Miss Moriarty?"

I look up from my book to find none other than Mrs. Celia Eldritch looking back at me. How lovely, I think bitterly, perhaps she's hoping that it's some dreadful controversial novel so she can dismiss me for being "morally unfit." I lift the book to show her.

"Ah. so that is..."

My employer's voice trails off, ( Read more... )

Three things I am looking forward to in the near future:

1. The end of this term. 
Trust me, instructors look forward to a break as much as their students do, if not more. I'm planning on doing some more work on the book, taking a short trip to Geneva with Mama, and possibly finishing some of the journals and such on my reading list.

2. Moving into a ( Read more... )

In opera, there are two distinct patterns to life. It can be a comedy, with the heroine triumphing gloriously against all odds, falling happily in love with the hero, and singing in a charming finale proclaiming the joys of good living.  Comedies are fun, but can sometimes seem overly sweet, as if someone has poured a cup of sugar into a meringue ( Read more... )

"I remember he sat on the edge of the bed and did sums with me when I was a child. In that lovely house on the lake in Geneva...Such a wonderful father...so long ago..."
-from Sherlock Holmes: The Musical

Geneva, Switzerland. 1876

Belladonna Minerva Moriarty may be on a couch, but--contrary to appearances--she is not asleep. Rather, she is listening ( Read more... )

Never pray for justice, because you might get some. -Margaret Atwood

I used to pray for justice. Every night in Paris, after Sophie had gone to bed, and I was sure that there was no one else in the flat, I would just sit in my room, looking over the newspaper articles and thinking.  They never found the bodies....all the accounts agreed on that. So ( Read more... )

We used to play these games at boarding school.

We'd sit around after lights out and ask each other questions. Sometimes, they were serious or about things we had talked about in class. But most often, they were about fantasy. Magic. Things every little girl is supposed to dream about, but that every adult knows cannot happen.

If someone gave you a ( Read more... )

She didn't know why she chose Paris. Perhaps it was because of the tolerance and anonymity that the city offered. Maybe it was the large population of students and emigres from throughout Europe. In any case, it didn't matter.

As soon as she had moved in with Sophia Delmare, Bella ceased being Belladonna Moriarty and became one of them. The self- ( Read more... )

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright ( Read more... )

 Mrs. Hudson was livid when we walked through the door. Our luggage...mostly mine, as I had originally been planning to stay in Meiringen for some time, had arrived before us, and the front hallway of 221 Baker Street was cluttered with suitcases and trunks. The usually-patient landlady was standing in the midst of all the clutter, trying in vain ( Read more... )