[SH] BigBang: Dutch Steamship Friesland XIV
The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland
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XIV. The Conclusion
I will be brief on the final occurrences on the fateful steamship Friesland. With the criminal syndicate in safe custody on board the Endeavour, the ship was free to return to its usual route and purpose, the first mate stepping in as the captain. Many of our fellow passengers chose to remain on the ship, with the exception of Mr and Mrs Russell, who, in the face of her seasickness, were to return to England with us.
I do recall a short conversation with Mr John Mason, in which he informed me that he planned to start a new life in Curaçao, severing all ties to his brother, of whose criminal intentions he had, up to this occasion, been completely ignorant. I trust that his decision was the right one.
As for the injured Mr Peterson, I am relieved to report that he made a complete recovery on board the Endeavour and returned to the Netherlands with his country's ambassador, where - as he assured Holmes and myself - his report on the Friesland case would strengthen the peace and friendship between our two nations.
Holmes and myself, for our part, spend much of our return journey in quiet contemplation of the sea, save for one occasion during which I managed to convince my companion to detail his view on the events to me for the benefit of my readers. While I would be able to lay down every deduction Holmes made during the case, I fear that most of them will only be of interest to the criminal expert, as the facts were still revealed to me over the time as I have recounted, and that they would exceed the boundaries of this memoir. Therefore, I will focus my attention on three occurrences which appeared to me the most puzzling and which, during the course of my narrative, I have not been able to relate: firstly, to what end Holmes charmed Ms Farington, even though he knew from the beginning that she was Mr Carter's wife, secondly, the true significance of the burn wound which Holmes suffered from the hot steam piping, and thirdly, how he survived the death sentence of being abandoned on sea and happened to be on board the Endeavour.
“As for your questions, Watson, the first is really very easily answered. I had my suspicions about Ms Farington from the beginning. A woman travelling alone might be rare, but is not unheard of. For a woman in her position to be so openly in the presence of other men, after having dismissed her guardian, seemed to me interesting indeed. I therefore proposed the theory that she was not, in fact, travelling alone, but in the companion of her husband or brother, but that they had chosen to travel separately for dubious reasons. When I kissed her hand on that very first evening, my suspicions were confirmed - you might recall that she wore her engagement ring on the wrong hand - thus it was not engagement, but marriage. From her conduct, I gathered that the idea of travelling separately had been hers - she was not, then, entirely happy about either her marriage or her husband's stormy and criminal temper. As we now know, it was the latter. By gaining her trust, and her friendship, I was able to awaken her streak of compassion, which came to the most excellent use later, as you have no doubt been able to observe even in my absence.
“As for the wound, the two are very closely linked. The injury, which you have gathered by its sudden disappearance, was never as serious as I led you to believe. I had burned myself slightly on the piping, but it only later occurred to me what an extraordinary lucky chance had come my way. When we were instructed with the task of bearing the unfortunate captain out of the bridge, I succeeded in applying some of the blood to my own small injury, rendering it serious enough even to your eyes to awaken Ms Farington's compassion. This is also the reason why I could not allow you to wash the wound too thoroughly while we were held hostage - if Ms Farington had, for a single moment, suspected that I was deceiving her, she might well have turned back to her criminal companions instead of siding with us. As it was, her support was quite invaluable.
“In respect to your other point, I must confess that it was pure chance which saved my life. I had, indeed, considered my life to be forfeit when I was set adrift. Of course, I was not as severely injured as you had feared and would well have been able to survive for quite some time, but in the middle of the tempestuous ocean, my death would have come, sooner or later. Fortunately for myself, the current carried me into the path of the Endeavour, which, thanks to my brother's presence, kept a very close vigil on the Friesland and the surrounding sea. It was no sooner that I had been rescued from the sea that we spotted your somewhat desperate, but effective signal, and were able to rush to your aid. I have to say that Mycroft, and the presence of the Dutch ambassador, were immensely helpful - I doubt that the captain would have taken orders from one unfortunate criminal specialist on the matters of his trade.”
It should finally be said that, of all the members of the syndicate, Ms Farington was granted a respite in her punishment in the face of her aid in bringing down her comrades. I have recently learned that, after the divorce from her former husband, she has now found a respectable position as governess which brings her great happiness.
As for myself, I shall always remember the Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland as the one case that very nearly cost both Holmes and myself our lives.
THE END
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