Chapter Text
It was a beautiful, sunny Thursday morning, the birds were chirping in the trees, the first commuters were on their way to work – everything was normal or maybe even better than normal. At least for everyone except Tessa.
It was not even a month ago, that she had had to give up her dream of helping the sick and the needing by leading her own practice. And only because this world was so cruel and was dictated by capitalism. Hadn't she suffered enough already with the death of her parents? It seemed like fate really hated her and every time she had pulled herself together again, another blow struck her. It has been like this for her whole life.
One just had to look at her “career” to understand this. Learning had always been hard for her, but spurred on by the wish to reach her goal, she slowly started to improve her sloppy grades. It was close to say the least, but in the end it was enough: she got a place at London university and began to study for her PhD. Money had been constantly running low in her family, her mother was hardly earning enough to sustain their poor lifestyle in a London suburb, never mind paying the large fees of university. This left Tessa struggling throughout her whole study, working tirelessly as a waitress to pay the bills, while brooding over textbooks in her “free“ time. It soon became clear to her professors, that although she was only barely passing the written exams and seemingly always sleepy, Tessa excelled at the practical side of things (in her regard the only things that really mattered). Her bandages were applied neatly and whenever she had to close a wound or make an infusion, the patient never felt more than a little sting.
Shortly before her final exams, misfortune fell upon her family and Tessa was thrown off her feet. She was sitting in a lesson, trying her hardest not to fall asleep, when the message reached her:
Her mother had taken her father to see a doctor and on the way, a drunk man, driving on the wrong side of the road, had crashed into them. None of them had even made it to the hospital. Devastated, she ignored the set dates for her exams and slowly, grief-stricken began to resolve her family affairs. From the small savings her parents had left her, she financed their funeral and then, she proceeded to sell everything except her dearest keepsakes. She moved out of her childhood home and into a small, far cheaper apartment, resuming her study half a year after the incident.
Now all by herself, she successfully got her PhD and made her dream come true: in a broken down building, that she bought with her own savings, she started her practice. It was a troublesome neighbourhood, but both her situation as well as the whole region improved over the years. She quickly built up a reliable stock of patients, drawing in more and more. The people enjoyed the openness and friendliness of the young doctor and combined with the tidy, renovated facility, it was a perfect package.
Things went so well, that after a few years, Tessa moved into a bigger apartment, greatly enjoying the abundance of space.
Yet fate just didn’t want to see her happy and with the suburb now being a respected, clean area, which started to become attractive to businessmen, big investors became interested as well. A new, huge practice, filled with equipment Tessa could only dream of, opened up right opposite of her little building. The owner had made lucrative contracts with the pharmaceutical industry and was able to beat her in every way. Gradually, her patients left her and half a year later, even the most loyal of them submitted to the better competition Tessa was forced to close down her business..
Now without an income, severe financial problems awaited her soon. If she didn’t find a way to financially get back on her feet, she might even land on the street, unable to pay the rent for her beautiful apartment...
With these cheerful thoughts in mind, she slowly trotted into her kitchen and brew herself a coffee, strong enough to wake up the dead. Sipping it, she skimmed through the new mail: advertisement, advertisement, bill, bill… frustrated she was about to throw it all in the bin, when a small, black envelope flew out of its hiding spot directly in front of her feet. She had never received a letter like this before. Wondering what it could be, she took it back to the table with her and using a simple butter knife, she sliced it open. A little sheet of creamy white paper with the seal of the British crown on it greeted her. Now really confused, Tessa broke the seal, unfolded the sheet and read the short message. Presented in immaculate, elegant handwriting, it said:
“Miss Scott,
Your name has been mentioned to us by a multitude of reliable sources and you have been recommended to us as a competent, loyal young doctor, who is not afraid to work hard if necessary.
We also took note of the direness of your current situation and we would like to hereby provide you with the possibility of not only solving your financial issues, but to serve your country and the crown. England, no, whole Europe is counting on your cooperation.
We expect you on Thursday, at 11.30 am at the Buckingham Palace. Show this letter to the guard on duty and follow his instructions closely. It is of the utmost importance that you remain absolutely quiet about this letter. If we get informed, that you have spoken to someone about this (and believe us, Miss Scott, we will find out), you will realise, that there’s a fate far worse than being close to bankruptcy.
Awaiting you,
M.H.“
Puzzled, Tessa read it again. And again. After the fourth time reading it, she was sure that she wasn’t imagining the message. But understanding it was a completely different story.
“England, no, whole Europe is counting on your cooperation. That must be an exaggeration, right? And that last sentence, is that a threat? Who is this M.H. person anyway?”
It was clearly suspicious and she would have thrown it away without wasting a second thought on it.. if it weren’t for the seal. She examined it closely and after a short comparison to pictures on the Internet, she knew without a doubt, that it was real. This letter came from the crown of England.
“The possibility of solving my financial issues…"
Her eyes flew up to look at the clock: she had one hour until she was expected at the palace. Grabbing the letter, she got up.
In the future, Tessa would often look back to this moment. The moment, when everything began, when her destiny was altered: the moment she decided to go to the meeting. It was a spontaneous decision, maybe even a dumb one: she didn't even try to research the ominous M.H. person. Clearly it must be an official working for the government, one with high enough power to have access to the seal, but curiously she has never heard of someone with these initials in the news. On another occasion, she would have been more resilient, analyse everything – but the letter was right: her situation was dire.
Taking a quick shower, putting on a bit of make-up to hide her freckles and dressing in the most elegant piece of cloth her wardrobe held, a knee length black summer dress made out of silk, that had long seen its best days, she prepared herself how she saw fit for the upcoming surprise.
With only five minutes left till 11.30 am, Tessa hurried across the lights and sighed in frustration when she saw the long queue of tourists stretching out in front of her. Excusing her way through and ignoring the angry glares, she managed to arrive at the entrance guard.
Once she handed him the letter in response to him asking for her ticket, he paused.
“This is not a valid ticket, madame.”
He looked at her closely, then back to the letter, then back to her.
“Wait here.”
With this he turned around and vanished inside the building, eagerly talking into his walkie-talkie. Screams of frustration and anger arose in the queue behind her.
“Follow the instructions of the guard on duty“, that’s what the note had said and that’s what she did. Positioning herself outside of the furious crowd, now pressing inside the palace uncontrolled, she stood there waiting patiently. Approximately ten minutes later, the guard returned and with him, two more.
“Follow us, Miss Scott“, both of them said in unison and Tessa was taken in between them, finally passing the entrance of Buckingham Palace.
They led her past the general touristic area and through a door into the more private sectors of the complex. Then, in front of a big wooden door with the crest of the royal family engraved into it, they stopped.
“Do you have anything with you, that might be considered dangerous or might function as a weapon?“
Puzzled by the question, Tessa looked at the guard to her right. Meeting his cold stare, she wasn’t able to suppress a little shiver – he meant that question deadly serious. And that question came from a muscular man, who was visibly carrying a gun..
“N…no, I don’t. I think I’m here for an interview...please, I don't want to threaten anyone“.
Being looked at like that made her feel more and more uncomfortable, almost enough to trigger her “chat mode“. Out of her embarrassment to show emotions in front of others, she only cried behind closed doors and she tried her hardest to fully control herself in public. But sometimes, when it just became to much, she couldn't suppress an outbreak of uncontrolled chatter.
“That might very well be, Miss Scott, but I’m afraid we are still obligated to search you thoroughly. Please stand still and upright while we conduct the search.“
Swallowing stiffly, she straightened and let them search her. Not moving a single muscle and with her eyes closed, only sensing their big hands touching all over her body, Tessa felt even more at unease. As soon as they were finished, she took a few steps back.
“And? Did you find anything?”, she asked them. Fixing her dress and her hair again, she tried not to look to distressed.
“You are free to enter, Miss Scott. We will await your return here and then escort you safely out of the palace. But please know, that we will see every move you'll make.“
Both guards positioned themselves opposite the huge door and with completely neutral faces, they started waiting.
Tessa stood in front of the door, taking all its beauty in, before slowly opening it. It was too late to hesitate now, she had come this far, now she had to pull through. Besides the age of this monstrosity, there was no squeaking, it opened easily and revealed the pompous office, that lay behind it. Mustering all her courage, she took a tiny step inside. The hard floor of the hallway gave way to soft, thick red carpet, that invited oneself to slip out of the shoes and bury the toes into the softness. As the wooden door closed behind her with a loud bang, Tessa flinched. Then, to calm her nerves, she allowed herself one moment to breath and to take in her new surrounding. Luxury had enveloped her.
The room she had entered had the dimension of her old flat and was filled to the brim with bookshelves. Made out of polished, shimmering wood (her best guess was Mahagoni), these shelves covered both sides of the room as well as the back, only leaving room for a chimney and three old-fashioned windows. They were as high as the ceiling and inside of them were white folders, accurately placed one next to another, sorted in a system unknown to her. If there weren’t folders in them, they were filled with books, large and fat ones, all coated in creamy white leather with the name of the book written on their wrists in tiny, black letters. It seemed as if the bookshelves built the frame for the gigantic Mahagoni desk, that dominated the room and was placed in such a way, that the natural light from the windows illuminated the gleaming surface. The desk itself was full of papers and folders, leaving only little space to actually work on it.
Behind that desk sat a man, immaculately dressed in a custom made, obviously very expensive black suite, with a dark red tie and a matching pocket handkerchief completing his attire. His black hair shimmered in the direct sunlight, conditioner kept every single well groomed hair in its exact position. Already in these first few moments, he made a lasting impression on her: his elegance, perfection and distance from everything made him feel so unreal, more like the cut-out of a typical gentleman appearing in romance novels than a real human being.
Taking another step forward, Tessa cleared her throat and hardly controlling her nervousness, she spoke into the silence.
“Good morning, I was called here by a letter and the guards escorted me to your office. Could you possibly be M.H., who sent me the message?“
There was only a little shiver noticeable in her voice and she held her head high to give a good first impression.
The man looked up from his work and his cold grey eyes flew over her body, analysing her in seconds. Slowly, he put his filigree pen away, his slender fingers hovering over his papers for a moment, as if he was unsure about how to greet her. Then he got up from his throne like chair and moved around the desk. There were no emotions visible in his face and although he was years older than her, she couldn’t help but acknowledge his attractiveness.
“Miss Scott, is that correct? Indeed, I have been waiting for you… please, sit down while we discuss the details of my generous offer.“
His voice sent another shiver down her spine, being soft and deep, reminding her of melted dark chocolate. And while he didn’t speak loudly, she still could hear him as clearly as if he was directly whispering into her ear.
Closing the distance between them, Tessa accepted the chair he offered her and sat down opposite of him. From here, she could see a black umbrella, lying in a marvellous silver umbrella stand attached to his side of the desk. His finger ran gently over its handle before he sat back down. Unsure what to say, she remained silent.
“I have all the important information here with me, but before I can talk it through with you, Miss Scott, I’ll have to ask you to sign this.“
With that, M.H. took one of the many folders from his desk, opened it and handed Tessa a sheet of paper. She took it and once she glanced over it, she was shocked to discover it was a zipper clause.
“I know very well, what you are thinking right now, Miss Scott. And if I didn’t know, it would be fairly easy to deduce. I can see it at over thirty different signals of your body. But please, it is necessary, that you sign the agreement.“
He relaxed back into his chair and folded his hands over his waist, a picture of pure dominance.
“P...pardon me?“, Tessa asked and looked up from the paper in confusion. Every part of this situation, his behaviour, the contract, the offer confused her more and more and prevented her from thinking straight.
He smirked and as he opened his mouth again, it was as if a waterfall of words cascaded over her and washed her away. He was speaking so rapidly, Tessa was hardly able to follow him.
“Well, first of all it’s obvious that you are both nervous and confused, your pulse is continuously rising, your eyes are widened and your hands are shaking. Also you’re avoiding direct eye contact, playing with your hair and you’re sweating more than what is normal for this temperature. I could go on, but I see you already got the gist of it: there’s nothing people can hide from me. Oh, and I appreciate the effort of you trying to stop the unnecessary fumbling, it’s an irritating emotional human reaction to pressure and prevents me from fully concentrating.“
Indeed, she had only just now caught herself playing with a strain of her hair and had folded her hands neatly on her legs to stop them from moving on their own. She hadn’t even noticed when she had started it. Overwhelmed by his speech, she shook her head and sat more upright. This conversation couldn’t go on like that, she had to do something!
So she forced a smile on her lips and grabbed the pen in front of her. With a big motion, she signed the zipper clause.
As she looked at her signature, a bitter thought rushed through her mind and brought sadness to her eyes. Her forced smile began to waver and then disappeared.
“I don't have anyone to talk to anyway... Yes, I'm all alone, because everybody left me: my parents, my patients...”
When she stretched out her arm to give him the contract, her hand was shaking visibly. It took her full strength not to burst out into tears. This happened from time to time, when the full realisation of her loss slapped her in the face. As usual, she fled into the easiest solution: suppression and distraction. So she concentrated on her confusion and slight anger and just let the words flow.
“Here you go. Might I now finally know, with whom I have the honour to speak to and why I’m here? I don’t want to be impolite or anything, but normally I’m not talked down to and it doesn’t feel very good, you know? Besides, I wouldn’t have talked to anybody anyway, so this zipper clause is unnecessary. And of course I’m nervous, I was ordered here by a mysterious letter and haven’t been told anything...“
Panting, she slowly got herself back under control. She had desperately wanted to avoid this outbreak of chatter, but after him talking to her like that, she hadn’t been able to. At least she wasn't depressed any more. Looking down on her shoes in shame, she mumbled an apology.
“No need to be ashamed, Miss Scott. I have witnessed great corporate bosses break down in despair in front of me and crying like little babies, so actually you’re managing the situation really well. I now know, that you will be able to withstand the stress of the upcoming task and that we’ve selected the right candidate.
Also, please excuse my lack of manners and let me introduce myself. Indeed, I’m the person who sent the letter, and M.H. are my initials. I’m Mycroft Holmes, the British government personified, but you may just call me Mr. Holmes.“
“How generous of him, allowing me to only call him by his last name without any title. Clearly, he must be exaggerating by describing himself as the British government in person, but his office and behaviour are the portrait of power. What an interesting man I’ve just met…“.
Normally, she would have just laughed at a man with an ego as big as his, thinking it was just a cheap way of hitting on girls, but the way he spoke of himself prevented her from putting him into that category. He didn't want to impress her, he was simply stating a fact. And that itself was pretty scary.
Her taste of men had always been a peculiar one and although she had been popular with the boys during high school (they had thought her nativity was cute and exploitable), she had never had a long lasting relationship. She simply got bored quickly and split up with them. This man, Mycroft Holmes, was the first one to really spark her interest...
Pausing briefly, he took the zipper clause from her, his soft manicured hands touching hers for a moment. He tucked it away in the folder, while she looked at him starstruck – did she just imagine the electricity in the air, when they touched? Then, he took another multi sided contract out of it and lay it on the desk in between them. As he closed the white folder again, Tessa could see, that her name was written on the sides of it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you“, Tessa whispered and concentrated on the sheet of paper, following his elegant fingers pointing at paragraphs.
“This clause is only a further reassurance, that you will keep quiet. Please, don't think that I mistrust you, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here right now. I'm just a man who covers everything multiple times. This paragraph is regulating our relationship, with me being your superior and on the next page“, he flipped the contract, “we find the description of your task and your payment.“
She tried to understand the complex structure of sentences, but gave up quickly and let him highlight the most important points. She had to trust him with this, lawyers were obviously speaking another language than normal people. When he casually mentioned the exact sum of her salary, she swallowed and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Could you please repeat this again, Sir?”
“Is “Sir” even the right way to address him? I don't want to make any mistakes now, he seems like the type of man, who's proud of his achievements and wants others to acknowledge them.”
The numbers on the page started to spin in front of her, whenever she tried to comprehend their meaning. They just couldn't be right.
“Is there a problem? You'll be paid directly by me and the salary is reflecting your responsibilities. Twice a week or whenever I deem appropriate, you'll be collected from your apartment by a car of mine and driven to your workplace, where you'll treat your patient. You won't have to worry about where you are and why your patient is hurt. That's not part of your job and not your belonging. It's simple and secure.”
He looked at here with his unusually grey eyes (why didn't she notice them before?) and Tessa felt like drowning in a misty dark sea – it was as if he was directly looking into her soul, reading her every thought. Mesmerised by his look, she forgot everything else, including answering. This seemed to annoy him, his eyebrows raising in almost perfectly controlled anger. It was the first time during their meeting, that he ever showed emotions.
“Or is even this simple task too complicated for your ordinary mind? God, how awful it must be to be limited to the capacities of such a small brain. I thought higher of you, Ms. Scott.”
Now there was an underlying tone of disappointment in his seductive voice, it hit her right into the heart. Suddenly she felt like everything she ever did was wrong. Why did he get so much control over her in this short amount of time?
Helplessly blushing, she looked down on her feet. She didn't want him to be angry, what if he decided she was not worth his time or money? Then she would be left struggling on her own again.
“I...I understand Sir and I'm grateful for the opportunity you provide me with. I'm sure all my questions will be answered later on, when I start working. Where should I sign and when will I begin? I don't want to bother you further, I'm terribly sorry!”
Without second guessing any more, she instantly put her signature on all the lines he pointed out with his slender fingers. Then Tessa rose, the desire to escape this strange situation suddenly becoming overwhelming. When their eyes met again, he seemed amused. Had he been expecting this reaction? Was he mocking her?
“Well...”, he made a pause as if he was tasting the silence, that now hang between them, “If you have questions just feel free to ask me. When you leave, one of the guards will hand you a mobile. My number is already put into it and I ask you to only use this device for contacting me. Nothing else, do you understand, Ms. Scott?”
She nodded and tramped through the thick carpet back to the majestic door. She could feel his cold stare burning a hole through her back, so she turned around one last time and looked at him. He stood handsomely directly in front of the big window, his hands resting on his beautiful black umbrella and the sun painting a halo around his head – the epitome of a royal gentleman. And he looked at her with dark shimmering eyes, completely swallowing her...
She turned around and left the room.