The Girl Who Fell In Love With Flowers

Chapter 2

The crunch of the rocks and the clicking of horse hooves filled the ears of the Holmes siblings. The sway of the carriage would be enough to rock Y/n to sleep, if it weren't for the occasional jerk of the wheels rolling over a rock much bigger than the rest and the very uncomfortable silence among herself and her other siblings. Instead of engaging in a conversation with her brothers, she opted to watch the view of the land with its beauty on full display. Y/n much preferred the countryside. She never understood the appeal of the large cities that the rest of the world grew to love.

Y/n suddenly came out of her little world when the eldest Homles brother spoke.

"Oh, dear god, look at the house." Mycroft sighed, as the place the girls called home came into view.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Enola exclaimed, whipping her head around to look at the house with ivy covered walls.

As they approached the house, Y/n grew more anxious. She knew of Mycroft rather old fashioned beliefs and ways to things. If he dislikes the exterior of the Holmes residence, the interior would give him an aneurysm.

Upon arriving at the home, they swiftly exited the carriage and was greeted with Mrs. Lane at the door.

"Gentlemen. Welcome home. It's been some time." She said, her warm voice giving Y/n warmth and a sliver of security.

When entering the home, Enola jumped into action by showing the brothers around. Y/n stayed silent and in the back as to avoid Mycroft's scrutiny. The home was not at all what the boys remembered. They entered a room that none of the siblings remember what was there before but now was cluttered with broken sculptures, books, sports equipment, all the way up a few swords that had been stabbed into the fabric of a chair.

Mycroft walked farther into the room approaching their makeshift tennis table and grabbed a hold of a racket.

"What is this?" He asked, a look of confusion mixed with astonishment crossed his face.

"Tennis?" She asked, as if the eldest Holmes might have never heard of it. Enola then glanced to her sister who stood beside her. "Mother says we are getting quite proficient."

Y/n's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she quickly looked down at her shoes, suddenly very interested in the polish of her boots.

Y/n slowly glanced up upon hearing Mycroft making strange noises, as though he was choking, but she quickly realized that the Holmes brother was just shocked and quite frankly appalled by the revelation that the women of his family were animals. Once he had collected his thoughts, he went to leave the room with Sherlock in tow.

"Where the hell is she?" He muttered, seemingly to himself.

Enola leaned closer to her older sister. "I would say this is going quite well, wouldn't you?"

Y/n gave her sister a glare as she went to follow the boys, her hands folded just so.

As the girls approached their mother's room, they over hear the brother's speaking

Enola walked up the door and leaned up against the frame, the brother's not noticing the girls' presence. Y/n was weary to approach as she was not one to listen in on others' conversations but upon hearing Sherlock saying something about people needing their mother to come back, she was drawn in. She slowly walked up next to her sister, glancing at her before fixing her sight on the brother's going through their mother's things.

"Oh good god. Feminism. Prehaps she was mad, or senile. Though madness in our family, I would doubt it" Mycroft said, going to sit on their mother's bed only to quickly get up upon the springs squeaking.

"I think I can surmise by the way that she left no clear leads that she has her full wits about her." Sherlock responded to his brother.

"No mad woman could compile the accounts she has sent me over the last ten years. Perfectly clear and orderly, detailing a bathroom and a water closet. The constantly rising salaries of the footmen, the house maids, the kitchen maids, the gardeners, under gardeners -" Mycroft ranted.

The girls looked at eachother, knowing full well none of which have ever existed.

"And for the girls, a music teacher, a dance instructor, a governess." Mycroft continued.

"Girls. You at least had a governess?" Sherlock spoke, finally acknowledging their presence.

Y/n stepped forward, not liking her mother's things being messed with.

"She wouldn't like you in here. This is her private space." Y/n said, quietly but sternly.

"Tell me, she at least saw that you had an education? She valued education." Sherlock responded, disregarding the girl's words.

Y/n grew fed up with the boys. "She taught us herself. She made us read every book in Ferndell Hall's library. Shakespeare, Locke, the encyclopedia, Thackeray, and the essays of Mary Wollstonecraft. And we did it on our own account. For our own learning. Which, mother said, was the best way to become young women." Y/n responded, slowly entering the room farther as to get closer to the boys.

"This is what she wanted you to become?" Mycroft said, his voice laced with disgust.

"Mycroft." Sherlock said, sternly.

"I don't know what she wanted us to become. She left us too." Y/n said, softly.

"She will return, won't she, Sherlock?" Y/n asked, turning her gaze to the detective.

"Won't she?" Enola asked, joining her sister's side.

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Y/n was reading her book on mushrooms in her window seal, the only light being from her candle beside her. A frantic Enola burst through her door and leaned over to catch her breath.

"Y/n! Y/n. I was just listening in on Mycroft and Sherlock's conversation -"

"You what?!" Y/n interrupted. "Enola, you know it's rude to eavesdrop."

"Let me finish. Mycroft is going to force us to go to a finishing school and the headmistress is coming tomorrow!" Enola exclaimed.

Y/n huffed out a breath. This was going to be interesting.

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A/N - Hello! I hope you all are enjoying so far. I know its going slow right now but it will pick up soon, I promise. I can only do so much at a time. 

Sorry for the long wait on the chapter. I was sick for a couple weeks and then got swapped with irl stuff but here it is!!