Read The Ambitious Orphan for Free Online Page A

Holmes
brothers were intelligent enough one of them might have discovered
a way to do just that, keep themselves alive. And given all the
information she'd gathered over the previous months, it was about
the only way she could explain the pattern in their family tree.
Sebastian was really Sherlock and Myron was really Mycroft.
    Amelia felt her
heart rate quicken and her breathing stutter as the enormity of
what she'd learnt sunk in. It was possibly the biggest secret she
could ever hope to have, and it changed her entire viewpoint of
them. As she realised she'd just slept with a man over a hundred
years older than her, she had to stifle the giggle that threatened
to escape.
    A few seconds
later she was composed again, but the moment of mirth had broken
some of the shock off. She already knew how she had to act. The
secret would be kept by her until it became right to tell the
Holmes brothers that she knew. Until then, she needed to be the
Amelia she'd always been, steady, calm and eager to learn.
     

Chapter 5
    Sitting alone in
his study, Mycroft waited for his brother to reply to his message.
Once again, he'd tried to encourage the younger Holmes to send
Amelia back to Bath. It was imperative she went back there before
the end of the day. After several minutes with no reply, Mycroft
rolled his eyes. It was getting childish, and both of them knew
it.
    Realising his
brother was going to allow Amelia to stay as long as she wished,
simply because it bothered Mycroft, he gave up and turned on the
small TV in his living room. There were only a few occasions in
which he turned the device on, and today was one of them. He was
expecting a big announcement, and he wanted to see some of the
initial reaction to the news.
    An hour later, he
turned it off. Russia had officially claimed the soldiers who'd
invaded Ukraine. They had actually been a splinter group this
mystery man was in charge of, but given the large number of
soldiers wearing Russian uniform, the Russian president had claimed
their actions as his own. It was exactly as Mycroft had
expected.
    It didn't bother
him that they'd started a war, but it did mean their time was up.
Within the day, Nesterov and his commander would learn that Amelia
was no longer in Europe but back in the UK.
    If she'd been home
in Bath it would have been more useful, but his only hope of
getting her back there was to appeal to her himself, something he'd
put off doing since he'd last seen her. He doubted she'd be as
willing to cooperate as normal. Despite her assurances that she
could look after her own heart, it was evident she was hurting. He
hoped it would fade, but knew the time to heal from something like
heartbreak was different for every person. It was also inherently
unpredictable.
    Just as he was
about to move onto more mundane work, his phone vibrated. He picked
it up pleased to see a message from his younger brother, but
frowned when he read the single word.
     
    Incoming
     
    It could only mean
Amelia, or her and Sherlock, were about to arrive. He assumed it
was likely to be the latter. With a practised efficiency, he
cleared off all the confidential documents from his desk and let
his housekeeper know she'd be needed to provide tea for his guests
when they arrived.
    Tea wasn't
something he regularly provided his brother, but ever since Amelia
had left, both Daniels and Mrs Hunter had cast him the odd sad
look, as if they missed her. Mrs Hunter had even asked if she
should leave the guest room made up in case the lady came back. It
was plain to see both of them had thought her presence in the house
a good one, and he was sure she'd bonded with them. She charmed
everyone, it seemed.
    A few minutes
later, he heard the crunch of feet on gravel and Sherlock's voice
as he came with Amelia to the door. There was no knock, as his
younger brother had always just walked in, but from the sounds of
the feet as they came along the hallway, his young protégée had at
least hesitated before walking