Mammoth Books presents The Darlington Substitution Scandal

Book 228: Mammoth Books

by David Stuart Davies

Genres: Mystery

Synopsis

Lord Hector Darlington is a wealthy art collector who owns one of the finest private galleries in Europe. His latest purchase is Louis de Granville's 'Adoration of the Magi'. After cancelling a regular trip and returning to view it, Darlington realises the piece is missing. A very unwelcoming Darlington family greet Holmes and Watson at the house, whereupon they discover that it is not only the 'Adoration of the Magi' painting his Lordship should be concerned about.

Release date: May 17, 2012

Publisher: C & R Crime

Print pages: 20

Sample

By late 1886 Holmes’s caseload was increasing substantially, allowing him to be more selective in the work he took on, and this occasionally made him rather cavalier to those clients whom he felt were wasting his time. Some of these cases Watson did not write up, either because they seemed trivial or because Holmes wished to keep his clients’ details confidential. Occasionally certain incidents were later remembered and one such case was “The Darlington Substitution Scandal” which Holmes refers to in “A Scandal in Bohemia”. This case has been highly problematic to restore and even now the story may not be complete. Holmes was reminded of the case by his use of a fire alarm to unearth items of value, but it transpires it wasn’t fire but a similar cause for alarm that helped Holmes resolve the matter.

Sherlock Holmes and I returned late one evening to our Baker Street rooms after spending some time in the realms of Wagner. My friend was still singing Siegfried’s horn call even as we let ourselves in through the door of 221b. His recital was interrupted somewhat abruptly by the appearance of Mrs Hudson at the foot of the stairs. She was wearing a long grey dressing gown and appeared to be quite perturbed.

“You have a visitor, Mr Holmes,” she whispered with a kind of desperate urgency. “He refuses to leave until he sees you. He is most insistent.”

“Is he?” said Holmes, “Then we had better oblige the gentleman. Off to bed with you. Friend Watson and I will deal with the matter.”

She gave an understanding nod, threw a brief smile in my direction and disappeared behind her door.

The visitor was a short, burly figure of some sixty years. He possessed a high, bald forehead, a shiny face and fierce blue eyes. He almost ran towards us as we entered our sitting room. “At last,” he cried.

Holmes gave a gentle bow of the head in greeting as he flung off his coat and scarf. “Had his Lordship taken the courtesy to arrange an appointment he would not have had to . . .