The Adventure of the Red-headed League: Fiery Red Pride

[vaysh]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Red-headed League
Title: Fiery Red Pride
Author: vaysh
Rating: G
Words: 60
Summary: The method was no doubt suggested to Clay's ingenious mind by the colour of his accomplice's hair. In this minor point, Holmes was mistaken.


'Those canaries think they're so pretty,' Mr Wilson remarked as our last, bright blond customer left the pawn-shop, golden Bullingford watch back in the pocket of his waistcoat.

My employer turned to the small mirror behind the till and openly admired his own shock of fiery red hair.

I amiably agreed with him, a plan taking shape in my mind.

Comments

[undonne.livejournal.com]

Ah, gets right to Clay's greedy heart, such as it is.

[vaysh]

*grins* I meant to get right at Wilson's pride in his hair. But it reveals John Clay's greed just as well.

[debriswoman]

Neatly tied to an unwritten case:-)

Very well done:-)

[vaysh]

Thank you. :) This is meant to be a first person narrator John Clay (not very clearly, admittedly), so it actually ties into the same case, only from the other side. :)

[debriswoman]

Understood, and that did come across, but also...
My mind wandered to..."The arrest of Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, which removed a plague-spot from the East End of London." Black Peter, I think:-p

[vaysh]

Oh good. :) Canary-trainer Wilson is awesome. :)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Wades in, because cobalt_blue wrote an amazing story for me about canary-trainer Wilson for the recent ACDHolmesfest.

[vaysh]

Seriously? This is a hilarious coincidence.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it's here: The Adventure of the Notorious Canary-Trainer (http://acd-holmesfest.livejournal.com/36082.html)

[vaysh]

This is the best thing ever. Did you prompt canary trainer Wilson? Will go and read. :)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

A very neat reversal of ideas. Wilson does describe his own hair as being of "a very full and rich tint" ^^ And I suppose it's always possible that Clay found himself a red-headed accomplice after coming up with the plan of how to get Wilson out of the shop...

[vaysh]

Jabez Wilson seems to be awfully proud of the rich tint of his red hair. :) To my mind, when Clay realised this, searching for a way to get Wilson out of the shop, and then thought of his accomplice also having red hair (entirely by accident), the idea of the Red-headed League was born. Sherlock Holmes may disagree, though. :)

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

It must have happened this way. Thank you for this forelight. canaries is good, too.

[vaysh]

I am quite convinced this is how it happened. As, for the canaries, I swear I googled British monikers for blonds, and canary seemed an old-fashioned enough term for 1890. Now thesmallhobbit tells me canary-trainer Wilson has already got his own fanfic!! :)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

This makes lots of sense, especially as the advertisement and work was designed to appeal to Wilson, which shows someone who had already started to analyse him.

[vaysh]

Both the ad and the story Clay tells him of the origin of the Red-headed League seemed very much streamlined towards Wilson's pride in his red hair. :)