The Greek Interpreter: Some Particulars

[sanguinity]

Canon Story: The Greek Interpreter
Title: Some Particulars
Author: sanguinity
Rating: PG
Warnings: intimate partner abuse

 

On discovering her brother's torture, Sophia finally understood: it was never her defects that caused Harold to act so. She cowered before his anger and promised obedience, to be good, to come away quietly. Not for her own life, but Paul's.

Harold apologised later, as he always did.

But this time she recognised the crocodile's tears, and did not forgive.

Comments

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Sophia is an interesting character. Plus, whatever happened in Budapest. I was also surprised that the bad guys thought bandaging his head would fool her.

[sanguinity]

I always assumed what happened in Budapest was her finally seeing an opportunity to get away from them, and not being too squeamish that her delivery was achieved via their deaths. After all, she must have been living in terror for months by then.

Bad guys in Holmes stories think many, many foolish things.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

A deep and excellent 60, and very moving. Thank you for writing it so well.

[sanguinity]

Thank you. I'm glad to hear it came across. :-)

[debriswoman]

So painful when realisation hit her
Very well done.

[sanguinity]

Yes, it's a painful thing. And can take a long, long time to learn to live with after.

And thank you!

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

She suffered as so many women do. Holmes was right not to blame her for what she finally did.

[sanguinity]

Absolutely. I watched Granada's GREE Saturday night, and was angry all over again about the way that episode treated Sophia. It's always seemed perfectly obvious to me that her so-called complicity in their crimes was on par with Lady Frances Carfax's: to wit, an error of judgement, trusting people who did not deserve her trust, and then finding herself in peril for her (and her brother's!) life.

Perhaps my perspective is colored by having too many friends who are survivors, some of whom have found themselves trapped in a foreign country, abused by one of its native sons, but... Yeah. I find Sophia's throughline completely explicable, and not terribly unusual, either.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

And considering how hard it is for a woman to break away even now, it would have required someone with great courage to do so then.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Your interpretation of Sophia's situation does make a lot of sense.

I must admit the relationship between Latimer and Sophia has puzzled me. Why doesn't he just leave her to die with her brother and Melas? Why take her with them once he knows he can't get his hands on her property? I personally can't believe he had any interest in her beyond the financial.

[sanguinity]

The situation with the papers was never fully explained, was it? I have to assume that there was something in them that required her to be alive, but you'd also think that would lead to a way to trace them? So... I really don't know.

But yes, I'm disinclined to believe that Latimer had any personal interest in her.