The Emerald Death

It was on an unseasonably warm evening in May of 1889, that Sherlock Holmes and I
found ourselves in the study reading the London Times.
Can you imagine? I asked, Sending off a package, only to have its items removed by
the transporter, and never to be seen again? Poor Lady Edwards will never see her bracelet or
brooch again, although they did catch the scoundrel.
Perfectly ordinary, replied Holmes. Cases like this do nothing to capture my attention.
I am looking for singular cases, not the completely ordinary. Crimes such as this are absolutely
boring to my mind. There is no challenge. Of course it was the railway guard who was pinching
the items. I would not waste my time with such a trivial case.
Oh perhaps you are right. It does all seem quite transparent. Although, according to the
Times, it took the police 3 weeks to finally catch the thief and arrest him. So maybe it was not
quite as ordinary as you think. Were you wanting to attend the Philharmonic Society concert this
evening Holmes? I hear it is to be quite extraordinary. They have brought in a superb violinist
from Berlin.
Splendid! I would very much like to attend. I have been idle for far too long and that
concert is just the ticket.
At that moment, Mrs. Hudson entered the room carrying a letter, which she handed to Mr.
Holmes.
I am very sorry to disturb Mr. Holmes, said Mrs. Hudson, but this letter came for you
and the messenger said it was urgent. I brought it to you straight away. Once again, I am sorry to
disturb.
It is quite all right, Mrs. Hudson. I am very glad you brought this to me immediately.
Holmes turned to me with an excited look upon his face.
Can you imagine what this is, my dear Watson? ejaculated Holmes.
Perhaps it is a request for you to look in to a case for someone? I mused jovially.
Exactly! A most peculiar case I think it shall prove to be, said Holmes.
Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes, he read. I do hope I am not bothering you on this beautiful
Saturday, but I believe I require your singular detective skills. I hosted a party this afternoon,
which many people attended. More specifically, Ms. Florence Dagenhart was in attendance. She
has been the object of my affection as of late and I had hosted this party with the intentions of
proposing marriage to her on this night.
Unfortunately, she died before I had the chance. The doctor claimed it was poisoning
from her green dress that had killed her, but I am not convinced. I would hope that you would be
able to come straight away to the Alderdice Manor in Kent. I think you need to see the scene to
determine if the good doctor was right, or if my suspicions are correct and it was murder. I am
more than willing to pay any price for your services. Please come as soon as you can.
Sincerely, Sir Walter Alderdice.
What a case dear Watson. What a peculiar case indeed. To be potentially killed by your
own vanity through your dress, what a singular way to die. We must depart at once. Come
Watson, we must get there before it is dark.
With that, Sherlock and I left Baker Street, and made our way to the Alderdice Manor in
Kent. Within 2 hours, we had arrived at the sprawling manor. No sooner had we stepped out of
our cab, than a tall, thin man came bursting out the front door of the house. He was well dressed,
wearing a burgundy, velvet smoking jacket that was unbuttoned. Underneath he wore an ivory

waistcoat with a gold and brown, patterned cravat. His pants were sable brushed trousers. He was
a man of wealth and it clearly showed in his attire.
As soon as we reached the door the man introduced himself as Sir Walter Alderdice.
Thank you so much for coming quickly. I simply know it was not her dress that killed
her, but without any proof, there is nothing that can be done. I am sure that you will come to the
same conclusion as I have. Please come inside and have a seat while I tell you everything that I
know.
We entered the massive home, which had 200 different rooms at the very least, and were
lead into a parlor. Holmes stretched himself out in an armchair, while our host, Sir Alderdice, sat
on the sofa adjacent to his chair. I seated myself in another chair next to the one Holmes was
seated in.
Im sure you will want a full account of today, starting from the moment Florence
arrived, correct?
Absolutely. There is no better way to discover the details of this perplexing case than to
hear all the details as clearly as possible. Please, start at the beginning, said Holmes.
Well I met Ms. Dagenhart a fortnight ago at a ball hosted by Sir Stanley Oldridge of
Bristol. She was wearing the most beautiful green dress. I was smitten right at that very moment,
and I knew she was the one I wanted as my bride. You see, I have been a bachelor for far too
long. I have been searching for the perfect woman whom I wanted to marry. No ordinary girl
would do. She had to be extraordinary in every way, and Florence Dagenhart was. She was
practically perfect in every way.
So I began my courtship of her. I have hosted a few parties since then, todays being the
third. At each one, Florence was in attendance and wore a different stunning green dress. You
see, green was her favorite color, and it worked so perfectly with her pale, porcelain complexion
that just made her radiant.
I had decided that tonight would be the night I ask for her hand in marriage. I am a very
impatient man when it comes to getting what I want. I simply could not wait any longer to ask
her, so I had determined that at the party tonight I would take her off to the gardens to propose. I
simply had to wait for her to arrive, which was nearly my undoing. As I said before, I am
incredibly impatient.
At last she had finally arrived, but I had decided to allow her a short while to adjust and
enjoy the party before I singled her out from everyone and asked for her hand in marriage. She
came in, had a few things to eat, there were many servants circulating with trays of different
foods for the guests to eat, and had at least one drink that I saw before I lost sight of her.
It had been about a half hour when I had decided that was enough time and I simply
could not delay any longer. I went in search of Ms. Dagenhart, but was dismayed when I could
not find her anywhere. I had discreetly asked my staff, of which I have a great number, to help
me in my search. No one had seen her leave, so surely, she would be found somewhere. In the
middle of my search, I heard a great scream coming from the back gardens. We all rushed to see
what the disturbance was, and I was distraught to discover that my maid, Mary Blackwell, had
discovered the dead body of my dear Florence. She had died.
Of course, Mr. Greenworth, who is a most excellent physician, had examined her body
and determined that she had been poisoned by her dress. You see, she had been wearing a
beautiful emerald green dress, which everyone knows the dye is made from arsenic. Mr.
Greenworth had declared that she had sweat and the poison from the dye had entered her
bloodstream and had poisoned her. It is a perfectly common thing, the dye poisoning women. Of

course, these women know the risks of wearing such a garment, but their vanity gets the better of
them and they wear them anyway.
That is the end of my tale. I cannot think of any other detail that might be of interest to you.
It is indeed a most perplexing story. You said it was your maid that found her body?
Could I possibly speak with this maid? asked Holmes.
I will send for her at once, said Sir Alderdice. I know she was quite shaken by the
experience, so I am not sure how much you will be able to get out of her, but we can certainly
try. While we are waiting, would you like anything to drink? Some tea perhaps?
Oh thank you very much, but I am quite alright, said Holmes.
Just then, the maid entered the room. She was white as a sheet; the shock and grief clear
upon her face.
Mary, thank you so much for coming in. This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his friend
John Watson. Please tell them everything you can about how you found Florence.
Very well Sir. After I had gotten word that we were to look for Ms. Dagenhart, I decided
to start my search outside. I thought to myself, where would I wonder off to if I were at this party
as a guest instead of a maid? Outside in the gardens of course. So I started my search there.
I had been looking for quite some time and was about to give up when around the next
topiary, there she was. Just lying there on the ground looking like a sleeping child. She was lying
on her side, with her knees pulled up to her chest, with the most peaceful look upon her face. She
appeared to be happy at the moment of death. But she wasnt actually dead yet. She turned her
head as I approached and said to me, The dress. It finally got me. And with that she died. I
screamed as loud as I could, and everyone came running. And then the doctor examined her and
came to the same conclusion that the poor girl had. The dress had poisoned her and killed her.
Intriguing. You say the girl told you it was the dress that had been her downfall? asked
Mr. Holmes.
Indeed, Sir. All women know the risks of wearing anything dyed green. You see, the dye
is made with arsenic, which Im sure you know is a very dangerous poison. She must have
overheated herself while walking outside and started to perspire which allowed the poison to get
into her bloodstream.
Naturally. How long have you been serving Sir Alderdice, Ms. Blackwell?
Almost 5 years now. Sir Alderdice is a wonderful man to work for. He is so kind and
caring to his staff, unlike most I have worked for. He is a very generous man.
Indeed. Indeed he is Miss Blackwell. Is that almonds I smell? A most peculiar smell for a
young woman.
The maid froze for just a split second in shock before responding.
I was toasting almonds earlier for one of the dishes we were serving for the party. Sir
Alderdice loves almond garnishes, so we try to add them to as many dishes as we can.
Its true, interjected Sir Alderdice. I have a weakness for almonds. I just cant seem to
get enough of them. I have insisted upon having them with every meal if possible.
I see. Well can you take me outside to where the body was found so I may look around a
bit and see what I can determine in the gardens?
Right away. Please follow me, said Sir Alderdice.
We were lead outside into the maze of the gardens. After a few minutes and many turns,
we arrived at the location of the girls death.

This is where poor Mary found the body. I allowed her to leave us so that she might
compose herself and get back to work at some point tonight, although I do doubt that she will get
over this very quickly. What a sight to have to come upon, commented Alderdice.
What a sight indeed. Did you say Florence had a drink with her when she died?
inquired Holmes.
I do not believe so. There was no cup found near the body. Why do you ask?
Well, if you look over here, you can see that the grass next to where her body fell is wet.
As if something had spilled. If not from a cup, what else could it be from?
I do not know. So do you think it was the dress then, or do you suspect murder as I do?
asked Alderdice.
I know for certain that it was no accident involving a dress, declared Sherlock. The
dress is a red herring. A cover for the actual murder.
I knew it! ejaculated Sir Alderdice. But if it was murder, who then is the murderer?
And why would they want to murder the poor girl?
Why it is quite elementary. Your maid, Mary Blackwell is the murderer. She has been in
love with you for quite some time I imagine. Probably nearly the 5 years you have employed
her.
But she is such a nice girl. Why on earth would she murder a woman she does not even
know? And how could she kill her, but leave no marks?
Once again, quite simple matters. She did not need to know the woman. As I had said,
she was in love with you, and her fantasies of marrying you got away from her. As long as you
were a bachelor, she was fine. But once you had decided to marry, the girl of your affections
became Marys target. If she eliminates the potential bride-to-be, then you remain a bachelor and
she still has a chance of catching your eye. Im sure she hoped that you would notice her and fall
madly in love, and marry her, taking her out of her low status, working life, and elevating her to
the wonderful life of the Mrs. Mary Alderdice.
As for how she did it, it was quite the perfect plan. You said that Florence wore a green
dress to every party. It would lead one to think, that she would probably wear a green dress to the
party you hosted today. Fortunately for Mary, she did. That set her plan in motion. The green
dress is key. You see, Florence was poisoned by arsenic, but not by the dress. Mary served
Florence a drink that was laced with the poison and then just had to wait. Once the girl dropped,
she had to get the cup and hide it before anyone else could find it. Then, she came back and
arranged the girls body in the position that you found her in. Once she had that done, all she had
to do was scream. Everyone came running and with the story she concocted about the girl
cursing the dress with her last breath, no one would be the wiser that it was actually murder that
killed the poor girl.
With that tale in mind, the doctor examined the body, and did find signs of arsenic
poisoning, but no one suspected murder because of the dress. It was quite a cunning plan. I
myself am quite impressed.
Sir Walter Alderdice sent for the maid again, but she could not be found. Her room had
been emptied of all her things and she had disappeared.
Two days later, the body of Mary Blackwell had been discovered. She had died from
arsenic poisoning. Whether it had been by her own hand, or by someone else is another case by
itself.