Taking me to one side, Holmes lowered his voice. “Watson, your task is to discover the whereabouts of the fellow with the missing tassel. When you find him, place yourself close behind him and do not let him out of your sight! If he approaches the King, you must be ready to act decisively. For my part, I must search for the other one. Now, no matter how bizarre my actions may appear, do not let yourself become distracted. You must protect the King.” With that, he slipped his mask over his face and was gone. I too put on my mask in order to be at one with the assembled guests. As I did so, a liveried footman approached and proffered glass of Champagne, which I refused. My thinking being that I needed to keep both my hands free.
Moving into the ballroom, I saw that it held forty or so guests and I tried to circulate unobtrusively among them. After a few minutes, I noticed a singular fellow propping himself against a column whilst holding a glass of Champagne. I thought this rather odd as, whilst wearing his mask, it was impossible for him to drink it! He was staring intently into the ballroom and I moved a little closer to follow his gaze. From my position it became apparent that he was focused on a diminutive, costumed figure which I knew could only be the King.
I moved a little to one side of the room to observe this fellow. Upon his head was a bejewelled turban, fashioned in the style I had often seen worn by Maharajahs in India. His full mask was silver and in the form of an expressionless face. All that could be seen of the wearer were his eyes. These seemed fixed for a time on the King before darting around the room and then returning once more to gaze at the King.
Looking more closely, I recoiled slightly as I saw that, at his shoulder, his embroidered jacket had a slight tear and was missing a silk tassel. Not only that, his cream silk sleeve had a pale pink blush where, it would seem, he had tried to wipe away a blood stain.
Suddenly, laughter filled the room. I turned just in time to see a masked Jester appear in the ballroom. He made an extravagant sweeping bow towards all the guests before then approaching the King. I was at once alert, thinking this to be the second assassin. I plunged my hand into my pocket for my revolver but, before drawing it, I noticed that the Jester was bearing a sparkling, ladies shoe.
Kneeling before the King, the Jester looked closely at the King's shoe and then he looked at the ladies shoe. He put his head on one side and then shook it before skipping off to try another person. This was done in the fashion of the Prince in a rather macabre performance of Cinderella. The King laughed... and, of course, if the King thought it amusing, then everyone else would join in the antics of this bizarre charade.
However, this was not a charade, its purpose was far more serious! I realised that Holmes had devised an exquisitely cunning way to inspect the shoes of all the guests without raising any questions or suspicions as to why. When, finally, the Jester reached the ambassador's wife, there was a great cheer as she lifted her skirt a trifle to reveal that she only had one shoe. The Jester held the shoe aloft in triumph and, of course, it fitted perfectly. The Jester again bowed to the assembled guests and received a great ovation.
Although not meaning to, I had stood transfixed watching the Jester's antics. As I looked round, to my horror, the man I was supposed to be watching had gone! Wheeling round in panic and looking for the King, I could see that he was now standing with his back to the large, curtained windows. After a few moments of frantic searching, I detected my man moving slowly towards and behind the King. I took advantage of the series of long curtains and slid behind them, moving rapidly in the large space between them and the recessed windows.
Moving silently, I continued to a point where I could see the King before me through a narrow gap in the curtains. He was almost within touching distance when suddenly my view was obstructed. The assassin had moved directly behind the King. He was standing a little to my left with his back to me and mere inches from my place of concealment. As a precaution, I took my revolver from my pocket, silently pulling back the hammer to cock it.
As I watched, the assassin's right hand moved into his left sleeve and I saw the glint of a steel blade. Quickly, I transferred the Webley to my left hand and, as his right elbow came back to make the fatal thrust, I grasped it with an iron grip. At the same moment, I raised the Webley and thrust the muzzle hard into the nape of the fellow's neck. In a cold, stage whisper I said, "If you move, even a muscle, I will blow your head off." The man froze. I had taken the precaution of slightly angling the revolver so that if I needed to fire, the bullet would have passed through his head and then travelled upwards towards the ceiling.
The King, hearing something behind him, turned. Unbeknownst to me, standing beside the King was his bodyguard who, on seeing the stiletto, swiftly disarmed the would be assassin.
I removed my mask but, on seeing the raised pistol, the bodyguard was about to tackle me when a cry of "Alessandro! No!" filled the ballroom. This, thankfully, halted him in his tracks. The ambassador moved swiftly and talked rapidly, in Italian, to the bodyguard. The bodyguard nodded, in thanks, towards me and roughly led away the assailant.
The King, who was standing close by, removed his mask and looked slightly bemused. He proffered his hand saying "Thank you, Mr Holmes."
I bowed and took his hand, saying, "I am at your service, Your Majesty… but I cannot claim to be he. I am his friend and colleague, Dr John Watson."
For a moment, the King was speechless. He blinked slightly and then laughed heartily. "I see that I have two guardian angels this evening. Come, Dr Watson. Join me in a glass of champagne." He took my arm and led me but a few steps to a table filled with glasses and ice buckets, chilling bottles of champagne.
Just as we reached the table there was a shout from somewhere to the side of us. A masked figure lunged forward with his arm raised holding a stiletto and crying, "Fasci Siciliani!" A flash of steel from behind him cut him short as a blade penetrated and skewered him through the heart. The man fell as a slaughtered beast. Behind him stood the Jester with the sword in one hand and its scabbard, a cane, in the other.
The King looked pale. I held his elbow and, in a quiet voice, said, "Your Majesty, let me introduce Sherlock Holmes."
Holmes pulled the mask from his face. He looked grim and, on sheathing his blade, he then bowed towards the King, saying, simply, "Your Majesty."
The King recovered swiftly. With a broad smile, he looked from one of us to the other saying, “Gentlemen! Allow me to offer you both a glass of champagne.” We accepted gracefully and, when our glasses were empty, a word was sent to the ambassador and our coats and mufflers were fetched. With little formality we took our leave of the King and his guests and left the embassy.