@legendariia continued from here
“And yet,” James offered, with his usual warm wisdom, “you seem to have adapted remarkably well, my dear girl; especially considering the challenges you have faced that other young people your own age would not experience in their entire lifetime.” Gentle hands pushed a cup of tea into Nancy’s own, as the detective regarded his protege – and great-great-something niece – with gentle eyes. “For what it is worth, Nancy, I am proud of you. You have done tremendous work, and you should feel proud of yourself, too.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, his laughter lines crinkling up kindly. “You are every bit a Watson.”
She doesn’t ask if he means it. She doesn’t have to ask. Even without her own formidable skills of deduction, she is well aware that her uncle—‘Uncle’ because it is far more reasonable a title than the actual relation—is an honest man never given to saying anything that he does not consider truth.
And so she smiles when she accepts the cup of tea from him.
“I don’t know that you’ll ever understand how much it means to me that you think so. Learning from you this past month seems like a dream.”