Canonically the king offers Holmes a considerable reward for (kind of) solving the affair. But Holmes names his price as a photograph of Irene (not the one compromising the king, of course, but the one which she left as a substitute). To me, this is a statement to the king's bad attitude as well as admiration for the woman - and it certainly has a romantic touch to it (or am I to JHW-ish?). 
Moreover also in SCAN the smart, independant woman, who occasionally dresses as a man to live her life as she wants, is forced to accept the help of a man: Norton. It is only after their hasty marriage (with Holmes undercover as the accidental witness - Homes himself loughs at this retrospectively in much the same way as Sherlock does at the end of SiB) that she "wins" by fleeing the country ("run") as a wife.
I would interpret both circumstances as ultimate defeat and also a complete role change - so much to the kneeling and begging, which just reflects the complete role change in her profession in SiB.   
This way SiB works for me and now having reread the original and rewatched SiB, I admire both in many, many new ways. Thanks Mofiss, with many bows.