by Robert Thier
‘Ouf!’
‘Ng!’
I slammed face-first into a hard chest, and suddenly was pressed up against a familiar ten-year-old mint-condition tailcoat.
‘You. Oh my God, I nearly forgot! I must explain, I…’
A single finger touched my lips, silencing me. A moment later, he pulled me into his arms and gave me the hardest, best, most rib-cracking hug I had ever had in my life.
‘No need.’ He pulled my face against his chest. ‘I heard.’
‘There’s an epidemic…and…and…Ella…’
‘Shh. I know. I know.’
For a while I just stood like that, silently letting him rock me in his arms. But it wasn’t long before I remembered where I was, and who was waiting for me at home.
‘Let go, please?’
He instantly released me. I stepped back, feeling slightly dizzy.
Slowly, I glanced up at him. It was in this moment that I realized: this was it. This was real. This was the first time when this thing between Mr Ambrose and me would be put to the test. Would he stand by me? Or would he do what I’d come to expect of men—nothing?
I opened my mouth.
‘Mr Ambrose, I—’
His finger once again covered my lips before I could say another word. Hard, sea-coloured eyes bored into me.
‘The coaches you ordered have arrived. I had a talk with the stable owner. You will have the best horses and coachmen, at, I am assured, a very reasonable discount rate. They will take you straight to the town of Bath. I hear that the air there is healthy, and room, board and doctors come cheap.’
‘You heard that, did you?’ One corner of my mouth quirked up. ‘I heard they cost a fortune.’
He met my eyes implacably. ‘Not if you own them.’
I opened my mouth to point out that you couldn’t ‘own’ a doctor—then closed it again. With Mr Rikkard Ambrose, you could never be entirely sure. And right now, I was thoroughly glad for it.
‘Here.’ He pressed a small piece of paper into my hand. ‘Have the coachmen take you to this address. Everything will be taken care of.’
I managed a small smile. ‘Including the bill?’
‘Don’t push it, Miss Linton.’
Standing up on my tiptoes, I pressed a light kiss on his cheek. ‘I love pushing it. You should know that by now.’
‘I know.’ A strong hand enveloped mine and squeezed, hard. ‘Take care of yourself. I don’t intend to foot your hospital bill.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. And you…’
‘I’ll be there.’
I let out a breath that, up until that moment, I hadn’t noticed I was holding.
‘Lilly? Lilly!’ The demanding voice of my sister Anne cut through the London fog like an extremely annoying knife. ‘Lilly, where are you?’
‘Until we meet again, Miss Linton.’ Stepping back, Mr Ambrose tapped his hat in goodbye. A moment later, he had disappeared into the mist.
‘Lilly! What in God’s name—ah!’ Anne suddenly appeared beside me. Suspiciously, she glanced from left to right. ‘Who was that you were talking to?’
‘Me?’ I did my best to look as innocent as a cherub with a really big figleaf. ‘There’s no one here but us.’
‘Why are you lurking around in the street? And what is this nonsense I hear about us leaving?’
Raising my chin, I looked straight into her eyes. ‘It isn’t nonsense.’
‘We can’t leave! We have no money, no coaches, no—’
She was interrupted by a rumble. The mist before us parted, revealing the huge forms of two dark blue coaches rolling down the street. And on the box, holding the reins…
Dear Lord.
The best horses and coachmen, at a very reasonable discount rate.
You could say that again. Leave it to Mr Rikkard Ambrose to find a way to cut corners even when my sister was maybe lying on her deathbed.
Pulling on the rains, the driver of the first coach brought his vehicle to a halt. A moment later, he slid from the box and landed with a heavy thud directly in front of me, tight uniform, turban, beard and all.
‘May I help you with your luggage, Miss?’ Karim asked in the tone of a cannibal torturer enquiring ‘May I eviscerate you with my bare hands?’
‘Waaah!’
Stumbling back, Anne raised a trembling hand to point at the gargantuan man in front of her. I noticed he had not deemed it necessary to put aside his sabre while putting on his coachman’s uniform.
‘That…that is a…’
‘Yes?’ I asked, politely.
‘What kind of coach stable did you get him from?’
‘The best you’ll ever find. Now come on. Get your things. We’re leaving.’
‘But…but…you can’t just…you’re not in charge here! You don’t have the money, the authority, the…’
Ignoring her, I turned to Karim. ‘The luggage will be down in the hall of the house in ten minutes. Anything that’s not there by then you don’t need to collect.’
Anne gave an outraged yelp. Karim nodded. I could have sworn I almost saw the ghost of a smile flicker around the corner of his mouth.
‘Yes, Miss.’
Leaving Anne standing in the street, I marched into house. Leadfield was just busy trying to break his back by attempting to drag a huge suitcase down the stairs.
‘Here, let me.’
Grabbing the thing, I hauled it down the last few steps.
‘Thank, you Miss Lillian. Some of your sisters have a, um…interesting conception of packing quickly.’
‘I bet they do.’
‘What about Miss Ella’s things? I don’t think she will be able to pack for herself.’
‘Don’t worry about Ella. I have a feeling that a little piano-tuning brownie already took care of that.’
Leadfield blinked. ‘Miss?’
I just winked and started up the stairs. Upstairs, Edmund had already packed a bunch of Ella’s things into a suitcase, valiantly ignoring the weak protests coming from the bed.
‘Lil! There you are! Will you tell that thick-headed fiancé of mine to stop packing?’
‘No.’ I patted Ella on the shoulder. ‘My head is pretty thick too, you know.’
‘But we can’t possibly be going anywhere! We don’t have the money.’
‘Just trust me.’ For one moment, I held her shadowed eyes. Long enough to show her I was serious. Long enough for me to see how serious her condition was. How had her face gotten this pale? ‘I’m going to take care of everything.’
With a little help.
A year ago, that thought would have made me angry, would have made me want to do it all on my own. Today, it just made me feel warm inside.
‘But…but…’
‘Please.’ Edmund stepped up beside me and took my little sister’s hand. ‘Let her help. Please.’
‘Well…I…’ She hesitated—then nodded. ‘All right.’
Breathing a sigh of relief, Edmund squeezed her hand and stepped back. ‘Thank you.’ He glanced at me, his eyes hard. ‘You’d better be able to keep all your fine promises. If not…’
‘Edmund!’ Ella exclaimed.
I grinned. ‘I like you,’ I informed the young piano tuner, and, turning to Ella, added, ‘You can keep him.’
She gave me a terrifyingly weak smile. ‘Thank you very much.’
‘You’re welcome. Come on, Romeo.’ Grabbing a packed suitcase, I pushed open the door. ‘Let’s load up.’
Edmund grabbed a suitcase, too—then turned back, and squeezed Ella’s hand one last time. ‘We’ll take care of you. Just rest. I’ll be back to fetch you in just a moment.’
‘Oh no you won’t! You and your spindly arms are not carrying my little sister down those rickety old stairs.’
He frowned. ‘Do you have a man better suited for the job?’
A grin spread over my face. ‘As a matter of fact, I do. Wait for me in the hall, will you?’
Striding outside, I looke
d around until I spotted a hulking figure next to the second coach, just lifting a huge suitcase onto the roof.
‘Ah, Karim, my little bundle of joy.’ Beaming, I stepped towards him. ‘I have a special task for you.’
A Lady Taking Charge
‘This is very kind of you, Mr…Karim, was it?’
‘Hrmph.’
‘What an interesting name. And an interesting hat. I’ve never met a coachman with a turban before.’
‘Hm.’
‘Or with that kind of accent. Where did you say you were from, again?’
‘Hrm.’
‘But, really, this isn’t necessary. I’m quite sure if someone supported me I could walk down the stairs on my own two feet quite easily. Just—’
Ella shifted, bringing it home to Karim all too clearly that he was carrying a female dressed only in her nightgown in his arms. The poor man. He looked about to expire. Maybe I should offer my sympathies?
Karim’s eyes found me and bored into me.
Well…maybe better not. Inconspicuously, I sidled out of the room. Outside, Edmund was waiting with the expression of a young man whose fiancée was currently in the clutches of an unknown seven-foot-tall bearded giant.
‘Um…Miss Linton?’
‘Yes?’
‘Do you think it was wise to ask the gentleman from the coach stable to…um…you know…’
‘Know what?’
Edmund gave up. ‘Is Ella all right?’
I patted his shoulder. ‘Perfectly all right. She’ll be down here in a minute.’
‘Err…In one piece?’
‘Probably. She might be a bit squashed, though.’
‘It’s absolutely scandalous!’ Maria exclaimed. ‘Touched by some kind of savage from God only knows where! It’s indecent, that’s what it is!’
‘Indecent?’ I gave her a bright smile. ‘Why, you should have said so before! Of course, if he’s indecent, you’re perfectly welcome to walk all the way to Bath instead of letting him drive you. Doesn’t that sound like fun?’
Maria opened her mouth—and shut it again.
It wasn’t long before Karim arrived downstairs with his precious load. With the care usually reserved for crown jewels, he deposited my little sister in the first of the carriages, and Edmund, Lisbeth, Gertrude and I climbed in after her. Edmund’s parents, meanwhile, who had been staring at me with a strange mix of puzzlement and awe ever since their son had dragged them out of the house to tell them about the free holiday they were about to get, went to keep Anne and Maria company in the other coach, so at least someone in there would behave like an adult.
With a click, the coach door closed behind us.
‘Am I dreaming?’ Ella whispered as she gazed out at the elegant coach drawn by four of the fastest horses in London. ‘Or is this really happening?’
I pinched her.
‘Ouch!’
‘The latter,’ I informed her jovially. ‘Sit down and relax. Would you like a piece of solid chocolate?’
‘Lil…how? Shaking her head, she stared at me as if she were seeing me for the very first time. And maybe, in a way, she was. ‘How is this possible?’
I glanced out of the window, back towards the house. Through the mist, beyond the second coach travelling behind us, I thought I could just about make out the dark outline of a tall man, staff in hand, top hat sitting atop his head. Another carriage rolled up beside him. With one swift move, he pulled open the door and swung himself inside.
I smiled.
‘Anything is possible, Ella. Anything.’
‘Where to?’ Karim called from outside.
I glanced down at the note clutched tightly in my hand.
‘Bath. Straight there. No stops.’
‘As you wish. Gee-up!’
The whip snapped, and the coach rolled forward.
*~*~**~*~*
‘You can’t be serious!’
Maria’s voice roused me from my slumber. It was only then I realized—we had stopped. Quickly, I glanced outside and saw that the sun was already setting. No wonder. Karim might have driven like the devil, but still, Bath was over a hundred miles away from London. Outside the coach stretched a beautiful park with slim, decorative trees, beds of fiery red roses, and gentlefolk in their finery walking, laughing and playing games. Beyond the park, the picturesque town stretched all the way to the horizon, bathed in the light of the fiery sunset.
I knew this view. I’d seen it once, in a book. But no. He couldn’t possibly own this place, could he? Not even he was that wealthy!
‘You have to be joking!’ That was Maria again. ‘You expect us to camp in the park? What kind of hair-brained scheme have you cooked up this time, Lilly?’
‘The other window, Maria,’ I said, not quite capable of believing it myself. ‘Look out of the other window.’
She did.
‘Oh my holy…!’
Nothing more. Nothing but awed silence.
‘What is it?’ Frowning, Edmund leaned across the coach to the other window and raised the blinds. He sucked in a breath.
‘You’re not serious!’
I smiled. So I had been right. ‘As an acquaintance of mine would say, I’m not in the habit of making jokes.’
Outside the window rose the biggest building any one of us had ever seen. Bigger than Empire House. Bigger than Buckingham Palace even. Over five-hundred feet long, it curved along the edge of a beautiful park in an effortless crescent, providing a perfect view of a small forest and the town beyond. Between tall columns, dozens of shiny white doors were set into the elegant Georgian façade at regular intervals. We were standing right before the central entrance, right in front of a door over which a sign proclaimed The Country Queen Hotel.
‘The Royal Crescent,’ Edmund whispered. ‘The bloody Royal Crescent!’
‘Dear me.’ One corner of my mouth twitched in amusement. ‘Swearing? I didn’t know you had it in you. Congratulations.’
He didn’t seem to be in a joking mood. Turning towards me, he looked at me seriously. ‘What is the meaning of this, Miss Linton? You can’t possibly afford this place! Heck, I doubt even your uncle could afford to stay here for more than a night or two, and he’d beggar himself in the process!’ He glanced at the pale, sleeping Ella in the corner, then looked back at me, accusation in his eyes. ‘Why did you drag us all the way to this place? We can’t stay here.’
The doorman standing in front of the fancy white door seemed to be of the same opinion. Stepping forward, he gave me a onceover, his eyes sliding haughtily over my worn dress and hastily thrown-over coat.
‘Do you have a reservation, Miss?’
He was answered by a heavy thud from behind him. When he turned, he found himself facing a barrel of a chest covered in beard as thick as a carpet.
‘She does not need a reservation,’ Karim said. ‘Have the staff take the luggage up to the Royal Suite.’
Recognition sparked in the doorman’s eyes. Not just recognition of Karim, but most importantly, recognition of whom he worked for. Hurriedly, he took a step back, bumping into the coach.
‘Y-yes. Of course. I’ll be right back, Miss, um, I mean My Lady. Please be so kind as to wait here. It won’t take a moment.’
And he dashed off into the hotel lobby.
Everyone stared. Everyone. Gertrude. Lisbeth. Edmund. Even Anne and Maria were hanging out of their coach’s windows to gawk, and several passers-by had stopped to gape at the exchange. At first, they stared at Karim. But then, after a moment or two, all the eyes turned inextricably towards someone else.
Me.
I waved.
‘Don’t worry.’ I told Edmund, patting him on the shoulder. ‘I have a feeling they’re going to be very hospitable to us.’
Karim opened the door for me, and I climbed out of the coach.
‘Hospitable’ turned out to be something of an understatement. As soon as the hotel manager spotted Karim, he knew which way the wind was blowing. I had the distinc
t pleasure to have, in front of all of my sisters, the keys to the royal suite handed to me on a literal silver platter. Maria was so green with envy she could have stepped out on the lawn and turned invisible. You could tell she was dying to ask why the heck the whole world suddenly treated me, her misfit misbegotten minx of a sister, as if I were the Queen of England, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Not in front of other people.
I might have enjoyed the colour of her face considerably more if Ella’s face hadn’t been a similar unhealthy shade, and most definitely not from jealousy.
‘A-are we h-here?’ my little sister murmured, blinking in the sudden light of the entrance hall. Karim was supporting her on one side, Edmund on the other.
‘Yes, Ella.’ Smiling, I stepped closer and squeezed her shoulder. ‘No more travelling. We’ve arrived.’
‘But where….’ Raising her eyes, she blinked up at the giant chandelier illuminating the hotel lobby. ‘Oh my goodness.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen?’
A bellhop appeared before us, bowing so low his nose nearly scratched the floor.
‘Your rooms are ready. If you would be so kind as to follow me?’
‘My sister isn’t feeling too well,’ I told him. ‘Please send someone for a doctor immediately. I’d like him to attend her first thing in the morning.’
‘Certainly, Miss. But, if I may ask, what if no doctors happen to be free tomorrow?’
‘They had better be free. Arrange it.’
The bellhop stared at me—until one of his colleagues leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Blanching, the young man bowed and retreated towards the steps. ‘Certainly, Miss! I will send a messenger off directly. If you will follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms so the young lady can rest. We have some beautiful, easily accessible rooms on the ground floor with a view of the park available.’
And he dashed off.
Once again, I felt all eyes upon me. Anne and Maria were staring at me as if they saw me for the very first time, and didn’t like what they saw.
‘Who are you?’ Anne demanded. ‘And what has happened to Lilly?’
I graced them with a smile. ‘The staff will show you to your rooms. Ask them to prepare something if you are hungry. I won’t be joining you. I’ll have to see to it that Ella is settled in.’