by Robert Thier
Mr Ambrose hadn’t gotten to where he was by being slow on the uptake.
‘Your sister?’
‘Yes.’
‘About us?’
‘Yes. I…I told her in the hope it would help her recover. I thought it would give her hope.’
‘So I gather you didn’t mention too many details about me, then?’
I grinned. ‘No. I wanted her to recover, not to have a heart attack.’
‘How flattering.’
‘Speaking of flattery…’ Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out something small that glinted in the light of the sinking sun. ‘Here. This is for you.’
I dropped it into his hand. Mr Rikkard Ambrose stood there, wordlessly staring down at the penny lying on his palm. It was by no means the only time I’d seen him silent, but one of the few I’d seen him dumbstruck.
Finally, he raised his gaze to meet mine. ‘Your idea of a dowry, is it?’
‘No. It’s from my little sister. A gift for you.’
He blinked—then looked down at the penny again, as if trying to solve the mysteries hidden in its depth. Finally, he shrugged and pocketed it. ‘Well, if she is trying to secure my affections as a future sister-in-law, she certainly has made the right start. Tell her to send more next time.’
‘I will.’
‘I accept bills in all currencies and denominations, checks, bonds, gold, jewels, and property deeds of all kinds.’
‘I’ll be sure to let her know.’
For a few moments, we gazed at each other in silence. Moments during which, miraculously, Mr Ambrose didn’t pull out his pocket watch and complain about wasted time. Could it be that his definition of ‘wasted’ had slightly altered during recent months?
Finally, he asked, ‘And the others? Do they know?’
‘Not as much as Ella, but…yes. They know there’s someone.’
‘So it’s finally happening.’
I knew what he meant. After all the years of denial and secrecy, it was hard to believe that soon, I would be marching down the aisle to meet him at the altar. There was a tiny part of me that was wondering whether this was all actually happening, or whether it was just a dream.
Time to reassure myself.
‘Come here,’ I said, and grabbed him by the lapels.
He didn’t waste a moment. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine and taking everything I offered and more, with no possibility of a refund. We kissed and kissed and kissed. When I finally came up for air, it was just for a moment, to drag in a much-needed breath. But when I pulled him close again, he placed a finger on my lips, stopping me.
‘Wait.’
‘Wait?’ I grinned up at him ‘Waiting is for time-wasters, Sir.’
His face remained expressionless, and so did his eyes. Slowly, the grin melted from my face. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I didn’t just call you out here to ask about your sister. There’s news.’
My heartbeat picked up. ‘News about wedding planners?’
‘No. News about Dalgliesh.’
Ice spread through my veins at hearing the name. ‘What?’
‘I’ve been receiving interesting reports from Europe and India. After that business in France, I asked to be updated by my agents on all the latest developments regarding Dalgliesh’s power base. What happened in Paris…’ Mr Ambrose shook his head. ‘It was an incredibly risky operation, even for a man of Dalgliesh’s audacity. If he’d been found out…well, let’s just say the French would have had a use for all those guillotines left over from the revolution. Normally, Dalgliesh would never risk his own neck. To go to such extremes he must have been under an extraordinary amount of pressure.’
My brow creased. ‘What could pressure a man like Dalgliesh? Present company excepted, of course.’
‘That’s what I thought. Then I contacted my agents, and they had most interesting things to report. It appears that Dalgliesh is having increasing troubles within his own power base. Things are stirring in India. The people aren’t willing to slave for the British anymore. The various principalities are starting to realize that they are one people, and quite a large one at that. Things are beginning to move.’
‘Not in a direction His Lordship approves of, I gather?’
‘Not at all.’ Mr Ambrose gazed into the distance, his face more cold and inscrutable than ever. Not for a million pounds would I have been able to guess what thoughts, plans and stratagems were going through his head right then. Abruptly, his eyes snapped back to me and burned into me with icy intensity. ‘Which means that now we must be more vigilant than ever. A snake is most dangerous when it’s injured.’
‘But also most vulnerable.’
‘Indeed.’
‘Well, then.’ I held out my hand. ‘Is it time to attack?’
With an icy gleam in his eyes that told me I didn’t want to be in the shoes of Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh, he took my hand.
‘Yes. But first…’ Pulling me toward him, he grabbed me and pressed a hot, hard, swift kiss on my mouth. ‘Time to go to London. We have a wedding to attend.’
Knock, Knock
It took a few days before we could return to London. Mr Ambrose had insisted on dispatching one of his not-so-merry men to the city to check if the epidemic was passed before he would let me within fifty miles of the capital. Explaining to my friends and family why exactly they had to wait for word from a man they didn’t know existed, employed by another man whose name they didn’t yet know, wasn’t easy, but, accomplished truth-bender that I was, I managed.
One thing was noticeable, however: with the exception of Ella, nearly everyone suddenly treated me differently. Edmund was almost worshipfully grateful for all I’d done for his beloved. He would have put his coat down for me to walk on over puddles if the weather hadn’t been so consistently sunny and dry. Lisbeth and Gertrude as well as Edmund’s parents looked at me with a sort of shocked awe, probably caused by the reverence of the hotel staff and the fact that somehow, inexplicably, I suddenly seemed to be in charge of everything. Patsy was angry as hell. Not at me so much as at the fact that she couldn’t bring herself to hate my prospective suitor. I had shared with her the little detail that he’d been instrumental in saving Ella’s life, and she had looked at me as if she’d swallowed a lemon.
‘Really? Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘So…I shouldn’t whack him over the head with my parasol, or push him into a duck pond?’
‘No.’
‘Damn!’
Eve was constantly peppering me with questions, and Flora had caught the wedding fever and was doing her best to plan a wedding for me, or maybe two or three in one go while she was at it. Only Anne and Maria were truly reliable. They hated my guts just like before. Only a lot, lot, more. Relatives you can truly depend on are such a comfort, aren’t they?
Finally, the day of departure arrived.
‘Are you sure you’re well enough? We could wait another few days and—’
‘Stop fussing, Edmund,’ Ella ordered with a smile that said she’d like nothing better than for him to continue. ‘I’m fine. And besides…’ She glanced at me. ‘We should get home. We’ve got things to take care of.’
I squeezed her hand. It was warm and smooth, nothing like the paper-dry skeleton fingers of only a week or so ago.
‘Well, let’s go then.’ Nodding to Karim, I strode toward the door—which he promptly held open for me. Mr and Mrs Conway exchanged looks. Anne and Maria exchanged scowls.
‘You came with two coaches, didn’t you?’ Patsy asked. ‘Will we all fit, or should I hire an extra?’
‘Oh, I think we’ll fit.’ I grinned. ‘And if not, you can always sit next to Karim on the box. I’m sure he’d love the company.’
Before either of the two could dismember me with their looks, I slipped into the nearest coach.
Under the stern eyes of Karim, it didn’t take long for the hotel staff to load our luggage onto the coaches. Soon, he swu
ng himself onto the box—of the coach Patsy was sitting in, as it happened. Trying not to smile, I leaned back into the plush seat.
‘Gee-up!’
The coach jerked and started rolling forward. Smoothly, we slid along the palatial façades of Bath. As soon as we reached the outskirts of the town, riders appeared on both sides of the coaches—plain-dressed men in black and grey, with sharp eyes and forgettable faces.
Maria glanced out of the window, shifting nervously. ‘Who’re they?’
I smiled. ‘Insurance.’
The others exchanged looks, but none of them knew quite what to say.
Around mid-day, I knocked against the coach roof with my parasol.
‘Stop, please!’
The coachman veered off to the side and brought the coach to a halt at the side of the road. Pushing open the door, I slid out. One of the riders galloped up and brought his mount to a stop right beside me.
‘What is it, Miss?’
‘This.’ Raising my parasol, I pointed at a picturesque little inn beside the road. ‘It’s time for lunch, don’t you think?’
The rider cleared his throat. ‘We have instructions to proceed with all deliberate speed, Miss.’
‘And that we are,’ I told him with a smile, ‘to the nearest inn, in order to have lunch. Please help the other ladies out of the coach.’
The man hesitated, glancing back, then forward again, as if looking for some invisible authority.
‘He’s not here,’ I informed him with a cool smile. ‘I am.’
The rider made a decision. ‘Yes. Lunch, Miss. Immediately, as you say.’
‘Thank you.’
Still smiling, I turned back towards the coach—only to find every single occupant staring at me with eyes wide open.
‘Who do those men think you are?’ Anne demanded. ‘The Queen of England?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ I waved her away. ‘The Queen isn’t nearly as pretty as I am.’
And I strode towards the inn.
*~*~**~*~*
The inn was a charming little place. As soon as I stepped in, the innkeeper greeted us with a big smile.
‘Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, welcome! What brings you out onto the road on such a fine morning?’
‘We’re returning from a little holiday in Bath,’ I said, thinking it best I didn’t mention the word ‘cholera’.
‘How nice. Won’t you take a seat?’
He pulled back a chair, and I was just about to say ‘Yes, thank you,’ when a big shape filled the doorway. The smile slipped from the innkeeper’s face.
‘I’m sorry miss, but we don’t allow his kind in here.’
I turned to see Karim standing in the doorway, gazing at the innkeeper with narrowed eyes.
‘Don’t allow…’ I repeated.
‘He’d put all my customers off their food. You can go and eat with the servants out back. Go on.’ The innkeeper waved a hand at the bodyguard. ‘Off with you.’
The bigoted son of a….!
Reflexively, my whole body stiffened. So did Karim’s hand around the grip of his sabre. The innkeeper didn’t seem to notice. Ah. So the man wasn’t just bigoted, he also was blind and stupid.
Karim took a step forward—but I raised a hand and stepped between him and the landlord. I wouldn’t allow Karim to behead the man. After all, why should he have all the fun?
‘You don’t allow “his kind” here, do you?’ I repeated slowly.
‘Nay.’ The innkeeper spat out of an open window, oblivious to the warning lights flashing in my eyes. ‘Those damn towelheads can go to where they come from!’
Rage welled up inside me. That was it! Karim might be a grumpy, irritating son of bolder, but in his own, bearded, heavily armed way, he was as much part of my family as Ella, Eve or Patsy. Nobody got to give him insulting nicknames except me!
‘Sir?’ I said, smiling and taking a step forward. ‘Do you perchance have a room where we could talk privately for a bit? Five minutes would do.’
‘Hm. Well, we could step into the back room if you insist. But I don’t think—’
‘Just five minutes, Sir. That’s all I’ll need.’
‘All right. If you must. Follow me.’
‘Oh, and just one thing?’
‘Yes?’
‘How thick are the walls in this place? Can one usually hear what’s going on in the next room?’
The innkeeper tugged up his apron. ‘Do you mean to insult me, Miss? My inn is built solidly, and I’ll ask you not to imply anything different.’
‘Excellent. After you, Sir.’
I stepped into the room. The door closed behind us.
Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, the door opened again and I stepped out, followed by a pale, somewhat unsteady innkeeper.
‘Y-you can stay,’ he mumbled in the direction of Karim’s shiny shoes.
‘And…?’ I suggested.
‘A-and I’m sorry about what I called you earlier. I shouldn’t have said it, and I apologize, and…and…’
I nodded encouragingly. The innkeeper made a face. ‘And all your meals will be on the house as my personal apology.’
Picking up a menu, Karim perused the prices. He didn’t thank me. He didn’t say anything about what had just happened. For a long moment, silence hung between us. Then, glancing up, he raised one bushy eyebrow. ‘Maybe you are the right one for him after all.’
Everybody else exchanged confused glances. I didn’t care. I grinned from ear to ear, so broadly it nearly split my head in two.
Eve tugged at my sleeve. ‘What the heck is he rambling on about?’
My grin broadened even more. ‘You’ll understand soon. Come. Let’s sit down and eat.’
It was one of the best meals of my life, not least because it was completely free and eaten in the company of my friends and family, who were, thank goodness, all safe and healthy. But the food itself was excellent, too. Just goes to show: you can be an arrogant, prejudicial asshole and still be a good cook.
‘Another helping of pie, Miss?’ the innkeeper asked, stepping up to the table with a gloomy expression on his face.
‘Yes, thank you. How very kind.’
‘For me as well,’ Karim said with a smile that showed all his teeth. ‘It really is excellent.’
‘How wonderful,’ the innkeeper groaned and trudged off.
Once again, the others at the table—except Edmund and Ella, who were in their own private, pink little world—gave me those strange looks that I’d been getting a lot recently Was it really so strange to them to see me taking charge?
You’ve grown, Lilly, I realized. Ever since that moment when you first stepped into the office of a certain business magnate in London, you’ve done a whole lot of growing.
Grinning, I stabbed my fork into a piece of roast beef. After all, a growing girl needed her food.
After dinner, Ella looked more than a little drowsy. So I ordered for the horses to be stabled, and Edmund and I helped her up to a comfy bedchamber, where soon she was snoring the day away. I had to admit, I was feeling more than a little sleepy myself. I hadn’t quite realized how much caring for Ella day after day after day had taken out of me. I had just enough strength left to find myself a bed before I collapsed and sank into warm, wonderfully downy darkness.
When I awoke, warm, red light filtered in through the windows. Yawning, I stretched. Dear me. I had slept half the day away. And that with Mr Ambrose waiting for me back in London. Hopefully he’d been patient and—
‘Well rested?’ came a cool voice from behind me.
Mr Ambrose patient?
Yep. I should probably have known better.
I turned to see a familiar tall, dark figure leaning against the door.
‘Oh. Um.’ I cleared my throat. ‘Yes, thank you.’
‘I cannot exactly say the same.’ Eyes glittering with a frost that would have sent sane people running, but only made me want to grab him and never let go, he stepped
towards me. ‘I was already in London, preparing a speech for my first encounter with your guardians. Imagine my surprise when one of my men arrived to inform me that my bride-to-be and her retinue were merrily feasting at a countryside inn, still several dozen miles from the city.’
‘It was lunchtime,’ I pointed out.
Mr Ambrose waved that argument away with the supreme confidence of a man who survived on money fumes alone.
‘I was waiting for you,’ he told me, his gaze burrowing into me with heart-wrenching intensity. I had to swallow to be able to speak.
‘I wasn’t about to starve myself and my family! Especially not my sister who, incidentally, is still recuperating from cholera. I may be in love, but I’m not daft. Unlike some people, I can distinguish between the two.’
‘You…you…!’
Without the slightest warning, he pounced. His arms came around me, pulling me up against him in a crushing embrace.
‘I love you!’
‘For being late?’ I whispered against his lips. ‘Dang! I wish I’d known that earlier. That would have been useful to know on work days during the last two years.’
He gave me a look telling me what exactly he thought of my humour—then kissed me again, long and hard.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ I gasped.
‘Correct,’ he agreed. ‘We should both be in London.’
‘That’s not what I meant! I thought we agreed that we’d talk to my uncle and aunt before….’
‘We did. I came in the back way.’
‘What for?’
Stormy, sea-coloured eyes captured mine. ‘To remind you of what’s waiting for you. And for this.’
One last time, he kissed me. Then he let go and pushed open the door, revealing a red-faced Karim standing guard outside.
‘Don’t leave me waiting too long, Miss Linton. Knowledge is power is time is money.’
And with that, he was gone.
*~*~**~*~*
Our coaches rolled into good old London town early next morning. A strange sense of déjà vu overtook me as we rattled over the cobblestones towards my uncle’s house. I half expected the door to be answered by my sister, giving me the news of Ella’s sickness, although she was sitting right beside me, smiling brightly at Edmund. It felt just like it had back then, with the eerie quiet, and the—