“Let’s go.” Still leaning against him, I walked along the corridor, then another flight of stairs.
We stopped on flat ground. There must be light shining from somewhere because the air was warmer there than it’d been upstairs. The noise of working hinges rose, then the sound of footsteps and voices hit my ears. I was itching to take a peek, but seemingly reading my mind, Rennie held my hands in his grip.
“Be patient.”
I relaxed in his hold. Those hands enveloped mine firmly, but gently, sending a delicious sensation up my legs. A combination of English and Arabic echoed. There were people living underground, and judging by the noise, there were many of them. Rennie exchanged a few more words in Arabic with a man and led me onwards.
“Where are we?” I asked, tilting my head to hear better.
“Sit here. There’s a lady who will keep you company.” He sat me down.
“A lady?” My rear touched the padding of a soft cushion on the floor. “Are you going to leave me?”
“Not for long.” He caressed my jaw with so much tenderness I wanted to moan. “See you later. No pun intended.” He laughed, but I sneered at him.
A door closed, and I found myself alone and in the dark. I was about to rip the blindfold from my face when footfalls padded closer.
“Good afternoon,” a feminine voice said next to me. “I’m Ife.” She spoke perfect English with a lovely, musical lilt I could listen to for hours.
“Hello, Ife.” I turned in the general direction of the voice. “I’m Monia.”
“Would you like some tea?”
“Yes, please.”
There was some shuffling around and the jingling of cups and saucers.
“Here you are. Be careful, it’s hot.” Ife took my hands and gave me a warm cup.
“Thank you.” The scent of cinnamon and jasmine filled the air. I sipped the delicious tea while Ife remained quiet. Taken by a sudden inspiration, I asked, “Is this the Royal Occult Bureau?”
She coughed. “I can’t say anything about what this place is. I’m sorry.” The words came out too quickly.
Ha! But she’d already answered. Not that her answer gave me any further clue. She could say we were in Buckingham Palace, and it would be the same for me. I tried to remove the blindfold, but Ife stopped me with a gentle hand.
“Please, I’ll be in trouble if you remove the blindfold.”
Dash it. She said the only thing that would stop me. I didn’t want her to be punished because of me. Same old, same old. So I sipped my tea quietly.
At my third cup of tea, the need to visit the lady’s room grew, but the door opened, and two pairs of footsteps approached.
“Monia, it’s me,” Rennie said close to me. “We’re going back to the ship.”
“Already? But I haven’t done anything here.” I lowered the cup, hoping not to spill the tea.
“It’s all right.” He sounded even closer. “We need to leave.”
Oddly enough, the sound of his voice rained a sense of calm over me. Although tension was radiating from him.
“Of course.”
He took my hands and pulled me up. “A man is here. He’ll come on board with us,” he whispered.
“Miss Fitzwilliam,” a male voice said in English. “I’m Mr Oliver George, and I’ll help Rennie catch the man who attacked you.”
He kissed my hand. I didn’t trust men whose surname was another name because it was jolly confusing.
Rennie’s hand replaced Oliver’s. “That’s enough, Oliver.” He folded my hand over his chest where I could feel the steady thump of his heart. “Let’s go, shall we?”
