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‘Bryant?’
‘Yes, my Lord?’
‘Don’t ever question my orders again. Do you understand?’
There was another pause. I could practically feel the tension crackling in the air.
‘Yes, my Lord.’
‘But…’
‘Yes?
‘Since you are going to be in charge of questioning Miss Linton, I might as well tell you now. I want her because she has information. Whatever is visible on the surface, she is more than she seems to be. She appears to be acquainted with Mr Rikkard Ambrose.’
Another pause.
‘Oh.’
‘Indeed.’
‘I’m sorry, my Lord. I did not know that.’
‘Now you do. See that you keep it to yourself, or your days are numbered.’
Taking a deep breath, I started forward, and at the sound of my footsteps the whispering voices cut off. But I could feel them, behind the curtain, ahead of me - a dark force, waiting to reach out and grab me. Would they? Would they recognize me? Maybe I should have told the waiter to bring me a false moustache, too. Although that might have made him slightly more suspicious.
The curtain fluttered without a breeze. Sucking in a deep breath of air, I hastened my steps - and prepared to run.
Come on, Lilly! Just a few more steps, and you’re past the curtain!
Three, to be exact.
Two.
One…
The Bliss of Love
Zero.
Minus one.
Minus two.
Minus three.
Hey! I was counting negative numbers, and still walking! That meant they hadn’t jumped out to grab me! Yay! I was alive and free to rail against the injustice of patriarchy for another day! Huzzah!
Out of the corner of my eye, I had just caught a glimpse of them behind the curtain in passing: Dalgliesh’s golden hair, and the face of the other man, angular and darkened by sunlight. Obviously, they had not caught me looking. By now, I was nearly at the front door, and the curtain behind me did not rustle. No footsteps announced any unwelcome pursuers.
Except for two, that is.
‘Where can she have gone?’
‘I have no idea, Mrs Brank! One moment, she was there, right beside me, as happy as could be, and the next one she was gone!’
Oh, no, no, no! Please, God, not those two!
