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Karim’s eyes flared with hellfire. ‘You. Don’t. Know?’
‘Not really, no.’
Silence.
An even longer one.
‘It is a rather peculiar mix of oriental languages,’ Mr Ambrose offered in a tone he somehow managed to keep cool and unaffected, ‘But, roughly translated, it means something like Prince Fragrant Yellow Flower in the Happy Moonlight, heir to the Principality of Rubbish.’
‘Oh.’
Privately, I had to applaud Adaira’s ingenuity. I hadn’t thought she had it in her. The two of us really should get to know each other better.
Karim, however, did not seem to share my appreciation for creative name-giving. He started cursing in his native tongue.
‘Sahib, may I remove that dissembling female’s tongue with hot irons?’
Thoughtful silence. Mr Ambrose stroked his chin, apparently contemplating the merits of the idea.
‘Hey!’ I jabbed a finger into his ribs, and nearly broke my finger. Damn! Why did every inch of him have to be so hard? ‘Answer! A simple “no” will do!’
‘I am simply doing what you requested, Mr Linton - not being overprotective, leaving you the freedom to deal with things on your own.’
/> ‘You’re allowed to be protective when your own bodyguard threatens to remove my tongue!’
‘May I? How fortunate.’ Turning to Karim, he gave a small shake of the head. ‘Not today, Karim.’
The bodyguard uttered an oath and, turning, marched outside - probably to vent his wrath on some poor, unsuspecting apple tree. I, for my part, stepped close to Mr Ambrose and, rising to my tiptoes, whispered into his ear: ‘That was not exactly the indignant refusal I was hoping for.’
‘Indeed, Miss Linton?’
‘Yes indeed, Sir!’
‘Well…’ Whirling, he caught my shoulders in his hands. Before I could resist he had pushed me back into an alcove, behind the statue of a Greek god who looked almost handsome enough to be Mr Ambrose’s ugly little brother. ‘Maybe I’ll rephrase my order, then.’ His cold gaze speared, making a shiver run down my spine. ‘If you prove generous in keeping our deal today.’
Breathless, I swallowed. ‘Our…our deal?’
‘Yes.’ Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against mine, and the shiver became a slow burn of need. ‘Our deal.’
Oh. That deal.
‘Well, Sir,’ I breathed, taking in the delicious scent of him - the scent of man, money and power. ‘I shall be most happy to fulfil my side of the bargain.’
‘Adequate.’
He pushed me deeper into the shadows, and began taking his payment for the day. And it was so very, very adequate.
*~*~**~*~*
The days that followed were probably some of the happiest of my life. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Captain Carter was still breathing. Even more astonishing, Mr Ambrose had shown he was capable of bending, allowing the aforementioned activity of the captain to continue, and thereby giving me true hope for the future. And - best of all - Karim was still being ambushed by females at regular intervals, who were so eager to meet Prince Utairah Jafri fi al Qurram Qumrah III. And if you think I should have listed my blossoming romance with Rikkard Ambrose under ‘best of all’, you have never seen Karim trying to defend himself against a pack of husband-hunting young ladies. Ah, the joys of love…
Plus, in addition the immense entertainment value, the continuing rumours about the noble heir to the mighty and ancient Principality of Rubbish had the added benefit of redirecting the hyenas’ attention away from Mr Ambrose. Lady Caroline and her cohorts were a lot less persistent in their pursuit now that a ‘prince’ was available. I had no doubt that eventually they would figure out the truth. In the meantime, however, it was highly amusing to watch them make complete fools of themselves.
Mr Ambrose, however, was less pleased by Karim’s sudden popularity with the ladies. A bodyguard could not do very effective bodyguarding while he was being chased across the grounds by a pack of young females. I decided to neglect mentioning to my dear employer that his little sister had been the one who originally come up with the idea. The poor girl had enough to deal with as it was. Besides, the more Karim was occupied, the more time Mr Ambrose and I could spend alone to…discuss business.
Personal business.
As I said, those days were some of the happiest of my life.
