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Only after the words were already out of my mouth did I realise I had spoken aloud.
Mr Ambrose cocked his head. ‘I didn’t say anything.’
‘I was talking to myself.’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘That makes for much more interesting and varied conversations than the ones I usually have with you.’
His left little finger twitched. Other than that. I got no answer. I met his gaze, challenging him.
‘So, what do you say? What about the two of us? What’s going to happen?’
His silence was really answer enough. We each wanted different things from the other. Neither of us was the type to give up. The lines had been drawn. Really, there remained only one thing to say: let the battle begin.
I nodded.
Mr Ambrose nodded.
The air between us crackled with tension. Who would make the first move?
We might have found out if not, at that very moment, a man had come dashing out from the woods, waving his hat in the air in a signal that I had seen Mr Ambrose’s men use before. Instantly, Mr Ambrose stiffened. In a second, he had placed himself between me and woods, sweeping me behind him.
‘What is the matter?’ I demanded.
‘I would very much like to know that myself, Miss Linton. He’s signalling danger. Stay where you are.’
The man ran towards us, coming to a panting halt a few yards away. Trying desperately to speak around his panting breaths, he supported himself with his hands on his knees.
‘Speak up, man!’ Mr Ambrose demanded. ‘What is it?’
The man glanced up, his face grim. He didn’t bow to his employer. He didn’t waste time with greetings or honorifics. He just rasped one single word.
‘Dalgliesh!’
Dark Promises
Had Mr Ambrose and I been arguing? I suddenly couldn’t remember or care. That one word, that name, tipped the whole world on its head. Our eyes met, and it was as if our disagreement had never existed. Suddenly, Mr Rikkard Ambrose and I were
on the same team, and we would fight fiercely till the end.
The end of anyone who was against us.
Oh Lilly, a voice whispered in my head. It doesn’t really matter whether you want to bind yourself to him or not. You already are. And you don’t even want to get free.
Squashing that rogue thought with all my might, I stepped up beside Mr Ambrose and took his hand. He gave mine a squeeze, and I squeezed back. No words were spoken - and yet, for once, I knew exactly what he was thinking.
I turned to the man who had come to warn us. ‘Fetch Karim. Tell him to come quickly and… no. No, don’t tell him that.’ An idea popped into my head and, suddenly, insanely, I had to smile. ‘Tell him it wasn’t me who invented Prince Fragrant Yellow Flower in the Happy Moonlight - but I know who did, and I might be willing to tell him.’
The man blinked at me. ‘P-pardon, Miss? Prince who?’ His gaze flickered to Mr Ambrose in an are-you-sure-she-has-all-of-her-marbles way.
He returned the man’s gaze with implacable force.
‘Do as she says.’
The man paled, turned on his heels and dashed off through the snow. Glancing over at me, Mr Ambrose cocked his head. ‘I believe Karim will be coming to meet us very quickly indeed.’
‘Yes, Sir. I believe he will, too.’
‘You have learned quite a lot about how to handle a man.’
‘Indeed I have, Sir.’ Smiling, I lifted one eyebrow at him. ‘And don’t you forget it.’
