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‘What?’ Blinking, I looked at Mr Ambrose. He was breathing heavily, but his gaze was steady as he looked at me.
‘I can see the cogs moving in your head, Miss Linton. Don’t ask. Not me, and most especially not Karim.’
‘But—’
‘Just don’t. For me.’
Damn him! Why did he have to put it like that? Why couldn’t he simply have ordered me around like usual? Then I’d have had no problem disobeying!
Sudden movement up in the inn drew my eyes and attention back to the window. The roasted aristocrat was rushing around, throwing things here and there, pulling on clothes and shouting commands I couldn’t hear. Karim was still standing there, massive and threatening as a Himalayan mountain peak. The governor-general must not have suspected a thing, or he wouldn’t be turning his back on the bodyguard like that.
Keep your fingers off your sabre, Karim! Come on. You can do it! Just a few more minutes.
Somewhere in the inn, a door slammed. Moments later, a sleepy fellow in a rumpled coachman’s uniform rushed out of the front door and started dragging a couple of equally sleepy horses out of the stable.
Yes! It’s working! Please, please let it work!
‘Miss…Miss Linton?’
Instantly, my head whirled back to Mr Ambrose. ‘Yes?’
‘I think…I…’
Silence.
And not of the comforting, cold, spine-chilling type.
‘Mr Ambrose?’
No answer.
‘Mr Ambrose, stay awake!’
Silence.
‘Stay awake, damn you! Stay with me.’
Still
no answer.
All right. Maybe I needed a different strategy.
‘Don’t you dare waste time sleeping! There’s work to be done!’
His eyelids fluttered. Yes!
‘The early bird gets the worm! Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!’
One eyelid rose.
‘Miss Linton?’
‘Yes?’
‘Stop trying to annoy me with silly proverbs.’
Taking hold of his chin, I raised his head until he had no choice but to look straight into my eyes.
