Page 181 of Storm of Bells
‘A philosophy I can most heartily agree with,Sahiba.’
Reaching out, he, too, started helpinghimself to the interior of the safe. Soon, both our pockets werestuffed full to the brim, and the safe was as empty as the bankaccount of one of Mr Ambrose’s debtors. I had just pulled the lastenvelope full of documents out of the safe when, from somewhere inthe distance, I heard a dull gong.
Whirling around, I stared at the door. ‘Darn!What time is it?’
‘What time?’ Karim stared at me as if I’dlost my mind—or at least leased it out temporarily.‘Sahiba?’
‘What time! Tell me!’
Slipping his hand into his pocket, Karimpulled out a simple pewter pocket watch. ‘It’s just about noon,why?’
‘Bloody hell!’ I smacked my forehead. ‘Thatmeans it’s time for lunch!’
Karim’s bushy eyebrows drew together. ‘Sowhat? All the servants will be gathered in the servant’s dininghall, cut off from the rest of the house. It’ll make it all theeasier for us to slip outside.’
‘Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear enough,’I said, taking a deep breath and pointing a finger at the proneform of the cook on the floor, still wrapped in the curtain. ‘It’stime forlunch.’
Karim’s eyes widened. ‘Oh.’
‘Ohis right! I have a suspicion hisabsence in the kitchen will be noticed rather promptly.’ Dashingover to the door, I pushed it open just a crack and peeked out intothe corridor—only to slam it shut again instantly. ‘Damn! The wholeplace is already swarming with servants! What are we going todo?’
‘Sometimes,Sahiba, the most directroute is the best.’
Before I could even ask what the heck hemeant, Karim leapt over to the window, grabbed a pillow from anarmchair to wrap his hand in, and punched. With a crack, the glasssplintered outward. A few well-placed shoves, and the remnants ofthe pane fell onto the ground outside.
‘Are you crazy?’ I hissed. ‘If theyheard—’
‘Then we’d better move quickly, hadn’twe?’
Grumbling, I marched towards the window andswung my leg over the sill. It was just about a yard to the ground,and no one was visible outside, but it was a long way to thewoods—open country, where anyone glancing out of the windows couldcatch sight of us. The stables on the other hand…
My eyes drifted to the stable doors, judgingthe distance.
‘Come!’ Gesturing to Karim, I slid along thehouse wall, ducking out of sight under the windows whenever therewas a break in the wall. Karim was close on my heels.
‘Where are you going?’ Karim demanded.
‘To the stables,’ I informed him. ‘Nowlisten. Here’s what we’re going to do…’
I explained, quickly and succinctly. Twominutes later when we entered the stables, I was limping,supporting myself with one arm around Karim’s shoulders. One of thestable lads, just in the process of rubbing down a magnificentblack stallion, turned towards us at the noise, and his eyes wentwide.
‘M-my Lady? Sir? How…who…?’
‘Oh, thank goodness!’ I gave the stable handmy most magnificently misleading smile. ‘I’m so glad we found akind gentleman such as you!’
‘G-gentleman?’
‘Of course! You know how to treat a lady,don’t you?’ I batted my eyelashes up at him.
‘C-certainly, My Lady!’
‘That’s so good to hear! My servant and Iwere coming up the road and I had a little accident. Unfortunately,I ended up twisting my ankle. Do you think your master wouldpossibly allow me to rest for a little while up at the house, whilesomeone is sent for a doctor?’
The young man blushed to the roots of hishair. ‘I…I’m afraid my master ain’t at home, My Lady.’
‘Oh.’ I made sure that my face fell at leastthree miles down a steep cliff. ‘Then…what am I to do? The pain…I…Idon’t think I could stand for much longer.’
‘Err…um…’ The poor young man looked around,nibbling on his lower lip like a terrified little bunny. Suddenly,his face lit up. ‘I know! I could lend you one of the master’shorses. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.’
