Page 77 of Storm of Bells
Ten minutes later, Mr Chadwick of Chadwick ofChadwick, Millerstone and Chadwick left, considerably fuller ofchocolate cake, but empty of money or answers. Leaning back in mychair, I gave Adaira an admiring smile.
‘Heck, you’ve got the stuff, girl! Maybe weshould hire you after all.’
Adaira grinned. ‘Glad to hear you’resatisfied with my service, Mr Linton. Do I get another piece ofcake?’
‘Take as much as you want. In fact, you—’
Aplinkfrom next door interrupted me.Glancing around, I pushed back my chair. ‘Excuse me. Duty calls.Well, actually it wrote a note, but who gives a fig.’
Hurrying over into the steaming sauna of hellthat used to be my office, I threw just one glance at a happilywhistling Mr Stone, who was just ironing his twenty-second pair oftrousers, before I reached down and picked up the latest missivefrom Ambrose the Mighty.
Mr Linton,
Ready to give up yet?
Rikkard Ambrose
Picking up a pen, I smiled and scribbled:
Dearest most beloved Mr Ambrose,
Oh, I think I can still stand the hellishtorment for a while.
Yours sincerely,
Lillian Linton
Then I hurried back outside and plopped myself backinto the chair.
‘Now…where were we?’
‘In front of a delicious chocolate cake.’
‘Ah, yes! Exactly.’
***
The next few days were some of the mostamusing days of my life. Mr Rikkard Ambrose unleashed the full furyof housewifely duties on poor Mr Victor Linton. Baking, dusting,tidying up, cooking, washing up, sewing, steam cleaning, and last,but certainly not least, steamrolling.
Well…regarding the last one, he definitelytried. However, no matter what kind of fiendish, impossibletasks Mr Ambrose came up with for Mr Victor Linton to accomplish,for some reason, Miss Lillian Linton was not particularlybothered.
Plink.
Lazily, I opened one eyebrow. With a yawn Ipulled my legs off Mr Stone’s desk and ambled over into my office.A new message awaited me there.
Mr Linton,
A new load of my laundry has arrived. Beprepared.
Rikkard Ambrose
Swiftly, I penned a reply.
Dearest most beloved Mr Ambrose,
So far, I have counted two hundred andforty-three shirts, an equal number of trousers, sixty-seventailcoats, eighty-five vests and twenty handkerchiefs. It isinteresting to note that all were of varying sizes. It is nothealthy to gain and lose weight that fast. Perhaps you should see adoctor. Or…could it possibly be that they are not, in fact, allyours?
Your loving fiancée,
