Page 91 of New Storm Rising
“I assure you, Mrs Ambrose, my father was married at the time of my conception.”
My grin widened. “Were you an eyewitness?”
A moment passed in silence.
“No.”
“My case rests.” Reaching out, I grabbed hold of him, clutching tight. “Son of a bachelor!”
“Mrs Ambrose?”
“Yes?”
“Let go of my derriere.”
“Do I have to?”
“Let go this instant, or I will lock up all your chocolate and throw away the key.”
“Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir!”
Just then, Karim came striding over towards the two of us, inclining his head. “Orders, AmbroseSahib?”
“Oh yes.” I nodded firmly before Mr Ambrose could even open his mouth. “We must get you out of here quickly. We’ve got to protect you!”
The massive Mohammedan blinked. He glanced down at the huge sabre hanging at his side, then looked up again. “Protect…me?”
“Oh yes.” I glanced up innocently at Mr Ambrose. “You’re so innocent and fragile, an innocent that must be protected from the harshness of this world. It’s very important, Sir, wouldn’t you agreemmmmmph!”
From behind me, Mr Ambrose tightened his grip over my mouth.
“She’s overwhelmed by distress,” Mr Ambrose stated, staring meaningfully at his bodyguard. “Quick, help me get her home. And don’t takeanythingshe says seriously.”
“Yes,Sahib! As you command,Sahib!”
“Mmmphmphmph! Mnnnmph!”
“Let’s go!”
With only one lamp, and so many people following in the dark, it took quite a while for us to reach the end of the tunnel. Admittedly, it took longer than it might have had Mr Ambrose not been trying to keep his hand over the mouth of a certain struggling female who was currently trying her best to headbutt him, but one didn’t need to pay attention to little details like that, did one?
Finally, we emerged from the tunnel beyond the mountain, and he came to a stop, settling me down on the ground. I contemplated punching the blasted man in the gut for a moment—then, for the sake of my poor fist, decided against it.
“So,” I enquired, tugging on his lapels in a way that made it abundantly clear he would be in for it later, “what the heck was that?”
“That is a good question, Mrs Ambrose.”
“Didn’t you say they were going to try and beat us with lawful means?”
“Indeed.” His eyes flashed dangerously. “It appears they have a rather liberal interpretation of the word ‘lawful’. More liberal than I am willing to tolerate.”
“So…what are we going to do?”
“For now? Nothing. Let them think they’ve won a victory by forcing a fake door shut. Meanwhile…”
“Yes?”
“Let’s just say this new development doesn’t exactly hinder my plans. Quite the contrary, in fact.” A cold glint entered his eyes. “People who take the law into their own hands often find that they’re holding something far too heavy to handle. I have a feeling these Spanish gentlemen and their lapdog are going to discover this fact very, very soon. And I think I want to be there when it happens.” He held out his hand. “We’ve been on our honeymoon for quite a while now, and yet have spent most of the time inside the house. Care to come on a little excursion, wife?”
