Page 257 of Storm over the Caribbean
Taking a deep breath, I forced the raging flame within me to calm.
“Mrs Ambrose?”
“Yes?”
“Silence!”
“Yes, Mr Ambrose, Sir! Right away, Mr Ambrose, Sir!”
“And…”
“Yes, Sir?”
“When we return home to London, I will give you my tailcoat for some needlework.”
The horrified expression on her face was most gratifying. Having suffered under her “cooking” for several days, I was very much looking forward to my revenge. What a pity that, on an uninhabited island, I had no shirts to iron or dishes to wash.
It was only by the time I had already returned to the cave, skinned the prey and drained it of blood that I remembered I could have left all of that to my wife.
Was…was I…becoming a househusband?
No! No, no, absolutely not!
Right?
Of course you aren’t. After all, this is a cave, not a house.
That was not the kind of argument I found particularly reassuring. Silencing that voice whispering in my mind that sounded suspiciously like my wife, I returned to the work of preparing dinner. Hm…what could I use for seasoning around here?
***
Days on the island passed by in such a manner.
No, not just with me cooking!
I also took care of the hunting, water-fetching, keeping the cave clean…
Why am I doing all this again?
“Say…” With a smile that seared a path straight to my soul, Lillian sidled up to me and trailed a single finger down my chest that was clearly visible through my half-open shirt, over my bare, heated skin. “You wouldn’t have any objections to my taking this shirt off, would you? I’ve heard that, in tropical climates, it’s unhealthy to wear too much clothing.”
Ah, right. That’s why.
Inside of me, fire raged through my veins. Yet, on the outside, I remained perfectly cold and composed. My eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “From whom, pray, did you hear that?”
“From myself. Talking with myself can be most informative.”
I felt my little finger twitch. “Why, Mrs Ambrose, am I not surprised?”
“Because you know me well?” She suggested with a big smile that didn’t even contain a hint of shame. Her fingers tickled my chest casually, and she leaned forward till our faces were almost touching. “Now…what about taking that shirt off?”
I felt my spine stiffen. My very British, non-exhibitionist spine. “Mrs Ambrose! We are out in the open! In plain view!”
“Ah, yes.” As she leaned forward, her smile morphed into a foxy grin. A grin formed with lips that were moving closer and closer, until they nearly touched mine. “But that’s the amazing thing about being stranded on an uninhabited island. No one can see you.”
That is not the point!
“Mrs Ambrose…Lillian…”
