The Final Storm

23. Capturing the Spy

Not that she was going to. That would only encourage the rogue!

"Of course I did!" Slamming her small fist into his chest, she stared up at his face angrily. Or maybe at his left ear. In the dark, it was bloody hard to tell! "Of course I missed you! Do you know how worried I've been for you all this time? Why did you go to this place anyway? Isn't life in rainy old England good enough for you?"

"My apologies." The sincerity of those words and the gentle touch of his hand and her cheek made all the anger drain out of her. "I didn't exactly expect a war to break out the moment I set foot in India. To be honest, I'm rather curious to know who is responsible for this whole thing exploding so suddenly."

"Oh. Um." Adaira felt her face flush tomato-red, and was suddenly intensely glad for the darkness. This was probably a bad time to mention it was set off by her brother because of her, right?

"Adaira?" His fingers cupped her cheek. "Are you all right? You sound a little off."

"Completely and perfectly all right! Now..." Sliding an arm around his waist, Adaira pulled him closer—which was quite a feat in the tiny space that was hardly big enough for the both of them. "...where were we?"

"Ehem." Captain Carter's voice suddenly sounded a little hoarse. "I...I thought you weren't in the mood?"

"I might have changed my mind." Also, I'd prefer you not to know that I accidentally set off a massive war and nearly offed you in the process. But who cares about those little details? Standing up on the tips of her toes, Adaira brushed her lips against Captain Carter's stubbly cheek. "Do you mind?"

"Not in the least." Abruptly, Adaira felt her legs being swept out from under her. The next moment, she was bent backward like a princess at a ball about to receive a kiss from Prince Charming, and she could feel her man's hot breath on her face. It sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine.

"Now," he growled. "Let's—"

That was when the door opened, blinding them with bright, golden light. Light that silhouetted a small, familiar figure in the doorway, who was staring right at them.

There was a moment of silence.

Then...

The little merchant cleared his throat.

"Um...Am I interrupting something?"

"No, of course not," Captain Carter commented in a voice that was far too chipper for Adaira's taste. He was still holding her in the same position, as if he would lay a kiss on her at any moment. "We were just about to start a dance in this magnificent ballroom, can't you tell? We would be happy for some company! Especially some dancers and musicians."

Adaira hurriedly righted herself and smacked her man in the back of the head. "Shut up, you!"

"Inherited your family's fascination with taciturnity, have you?" He sighed. "I suppose it was unavoidable. There go my hopes of not taking vows of silence at the altar."

Adaira contemplated giving him another slap in the back of the head, this time with a wooden club. In the end, she decided not to. After all, she didn't have a wooden club.

"Ehem." The captain's military survival instincts must have kicked in, because he hurriedly let go of her and stepped out of reach. "Am I to understand that the rebellious gentlemen have left?"

The portly little man nodded contentedly. "They have indeed. A few of them got a bit rowdy towards the end, but their leader reined them in quickly enough. He seemed eager to get back to the barracks without encountering one of his superiors."