I froze.
Swallowing, I looked into his deep, dark, sea-coloured eyes as his words echoed in my ears.
"When were you going to tell me that my sister is on board this ship?"
He knew. He knew everything. Deathly silence descended over the room. Even the sound of Adaira's cutlery in the background had ceased completely.
"H-how?"
Mr Ambrose's eyes narrowed infinitesimally. Raising one hand, he pointed in the direction of the dear Widow Wagoner.
"I have spent years living with my little sister, sleeping under the same roof, eating at the same table. She always cuts the crust off her bread. She prefers apple juice over any other drink. She has a sweet tooth like no one else." He pointed at various dishes full of biscuits and chocolates that, I only now realised, were not only present on our table, but on Adaira's as well. Then his finger moved to the next plate, which was left almost untouched. "And she absolutely hates lobster. So, apparently, does our new governess. What a coincidence."
Rising to his feet, he strode over to where the "grieving widow" was seated, reached out, and with one smooth move tore off her veil. When Adaira's face came into view, she looked as if she had been caught with her hands in a dozen different cookie jars.
"Um...hello there, big brother. Fancy meeting you here. I—"
One long finger stabbed at her nose, silencing her instantly.
"Not one more word out of you, young lady. I shall deal with you later. Now, as for you..."
Slowly, he turned back towards me, his icy eyes piercing my very soul.
"Come along, my dear wife. I would like to have a little talk with you."
I swallowed. "Are you sure you mean 'talk', not 'interrogation'?"
"Is there any difference?"
And with those cheerful words, he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and dragged me into the captain's cabin. In retrospect, I could only say: romantic dinners are overrated!
Wham!
The door of the captain's cabin slammed shut behind us with a thunderous sound. Nervously, I glanced up at the tall figure towering above me. Why did I suddenly feel like a hapless virgin about to be despoiled by the pirate captain?
This is Mr Rikkard Ambrose, remember? He was a pirate just a few months ago. He'll probably despoil you, steal all your money and sell you for ransom.
"So," Mr Ambrose finally broke the silence in the room, pinning me to the spot with that arctic gaze of his. "An explanation. Now."
I opened my mouth, searching for the right words—then closed it again as I realised it was really hard to find some of those right now. Blast!
"I am waiting, Mrs Ambrose." His eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "You should know, I am not a patient man."
Once again, I opened my mouth. But, in the end, what came out was not an explanation. Instead, it was a whispered question.
"For...for how long have you known?"
"I suspected from the very beginning." Cocking his head, he sent me a deep look. "This is my sister we are talking about. Did you really think I wouldn't recognize her? I've had my suspicions since the first moment I saw 'Mrs Wagoner'."
Bloody stinking hell! And you didn't say anything?
I had to hold myself back from facepalming. Of course he didn't say anything. That was Mr Rikkard Ambrose.
"The discussion earlier, the dinner...you did it for a purpose, didn't you?"
My husband gave a curt nod. "Indeed. I was curious what you would say. After all, there is hardly a reason to go to India if Adaira is already right there with us, is there?"
Raising my chin, I glared at him. "Then why the charade? Why pretend to ask me for my opinion?"
His arctic eyes drilled into my very soul, causing my glare to whither. "I wanted to give you a chance. To see if you would tell me the truth, or if you would continue to lie to me."
Any anger I might have felt vanished into thin air. What right did I have to feel anger? Wasn't it me who was at fault? Wasn't it me who had deceived him? My heart plummeted. But not nearly as much as it did a moment later when he stepped up to me and cupped my face with incomparable gentleness. When he spoke, his voice was soft, but his eyes were colder than I had ever seen them.
"Now I just want to know: why? Why didn't you tell me?"
Those gentle words...they cut like knives. I would have probably preferred it if he had shouted at me. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, but still I raised my chin to meet his chilly gaze. Unable to stop myself, I let the truth spill out. "Because, if I were in Adaira's shoes, I would do anything to rescue the man I love. I couldn't take that chance away from her. Not if I would have fought tooth and nail to get you back if you were the one in danger!"
The moment my words ended, I lowered my gaze, waiting for his judgement. But when, after several long seconds, none came, I couldn't help but look up—only to see him stand there, thunderstruck. The arctic look in his eyes had completely disappeared, to be replaced with a stare so fierce it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"Wha—"
That single syllable was all I got out before he pulled me into his arms and laid a kiss on me that took my breath away.
"My little ifrit..." He growled against my lips. "Why do you always. Have. To. Be. So. Infuriating?!"
Warmth spread through my heart as I melted against him, a weight that I hadn't really noticed before vanishing from my shoulder. "Because that's the way you love me?"
"Don't you dare think this means you'll get off scot-free!"
"Naturally. I'm not Scottish, I'm a respectable English lady."
"You...! Come here!"
Grabbing hold of my face with both hands, he pulled me into another fierce kiss, pouring every bit of his rage into it. To be honest, if this was how he was going to take his anger out on me, I didn't really mind.
Besides...he had reason to be angry. I had hurt him.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"I know."
"Doesn't mean I regret it, though."
"I know," he growled, tightening his grip on me.
"Everyone has the right to decide their own path in life, you know." Reaching up, I gently cupped his cheek. "Even the women you care about."
"Debatable."
"Oh?" I cocked an eyebrow. "You want to debate feminism with me? Are you sure about that?"
Catching my chin in his hand, he pinned me to the spot. His lips caressed mine as I slowly lost myself in his unfathomable eyes.
"A debate? I prefer..." A soft kiss brushed against my lips. "...silent communication."
I had to admit, that did sound intriguing.
"Then..." Wetting my lips, I glanced up at him from below my eyelashes. "Why don't we communicate for a little bit?"
"Acceptable."
Before I knew what was happening, I found myself being swept up and carried towards the luxurious bed in the corner that put the meaning of the word "bunk bed" to shame. A moment later, the cabin was filled with the creaking of a mattress. If there were any other sounds, they were drowned out by the sound of the waves crashing against the side of the ship.
***
Adaira sat in the dining room, anxiously chewing on her lip. In front of her, sat her meal, almost completely untouched. Most likely, she had chewed more on her lower lip than on her food today. But right now, she couldn't bring herself to care. Glancing between the door through which her brother and Lilly had disappeared and her brother's bodyguard in the corner, she hesitated.
Should she...? Would she even be allowed to...?
Oh, to hell with it!
"Oh my God! Oh...!" Uttering a painful moan, Adaira bent over.
The big Mohammedan immediately stepped over. "Something wrong, Adaira Sahiba?"
"Yes, I think he pooped." And before Karim could escape, she plopped Berty into his arms. "Be a darling and take care of it, will you?"
"Naraka dē badabūdāra ṭō'ē! Adaira Sahiba, what the—"
"Well, I have some things to do. Till later, bye!"
And she skedaddled.
"Hey! You cannot just—"
That was the last thing she heard before the thick double-door of the room shut behind her. Striding across the deck, she headed towards one of the nearby sailors.
"Pardon, but do you know where my brother and my sister-in-law went?"
"Err...yes." For some reason, the man's ears turned red. "But I don't think right now is a good—"
"Tell me!"
"Um...they went into that cabin over there. But like I said, it's probably not the right ti—"
Not bothering to listen to the rest of what he had to say, Adaira turned around and marched across the deck. She didn't have a minute to waste. Before this, she had never really seen her brother and Lilly quarrel. And now, the first time that it happened, it happened because of her? If their marriage suffered because of this, because of her, she would never forgive herself.
Adaira's pace quickened. After just a minute or two, she arrived at her goal, reached for the doorknob—and suddenly hesitated.
Her brother had looked very angry earlier. Or rather, he had looked icy and emotionless in a way that made her think he was very angry. If...if she disturbed him, would he take his anger out on her? After all, this whole thing was her fault.
But if you don't go, won't he take his anger out on Lilly instead?
No. No, he wouldn't, right? She was his wife. He loved her. He would never—
"Aaah!"
Adaira froze.
That sound...she must have misheard, right? It couldn't be that her brother actually—
"Oooh!"
There it was again! That tortured, painful groan. Oh my God! That was Lilly! What was happening in there?
Suddenly, Adaira's face paled as a horrible possibility occurred to her. Lilly, groaning?! Had...had her brother actually hurt her? No! No, he wouldn't do that, would he? He was always so calm, so composed! Besides, he was a good man, deep down!
Really, really deep down.
Hopefully.
"Aaaaagh!" Came another agonised wail from beyond the door.
Immediately, Adaira's back straightened. What the hell was her devil of a brother doing to the poor woman? She could not just stand idly by and listen! She had to put a stop to this immediately! Taking a deep breath, she reached out for the doorknob—
—only for her hand to be grabbed by a much larger, significantly hairier one.
"Do not, Sahiba!" a growl entered her ear.
Half-turning around, Adaira glared up at Karim. "Let go of me! I've got to put a stop to this! I've got to save—"
"Ohh...yes!" came a sudden shout from beyond the door. "Yes please! Just like that!"
For a moment, Adaira stood frozen.
"Ehem...on second thought, let's not disturb them right now."
"Agreed, Sahiba."
"Let's go back and clean Berty's bottom, shall we?"
"A magnificent idea, Sahiba."
***
Next morning, my husband and I were sitting at the breakfast table, eating breakfast and trying to avoid looking at each other. We were also trying to avoid looking at the waiters. Judging by their reddish ears, our "silent communication" last night had not been quite as silent as intended.
I decided to break the ice. It shouldn't be too difficult, right? All I had to do was say something smart, interesting and original.
"Um...nice weather we're having, aren't we?"
Great job, Lilly. Really great job.
"Indeed." He sent me a deep look, taking in my figure from top to bottom. "Very nice."
Then again, maybe I hadn't said the wrong thing after all. I smiled at him, and the look he sent me in return did not freeze me to death on the spot. That was promising. The tension between us had by no means entirely disappeared, but we both knew it wouldn't be long. It was quite amazing what a night of not-so-silent communication could achieve.
"Waaah waaah!"
Blinking, I glanced down at the third Ambrose in the room, whose presence had momentarily slipped my mind.
"Oh, I almost forgot about you, Berty darling. Of course, you can have breakfast, too." Shooing the wait staff out of the room, I unbuttoned my dress and pulled Berty closer—just not entirely close enough. "Just say 'Mama' and you can have as much as you want."
My husband narrowed his eyes infinitesimally. "Mrs Ambrose...are you blackmailing our infant son?"
"What, me? Of course not! I'm just...properly motivating him?" Innocently batting my eyelashes, I smiled down at Berty. "Come on, sweety. Say 'Mama'."
"Papa!" Berty happily announced. "Papapapa!"
My eyebrows twitched—then I sighed in resignation. I suppose I should consider this my lack of honesty, shouldn't I? Grumbling to myself about disloyal sons, I pulled Berty the rest of the way to my chest and held him close. After a while, the greedy little bugger seemed to have had enough, and I buttoned up my dress again. Just when I was finished and had started digging into my own breakfast, Mr Ambrose's words interrupted me.
"Mrs Ambrose...have you seen Adaira?"
I glanced around and noticed he was correct. Unlike last night, Adaira was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm afraid not. At least not since she handed me Berty. For some reason, she was all red in the face and ran away quickly." A slight frown marred my brow. "Maybe she feels guilty for deceiving you?"
"Hm. Indeed?"
"If so, she is probably hiding at the opposite end of the ship."
***
Cautiously, Adaira tip-toed towards the breakfast room. Or was it breakfast cabin? To be honest, all that mattered right now was that her stomach was growling and she was hungry. She had tried to stay away from her brother and his wife as long as she could, but...they shouldn't do "that" during breakfast, right?
Well, better to be sure, just in case.
Careful not to make any sound, she bent down and pressed her ear to the key-hole.
***
"...hiding at the opposite end of the ship."
"Is she, now?" Mr Ambrose's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Well, not that it matters now."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lifting a slice of bread covered with a hair's breadth of butter and nothing else, he took a bite and cocked his head. "Now that I know Adaira is safe, there is no way we will continue to India. In fact, the moment we are finished with our meal, I shall order the first mate to turn the ship around and head back to England."
I swallowed.
"But..."
"But what, Mrs Ambrose?"
"Adaira might not agree. Captain Carter—"
"—is none of my concern." His deep, dark eyes darkened a little further, coming to rest on my wedding ring. "Is he any of yours?"
One of my eyebrows rose. "You know, just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't have male friends I care about."
"Yes, it does."
I opened my mouth—then closed it again, deciding to drop this line of argument. Considering who I was up against, it was probably for the best.
"Anyway, it is not because of me that I care. It's because of your sister. You aren't going to tell me that she, too, isn't allowed to have feelings for... What am I thinking, of course that's exactly what you're telling me, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
I hesitated. "You mean...we're just going to leave him there?"
He gave me a look that was more quizzical than anything else. "You do remember that back when that man was pursuing you, I tried to have him purposefully shipped off into a warzone, don't you? Now that he conveniently already is inside one without me having to expend any time or money, why would I raise a finger to save him?"
I covered my eyes with one hand. For a moment, I had almost forgotten who I was talking to.
"So, what you're saying is that we aren't going to lift a finger?"
"Oh, I can lift a finger." To demonstrate, he lifted the little finger of his left hand. "But I cannot allow you to set foot on Indian soil, let alone my little sister. I would rather lock her in the brig and throw the key overboard."
I was about to open my mouth to object when, suddenly, someone else did it for me. The door flew open, and a furious grim reaper stalked into the room. Or maybe Adaira. I couldn't really be sure under all that black.
"Don't you dare!" she hissed, stabbing a finger in her brother's direction. "Don't. You. Dare!"
He cocked his head. "I can also keep the key safely in my pocket, if you prefer."
"Not the point!" Fuming, she stalked towards him. Halfway there, she tore the veil from her face, revealing the blazing fire in her eyes. "Let me explain something to you, Rick. As an older brother, it may be difficult for you to understand, but please do try your best to listen: You. Cannot. Tell. Me. What. To. Do. I am a woman with my own mind, and can make my own decisions, because I am no longer the little girl you used to know. I am an adult and I. Have. Free. Will!"
"Do you also have the property deed of this ship? Because if you don't, I am still in charge here."
"That is not the point either!
"Ah. Then maybe the point is that you are not yet, in fact, an adult? Because legally, you are still underage."
"That...that..."
Adaira kept opening and closing her mouth, yet no sound came out anymore. When she finally started to speak again, her voice was much smaller, yet it was as hard as iron.
"No matter how much you try, you will not stop me. This is something I am going to do. Something I must do, whether you like it or not."
"And just because you want to do this, you're going to put us all in danger?" Eyes as cold as ice bored into Adaira. "My wife is on this ship! A wife who, incidentally, I thought you were good friends with."
"The two of you weren't even supposed to be here! I was supposed to go alone! If not for Lilly, I—"
She cut herself off, biting her lip.
His whole body stiffened. "If it weren't for Lilly you what?"
Uh-oh.
Out of precaution, I hurriedly shifted my chair backward a little, away from the brother and sister and out of the danger zone.
Adaira took a deep breath. "I...I would long have been on my way to India. The only reason I'm on this ship is because I told her if she wouldn't take me along, I would go by myself, and she knew you wouldn't want me to be in danger, you bloody overprotective lummox!"
There was a flash of surprise in my husband's eyes. They flicked over to me and, for a moment, held my gaze. I couldn't entirely describe what he communicated to me in that silent second, but no matter how cold his eyes might be, they made my heart feel warm.
"Is that so?" he stated, before his eyes moved back to his sister. "I appreciate you telling me." His gaze hardened. "That won't change my plan to turn this ship around at the earliest opportunity and throw you in the brig."
"You don't have to come with me!" Adaira pleaded, starting to sound desperate. "I can go to India alone! I can save James by myself if need be! I—"
Thud!
A sudden noise abruptly cut her off. Glancing down at where it had come from, I saw a stack of papers that had dropped out of her pocket. A closer look told me those papers were actually letters. Letters that had been read and re-read countless times, and yet had been carefully, almost lovingly preserved.
Mr Ambrose acted faster than anyone else. Before either I or Adaira could move a muscle, he had already picked them up and begun to read.
"Don't! That's private!"
Adaira lunged forward, but Mr Ambrose, as an older brother, obviously had a lot of experience at sister-wrangling. Without even glancing in her direction, he diverted her hand and turned away from her so the letters would be out of her reach. Not out of his, though. Immediately, he started reading.
"No! Don't you dare!"
Ignoring the protests of his sister, Mr Ambrose held her off with one arm and continued to examine the letters in his hands. At first, he was just skimming over them, discarding one letter after another. Yet it didn't take long for his hands to slow and his eyes to narrow ever so slightly. Then he started to read. Really read, paying attention to every single sentence and every single syllable.
"Oy! Didn't you hear what I said, blockhead? You can't read that! Any of it! Especially not the one with the little hearts and roses drawn on one side, understood?"
Once again, Mr Rikkard Ambrose completely ignored her. Instead, his attention was fully focused on the letters in front of him, his gaze becoming more and more intense the longer he looked. It seemed as if he were about to tear the papers apart any minute now, to rip them into tiny pieces in a fit of icy fury and—
"How long?"
Huh?
From the looks of it, I wasn't the only one who was surprised. Adaira was blinking at her brother, completely forgetting her next plea for him to put the letters down.
"W-what?"
"How long has this been going on?"
"I..." Adaira swallowed, and, for a moment, I thought she wouldn't answer. In the next second, her whispered words proved me wrong. "Ever since your wedding. We got along so well, and I don't know what came over me, but we promised to write each other, and ever since, whenever father was in a foul mood, those letters were the only thing that could cheer me up."
"Father is always in a foul mood."
"Exactly."
"Oh."
Reaching out, she grabbed one of the letters. This time, Mr Ambrose did not stop her. He just watched as she ran a finger over Captain Carter's signature at the bottom of the page.
"I...I know you don't like him and don't want me to be in danger and I understand that. Honestly, I'm terrified and I don't want to go to India, but...I can't stay at home and do nothing! I just can't! Not when there is something I can do to help him! I know you might not want to hear this, but the two of us really get along and I think I might be in l—"
"All right."
Those two words abruptly cut off Adaira's rambling instantly. Her head jerked up to stare at her brother, and mine wasn't far behind. Had he really just implied what I thought he had?
The next moment, he met Adaira's gaze and answered my question.
"All right. We will go."
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My dear Readers,
Please forgive the short author's note today. I forgot what day of a week it was and had to move fast to still get this chapter out in time ;)
Yours Truly
Sir Rob
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GLOSSARY:
Naraka dē badabūdāra ṭō'ē!—Punjabi for "Stinking pits of hell!"