Adaira Louise Jannet Melanie Georgette Ambrose stared up at her brother like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar. This might be a lot more convincing if she had actually been caught with her hands in a cookie jar, and not with her tongue in a man's mouth, hidden in a secret closet in a compromising position.
Said man, by the way, was still busy kissing the life out of her and, thanks to his firmly closed eyes, didn't seem to have noticed a thing. He appeared to be intent on kissing her as long and as much as humanly possible before he got decapitated by the rebels they had been expecting. Something that, judging by the look in her brother's eyes, seemed to be rather likely, minus the rebel part.
That look...
It was as cold as arctic frost. It was the absolute zero of space. It was a volcano of ice, about to erupt and cover the entire earth in a new ice age.
Most likely, the only reason her dear brother hadn't erupted yet was that he seemed to be struggling with the decision whether to tear into her first, or tear off the head of the man who was still kissing her and didn't seem to have noticed they now had company, let alone who it was.
But, knowing her brother, making that decision wouldn't take long.
If only this moment could stretch for eternity. If only nobody broke the spell that seemed to hang over them, keeping her brother frozen in place. If only—
"Oh, hey there, Adaira," a cheerful voice piped up from behind her brother, and a certain ifrit from hell stuck her head over his shoulder. "Having fun?"
Adaira suddenly started to regret that she hadn't put her foot down and kept her brother from marrying that fiend.
Really? Did you forget that you met the man you're currently kissing at their wedding?
Deciding to ignore that inconvenient whisper at the back of her mind, Adaira re-focused on the here and now. Because Captain Carter finally seemed to have noticed that he was not yet decapitated by rebels and opened his eyes.
He looked up.
He saw her brother.
"Oh. Um." Parting his lips from hers ever so slightly, Captain James Carter smiled up at Mr Rikkard Ambrose. "It's you."
"Indeed," was her brother's reply. He did not smile.
"So...no rebels?"
"No. We took care of them."
"Ah. Good." The captain put on a thoughtful expression for a second. "Well...if that's the case, let's get back to more important things."
Then he closed his eyes and reclaimed her lips again.
Holy...!
Adaira felt herself blush. She stared over the captain's shoulder straight at her brother's suddenly frozen face—but only for a second, before her eyes went out of focus from the intensity of her man's kiss. That scoundrel! That blaggard! He was so...so...
...bold? Brave? Daring?
Well, yes. All of the above.
The heat in Adaira's cheeks intensified. She had to admit, any man willing to kiss her brazenly in front of her brother was braver than Heracles and Achilles put together. Those old fossils had only fought monsters and men. The man who held her in his arms was willing to face down a titan for her. Because that was what her brother was. Adaira had no illusions about her brother. He was a titan of industry, money and power. Someone like that could make a small army captain disappear in the blink of an eye. And yet, here James was, kissing the life out of her right in front of him.
As an Ambrose, Adaira was very clear about one truth: actions speak louder than words.
This man loved her.
Loved her with all his heart.
And...I love him, too, she realised, a tear appearing at the corner of one eye. Love him just as much. I'm never going to let go.
That was when she heard the cracking of knuckles.
Err...except maybe right now, before my brother breaks my soon-to-be husband's skull and punches him through the nearest wall.
As if by some reluctant, silent agreement, the two lovers pulled apart and remained like that for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes, unwilling to let go. Finally, Captain Carter looked around and spotted his soon-to-be brother-in-law.
"Oh. You're still here?"
Adaira saw a muscle in her brother's cheek twitch. The glare he sent the two of them was as close to homicidal as it could get without a conviction for multiple murders.
"What," he demanded in a voice so icy it could freeze a polar bear, "is this?"
"Um...this?" Clearing her throat, Adaira quickly straightened. "This is James. You know, that James?" She put on a bright smile. "We're planning to marry!"
"That is not what I meant! I want to know why you are cavorting with a man in a closet!"
"That's not true!" Defiantly, Adaira raised her chin. "It's not a closet. This is a secret store room!"
Once again, Adaira noticed a muscle in her brother's cheek twitch. Then he moved. Grabbing hold of Captain Carter's hand that still rested on Adaira's waist, he wrenched it away, dragged the poor man out of the closet and hurled him head-first into an empty barrel in the corner.
Thud!
"Well," came the slightly muffled voice of the captain from the barrel, "that is certainly an innovative handshake."
"Now listen here, Rick!" Hands on hips, Adaira advanced on her brother. "You can't just—"
"Silence."
Instantly, her mouth clamped shut.
Blast! Why did I do that?
Probably his fault for being her big brother. Darn old habits that die hard!
"Now, you listen." Stepping towards her, her brother pinned her in place with a stare that made her feel like a five-year-old. "What on earth were you thinking? A young, inexperienced woman, in such a compromising situation with an unprincipled piece of scum—"
"Thank you very much for the compliment," came a familiar voice from the nearby barrel.
"—completely unacceptable! Do you have any idea what kind of danger you were in? Men are vile, greedy beasts! I should know, I am one! Did he touch you? Did he do anything you didn't want him to?"
"Um...." Adaira felt her face flush. Dang it!
"That means," Lilly helpfully translated her facial expression, "that yes, he touched her, but not in a way she didn't want him to."
Adaira decided that, after they got back to Britain, she would find a dirty horse trough at the first opportunity. As a kind sister-in-law, she should help Lilly take a relaxing bath, shouldn't she?
"Indeed?" After glancing at his wife, her brother turned his gaze back towards her. It was growing colder by the second. "Young lady...I think we need to have a talk."
"Do make sure it includes birds and bees," Lilly happily added.
Adaira wanted to cover her face with both hands.
Oh God, no! Why me? Why did this happen to me?
Maybe she could just lock herself in the secret room again?
That idea, however, was crushed a moment later when her dear brother grabbed hold of her wrist. As he dragged her towards the stairs, Adaira sent a prayer to the heavens for a sudden catastrophe to strike and swallow her up. Naturally, none came. The last thing she saw before she was pulled out of the cellar was Lilly grinning like a Cheshire cat in front of a bowl of cream-filled canaries.
Adaira hid in her face in her single free hand. Why, oh why God? Why can't you send a nice little meteor and let me die?
"Now," her brother announced darkly as he shoved her into a small room, "let's talk. We can start with the birds and the bees, as my dear wife suggested."
Adaira decided right then and there that she had to be the most unfortunate person on the planet. There simply was no possibility of anybody in the world being more unfortunate than her at this very moment, right?
***
Somewhere in the city, in a dark corner next to a filthy sewer opening, Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh squatted in the muck, covering his nose and mouth with one hand to try and keep away the stench. It wasn't working.
Luckily, his men should already be on the way back. Soon, they would rejoin him, and he—
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when it started to drizzle. Then the drizzle turned into a downpour. Instinctively, Dalgliesh moved towards the sewer entrance to not get soaked—only to catch a whiff of eau de toilette and stop in his tracks.
Sitting back down, he squatted and shivered in the rain, muttering very ungentlemanly curses under his breath.
His man should be back any minute now, right?
Any. Minute. Now.
Any. Minute. Now!
Roughly an hour later, a figure dressed in the dirty remnants of a uniform emerged from the sewers.
"Here I am, Your Lordship! I hope I didn't take too long?"
Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh sent his minion a look that would have burned him to ashes if not for the pouring rain.
"Your task. Results. Now."
"Ehem...yes, Your Lordship! Immediately, Your Lordship!"
"How many of my guards did you find alive?"
The guard hesitated. That fact alone was telling.
"How many?!"
"Well, um...three, your Lordship."
There was a pause during which nothing but the torrential rain could be heard.
"Just three?"
"Two of whom are heavily injured, I'm afraid."
Another pause, filled with Lord Dalgliesh's heavy breathing.
"I see. Where is the other guard, then?"
"Um...those three include myself, Your Lordship."
A third pause. This one was considerably longer.
"So...you are the only one left?!"
"Yes, Your Lordship."
"I...I see. Well, no matter." Taking a deep breath—which, thanks to the sewer entrance, he immediately regretted—Dalgliesh massaged the bridge of his nose. "This situation can still be salvaged. I am the chairman of the East India Company. I own this land! Nobody shall take what is mine! I will sweep away this flood of rebellious vermin and—"
His voice abruptly cut off.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what, Your Lordship?"
"That...that rushing sound. It's coming from..."
Abruptly, Lord Dalgliesh whirled around, facing the exit of the sewers, just in time to see a massive wave of muck and muddy water rushing towards him. It was only then that he realised that sitting in front of an open sewer entrance during a torrential rain might not have been the smartest idea.
"Run! Run, now! We have to—aaaaaaaaahhh...!"
***
When, half an hour later, Adaira stumbled out of the room her brother had previously dragged her into, her ears now red from embarrassment, she decided that yes, she definitely was the most miserable person in the world right now, no doubt about it.
"And?" came a chipper voice from the corner of the room, where Lilly was sitting with their hostess, both grinning broadly and enjoying some Indian delicacies. "Had fun?"
Adaira levelled a glare at her sister-in-law that could have stripped away bedrock. "I will never, ever, ever forgive you for this."
"Indeed?"
"Not till my dying day!"
"Indeed?"
"And stop using that bloody word!"
"Very well. As you wish." Lilly inclined her head. "Now, do you think we should fish your fiancé out of the barrel?"
"Oh crap!" Adaira covered her mouth with one hand. "I knew there was something I had forgotten!"
"Oh my," came a familiar voice from the cellar door. "I'm hurt. My dearest love has forgotten me?"
"James!" His first name escaped her lips before Adaira realised it, uncaring of all propriety in the presence of others. Whirling around, she saw Captain James Carter stagger out of the doorway that led to the cellar. Without any hesitation, Adaira raced to his side to support him.
"So you do still care about me." One corner of his mouth crooked up. "I'm touched. Now all you need is to touch me in some more interesting places, and I'll forgive you."
"You...shut up, you rogue!"
Blushing furiously, Adaira landed a light slap on his arm.
He shook his head admonishingly. "That wasn't the place I wanted you to touch, you know. I meant—"
That was when the door to the next room opened and Adaira saw her brother step into the room.
Captain Carter's mouth snapped shut.
"Yes?" Frost appeared on the walls from the iciness of her brother's voice. "Do continue. What part of your body did you want my sister to touch?"
The captain cleared his throat. "My hand. Definitely my hand. Holding hands is very romantic and proper, I've been told."
"Indeed?"
A staring contest between the two men began and, as much as Adaira loved her future fiancé, she knew who was going to lose this kind of competition. Turning towards Lilly, she threw her sister-in-law a pleading look.
"Enough of that, you too!" Lilly clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention, and probably to save Captain Carter from being stuffed back into the barrel. Perhaps, Adaira decided, she might forgive the vixen for leaving her to her brother's tender mercies earlier. "We have important matters to discuss!"
"And what matters would that be?" Captain Carter enquired, leading Adaira to a seat. She couldn't help but notice said seat just so happened to be at a safe distance from her brother.
"Isn't that obvious?" Lifting one corner of her mouth, Adaira nudged her intended's ribs. "From the beginning, we came here to rescue you. Now that we've found your sorry arse, we have to get it and the rest of us out of this bloody city! Or would you like to stay a little longer for a tea party with the rebels?"
Very diplomatically, Captain Carter cleared his throat. "As much as I would be in favour of a tropical holiday under normal circumstances, I think it would be prudent to withdraw in the current situation."
"Despite how much I despise having to say this," Adaira's brother spoke up, "I agree. And, Adaira?"
"Yes?"
"If you mention the word 'arse' in relation to a man in front of me again, you will be grounded until you are thirty."
Adaira opened her mouth to retort—then closed it again, just in case he was serious.
"So, how will we get out of this city?" Lilly brought the conversation back to the subject. "Any suggestions?"
Adaira raised her hand. "I hate to state the obvious, but...the gates?" She eyed her brother, who was dressed in a rebel uniform. "You seem to have the appropriate attire, after all."
"Won't work," Karim growled. "There might not be many people looking for the 'spy' anymore—" He threw Adaira a look that she chose to ignore. "—but that doesn't mean they aren't guarding the gates like hawks. And since you ran around in a stolen uniform..."
"...they will be checking anyone, regardless of disguise," she finished.
"Yes."
"Then...what are we going to do?" Lilly enquired. "Unless anyone wants to charge head-on and break through the gate?"
"Well..." Captain Carter began looking thoughtful.
"Anyone who is reasonable and didn't recently get knocked on the head."
"Oh." The captain sighed. "What a pity."
"Could we scale the walls and climb down the other side?" Lilly pondered. "Some rope shouldn't be too difficult to get. And if we do it at night, getting out of the city without being seen should not be impossible."
Adaira saw her brother throw a questioning look at his bodyguard. In response, Karim shook his head. "I've been out there for the last half hour or so, scouting according to your instructions, Sahib. There are many guards on the walls. Too many to just be looking for spies, in fact. There must be something happening we don't know."
Uh-oh.
Adaira suddenly had an ominous feeling. One that intensified when she looked sideways and saw the eyes of Captain Carter next to her suddenly turn sharp.
"Where were they looking?" he demanded.
"Hm?"
"Where were they looking? Into the city, or towards the countryside?"
"I..." Karim frowned and glanced at his employer.
"Answer him."
"I didn't really pay attention at the time, but...thinking back, I believe they were looking towards the countryside."
"Then they're not on the lookout for any spies." Adaira watched her intended's face darken. "They're expecting something much worse."
"What?" she enquired, almost afraid to ask.
He gave her a sad look. "What can it be in the middle of a war?"
The enemy.
The unspoken words resounded more loudly in the room than any spoken ones ever could. Adaira's heart sank. For a moment, heavy silence reigned.
"We have to get out of here," Lilly stated. "As soon as we can."
"But how?" Adaira chewed on her lower lip. "If we can't go through the gates and can't go over the walls...are we supposed to try and sneak onto a wagon and hide, hoping we won't be discovered as we drive through the gate?"
"Yes," Lilly said, her voice about as sarcastic as could be, "because some of us," she jabbed a thumb at Karim, "are so small and easy to hide."
"Um...good point." Adaira felt her ears flush. "So...we're stuck?"
Her brother's face looked grim. Well, it looked just like the same slab of stone as always, but that didn't mean it wasn't grim. "So it seems."
Once again, silence descended over the room.
"I..." Karim hesitated. "You're not entirely correct, Sahib. There is still one way."
"Really?" I perked up. "What? Spill!"
Captain Carter nodded. "I would be quite interested in knowing as well."
Out of the corner of her eyes, Adaira saw her brother's eyes narrow infinitesimally. "As would I."
Karim took a deep breath. "Well, it's like this..."
And he told us.
Adaira wished he hadn't.
She couldn't help but grimace. "Is that really the only way?"
"The only one I can think of, Adaira Sahiba."
"Well then..." Clapping his hands, Captain Carter rose to his feet, looking far too happy for Adaira's taste, considering where they were about to go. He extended a hand to her. "Shall we?"
"Can I say no?"
"Depends. Do you want to marry me at the altar in England or at the local gallows?"
Adaira opened her mouth to shoot back a barbed reply—only to meet his eyes and hesitate. Those eyes...they were filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated love.
"Altar."
The word was out of her mouth before she could really think about it. In response, a cheeky smile spread over his face, and he reached up to gently cup her cheek.
"If the two of you are quite finished...."
A certain cold, brotherly voice interrupted Adaira's dreams of romance. She felt her face flush and took a quick step backwards. Her brother hadn't said exactly what he would do if they weren't finished performing a romantic drama in front of him, but the words "attempted murder" were sure to be in there somewhere.
"Let's get going, shall we?" Lilly said, grabbing her husband by the arm. "Karim's idea may be, ehem...somewhat unorthodox, but it's the only way we have right now. So, unless anyone has any better suggestions...?"
Only silence answered her.
"Very well, then. As I said, let's get going."
With various degrees of reluctance, everyone rose to their feet and started making what little preparations they could. It didn't take long before they were ready to leave. All they could do was pack some food, graciously provided by their hosts, find some inconspicuous castoffs to put on, and then say their goodbyes.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality towards us and our friends, Sir. And, um...sorry for the misunderstanding," Lilly said to the unfortunate Dilip with a hesitant smile. The poor man now had added another bandage around his head.
"No need to worry." Wincing, the portly merchant rubbed his noggin. "What's a little break-in and concussion between friends, right?"
"Well, look on the bright side." Reaching out, Lilly patted the shoulder of her husband beside her, who looked about as apologetic as a block of granite. "Once this whole thing is over, you can come to Britain and sue him for damages."
The lady of the house, who had been staring balefully at Adaira's brother up until that moment, suddenly smiled like a cat who had spotted a big, fat mouse. "Can we? What a wonderful idea!"
"No," Adaira's brother stated unequivocally. "you cannot."
Then he grabbed hold of Adaira and his wife and started to drag them towards the exit.
"Goodbye!" Adaira shouted and waved at the couple. "Thank you for all your help, and do come by for a cup of tea and a lawsuit!"
She had to suppress a grin when her brother hastened his steps in response.
Together, they stepped out of the house and, after a quick look around, disappeared into the shadowy alleyways of Delhi. Following Karim, who had already scouted the way, the four of them made their way deeper and deeper into the less reputable parts of the city, until finally, they came to stop in front of their destination: a dark archway, from which an overwhelming stench emerged.
Adaira grimaced as she stared up at the entrance to the city sewers, clamping her nose shut with two fingers. "Do we really have to do dif?"
"Yes, we do." Squeezing her shoulder, Lilly nodded. "This is the only way out of the city. Moreover, it is a safe way. After all, who else could we possibly meet down there?"
***
Deep, deep underground, beneath the city of Delhi...
"Y-your Lordship, are you sure this is a wise decision? To go into the sewers so soon after they were flooded...?"
Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh did not halt his steps, nor did he look back. "This is the only way to get out of this infernal city. Besides..." He stared off into the darkness ahead. "There is also something else down here."
"S-something else?"
"Do you really think I will just slink away into the darkness like a thief in the night? I am Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh! I own this city!" A manic light flickered in Dalgliesh's eyes. "If I cannot have it, it will burn!"
--------------------------------------
My dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed Mr Ambrose's reaction to his sister's escapades. With luck, Captain Carter will survive his brother-in-law's ire long enough to face whatever fiendish plan Dalgliesh is cooking up ;)
Yours Truly
Sir Rob