Hunting for Silence (Storm and Silence 5)

‘This is what you call “adventurous”, woman?’

‘What would you call it?’

‘I would call it “Take your foot out of my face!”’

‘Oops! Sorry.’

Shifting my foot, I wobbled, and thrust my arms forward. Just before I slipped, I managed to grab hold of the iron spikes atop the wall. My feet flailed, and I kicked out, trying to find anything to stand on.

‘Arrg! Ki?i’a? tuha?i’a? andharari’a? vica phasa sakadi’a? hana!’[39]

‘I hope,’ Mr Ambrose said in a voice cool enough to freeze lava, ‘that was simply an expression, and not an actual idea which you plan to execute.’

‘No, Sahib! Of course not, Sahib.’

‘Adequate. Now stand still and let Miss Linton climb. And do not look up.’

‘Yes, Sahib. Of course not, Sahib.’

‘I’m not even wearing a dress,’ I pointed out, still dangling from the iron spikes. ‘And besides—’

Suddenly, I cut off. Had my ears deceived me? No! Footsteps were approaching.

‘Quiet!’ I hissed. ‘A guard is coming.’

Instantly, Karim was at my side—or at my feet, to be more precise. He grabbed hold, and I found solid purchase on his broad shoulders. Letting go of the spikes, I ducked down behind the wall while, on the other side, the guard approached. We waited with bated breaths as his footsteps receded into the distance.

Finally, he was gone.

‘This is madness,’ Karim growled from a few feet below. ‘The minute they notice the theft, Dalgliesh is going to know what we are planning.’

‘Then we had better move quickly, now, correct?’

Glancing down, I saw the bodyguard throw one last pleading look at his employer. Mr Ambrose gave a short, sharp wave of the hand.

‘Proceed.’

Resigning himself to his fate, Karim stretched as high as he could reach, pushing me up over the edge of the wall, and I quickly tied the rope I had brought around one of the sturdier iron spikes. Throwing a thick blanket across them, I slid across. Even through the padding, they jabbed my soft bits, but I gritted my teeth and slid over the rest of the way.

‘I’m across!’ I hissed. ‘Move!’

And, wonder of wonders, they did. I would have to remember to mark today in red in my calendar. Karim and Mr Ambrose obeying my orders, all in one night? A special day indeed.

Thud.

A bearded boulder with a turban landed next to me. A moment later, it was followed by a shadowy figure, coat tails fluttering in the breeze.

‘What now?’ I whispered. ‘Should I tackle one of the guards and ask him nicely to strip for us?’

Mr Ambrose sent me a frosty glare. ‘No, Mr Linton.’

I gave him my best innocent smile. ‘Oh, so you want to do it yourself?’

‘No one shall tackle anyone, Mr Linton. Especially not the guards. If we remove one of them, people will notice as soon as the guards are changed, and our whole plan would be discovered. We want to get in and out with as little fuss as possible.’

‘So where do we go? Where the heck can we find clothes without people stuck inside them?’

Mr Ambrose gave me a long look—then exchanged a glance with Karim. ‘You know…you were right.’