‘Ah.’ Lord Dalgliesh’s smile widened. ‘Gentlemen, may I introduce Harold and Thomas, my two manservants? They shall carry my luggage inside, and also assist me with any little…additional problems that might arise.’
My heart leapt. For a moment, my revolver did, too, jumping from Harold to Thomas and back again - before I remembered that, no matter how good they were with their weapons, there was only one man who would give the orders. The man who was the real danger here. Instantly, the muzzle of my gun swung back aim directly at the heart of Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh.
His Lordship swept an imaginary speck of dust from his bespoke tailcoat. ‘Now, if you will excuse me, gentlemen… It has been a long trip, and I would like to settle in.’
He made to step forward, but Karim blocked his way.
‘I don’t think so,’ he growled. ‘I shall-’
I would dearly have loved to hear what Karim had thought up in that bloodthirsty, bristly brain of his. But at that very moment, the front door was flung open, and noise echoed through the courtyard. I was so focused on my aim, that it took me a moment to recognise the sound: the laughter of happy people looking forward to Christmas.
‘There you all are!’ someone called. ‘What are you standing out in the cold for? Come in, come in!’
‘Excellent idea.’ Smirking, Lord Dalgliesh stepped passed Karim, and neither the bodyguard nor Mr Ambrose did anything to stop him. They watched in silent fury, as Dalgliesh strode up the steps of the portico and disappeared inside, into the ancient home of the Ambrose family.
*~*~**~*~*
I reached the entrance hall just in time to catch Mr Ambrose striding in. Or maybe ‘striding’ wasn’t the right word. How about…devastating? Killing? Destroying?
At least that’s what he wanted to do. I could read every one of those words in his eyes.
‘Mr Linton!’ Those very same eyes flashed with something undefinable the moment he caught sight of me. ‘I told you to stay upstairs! I told you to-’
His words were cut off by my lips.
It was just a moment. A fraction of a second, incredibly risky, and incredibly foolish. But the moment I broke away and felt him trembling against me, I knew it had been worth it. Stepping back, I met his eyes.
‘What now, Sir? What is Dalgliesh planning?’
‘If I knew that, Mr Linton, he wouldn’t be here.’ His left little finger twitched, and twitched, punching a staccato rhythm against his palm. ‘According to my spies, he is supposed to be in South Africa right now. Heads are going to roll for this.’
I didn’t dare ask whether he was being metaphorical.
Behind Mr Ambrose, Karim entered the hall, swiftly barring the doors behind him.
‘That’ll only hold them for so long,’ he growled, and I realised he had locked the charming Thomas and his fellow crony, Harold, outside in the cold. ‘One of the servants will let them in eventually, unless we can get rid of their master.’
‘I still can’t believe he’s here!’ Shaking my head, I gazed down the corridor. From the other end drifted the sound of merry laughter. ‘How could the Marchioness let him breathe the same air as Adaira? Doesn’t she know the things he’s done?’
Not that I knew much myself, of course—but what I’d seen was more than enough.
‘She knows enough to hate him,’ Mr Ambrose spit out. ‘But not enough to fear him.’
A shudder went down my back, and I had to resist the urge to run down that corridor drag Adaira and her mother away from that man.
‘How could they not know?’
‘The better question is why would they? I haven’t talked to my family in years, haven’t told them of any of my dealings with Dalgliesh over the last few years. What they know doesn’t scratch the surface of what he’s done. If they knew…’ That muscle in his jaw twitched. ‘I have to talk to my father. If mother and Adaira… I…I have to get that man out of here!’
I could see the struggle under the perfect façade of his impassive face. If this had been his house, he would have just thrown Dalgliesh out, social niceties be damned. But it wasn’t. And the fact that he had to go up there to his father, the man he hadn’t spoken to in over a decade and ask…
I watched with trepidation as he stomped off, down the hallway and towards the stairs leading up to the first floor and to the rooms of The Most Honourable The Marquess Ambrose.
*~*~**~*~*
I sat in my room, straining my ears, trying to hear anything - anything at all - from upstairs. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing, until-
Bam!