As the music began in earnest, they seemed to sink into each other’s arms. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, fluid, and graceful. I stared in awe. This I had not expected. All right, Ella was not as bad a dancer as I - she was far too timid to step on any gentleman’s feet. But I doubted the piano tuner’s son had had much experience with waltzing, and there they were, waltzing away as if they wanted to win a dancing competition.
It couldn’t just be their infatuation, could it?
Suddenly, I remembered that when dancing with Mr Ambrose, I hadn’t stepped on his feet either, though I had been sorely tempted to. Why did I remember this now? I couldn’t imagine that I was…
‘They make quite a couple, don't they?’
I jumped about a mile high. Captain Carter had appeared next to me out of nowhere. It was an astonishing feat for a man wearing a waistcoat with glinting golden tigers on it that were visible from a mile away.
‘Now I see what you meant when you said there might be complications if your sister were faced with marriage to Flip,’ he said, smirking. The dance had just ended, but Edmund and Ella hadn’t moved away from each other. They were still standing there, each locked in the other’s gaze. ‘Do you think if we go over there, you could introduce me to the complications? He looks like a nice young man.’
‘Certainly not,’ I hissed, grabbing him by the arm, as he was already starting forward. ‘It’s supposed to be secret! Nobody must know about them.’
He looked back at me, a quizzical expression on his face. ‘They are conducting a secret liaison in the middle of a ballroom full of people?’
‘Well, um… yes.’
‘Not the brightest pair of candles in the shop, are they?’
‘Oh, shut up! That’s my sister you’re talking about!’
He bowed his head. ‘Yes, Miss Linton. As you wish, Miss Linton.’
‘And… thank you.’ I looked down, but not quickly enough to miss how he raised one of his eyebrows.
‘Thank me? For what?’
‘For helping Ella.’
‘You mean for helping you.’
I moaned. ‘Yes, if you must put it like that.’
‘I must,’ he said, nodding gravely. ‘To help a lady get rid of a prospective husband - now that is no particularly honourable deed. But to help a lady save her sister’s honour and happiness? Now that’s something entirely different. Something I might confidently brag of when I next drink with my comrades.’
My eyes shot up to his. ‘Don’t you dare! If you breathe a word of any of this…’
‘…You will hamstring me and subject me to the most terrible tortures you can devise,’ he finished my sentence cheerfully. ‘Don’t worry. I know when to keep my mouth shut. It’s only when it’s already open that the wrong things come popping out of it.’
I eyed him, the doubt obvious on my face.
‘Promise?’
He put a hand on his heart. ‘I swear on the honour of my regiment,’ he said. ‘Except for me, its members actually have some.’
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
‘That’s better.’ He smiled back at me. ‘This is an hour for joy and celebration, Miss Linton.’
And he was right - it was. Ella was saved, or to be more precise, she had never been in danger. Later, I might rampage a little about the fact that all my worry and scheming had been for nothing. But for now, simple joy filled every part of me, and I was happy and secure in the knowledge that Ella would stay happy, her honour intact and her future once more in her own hands.
Captain Carter stepped closer and opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something - but just at that moment, a man in the uniform of a colonel waved him over. ‘Carter! Come over here, I’ve got to tell you something. I just got a memorandum about the Sinai situation.’
The Captain gave me an apologetic smile. ‘I fear I have to depart, Miss Linton. Work calls me even in my leisure hours.’
‘That’s all right,’ I assured him. ‘You’ve already given me enough of your time. Thanks again for your help.’
‘It was my pleasure.’ He winked at me. ‘If ever you should feel the inclination to go searching for a romantic interest again, I hope you’ll come to me.’
Before his words had fully registered, he was already gone.
*~*~**~*~*
‘There you are, Lilly!’ My aunt and Maria appeared next to me, waking me from my stupor. ‘Where have you been?’
‘I… um…’
Doing my best to prevent the marriage that is your heart’s desire.
‘I… I’ve been dancing,’ I fibbed. ‘Yes, that’s what I’ve been doing. Dancing all the time.’
‘Really?’ Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘I didn’t see you on the dance floor. With whom were you dancing?’
‘Um…’ Quickly, I looked around for a suitable candidate. My eyes fell on a tigered waistcoat. ‘That gentleman, over there.’
‘Where? Who do you…?’ My aunt trailed off as she beheld the muscular figure with his long mahogany locks.
‘You have been dancing with him?’ Maria said. ‘You are joking, aren’t you?’
‘No,’ I said, desperately hoping they would believe me.
They didn’t.
‘Well, if that’s so,’ Maria said, ‘you won’t have anything against introducing us to your friend, surely.’
‘What a brilliant idea, my dear,’ my aunt exclaimed. ‘Lilly, go on, introduce us.’
By now, Captain Carter seemed to have finished his talk with his military friend. I had no other choice, though I would rather not have approached him, particularly after what he said to me last.
I approached, my aunt and sister behind me like a pack of hounds behind the poor little fox.
‘Captain?’
He turned, and seemed surprised to find it was me.
‘Yes, Miss Linton?’
‘Captain Carter, may I introduce you to my aunt, Mrs Brank, and my sister, Miss Maria Linton,’ I said, pointing them out in turn as they curtsied. ‘Aunt, Maria, may I present Captain William Carter of the British Army.’
‘Very pleased to meet you, I’m sure,’ said my aunt with another curtsy.
‘So am I.’ Did Maria’s voice actually sound breathy?
‘No, it is I who am delighted to make your acquaintance,’ the Captain said, bowing with the same snappy precision he had shown before. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I was just telling them how we had danced together for three dances in a row,’ I said, hoping he would understand.
He blinked, once.
‘Indeed, and what marvellous dances they were,’ he said. Thank God, he was quick on the uptake. ‘I can hardly find the words to express my admiration of your charming niece’s skill on the dance floor.’
I threw him a thankful smile. My aunt smiled, too. Maria didn’t.
‘That’s wonderful to hear,’ my aunt trilled. Again, she let her eyes roam over the Captain. ‘That is an interesting waistcoat you’re wearing, Captain. Don’t most officers prefer to wear uniforms?’
‘Most do,’ he said, nodding gravely. ‘But I had this specially made. I commissioned a French dressmaker to embroider it with one tiger for every one I killed while on safari.’
‘Is that so?’ My aunt’s eyes widened in awe, and so did Maria's. ‘You actually killed so many of these fearful beasts? Captain, you must be a man of tremendous courage!’
I ducked behind the nearest potted plant. If anybody noticed the snort of laughter that issued from behind it soon afterwards, they didn’t connect it with me.
It wasn’t long before I emerged again, my face perfectly straight. Captain Carter was regaling the wide-eyed Maria with tales of his tiger hunts. My aunt was still present, too, but she wasn’t really listening. I recognized the look in her eyes immediately - a look somewhere between that of a shark and of an accountant of the Bank of England. She was sizing him up as a potential suitor, a task that consumed all her attention for the moment.
‘…and then,’ he was saying, ‘the tiger sprang at me, and I grabbed for my rifle.’
‘And did you shoot it?’ Maria demanded, breathless.
‘No. The rifle was jammed.’
‘No!’
‘Yes. Just in time, I managed to turn it around and let it come down with the blunt end on the tiger’s head. I hit it with such force that the beast was knocked clean unconscious.’
Maria clapped her hand in front of her mouth.
Behind her back, I imitated her gesture, and Captain Carter’s lip twitched.
He was by no means the first gentleman I had heard telling fake tales of bravery and adventure. But he was the first one who had let me in on the game. And somehow, because of that, I didn’t mind. I exchanged a smile with him.
‘Ah,’ he said, smiling back and nodding. ‘There you are, Miss Linton.’
‘Were you so desperate for my company?’ I asked, arching an eyebrow.
‘Indeed I was. Did I not tell you before how much I enjoyed our dancing? I fear those three dances you have shared with me so far have only left me starving and craving for more. In fact, I can hardly remember them anymore. May I beg you to favour me with another?’
He extended his arm to me, his eyes sparkling with evil mirth.
The smile drained from my face.
‘If you try very hard,’ I said, ‘I’m sure you’ll remember the three dances we danced together perfectly.’
‘Indeed, no,’ he said, sighing regretfully. ‘It already seems to me, somehow, as if they never happened. Which would be such a pity, wouldn’t it?’
He extended his arm a little further.
‘Well, Miss Linton?’
I took his arm, forcing a smile on my face. On our way to the dance floor, as the first notes floated through the air, I leant towards him and said: ‘I’m going to murder you, Captain.’
He smiled.
‘Will you wait till after the dance?’
*~*~**~*~*
It wasn’t terrible.
I didn’t step on his feet, he didn’t step on mine. He was a considerate dancer, and didn’t try to steer me across the ballroom like most other gentleman. Neither was he like Mr Ambrose, with every movement perfect and sleek. Instead, he was flamboyant, every note of the music expressing itself in the way he moved, he smiled, he held me.
Maybe he held me a little bit closer than other gentleman usually did.
When he let me go, a crowd of his military friends came and started talking about this place called Sinai again.
He bowed to me, an apologetic look on his face.
‘I’m afraid I will have to leave you, Miss Linton. I hope that I will be able to have the pleasure of dancing again with you soon. Four times it has been now, and yet it seems only one.’
I couldn’t suppress a tiny smile. It hadn’t really been that bad…
‘Well, maybe,’ I murmured, ‘If you promise to behave yourself, I’ll dance with you again someday.’
I was rewarded with a cheeky smile. ‘I shall look forward to it.’
‘I said maybe!’ I called after him as he strode off with his friends. But he didn’t turn around again. He just walked away, a spring in his step.
Shaking my head, I turned away. How likely was it that we would ever meet or dance again? After all, now that his friend had dropped Ella like an Irish peasant would a hot potato, Sir Philip would likely cut off all acquaintance with us. It would simply be too awkward to spend time in his company. Surely, most of his friends would follow his example and shun us. I wasn’t likely to see Captain Carter again. Well, good riddance. The less men there were in my life, the better.
Even if they do happen to be quite nice, in a crazy way.
I turned once more to watch Ella. It was clear that she didn’t feel the same as I. She lay in Edmund’s arms as though there was no place on earth she would rather be. The smile on her face could only be described as radiant. It was shining brighter than any of the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and illuminated the ballroom.
Sighing contentedly, I retreated to a quiet corner of the ballroom, from where I could watch them quietly. It was joy to see Ella’s joy, a balm for my soul that had been tortured for her sake over the last few weeks. How wonderful and simple the world suddenly seemed. All right, my working life still left a lot to be desired, an unlocked office door for instance, but as regards affairs at home, things were looking up, and I was feeling pretty chuffed as a result.
Everything had worked out to perfection. Ella was happy, I was happy, and even Edmund was, though this wasn’t exactly on my list of priorities. Wonders had been worked within a few hours. All the perceived dangers and difficulties I had foreseen for the near future had dissolved into nothing tonight. I was sure that tonight, nothing could go wrong anymore. Absolutely nothing.
And then I heard his voice behind me.
A voice that sounded very familiar, although I had heard it only twice before… A cultured, voice. A voice of knowledge, power, and maybe… darker things.
‘Ah, Miss Linton. I was wondering if you would be of the party when I saw Sir Phillip’s name on the guest list. How marvellous…’
And I remembered Lady Metcalf telling us as we arrived: Important people from all over England have come, gentry, military, knights of the Order of the Garter… even one of the Peers of the Realm has been kind enough to accept my invitation.
Slowly, I turned, and was met by the penetrating, steel-blue gaze of Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh.
‘I have been wanting to meet you again,’ he said, and smiled. ‘How fortunate that I always seem to get what I want.’
Behind the Mask
No, I told myself, You cannot run away. You cannot run from him, or he will know that you know. And then you will be dead.
But… was this really true? I could hardly believe that this suave nobleman, member of the House of Lords and uncrowned king of Britain’s largest imperial enterprise, was supposed to be involved in dealings so far beyond the law that they had lapped it and kicked it in the derrière while it was concentrating on catching up. The man owned his own subcontinent, for heaven’s sake!
Yes, but the question is: how did he get it? If it’s by similar methods as Caesar or Napoleon… Well, they hadn’t been squeamish, either.
‘Lord Dalgliesh. How nice to see you again.’ I forced my legs to stay where they were and to bend into a curtsy.
Remember the alley in the East End! Remember the attackers! It was this man who sent them.
But it was hard to remember. Lord Dalgliesh, in his exquisite black tailcoat and blue satin waistcoat, looked as if he had never so much as heard of a place like the East End, let alone paid a visit to some of its occupants.
He wouldn’t have to. He could pay somebody else to pay somebody else to pay somebody else to pay somebody to do it.
‘Indeed it is, Miss Linton.’ Taking my hand, he lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on the back of it. My reaction now was very different from when Sir Philip had done the same. A shiver went down my back, and my cheeks warmed. Thank the Lord my cheeks weren’t fashionably pale. With luck, it wouldn’t show.
Think of the alley! I told myself again. Think of the blood!
I tried. I honestly tried. But with images of the alley also came images of what had come after: the ride back, the office, Mr Ambrose, the kiss…
Had I thought my cheeks warm before? It was nothing to the explosion they suffered now. Yet if Lord Dalgliesh saw it, he probably couldn’t deduce the reason.
Hopefully. Some part of me, though, was feeling as though it was written all over my face.
‘Do you know, Miss Linton, why I have been desirous of renewing our acquaintance?’ he enquired.
I swallowed, hoping the reason didn’t have anything to do with knives, guns, or locked cells.
‘N-no.’
Blast! Why was it that I couldn’t keep my voice steady just when I needed to?
??
?I have been making enquiries into any connection of yours with a certain Rikkard Ambrose, with whom you seemed extraordinarily well acquainted at the last ball, where I had the pleasure of seeing you.’
What?
‘And lo and behold, I have not found a single shred of evidence to connect the two of you.’
Oh. Good.
‘Not a family connection, not a bank loan your family is overdue to pay back, not a previous social acquaintance, not even a romantic involvement with heartbreakingly sweet little notes secretly exchanged…’
He said all this in a perfectly conversational voice, as if there were nothing strange about digging into my family’s financial affairs or my personal life. Not if he did it.
Once again, I felt in my legs the nearly uncontrollable urge to turn and run. I fought it, and stayed where I was.
‘Interesting,’ I said, meeting his gaze as steadily as I could. ‘You know, some people might think those sorts of enquiries discourteous. Invasive, even.’
‘Might they?’ He looked royally entertained. ‘It is an amusing fact, Miss Linton, but in my whole life not a single person has ever accused me of discourteous or ungentlemanly behaviour.’ He smiled again, spreading his hands. ‘Not a single one. On the contrary, everybody always assures me how considerate and polite I am. Sometimes, they assure me three or four times in a row.’
He took a step closer to me.
Without moving my head, my gaze darted from side to side. I discovered that we were pretty much alone in our own private little corner of the ballroom. Indeed, if I was not very much mistaken, there seemed to be a literal wall of people who had their backs to us, separating us from the rest of the crowd. None of them appeared to show the slightest bit of interest in our conversation, although they were perfectly within hearing distance. They stood at attention, and several of them were in uniform. The uniform of the Indian Army - the strong arm of the East India Company.