Captain Carter took a step backwards, and the light flooding from the open doorway fell across his face. A handsome face, a roguish speck of beard, a mane of brown hair â it was indeed him, in the flesh.
He? Here?
How could he be here? He said he was going to...
Oh.
Of course! A memory of his words during our last conversation flashed through my mind.
'We've had reports of a series of vicious attacks on traders in one of the eastern protectorates. There's pressure on the Admiralty and the Commander-in-Chief to get quick results. The navy has already dispatched several vessels, and if they can't root the bandits out from sea, we'll probably be sent in.'
I stared at him in stunned realization. Of all the countries in the world he could have been talking about, it had to be this one! And I already had a good idea who had perpetrated those 'vicious attacks' he had mentioned. Talk about coincidence. Bloody hell!
The surprise must have shown on my face. But if I was surprised, it was nothing compared to the utter incredulity in his tone when he next spoke.
'Miss... Linton? Miss Lilly Linton?'
I gave him a smile I hoped was casual and relaxed. It probably wasn't. 'The one and only.'
'What in the name of all that is holy are you doing here?'
Looking from left to right, I desperately wrecked my brain for something to say. 'I, um... went out for a walk.'
His eyebrows, already quite high up, hastily climbed another few dozen rungs on the ladder of his face. 'From London to Alexandria?'
'No, of course not! I came here by ship! On my hoâ' I bit down on my tongue just in time. Blast! I had just been about to tell him I was here on my honeymoon! That might lead to slightly awkward results, seeing as he knew perfectly well I wasn't married and that my last name wasn't Mrs Thomson. 'I, um... I'm here on a holiday.'
Quickly, I hid the hand with the wedding ring behind my back.
'Here?' Captain Carter looked around at the dark, dingy alleyway. Most windows and doorways were as black as pitch. The few that betrayed some sign of life echoed with raucous laughter, or the sound of fighting. Finally, his eyes settled on the doorway behind me, through which, I knew, the forms of half-naked women had to be perfectly visible. 'An, um... interesting spot for a young lady to spend her holiday.'
I rolled my eyes. 'Not here in this place, obviously. I mean I'm here in Egypt on holiday.'
'Oh. I see.' He still didn't seem very reassured. 'You're here all alone?'
No, of course not. I'm here with a chauvinistic businessman who is forcing me to pretend to be his wife so he can take his time finding and slaughtering a few dozen bandits.
'No, of course not. I'm staying at the Hotel Luxor, with my grandmother,' I lied. It seemed believable. There were plenty of old ladies back at the hotel, here in Egypt to cure their rheumatism or something. I could only hope to God Captain Carter would never come to the hotel and find out the truth.
'The Hotel Luxor?' He took another look around. 'That's quite a long way away from here, isn't it?'
I shrugged. 'Like I said, I went for a walk, and I must have lost my way a bit.'
'I'd say!'
My chin lifted. Enough with this inquisition! It was time to go on the offensive.
'Since we're on the subject, Captain, what are you doing here?'
The captain bit his lip. 'I'm not really supposed to say...'
I gave him my most charming smile, and even went so far as to bat my eyelashes. 'Oh, Captain! You know you can trust me, don't you?'
There were a few more seconds of hesitation â then Captain Carter released his lip with a sigh. 'Bloody hell! You're a dangerous woman, do you know that?'
'Yes.'
I waited, then batted my eyelashes again, just in case.
He sighed in resignation. 'All right! You remember those things I told you about my being sent after bandits?'
'Indeed I do.'
'Well, they're here. In Egypt. Egyptian, English and French trade routes are all at risk, so it will be a joint operation, with each nation contributing one task force. I'm in charge of the force the British Army sent to take care of those robbers.'
'Dear me!' I actually managed to sound surprised. 'And what are you doing in this alley, then? Shouldn't you be in the desert?'
'Not yet. First I have to find out where those criminals are.' Looking from left to right as if fearing someone might be listening, he leaned forward. 'Don't tell this to anyone,' he whispered. 'But I think I might have found a clue to the bandits' whereabouts.'
I did my best to make my eyes go big with girlish excitement. 'Indeed?'
'Yes. In that disreputable tavern behind you â which, by the way, I advise you strongly not to enter â is a man who, according to my sources, might know where they have their lair.'
'You don't say.' I stepped aside to let him pass. 'Well, it was nice seeing you, Captain. I shouldn't detain you any longer. You probably have to get on with your investigation.'
His mouth dropped opened slightly. 'What? You surely don't expect me to leave you behind in this den of iniquity, completely alone and without protection?'
I won't be alone. There are men in the shadows watching. And men in the shadows watching the men who are watching!
I managed to force a smile on my face. 'But surely, your investigation...'
'...can wait until tomorrow! I will escort you back to the hotel straight away.'
'Oh, Captain, that really isn't necessary.'
'Of course it is,' he told me sincerely, taking hold of my hand. 'There are all sorts of ruffians loose in this part of the city. I myself was nearly attacked twice on my way here. I am surprised that you've made it this far in one piece.'
Well, my secret legion of bodyguards probably helped.
'Really,' I tried one final time, 'You don't have to do this. I'll be fine.'
'Please.' Squeezing my hand, he gazed deep into my eyes. His shining brown eyes looked like chocolate: warm and utterly enthralling. I had never noticed before how beautiful they were. Blast! Why did chocolate have to be my favourite food? 'Please, Miss Linton, let me accompany you back. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you because I wasn't there to prevent it.'
That was so typically male, chauvinistic, and... and... sweet. Sweet as chocolate.
I gave a little nod. 'All right.'
Blast! What about Mr Ambrose? If he comes out here and finds me gone...
I could imagine his reaction.
But I really, really didn't want to.
'Besides,' he added in a more cheerful tone, 'if I come with you, I can meet your grandmother. I'd be delighted to make her acquaintance.'
Oh â my â God...!
'Of course,' I said, wishing I could just disappear into the earth. 'I can't wait for you to meet her.'
The only problem being that she's back in England! What now? Crap, crap, crap...!
Oblivious to my panic, Captain Carter linked arms with me and started to lead me up the alley. Halfway up I turned my head to throw an anxious glance back at the tavern which still contained my dear employer, Mr Rikkard Ambrose.
What will he think when he comes out and doesn't find you out here? asked a nasty little voice in my head.
Nice, calm, relaxing thoughts, I hoped. But somehow, I doubted it.
Our walk back to the hotel passed quite eventlessly. Captain Carter commented once or twice with amazement on how much quieter and safer the dark streets had apparently become since he'd passed through. I mh-hmed and tried not to flush. Once or twice, I saw dark figures out of the corner of my eye, behind us, to our left, our right â everywhere. It probably wasn't the entire group of guards, but at least part had split off to see me safely back to the hotel.
I wasn't particularly reassured by this. My brain was whirring like a mad spinning wheel, trying to figure out a way to manufacture a grandmother within approximately five minutes. So far, I had come up blank.
We reached the hotel by just about eleven pm. At the bottom of the stairs, I turned to Captain Carter with a charming smile.
'Thank you, Captain. It was so nice of you to escort me this far. But you don't need to come inside, really. I can manage the rest of the way fine by myself.'
'But then I wouldn't meet your grandmother! I've been looking forward to making her acquaintance.'
Blast! May worms nest in your stomach and nibble at your insides! Why do you have to be so infernally nice?
'You're too kind, Captain,' I told him, and never had I meant anything more literally. 'Please come in. I'll introduce you.'
Cursing myself and the blasted goddess of fate responsible for bringing us together in that dark alley, I led him up the stairs and into the lobby. Desperately, I looked around for something, anything â and my eyes fell on my salvation!
'Grandmother!' With a fake smile on my face that hurt my cheeks, I scuttled towards the deaf little old lady I had noticed before in the dining hall. 'Grandmother, how nice to see you again!'
With bated breath, I waited for the axe to fall. I had a fifty-fifty chance...
'Eh?' Blinking up at me, the old lady raised a hand to her ear. 'What? You'll have to speak up, dearie! I can't hear you.'
Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! Deaf as a post! Yes!
'Captain Carter,' I said, gesturing him closer, my grin now a hundred per cent genuine as relief welled up inside me. 'Meet my grandmother, Frederica Linton. Grandmother, this is Captain Carter, a good friend of mine.'
'What?' The old lady leaned forward a bit more. 'Who has kept it harder?'
'Carter,' the captain said, in a slightly raised voice. 'Not harder. Carter. Captain Carter!'
'What larder, young man? What are you talking about? We're not in a larder! This is the lobby of a first class hotel, in case you haven't noticed!'
'Charming, isn't she?' I asked the captain with a smirk.
'Absolutely dazzling, Miss Linton. I hardly know what to say.'
'Pay?' the old lady demanded. 'What would I want you to pay for? I've got my own money and can take very good care of myself, you know! Young people nowadays...! Who are you anyway?'
'Carter, Madam. Captain James Carter!'
The old lady shook her head. 'No, we're not in a larder! How many times do I have to tell you that?'
Captain Carter and I had a nice chat with my 'grandmother'. By the end of it, he was completely exhausted, and the old lady had had a fabulous time explaining to us how frivolous today's youth was and saying 'What?' about three dozen times. Finally, Captain Carter decided to take his leave.
'You won't mind if I go already, Miss Linton? You see, I have a long way back to my own hotel. But if you think it would be rude of me to leave already I couldâ'
'Oh, no, no, nononono. Not rude at all! Put your mind at rest, Captain.'
'Well, if you think so...'
'Definitely!'
He smiled at me. A genuine, warm smile that made me feel a little guilty for how I had been trying to get rid of him. 'May I look in on you, to see how you're doing?'
Yes, of course you may. I'd love to see you, really. The only problem with that is that I'm staying here as a married woman, under an assumed name!
'I'm afraid my aunt and I will be leaving soon for a trip down the Nile, or some other expedition.'
'Oh.' He looked disappointed. 'Well, then... farewell, Miss Linton.'
'Au revoir, Captain.' Reaching out, I took his hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. 'I look forward to seeing you again in London, and dancing our next galop.'
That brought a smile to his face. He bowed snappily and kissed my hand in farewell. I waited until he was out of sight, outside the hotel â then I let my held breath escape. Thank God! Major catastrophe averted! Secret identity saved! Not bad for one night.
A tickling sensation drew my attention then. Raising my hand, I watched it for a moment, as if it might bite. The spot he had kissed was still sort of tingly. Odd. That had never happened when some of my suitors smooched my hand. The only thing that made me feel was an intense desire for a towel, soap, and a bucket of water. Hm.
Taking a deep gulp of air, I turned and started forward, towards the reception desk. In a matter of minutes I acquired a set of keys from the night porter, and made my way up the stairs towards our suite of rooms. I was bone-tired. From the bottom of my heart I prayed that the bed up there was soft and had a nice, down-filled cushion.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I unlocked the door to my room, and was just about going to go in search of my nice, comfy bed when I noticed the figure standing in the middle of the room. A tall and leanly muscular figure in a black tailcoat, staring at me with freezing intensity.
'Well, my love?' Mr Ambrose's voice was so icy it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. 'Do you want to explain where you've been?'
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My oh my... Our dear heroine has landed herself in a nice little pickle, hasn't she, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen? ;-)
But that will have to wait until the next update. For now, I've got GREAT NEWS, my noble fans! I've started working on a big, secret new project that, if all goes as planned, will begin to be posted here on Wattpad in the not-too-distant future. Anyone who might be interested in receiving the latest info about the project, including teasers and extras, please follow me on my social media profiles (Twitter, Facebook, or Google+!) You'll find the links to my different social media pages in my wattpad bio! :-)
Incidentally, I humbly apologize for the small delay in posting this particular chapter. I had to take a little trip to the local hospital for a routine checkup after my recent operation. My doctor let me know that I should take it easy for a bit, but I'm recovering as planned and shall soon be a 100% functioning writer again, ready to start work on my big new writing project! :-)
Thank you for all your good wishes!
Yours Truly
Sir Rob