‘Until we meet again, Miss Linton.’ Stepping back, Mr Ambrose tapped his hat in goodbye. A moment later, he had disappeared into the mist.
‘Lilly! What in God’s name—ah!’ Anne suddenly appeared beside me. Suspiciously, she glanced from left to right. ‘Who was that you were talking to?’
‘Me?’ I did my best to look as innocent as a cherub with a really big figleaf. ‘There’s no one here but us.’
‘Why are you lurking around in the street? And what is this nonsense I hear about us leaving?’
Raising my chin, I looked straight into her eyes. ‘It isn’t nonsense.’
‘We can’t leave! We have no money, no coaches, no—’
She was interrupted by a rumble. The mist before us parted, revealing the huge forms of two dark blue coaches rolling down the street. And on the box, holding the reins…
Dear Lord.
The best horses and coachmen, at a very reasonable discount rate.
You could say that again. Leave it to Mr Rikkard Ambrose to find a way to cut corners even when my sister was maybe lying on her deathbed.
Pulling on the rains, the driver of the first coach brought his vehicle to a halt. A moment later, he slid from the box and landed with a heavy thud directly in front of me, tight uniform, turban, beard and all.
‘May I help you with your luggage, Miss?’ Karim asked in the tone of a cannibal torturer enquiring ‘May I eviscerate you with my bare hands?’
‘Waaah!’
Stumbling back, Anne raised a trembling hand to point at the gargantuan man in front of her. I noticed he had not deemed it necessary to put aside his sabre while putting on his coachman’s uniform.
‘That…that is a…’
‘Yes?’ I asked, politely.
‘What kind of coach stable did you get him from?’
‘The best you’ll ever find. Now come on. Get your things. We’re leaving.’
‘But…but…you can’t just…you’re not in charge here! You don’t have the money, the authority, the…’
Ignoring her, I turned to Karim. ‘The luggage will be down in the hall of the house in ten minutes. Anything that’s not there by then you don’t need to collect.’
Anne gave an outraged yelp. Karim nodded. I could have sworn I almost saw the ghost of a smile flicker around the corner of his mouth.
‘Yes, Miss.’
Leaving Anne standing in the street, I marched into house. Leadfield was just busy trying to break his back by attempting to drag a huge suitcase down the stairs.
‘Here, let me.’
Grabbing the thing, I hauled it down the last few steps.
‘Thank, you Miss Lillian. Some of your sisters have a, um…interesting conception of packing quickly.’
‘I bet they do.’
‘What about Miss Ella’s things? I don’t think she will be able to pack for herself.’
‘Don’t worry about Ella. I have a feeling that a little piano-tuning brownie already took care of that.’
Leadfield blinked. ‘Miss?’