Page 6 of Storm over the Caribbean (Storm and Silence Saga #8)

“By ‘home’, I gather you don’t mean the Emerald Meadow Racetrack Hotel & Casino?”

“No. Battlewood Hall.”

I blinked in surprise at the name of Mr Rikkard Ambrose’s ancestral home. The place where his mother and sister lived.

“Why are you upset about that?” I asked. “Don’t you want to see Adaira and your mother again?”

A pause.

“I might, potentially.”

Yep, he definitely misses them.

Another pause.

“Though I will naturally deny having said anything of the sort.”

“Naturally.

“However…”

“Yes, Mr Ambrose, Sir?”

“This letter did not originate from my mother or sister.”

And, in typical Ambrose fashion, he silently held up the crumpled remains of the letter, tapping the signature at the bottom.

William Alexander Ambrose, Fifteenth Marquess Ambrose

I swallowed. “Oh.”

“Oh indeed, Mrs Ambrose.”

Leaning over, I go at a closer peek at the letter. What I read didn’t exactly bode well.

“Um…” I cleared my throat. “Is my memory faulty, or did you and your father not really get along very well?”

“Correct, Mrs Ambrose.”

“So…why does he suddenly want to see you now?”

Silence.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I glanced at his expressionless face, his jaw tightly clenched, a muscle in his cheek ever so slightly twitching.

Oh my. This had to be bad. Like…Mr-Ambrose-being-forced-to-make-a-speech bad.

“Can I deduce from the way you are trying to grind your teeth to dust that you cannot ignore his invitation?”

“Once. Again. Correct.”

The three words were as cold as a yeti’s butt in the arctic.

All right, Lilly! Time to get creative quick! You’ve gotta help your husband. And if you manage to advance your evil plans at the same time, all the better!

I cleared my throat. “So…I suddenly seem to remember that I’ve accepted my friends’ invitation to an outing in a few days, the very same day your father wants you to head north.

As a loving, concerned husband, I’m sure you would feel obligated to come along to look after your frail little pregnant wife, wouldn’t you agree? ”

I grinned up at him.

A momentary pause. Then…

“Agreed.” He nodded. “I am certainly very…?”

“Loving and concerned.”

“Yes, that.”

“And since you will be taking care of me, you probably won’t be able to travel all the way up north to the Scottish border.”

“Certainly not.”

“How about I send a message to my friends to make the outing an extra-long one?”

Reaching out, Mr Rikkard Ambrose cupped my face. “Marrying you was a considerably smart decision to make.”

I beamed at him.

Let’s see if you still think so tomorrow.

“You bet it was!” Standing on my tiptoes, I pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Now let’s go, shall we? I’ll set up things with my friends, and all of us will have a fun time together.”

“That sounds…adequate. Now, what sort of outing is this?”

“Oh, trust me.” I winked at him. “You’ll be blown away.”

***

The sun was shining. The grass was growing. The birds were singing in the trees. Smiling broadly, I surveyed the surroundings. My minions—ehem, volunteers —really had done a good job.

“Is… pant …this… pant …the last one?”

I glanced to where the voice came from. Swaying under the weight of a wrought iron garden table, was one of Mr Ambrose’s clerks, who had been conscripte…

ehem, who had volunteered to assist us with setting up things for today’s outing in the park.

It really was amazing how many of them had happily agreed to assist when I asked them kindly, with Karim standing behind me, his sabre half unsheathed.

“Ah, no.” I gave the man a broad smile. “There are around a dozen or so tables still stacked behind the podium.”

Uttering a deathly groan, the clerk’s shoulders sagged and he staggered away.

Motivating volunteers was such fun.

Whistling, I set out across the meadow of the park that had been rented for the afternoon, surveying the activities around me.

So far, things were going splendidly. More than two dozen dainty tables with three chairs each had been set up all across the meadow.

Snacks and refreshments had been placed before every seat, and there were parasols scattered here and there.

At one end of the meadow, a stage was already being erected.

Yes, everything seemed to go perfectly so far.

“Mrs Ambrose,” a familiar, cold voice came from right behind me, almost making me jump out of my skin. “You seem to be very satisfied?”

Plastering a big smile on my face, I turned to face my dear hubby. “And why wouldn’t I be? I’m with my darling husband! And it seems like preparations for the event are going great!”

“I would agree—”

“Spiffing!”

“— if you had told me by now what this event is supposed to be all about.”

“Shh!” Placing one finger over my lips, I leaned closer conspiratorially. “You don’t want to be a spoilsport, do you? It’s meant to be a surprise.”

His eyes narrowed infinitesimally. “I frequently spoil sports. Most often by ensuring people bet on the wrong team and then raking in their hard-earned money.”

Instead of trying to think of an appropriate response to that, I simply bustled off to finish preparations.

With my “gentle encouragement”, it didn’t take long for the volunteers to finish setting up the furniture on the lawn.

Soon after, my friends, and whatever acquaintances they had been able to persuade or blackmail into coming, started to turn up.

There were even some passers-by who stopped to watch, wondering what kind of event was going on.

“Well!” I smiled, waving at my friends. “Seems like everything is ready.”

“Adequate,” a cool voice at my ear said. Heck! How did he get behind me again without me noticing? “Then perhaps you can tell me why so many of the people coming to your little ‘event’ happen to be women. And while you are at it, you can finally tell me what this whole event is all about.”

“Well, how shall I put this…” Pointing ahead, I gestured to the banner that was at this very moment rising above the podium. “Sometimes a banner says more than a thousand words.”

Following my outstretched hand, he looked over at the banner. The banner which read Rikkard Ambrose Foundation for Women’s Suffrage and Equal Rights—stand up and live your dream!