A Silent Storm

04. Miss Linton

'Do you happen to know that man, Miss Linton?' Captain Carter asked, nodding to our left with an amused smile gracing his lips.

I knew who he was talking about without even looking.

Yes, he just so happens to be my employer.

'No, not really. It's like I'd said earlier, he's no one important.'

'Well you might not know him but with the way he is staring at you right now, I think he knows you pretty well.'

I finally turned my head around to look at Mr Ambrose.

He stood frozen in his spot, his sea colored eyes fixated on me, a cold fire burning in them which I'd never seen before. The intensity of his gaze almost made me want to look away but then I remembered where we were and who he was dancing with and I returned his glare with one of my own.

My glare somehow spurred him into action and he began dancing once again, breaking our eye contact.

Why would he want to look at me anyway? He had sweet little Ella to look at now, didn't he? He-

'Miss Linton?' My inner rant was cut off with Captain Carter calling my name. I looked up at him. 'Are you sure you don't know who he is?'

'Positive.' I managed to smile at him.

'I find that quite hard to believe.'

Thankfully, I was saved from answering as the dance came to an end and Captain Carter lead me away from the dance floor.

I did not dare look around me to try and locate him.

'Would you excuse me, Captain? I need to go to the powder room.' I asked as soon as we were a safe distance away from the dance floor. 

Captain Carter raised a brow, but nodded none the less. With one last smile at him, I began walking in the direction where I thought the powder room was. And no, I wasn't moving so fast because I didn't want to risk looking at him talking and dancing with my little sister, or because I wouldn't be able to bear it if I came across the two of them together.

No, definitely not. The only reason I was moving so fast was because I really needed to pee.

Yes, that was the only reason.

I had just reached the corner of the room where the powder room was when suddenly I felt a tug on my arm before I was being pulled behind a large potted plant near one of the huge pillars of the ballroom, well away from the view of all the people. I struggled against the firm grip my captor had on my forearm, ready to scream my head off to alert people that I was being kidnapped.

Apparently my captor knew what my next actions were going to be for he clamped his other hand over my mouth from behind me. Yes, I said him, because even though I hadn't turned around to get a good look at my captor, his large hands and firm grip were more than enough indication that he was, indeed, a man. A man with a lean, hard and chiselled torso at that.

Thinking fast, I dug my elbow into his side, knowing from experience that it hurt like no other.

'Oomph.' The man muttered a few choice words but his grip did not loosen. Not one bit.