Storm of Bells

23. Wenchy Invasion

'There they are! There they are!'

Adaira was jumping up and down as if she were standing on a trampoline instead of the front steps of her brother's manor. Her hand was waving wildly in the air, pointing at the distant cloud of dust approaching up the road. The cloud that announced the arrival of the first round of guests.

'Calm down, will you?' I patted her shoulder.

'Is he here already?' Standing on her tiptoes, she glanced around.

'I can't! I can't!' She stared at the coach one more time, then turned to glance back over her shoulder. 'Where is he? Isn't he coming?'

'Isn't who coming?' Ella asked, pushing through the assembled crowd of females around Adaira and myself.

'We're waiting for my prospective groom,' I explained.

'Oh, you want to share this precious moment with him?' She clutched her hands to her chest. 'That's so sweet!'

Adaira coughed.

'Yes,' I confirmed, giving her shin a firm kick. 'That's why. Precious-moment-sharing.'

'There they come!' Lady Samantha called, clapping her hands. 'I wonder who'll be first?'

The cloud of dust slowly resolved into a line of three coaches. The first was a postal coach, the two behind it private carriages with crests shining on their doors. The coach in the front rolled to a stop. Slowly, the door swung open, and out of it stepped...

I blinked.

'Lieutenant Ellingham?'

The lieutenant jumped when his name passed my lips. And I really mean jumped, almost back into the coach. His eyes darted anxiously from left to right, as if expecting a dark, towering figure to appear out of the shadows and attack him at any moment.

Right then, the front door of the manor opened and a dark, towering figure appeared out of the shadows. The lieutenant gave a squeak and leapt backwards.

'I told the Sahib that you were waiting for him, Sahiba,' Karim informed me as he strode out of the manor. 'He said he would come as soon as—'

Then he caught sight of the lieutenant. His face hardened, while the poor lieutenant looked as if he'd like to find the nearest rabbit hole to disappear into.

'What is he doing here?'

'Good question!' I hissed leaning over to Adaira.

She shrugged. 'He was on your list.'

'I...well, I guess I put him on there. He was technically one of the people who stepped on my feet, after all. But Mr Ambrose shipped him off to China years ago! How on earth...'

She wiggled her fingers. 'Never underestimate the power of a devious sister.'

'M-miss Linton.' Cautiously, Lieutenant Ellingham stepped forward again and tried to bow while simultaneously trying to keep Karim in his sights. The result nearly broke his neck and toppled him over. 'My felicitations for your forthcoming marriage. I'm so delighted to hear the good news! Overjoyed! Elated! Please convey to Mr Ambrose how very, very elated I am!'

'Err...all right. I will.'

'Thank you! Thank you! I really appreciate it.'

And he scuttled away to find a hole to hide in—hopefully a deep, deep hole, where Mr Rikkard Ambrose wouldn't find him. Before I could turn to Adaira and give her a piece of my mind, the next guest stepped out of the postal coach. The moment I saw who it was, I shoved a big smile onto my face.