Dedicated to JaneMontague

A blinding light was shining in my eyes as I blinked repeatedly, trying to clear my vision. There was a continuous pounding in my head and my limbs had half turned numb and the other half were engaged in a competition with my head to see which could throb more painfully.

When the throbbing finally receded, I opened one eye to make sure that the light was not so blinding anymore, and decided it was enough for me to open my eyes.

Lifting my hand to rub my eyes, I was surprised when I felt coarse rope restraining it. Wha-

Oh crap! Crap! Crap! Spiffing! Absolutely superb work!

I had been apparently kidnapped, and there was only one man, or woman, but actually I know it is a man, who held that level of respect for me that he knew he would have to kidnap me in order to get anything, let alone any information from me! Dalgliesh!

Although I was thoroughly flattered at the apparent respect he held for me, I would rather be working off my generous behind in the Empire House, because that would mean that I would have already got my paycheck upto now! And also because I wasn't fond of getting kidnapped, by anyone, in general.

Well, now that we were talking about now, I didn't actually know where and when did now come, which required me to take a look at my surroundings, instead of glaring icily at the rope binding me and hoping it would uncoil itself from around me.

Squinting against the source of light, which was a cheap bulb hanging around a metre above my head, I admired the grand interior designing of my temporary accomodation. There were heaps of barrels, beautifully designed with some kind of stains and the growth of fungii and the ceiling had been decorated with intricate spiderwebs, confirming my spectaculations that the place had not been cleaned since, well, since its construction.

It gave a sweet smell of one or two dead rats, and the overwhelming, familiar smell of alcohol. This only enhanced the pleasant and stinking, did I say stinking? Sorry, soothing ambience of the room. Also adding to it, there were many tiles which had cracked, or even literally broken and had been covered by artistic layers of soot and dirt and grime. Some old, discarded furniture and junk was spread all over the room. Used bottles, old glasses and other stuff lay on a dangerously teethering wooden stool which looked like it would collapse with a slight breeze. The barrels were even kind enough to hide most of the walls, except for a single, battered door on my right.

To conclude the description, I had just got to hand it to Dalgliesh. What a location he had chosen! Perhaps, even though he was the second richest man of the British empire by two pounds and thirty one shillings, he must be, like his rival, a pure miser at heart.

Talking of misers, I would love to strangle their king. That useless, annoying, closed mouth fool! I bet this was about his file! Or files! Or whatever information about something Dalgliesh thought I knew! That piece of scum-

The door opened as I was cussing at my sworn enemy, and yes, I had figured out that he was my enemy since he did consider me as his enemy's accomplice and kidnapped me, and lo and behold! In stepped the Peer of the British realm, the second richest person in Britain and the impersonification of the cunning devil, Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh, followed by two of his men in the uniform of the army of the East India Company.

How nice! Name the devil and he shall appear!

Looking at me, he gave me a victorious smile, and my glare only intensified. "I had told your sister last night, we shall meet soon. Perhaps I forgot to mention exactly how. My apologies." Yet, he did not look apologetic at all to me. On the contrary, his victorious smile remained on his face, which aggravated me even more.

His steel blue eyes reflected the light from the bulb, amusement clear in them as I glared at him, hoping to burn a hole, until he turned around and gave some sort of signal to his soldiers. They gave him a snappy salute and were out of the room before I could say 'yellow piggies'. The smell of alcohol in here did remind me of the first time I got drunk, and the gunfight, and....the kiss, which I think was not a dream.

My face grew hot as other....uh, similar memories crowded my mind, and I had the strangest urge to whack myself for losing focus in front of Dalgliesh, instead of thinking of ways to get out of here.

"Nice place. You forgot to dispose of the dead rats."

His smile flickered for a milisecond, but enough for a smile of my own to spread on my face.

"Indeed? Would you like me to add a few more?"

"Nah." I gave a fake yawn and my nose scrunched up."These stink enough. I think I'll pass. What I would like is to go home. I'll have to take a day off."

"Really? Would you like me to inform your dear employer?" He took two long steps towards me, a dangerous storm brewing in his eyes.

"How helpful of you, my Lord. Please do so. I think you can deal with His Highness grumpy Ambrose whose secratary has taken leave for two days. Or not." I smirked at him, while his eyes, on the other hand, looked anything but helpful. Except for perhaps giving a hand in pushing me into the Thames river. Oh, he'll probably volunteer for it alright.

"Grumpy? I don't think so." He gave me one of his superior smiles and I had to work to keep my smirk from turning into a frown."He's probably a bit worried, though. He's got, what, around a hundred men all over the place,"a warmth spread in my heart as he spoke, but his next words effieciently doused it "searching for a short man," he paused, emphasising on 'man' and the scowl finally broke out on my face ,"in an absurd vestcoat with purple peacocks and long shoulder length hair. He also mentioned that he works as his private secretary."

My scowl only intensified as he gave a short laugh, amusement glinting in his eyes as he took in my expression.

"Nice description." That did it. A string of Arabian and Portuguese cursewords left my mouth as I vowed to myself to bash in the miser as soon as I got out of here. I was not short! And my vestcoat was unique, not absurd!

He gave another laugh. "I see why he keeps you around. You are amusing." He eyed me like he had noticed I was a woman under the tailcoat for the first time, and I squirmed uncomfortably in my specially designed very comfortable throne. However my glare did not waver, at all.

"What I fail to see is why he loves you. You are not that special." He waved his hand dismissively as a wave of fury took over me. How. Dare. He?

"Who the hell do you think you are to judge me?! You bloody conniving son of a bastard! You are a cold blooded murderer, and you dare to judge me?! Me? Look at yourself! Blasted Peer of the British Realm, high position in society, ruler of the Indian subcontinent, blah and blah, and you have been brutally defeated several times by a simple businessman, who was kicked out of his house when he was fifteen and yet worked hard enough to rise as the richest man of the British empire! Today he is stronger than you, more powerful than you! Remember France; we took the file from under your nose and you could do nothing about it! Remember the bandits in Egypt, each one of them was killed!" Taking deep breaths, he pressed his lips into a thin line as he closed the distance between us. His eyes thundered with a dangerous storm brewing in there as I looked up at him, still glaring.

Ignoring the sensible voice in my head telling me to shut my mouth and get out of here, in one piece, I let the fury coursing through me pour all my bottled up anger at him, at since nearly two years run its course.

"You think you are smart, powerful? Then why do you need to get information from his secretary to get your hands on his files, let alone defeat him?! You are a pathetic chauvinist loser, and you are telling me that there is nothing special about me! Go to h-"

His fist came flying in the direction of my head and I instictively leaned to the side. Perhaps a bit too much, as the chair toppled over to one side and cracked my head on one side. Sharp pain erupted on the side of my head as it hit one of the broken tiles and a warm liquid trickled down my face. A faint wave of dizziness took over me for a second as I closed my eyes and muttered curses under my breath.

That blasted bamboozle! I could blame Dalgliesh for this, but I had to admit, I had riled him up pretty hard. Enough for him to want to punch someone. Well, that did not mean I did not want to punch him!

My anger had fairly subsided to mildly dangerous from terrifying levels, along with the wave of dizziness and I was thinking exactly how many years of soot and grime and...eew...rat crap...was settling itself on my face, when the chair was jerked straight roughly and a pair of blue eyes appeared in my vision. Bloody he-

The dizziness returned and I had to literally force myself to keep my eyes open as I tried to concentrate on his buzzing voice inches from my ear.

  "Don't try to act all clever and smart with me, Miss Linton." His low voice soon became clear as the throbbing competition from earlier resumed. I think this time my head has definitely won, oh, I don't know, because I just hit it? Spiffing!

  "Do I need to remind you that even if you were found floating down the Thames in a few days, nobody would dare, or even dream of associating me, Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh with it? I could get the information about the file from other sources too."

  My fingers curled into fists and I tugged hard at the ropes around my sore wrists, while my face seemed to be etched in a scowl.

   That file! Again! I had actually demanded him to tell me, and resulted in running a marathon in the office, but while Dalgliesh asked me about it, I had to bear the torture of seating my derrière on the most uncomfortable chair made out of the grainiest wood with elephants stampeding in my stomach and hands tied as he interrogated me! Where was all the justice in the world? No, not the chauvinist one, the other actual equally just one?

  Get to the point. You're upset about it because you feel Mr. Ambrose doesn't trust you with such important information.

  No! No! Not at all! Where would you get such absurd thoughts?

  "The file, Miss Linton. Where is it?"

  "Someone once told me, my Lord, you can ask for all you want, but that doesn't mean you'll get it."

  Dalgliesh raised a perfect aristocratic eyebrow at me."Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. I have many other innovative methods to get the information out of you, if you wish so."

  "Oh, you can try as much as you want." My tone clearly reflected what I had meant it as; a challenge and a mocking smile spread on my lips. "I would love to see what you can get." Because I myself bloody don't know anything about the file, that's why!

   As if I was going to admit it to him! Anyways, as soon as I get out of here, my first mission will be to change that, along with the blastedly perfect face of that miserable stubborn son of a bachelor.

  Dalgliesh narrowed his eyes and I met his intense gaze head on, my eyes not blinking or wavering at all. Like Mr. Ambrose, Dalgliesh, too, kept a wall over his eyes and hid his thoughts and emotions pretty well, but unlike Mr. Ambrose, they were easy to understand once you caught on to the general working of his mind. I could practically see the the gears in his head moving at a speed to compete the machines in a factory as he analysed me.

  He was annoyed at the blatant refusal of any information from me about the file; he had expected to indimidate me, a weak, helpless little damsel in distress, into giving up the information pretty easily. However, a small part of me also thought that he had already expected it. That was strange...

  Suddenly he straightened himself and took two steps back.

  "Don't forget, Mr. Linton, I always get what I want."

  That sounded suspiciously like something Mr. Ambrose had told me sometime...

  Giving me one of his oh-so-perfectly-innocent-gentlemanly smiles, Lord Dalhliesh turned on his heels and marched out of the room.

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Dear ladies and gentlemen,

  Early update! Yay! I absolutely enjoyed writing this chapter, so I stayed awake till the words were on the screen and voilà!

  Also, the next chapter is half written already! So expect it soon!

  Vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter!
 
  P. S. The rant was actually what I would have said if I was face to face with Dalgliesh, only not kidnapped; that is all Lilly!

  Yours truly,
  Ifrit5789.

(Published 1 Feb, 2:37)