Warning: Kinda sorta filler chapter ahead, but I need to fill the gaps and close some topics. Thanks for reading!

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I put the pen down and stretched my arms. Finally! I was done! I went over the result of my hard work of the past hour in front of me once again and made sure everything was just as it should have been, an evil smile spreading over my lips as I replaced everything according to my arrangement.

There. Dalgliesh will always regret his sorry ass for underestimating Lillian Linton. Part one of the plan was done. Now for part two.

"Mr. Ambrose!" I knocked on the door twice, ignoring the silence that followed. "Open the goddamned door, will you?"

Silence again.

"This is important!"

I took out my pocketwatch and looked at the time. Blast! I was going to be extremely late if I didn't make a run for whichever ball Aunt had seen fit to torture me tonight, and he was horribly delaying me!

"MR. AMBROSE! Open. The. Doo-"

"Stop being an infernal nuisance and get back to work, Mr. Linton." The door opened with a jerk revealing the stony visage of a certain cold employer of mine, who currently looked as pissed off as it is possible for stone statues can be.

"Oh, hello Mr. Ambrose. How kind of you to finally grace me with your presence." I gave him a smile dripping with so much sarcasm that I'm sure there must be a puddle of it on the floor by now, and he decided to reciprocate with one of his usual cold glares.

"I can assure you, Mr. Linton, I am anything but kind."

"I can definitely agree with that."

"However, will you be kind enough to inform me exactly why have you been ignoring my messages since the last three minutes and twenty six seconds and are attempting to damage the door with your fists instead? Be informed that the cost of any damages caused by you-"

"-will be deducted from my wages, which by the way I have not yet recieved, I know. But stop lecturing me now and listen to my brilliant plan, will you?"

"Absolutely not, Mr. Linton. I will not tolerate this waste of my time and therefore knowledge, power and money-"

"It's about the file." He nearly raised his eyebrow by 0.0053 inches and I crossed my hands against my chest, giving him a glare.

"I'm not joking. Now will you listen?"

"Adequate. Get in my office."

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No chocolates. Not a single blasted piece of the edible heaven that was chocolate in the entire goddamned refreshment table. I mean, who in their right mind would be organising a ball for more than half of the entire population of London and stuffing them all in a single ball room without any sign of hope or solid chocolate?!

"Miss Linton?" And tons of stupid male suitors! Oh, the torture! The agony!

"Miss?" I ignored the fellow, hoping that he would go away and continued to look at the dancers as if the mundane quadrille they were dancing to truly intrigued me. The things I did to keep myself sane!

"Lillian, my dearest niece!" Please not her!

The wench who currently held the status of my guardian and my mother's sister took it upon herself to pull my arm so that I had no option but to look at the bothersome fellow who was disturbing me. And was it a disturbing sight.

The soon-to-be-prey who stood before me was a short, pudgy man with a ridiculous moustache curling at the ends and black, beady eyes and a smile that rivaled that of the monkey who had been so kind enough to offer me his ear cleaning services. I nearly scrunched my face before remembering my dearest aunt's presence beside me. My aunt, who was looking between both of us as if she had finally found a hundred pounds lying on the street and nobody to claim it.

"Mr. Simpson Dickenson," I resisted to urge to snicker at his ridiculous name, keeping in mind the old hag in front of me,"this is my dearest and the most beautiful niece, Lillian Linton."

I gave a small curtsey to the distant relative of the friend I had so politely rejected in the Amazonian jungle and he gave me a wide smile.

"And Lillian dear, this is Mr. Simpson Dickenson, the owner of Simpson Perfumes and the most charming man I have had the pleasure to be acquianted with this fine evening."

"You flatter me, Mrs. Brank. It is indeed my pleasure to meet you and," he turned towards me and gave me big smile flashing his beautifully yellow crooked teeth and I shuddered,"the beautiful Miss Linton here."

He turned to my aunt, the big smile still plastered on his face and I scowled at his back. I simply tightened my grip on my parasol and thanked myself for wearing my sharpest heels. Hunting time, Lilly!

"If you don't mind Mrs. Brank, may I whisk away Miss Linton here for the next dance?" Ask me here! I'm standing right behind you!

"Of course, Mr. Dickenson! I'm sure she will love to! Won't you, Lillian?"

Absolutely not. Apparently my to-be-answer was extremely clear on my face, which made her give me her best 'Don't-mess-this-up-for-me-or-I-will-make-your-life-hell' look, and I replied with my 'And-how-exactly-do-you-plan-to-do-something-that-is-already-done' look.

She was about to reply when Mr. Dickenson turned to look at me and Aunt Brank took matters into her hands and pulled me aside, before turning to him.

"Pardon me Mr. Dickenson, but my niece is feeling rather shy-"

Shy? And me?

"-in the company of such gentlemen like you. If you shall be kind enough to wait for a minute, I shall like to have a word with her."

A word, my generous behind! She was most likely to give me a huge scolding and complementary lectures about how a proper lady should behave and pay off the debt to my guardians who had so generously provided for me for so many years! Even Mr. Ambrose's glaring cold silence would have been more interesting than this!

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Apparently when twenty minutes and thirty four seconds later I was practically pushed on the dance floor by my Aunt and forced to put my hand into Mr. Dickenson's, I was literally boiling. To the point that I might have burst upon the monkey without a tail in front of me!

How dare she?! She actually threatened me! Me! That if I didn't let the stupid idiot court me then she will make sure that he marries Ella! And the witch knows that I won't let that happen, no matter what!

"Miss Linton?" A familiar and annoying voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked up, well, not exactly up, to see Mr. giving me a smile and I had to wipe off the grimace from my face.

"Yes, Mr. Dickenson?"

"You seem awfully distracted, Miss Linton. Is there something I can help you with?" Oh, yes. I gave him a fake sweet smile. Just disappear from the face of earth and never return, thank you very much.

"It's nothing, Mr. Dickenson."

"Very well, then. Would you mind giving me your company for another dance then?" It was only then that I noticed that the waltz was drawing to an end. And Mr. Dickenson here had still not been deterred by my ingenious methods of suitor disposal!

His feet might have been under protection from my vicious heels, one which I believe I might have almost cracked while hitting him, all thanks to his hard boots, but was he really blind?!

I squinted into his dull black eyes, trying to make out whether he really was blind. You never know with my Aunt. He didn't look blind...but the way he was ignoring my glares and grimaces and other facial contortions with that annoying smile fixed on his face...

Well, to each one his own.

"-nton?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Dickenson?"

"I was asking whether you would be kind enough to accompany me for another dance?

What the hell?! What the actual bloody hell?! Can't he decide to spare the torture to his poor shoes and me?

"Of course." Not. I gave him a vicious smile. A 'You're-lucky-Aunt-Brank-took-away-my-fan-and-parasol-or-you'd-have-been-Dickenson-puree-till-now' smile. A pity he didn't exactly look like he got the message.

The poor chap gave me another one of his wide array of smiles. "Thank you so much, Miss Linton. It is truly my honour to be able to dance another reel with such a graceful dancer like you. You cannot imagine how much I am enjoying your company."

He lifted my hand and pressed his lips to my fingers and I resisted the urge to pull away my hand and wipe it on my dress. Enjoying my company?! Enjoying my company?! Where was Patsy when you needed her?

Before I could put my arms around him and strangle him, the dreadful tune of another waltz played in the background and I had to control the sudden urge to bash in someone's head, most preferably the musician's. Here I was trying to get rid of Mr. and this man was playing this music to my horrible, slow and torturous death! Bloody idiots, all men!

Plastering a fake smile, which I'm sure must have been more like a grimace, I turned to Mr. Dickenson and braced myself for another round of the battle. Placing my hand demurely into his outstretched one, I stepped on the battlefield, uh, dance floor.

Three. Two. One. Attack!

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I chomped down angrily on the plain biscuit as I surveyed the dancers from behind the heavy curtains, keeping a sharp lookout for Mr. Dickenson and Aunt Brank. I swear, the man was unable to take a simple hint! I mean, what could have been more ruder than me ignoring his brainless chatter for nearly the entire dance while trying to crush his feet under my heels; not to mention that I sneezed twice in his face?!

And Aunt Brank! The devil's incarnation herself, that evil hag was hell bent on encouraging his stupid illusions that I actually like his company! The bloody idiot! I had never met a man more clueless and foolish in all of London itself!

I was just about to duck behind the curtains again when something caught my eye, but before I could even blink an eyelid, the dancers turned again and it was gone. What was it...A flash of a red and black gown and a fan and another smiling face and a pair of familiar sea coloured eyes looking straight at me-Wait! What?

Mr. Ambrose was here?! At a bloody ball? Why the hell would he be here? No, it was impossible. He would rather take a death sentence than waste his time at such social events instead of making money. Absolutely not. But then what was that..?

I peeped out again and carefully looked for a eleven year old mint condition tailcoat among all the ridiculously expensive and flashy everywhere, but there was none to be seen. Where was he?

Scrutinising the vicinity for my Aunt, I stepped out carefully when the coast seemed clear. Before I could take another step in the direction I had seen him, a voice stopped me.

"Miss Linton?"

Blast!

I turned around with a smile on my face to look at Captain Carter and nearly did a double take. The usually bright and mischevious smile on his face had been replaced with a...sad smile? What the hell had happened? Did someone just die or something?

Apparently I had been so visibly shocked that he frowned, taking a step towards me. "What happened, Miss Linton?"

Picking up my jaw from the floor, I took another step closer to him to ensure I was not hallucinating, and unfortunately I wasn't. "I should be asking you this! What happened?! Is everything alright?"

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"-Lillian, I won't be tolerating any of your nonsense behaviour tomorrow, you hear me girl?! Where did you disappear-

'"You could have told me the truth, Miss Linton."

"About what?"

"About him."

"Him? Who?"

"Your lover."

"What nonsense are you speaking, Captain Carter? Are you drunk?"

"So what if I am, Miss Linton?"

"What? Why are you-wait, why do you think I have a bloody lover out of all things?"

He stiffened, the smile on his face almost non existant. "I don't think so, Miss Linton. I know so."

"Wha-Bloody hell! Stop speaking in riddles and clearly explain what are you going on about! If it's that Dickenson chap who's spreading such rumors, I swear-"

He gave me wistful smile before speaking. "You love Rikkard Ambrose, don't you, Miss Linton?"'

"Lillian!"

  'Captain Carter broke the heavy silence reigning in the balcony, the after effects of my recent honest confession to him about my adventures with my employer. "Miss Linton?"

"Yes, Captain Carter?" Traces of hope laced my words and I immediately tried to squash it down.

  Be sensible! You just indirectly rejected his proposal in the most horrible way you could by telling him about your adventures with someone else and you hope that he can forgive you and go back to being friends?! Have you lost it?

  "You should probably return to the ball. Goodbye, Miss Linton." His voice was stiff and cold, absolutely unlike him and I felt tears threatening to gather in my eyes, but I blinked them away.

  Was this how our friendship was going to end? If I had known, I would have never- never what? Never met him? No, I would never regret meeting him. But rejecting him? Would my instinctive feeling ever be worth the pain I had caused with my decision?'

  "Lillian Linton!"
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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

  Please bear with this horrible, terrible crappy excuse of a chapter. I couldn't have been more confused about how to wrap up things with Carter and believe me, I am nearly crying at how this ended up. I...I hadn't planned for Carter to break even their friendship, I don't know how this happened! And trust me when I say that the next chapter is going to be much more...interesting, lets say, even though I'm not sure where I'll end up with it...but we'll see what we'll see;)

  Before I forget, what do you think is Lilly's great plan? Will it work, or will she fail? Do tell me your guesses; I would loooove to know what's going on in your mind about it! Please comment if you find any plot gaps or something missing!

Also, don't forget to vote, comment and enjoy!

Yours truly,
Ifrit5789.

P. S. Gosh, it's been such a long time since I last wrote 'Yours truly', hasn't it?