The leaves rustled behind her, and Lilly whirled around, hugging her arms around her bare chest. The dark green of the foliage behind her parted to show a squirrel, busily rooting around on the ground. She sighed in relief. She definitely did NOT want someone, especially her employer, to creep up on her while she was washing off. She preferred doing it out here, in the cool waters of the stream instead of in the dark confines of Pearl's small bathroom. She knew that there were no other properties way out here, and the only danger came from the inhabitants of the property she was on. Mainly, Mr. Ambrose. 

She grabbed her towel, drying herself quickly. Then she squeezed herself into her corset and tied the stays before putting on one of her Uncle's shirts. Her trousers were pulled on soon after. She emerged from the wood, hair dripping wet and wrapped in a towel, just like someone had shown her once. This time, she was in no danger of choking. Lilly's mind was in a turmoil, and anger seeped out of her pores. 'How dare he?! I've done everything, everything in my power to be a good secretary, but apparently, I will never be good enough for him!' 

'You don't need to be good enough for HIM. Be who you want to be, Lilly. You are you, and nobody will ever change that!' 

'When did you get so philosophical, huh?' 

'Shush!' 

Her employer rounded the corner ahead of her, back ramrod straight. His eyes soon found hers, and he headed straight for her. 

"There you are, Mr. Linton, Karim has just returned from Atlanta. I require your secretarial assistance." 

"Oh, go shove your files up your ass, sir! I'm going to go enjoy myself with Pearl and Aisha!" Lilly ignored the dumbfounded expression on his face. 

"Excuse me?" 

"You're excused! Go, shoo!" 

Threateningly, Mr. Ambrose stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "Mr. Linton, I have paid you, have I not, for your services on this trip? You are my personal secretary, go sort my files!" 

Coldly, Lillian stepped back and regarded Mr. Ambrose. "An incompetent one at that. Am I right, sir?" Then she left, bowing to him and entered Pearl's house. She felt his freezing gaze at her back, almost icing her feet to the ground. Which would have been physically impossible, as the temperature was at least 85 degrees.

Pearl, who was standing at the screen door, gave Lilly a small smile. "You heard what he said?" 

Lilly nodded ruefully. "It was good to know, at the very least. I'll have no regrets when I go back to my Aunt in London." 

"When are you going to tell him?" Pearl asked softly. 

"In due course. Where's Aisha?" Lilly asked, brushing aside their conversation. With a nod, Pearl led her to the year old girl, who giggled happily at the sight of 'Aunt Lilly.' 

***

The week passed, and on the fifth night, the smell surrounding the two dissipated, and Mr. Ambrose immediately set off to his business dealings with his secretary in tow. The usually bubbly secretary did her job well, quietly, and efficiently. To Mr. Ambrose's chagrin, he had no complaint about her behavior. Rather, the lack of it. She no longer started up random, off topic conversations, in fact, she barely talked to him at all. However, when she was with Pearl, Jabari, Aisha, and even Karim, she was her usual energetic self. It was mystifying. The only explanation Mr. Ambrose could come up with, was that she was mad at him. For what, he didn't know. He hadn't done a single thing to provoke her ill feelings, had he? Well, there was this one time with Pearl, but she couldn't have heard him. He had made sure she was out washing up in the stream! (How does he know though?) 

It was infuriating! Not that he missed her constant, time consuming conversation of course! Just... It was unsettling, that was all. And on the first night, when this happened, he vowed he would find out. 

Mr. Ambrose entered the small room, lit only by a gas lamp. The flickering flame illuminated Lillian's back defining the smoothness of her thin nightgown and her curves. Since that morning she'd caught him sleeping on the bed next to her, he figured that it would be fine to just sleep up on the bed with her that night, and as he started to sink down onto the mattress, her fingers shot out and settled themselves on his shoulders. His trousers tightened invariably at the light touch, that is, until he was pushed roughly off the bed. With a crash, he landed hard on his back stifling a groan. "No, Mr. Ambrose. You're staying down there for the rest of the week, unless you want me to tell the newspapers about your un-gentlemanly conduct!" With one last glare, she curled up and went to sleep, leaving him sitting uncomfortably on the floor. 

However, his futile attempts at wrestling the truth out of her proved to fail again and again. She seemed determined to ignore his presence. Soon, it was the night before their departure back to London. And he couldn't take it anymore! She was silent around him, indifferent! Like a demure, shy little woman! And the only thing she wasn't was shy and demure. 

*** 

Lilly readied herself for battle, saying goodnight to Karim, Pearl, Jabari, and kissing Aisha gently on the forehead. Mr. Ambrose was finishing up his late dinner in the kitchen before retiring for the night. She dressed in one of her nightgowns, the faded pink gown with frayed songbirds stitched on the fabric. As she waited, she folded her hands neatly on her lap, studying her nails. They were long, and definitely not as neatly kept as they should be. 'What am I going to say?' 

'Tell him the truth. He'll know soon enough. It's better to get it over with anyway. Maybe he'll be happy, or whatever passes as happy for that iceberg anyway. Satisfied?' 

'He's coming!' Sitting with her back straight, Lilly glanced up at Mr. Ambrose's figure. He was already wearing his pajama bottoms, which, were basically his old black ones that had holes in the knees from long ago fights. It seemed that he found buying pajamas a waste of money also, seeing as he had perfectly good, holey trousers anyway. 

She glanced down at her nails again. Would Mr. Fitzgerald be okay with her having longer than average nails? 

"Lillian?" His cold, smooth voice caused her to look up. Surprising her, he seemed slightly troubled, judging by the faint creases between his brows. "What is wrong?" 

"Uhm.." Taking a deep breath, Lilly looked up at Mr. Ambrose. "Sir, I- I have to tell you something." 

"Go on." 

"I made a deal with my Aunt... In order to... Come with you on this trip, I had to agree to get married to the first man who proposes to me... And, one already has. I will be Mrs. Fitzgerald within a fortnight." 

Mr. Ambrose stared at her. Her drooping head, and closed eyelids definitely showed that she was upset. As he watched, tears dripped from her lashes. 

"I just wanted... To let you know sir." At this, she met his eyes, smiling wanly. "When I part with on Sunday, it will be the last I'll ever see you." Anger raged within him, almost obliterating every semblance of good judgement. The call for this Mr. Fitzgerald's blood was pumping within him, and he itched to activate the Waste Disposal Squad. Instead, he strode forward, gripping her forearms. 

"No!" 

"What?" She looked at him, confused. 

"You- you cannot just be married off to this man. You do not even love him." A wry smile twisted her features. 

"That is the role of women, Mr. Ambrose. To get married and live the rest of her miserable life in the shadow of her husband's successes. To act blindly, following only his word, to bear his children and raise them. To keep his household. No matter the fact that we harbor no feelings for him. That is the role society has given me." 

For the first time, Mr. Ambrose truly understood what Lillian was fighting for. And why she tried so hard to get away. "Why? Why did you do it? If you had not gone with me on this trip, would you still be betrothed?" 

After a pause, Lilly said in a soft voice. "I knew that this would be one of my last adventures with you, Mr. Ambrose. I am nearly 21, now. My aunt would probably still have found me a husband, nonetheless. This way, at least, I'll have lived a little more than I would have. Incompetent secretary though I am, I enjoyed working for you, Sir. I have been to France, experienced the thrill of a chase, felt the rocking of the sea beneath my feet, I have tasted foie gras, felt the heat of the desert sun, and- and..." At this, her cheeks pinked, the rosy red color blooming across her features. She took a deep breath. "I have lived. Thank you." 

Shocked, Mr. Ambrose paused. "You... You heard me, didn't you? When I was talking with Pearl." It was a statement, and not a question. He already knew the answer, though the dread he felt when he saw her nod was akin to when she had been in danger. 

"It's alright sir, you are right. A woman mustn't be a secretary.  I've ruined so many things... I'm sorry about the skunk, sir. It wasn't my intention to get us stuck in the house for a whole week.. Or- or to force to give up your spot on the Urania even though you're much more important than I am and for getting caught by the soldiers in Egypt. I-" 

"Stop. Stop it." He reached forward, gently cupping her face. "None of those were your fault. Except for the skunk. That was all you." A small smile flitted onto her face for a moment. 

"Pearl thought I was your sunshine," A nervous laugh escaped her lips, though inside, she was wondering what his answer would be. When she glanced up at his face, it was unchanged as ever. 

"Pearl..." Lilly held her breath. "Pearl was wrong. You are not my sunshine." The swelling in her chest popped abruptly. Immediately, her inner feminist butted in. 

'Stop it, you should be rejoicing! You don't need him, Lilly! And get away from his vile hand!' 

"That's- that's alright, sir. I already kne-" 

His thumb stroked lightly down her cheek, and he leaned down, murmuring lightly into her ear. "You are much, much, more." 

(Hehe.) 

His lips found the soft skin behind her ear and nipped at it, eliciting a harsh breath from her. Her hands rose to clutch at the thin fabric of his shirt and clenched it tightly. He held her at the waist as he pressed his nose into her neck and left a hot trail of kisses leading down to her collar bones. Lilly was on fire, the heat emanated from his smooth lips, sending shivers down her spine. It was a good thing he was holding her tightly, else she would have fallen. He raised his head, resting it against hers. They breathed quietly together, lost in the rhythm of the other's breaths. 

"You are the fire to my ice, and the stars to my moon. You are the light in the darkness of this world, the first and only smile I see each day. You are the storm to my everlasting silence. And... You are pretty much the only thing that makes me want to get up in the morning. Lilly, I realize now that I have been blind. Blind to the wonders of this world. I have experienced more with you in the last year and a half, than I have known in my 25 years of being alive. I have become a whole new person because of you." Mr. Ambrose paused, listening again to the gentle puffs of air hitting his lips. "Pearl was wrong. You are more than my sunshine. You have become my entire world." 

He opened his eyes, meeting hers for the first time since he started his tirade. They shone like bright orbs of liquid fire. A wide smile was stretched across her lips. Her hands rose to clasp around his neck. 

"And?" 

He looked at her strangely. He had just bared himself to her, and all she could say was and? "What?" 

"And..." Lilly raised her eyebrows, smirking at him. "What do you want me to do when I go to London? I mean, I'm going to have to marry Mr. Fitzgerald still, as he is likely the first man to have proposed. Or, maybe, it will be Captain Carter!" At her words, Mr. Ambrose's arms tightened around her waist. 

"You are mine, Lillian." 

She laughed teasingly. "But what if I don't want to be yours?" Hurt flashed across his sea blue eyes, followed quickly by anger. 

"Fine! If I must, I'll activate the Waste Disposal Squad and-" Cutting him off, Lilly pulled him down toward her to meet his lips. He gladly shut up, much too preoccupied. He hoisted her up, bringing her head above his as he went to the wall, leaning her up against it. On extinct, her legs came around his waist. 

"I love you, Lilly," He murmured as he kissed the soft skin at her neck. 

"Love you too, Dick!" A growl answered her, and he nipped at her skin. "Ouch! Okay, okay, Rick!" 

How was it? Did it suffice? I hope so!! Sorry for the late update! Also, I'm curious. Who saw the Me Before You references? AH!! It's so sad!! 

P.S. Do you like the new cover?