Mr. Ambrose stepped out of the bathroom, the wooden door swinging shut behind him. The wretched stench still clung to his very pores, and quite quickly making his head pound and his mouth dry. Blast his secretary! If he hadn't been here, he'd already been done with all his business meetings! 'Then if you don't like having HER here so much, why don't you fire her? You're even starting to talk like her!'  

I do not! 

'Yes, actually you do.' 

Ignoring his annoying inner Ambrose, Mr. Ambrose finished buttoning the top buttons of his shirt. His tailcoat, waistcoat, and trousers were being washed outside, due to the thorough spraying Lillian's 'friend' had given them. Jabari had lent him one of his deer skin pants, which weren't exactly uncomfortable. It was looser around his waist area, which would be a relief. Lately, it seemed, his trousers became too tight whenever a certain ifrit was around. His eyes immediately settled on the defeated looking woman sitting wearily upon the grass. Even from here, Rikkard could taste the burning, rotten, smell which now enveloped him at lesser degrees. He made a wide berth, calling out icily, "Mr. Linton, you may use the bath house." Without even glancing back at him, Mr. Ambrose strode to the porch and sat in the chair Karim had provided for him. Pearl had disallowed his access to her home, saying that she did not want it to stink up. Though Mr. Ambrose saw her point, anger bubbled across his skin and almost contorted his facial muscles. 

Lilly watched as her employer marched away from her, ramrod straight, his still wet shirt clinging deliciously to the muscles of his back. 'Stop Lilly! Nothing about him is delicious! Except maybe when he's kissing you.' Lilly internally slammed the door on those thoughts, then dragged herself to her feet. She hated the way she felt right now. Humiliated, stinky, and disgusting. Clearly, Mr. Ambrose hated her as well. She could practically feel the disgust he had for her oozing out of him, though he still managed not to move a single muscle on his stone faced face! Lilly hated to admit it, but the worst thing about this ordeal was that Mr. Ambrose was invariably furious at her. She had claimed to hate him on countless occasions, so now when he finally did, why did she feel so bad? 

Troubled, Lillian opened the rickety door to reveal the small interior of Pearl and Jabari's tiled bathroom. A tin tub was in one corner, completely taking half of the room up. The porcelain toilet was in another corner, and the sink was opposite, complete with a mirror hanging over it. Her reflection was barely recognizable. Pasty face, greasy hair(it had taken the brunt of the spray, having turned her face away), and sweaty face, from the heat outside. She looked like a ghost. Sighing, Lilly stripped, then indulged herself for a few minutes in the clean spring water. After that, she engaged in the diligent scrubbing needed to rid herself of some of the stench. Even Mr. Ambrose, who only needed three and a half minutes apparently. This time, he almost took TEN. 

Lilly soon finished in the tub. She drained the water, and reached for her towel. Only then did she realize that she'd forgotten the clothes Jabari had lent her outside. 'Blast! All I have is this tiny towel and Mr. Ambrose is outside! Crap crap crap!' Deep breath Lilly. It's not like he hasn't seen you this sparsely dressed before. ' I don't want a repeat of that!' The events of that Egyptian night made her blush, sending a pulse of heat down. 

"You can do this, Lilly." She opened the door a crack, letting her head through. Yup, Mr. Ambrose was still there, staring resolutely away from her. "Mr. Ambrose!" No reply. "MR. AMBROSE!" He twitched, but didn't otherwise make a move to turn around. "Sir, I forgot my clothes on the bench, and unless you want me to go outside without my clothing, then I suggest you get it for me!" That got him moving. Mr. Ambrose got up from his lazy arse and shot her a disdainful look, keeping his gaze firmly on her face. 

"Where is it?" 

"On that bench... Oh wait. Uh.. Can you ask Pearl again? I seem to have misplaced it." Mr. Ambrose growled, infuriated. How dare this woman!? Her face, seeing his reaction, broke out in a small smile that illuminated her face fully. 'God this woman is beautiful.'  Aww, look at Rikky, so in love! 'I am not!'  

"Pearl!" He called out, rapping on the kitchen window. The curtains blocking the view parted, and Pearl's face peered out. Seeing hi agitated expression, Pearl nodded, and a few minutes later appeared outside. 

"What is it Mr. Ambrose?" 

"Mr. Linton has misplaced his clothes. He needs more." 

"Ah, hold on a minute." Pearl went back inside, bolting the door behind her before Mr. Ambrose could make a bid to going back inside. Damn her! She knew him too well. Mr. Ambrose started to walk around to the front of the house, where Karim was currently. His manservant was busy scoping out the countryside around the farm house. A wild wood to the east, west, and south surrounded them. The path back to town was in the North, and it was only a 45 minute ride by horse. Karim turned, noticing the stench in the air, and bowed a bit, keeping his distance. 

"Are we safe, Karim?" 

"Yes, Sahib! Pearl chose a good place to build her farm." Nodding in agreement, Mr. Ambrose's ingenious mind went to work, remodeling the place, cutting down trees and  adding an extension to the house. His plans were cut short by the very lady like scream behind him, and Mr. Ambrose knew that this woman was not Pearl. Then... 

"Lilly!" His legs moved of their own accord, racing to save the woman that he loved... Wait what? Jabari was covering his eyes, stumbling down the steps of the outhouse, apologizing furiously in garbled English. 

"I sorry! Miss.. I apologize! Did not... Did not know!" A shower of soaps, stones, and one bucket was thrown at his head, smacking him straight between his eyes. 

"TAKE THAT!! AND THAT! PLUS, IT'S CALLED KNOCKING!" 

 The African Warrior went down, holding his forehead. Mr. Ambrose stepped on his fingers, not particularly caring as the 6 foot eight inch man grunted in pain.  

He entered the bathroom, his eyes immediately settling on Lilly, the wet strands of hair trailing down her shoulders and... Into a towel. Which, by the way, wasn't too big either. "Mr. Ambrose!" His eyes snapped back up to her face, which was red with embarrassment and anger. "Get out!" 

Completely ignoring her, Mr. Ambrose strode forward, gripping her bare shoulders tightly. "What happened?! Are you alright?" 

Impatiently, Lilly pulled herself away, scowling heavily. "YES! NOW PLEASE, GET OUT!" 

Blinking, Mr. Ambrose stepped back, and remembered where he was again. Blood rushed up his face and down, but he fought back, turning away from her and averting his eyes. "Yes, Ms. Linton my apologies." He went back outside, only to see Pearl sitting on the ground, nursing Jabari. She glared immediately up at him. 

"MR. LINTON HUH? MORE LIKE MS. LINTON! What have you done to her? No sane person would want to ever work for you, much less a woman!" Aisha, the pathetic spawn of such love birds started to cry again as her father moved upright. 

"Ouch..." 

"I assure, Mrs. Hayes, that Ms. Linton did want the job, in fact forced my hand in giving it to her. Now, if you please, some clothes. I daresay she'll be find in Jabari's having been used to trousers." With a look that clearly said the two would talk later, Pearl threw a large cotton shirt and another pair of leather trousers at Mr. Ambrose, then stood to help her husband back into the house. 

Mr. Ambrose knocked this time, knowing that the ifrit would claw at him if he opened the door without knocking after such an event as what had just transpired. "Coming!" Wet footsteps resounded from inside, and soon, Lilly's head was poking through. When she saw that it was him, she widened the door a little. "Do you have the clothes?" 

Wordlessly, Mr. Ambrose gave it to her. Her fingers lightly brushed his, but she quickly pulled them away. Lilly turned back around, letting go of the door. Her left foot touched something cool and slippery, and then her full weight came bearing on top of the waxy soap. Lilly yelped, her foot swinging wildly around, and, being soapy, slipped on the tile floor. The floor came rushing toward her faster than she could blink. Impact in THREE... TWO... O... 

A pair of hands came around her waist, pulling her upright and also securing the towel in place. Lilly grasped at the hands clutching her to the hard body behind her. Immediately, from feeling the calloused, blistered, but still remarkably soft hands, she knew that it was Mr. Ambrose. She sighed in relief, about to pull herself away from the compromising situation that she had just gotten herself into. Then she felt his head come down, his chin settling gently on the soft skin of her shoulder. The feel of his breath against her neck sent warm tingles through her body, and she gasped. "What- what are you doing?" 

She heard the door swing shut behind her with a clunk. His whisper would have been undetected, had she been standing at a more acceptable distance from him, but with his mouth so close to her ear, she could hear every single intake and puff of breath his lips released. "You are an extremely clumsy woman, do you know that?" 

"Yes." His lips found her neck, kissing lightly. Then all too soon, he pulled away with a groan of displeasure. 

"You also stink." Lilly whirled around clutching the towel close to herself. She found him pinching his nose and staring at her. 

"You do too!" 

"It's your fault."

Bristling, Lilly bared her teeth, "It wasn't my fault someone decided to leave me out on the porch to talk to his friends, without even giving and consideration to what I might be feeling! Plus, I've never been in the Colonies before!" 

He deigned not to give an answer, instead throwing her a last, cool look before heading out the door, leaving an infuriated woman in his wake.

*** 

Both Lilly and Mr. Ambrose stared at the tiny bed in the equally tiny room. A dresser with Pearl's mother's clothes was in one corner, and the rest was taken up by the bed. Though Pearl was reluctant letting Lilly sleep in one room with Mr. Ambrose, she also was not willing to let either of them reside in the house until the smell clinging to them wore off. While Karim was enjoying the niceties of having a comfortable room to sleep in, both he and she were forced into this closet, the farthest room from kitchen and dining. However, Pearl also seemed to have an ulterior motive. 

Pearl had trapped Lilly as soon as she'd finished rolling up Jabari's extra large pants and shirt. Then, she'd been forced to spill everything about their relationship, as nonexistent as it was. Lilly told her about the File, Urania (a thoughtful look appeared on her face), Egypt, playing as his wife (Pearl had squealed), and finally the very thing that convinced Lilly to escape England for a few months (here, a positively devious smirk had graced her lips). Pearl hadn't seemed too sorry about forcing an unmarried man and woman into a tiny room with one bed at all. Making both Lilly and Mr. Ambrose worried. Neither cared much at the moment. They had more pressing matters at hand. 

"The bed is mine!!" 

"No, actually, as your Employer, the rights of the bed are mine." 

"It never said anything about that in the contract!" 

"Most of the things you've done in my employ aren't on the contract." 

"....." 

"....." 

"It's still mine! You're the gentleman!" 

"Whoever said anything about me being a gentleman?" 

"Well, fine," Lilly declared. "I'm sleeping in this bed no matter what. Either you join me or sleep on the floor!" 

Rikkard glared at the woman. Due to the chivalrous Gentleman's Code, one could not sleep with a lady in a bed, lest he be married to her. This was not the case. "Fine," He seceded, grabbing both pillows off the bed. "But the pillows are mine." 

Both people curled up, one quite comfortably in the bed. The other, less satisfied with his lot, punched the pillows into a more comfortable shape on the cement floor. Lilly rolled to one side of the bed, falling asleep quite readily. Mr. Ambrose took longer. The cement floor had absorbed heat during the day, keeping him sweating profusely. Even thirty minutes after Lilly's deep breathing had started, Mr. Ambrose wasted time counting the cracks in the roof above. And he hated wasting time.

Fed up, Mr. Ambrose stood and surveyed Lillian in one of Pearl's old nightgowns, hair splayed on the mattress. He eased himself slowly onto the bed and curled up in the side away from her, and within a few minutes, fell into a deep sleep.

#872 in Fanfiction?! Seriously guys, you're the best! Thanks for the continued support! 😘😘