Storm and Silence (Storm and Silence #1) - Robert Thier Page 0,239

doubt in my mind as to whom she meant before, it was gone now. ‘The one everybody treated as if he were the emperor of China, France and India put together. The one who gave that monstrous speech. He had a face like this!’ With her fingers, she pulled her mouth even farther, until it was almost nothing but a straight line. ‘And he stared at you like he had icebergs for eyes, and would headbutt you if you didn’t agree to every single little thing he said!’

‘Oh. Him.’ I coughed. ‘Um… yes, now that you mention it, I seem to remember a man like that.’

‘I don't think he looked like that, though,’ Flora dared to point out, doubtfully regarding Eve’s facial contortions. ‘I think he looked much more handsome. In fact,’ she added with a slight blush, ‘I found him quite ravishing.’

A second later, she quailed under the punishing glare Patsy gave her.

‘Shame on you, Flora Milton,’ she proclaimed sternly. ‘That man is an enemy of the cause! No true suffragist would think him anything but an ugly monster!’

Flora’s cheeks reddened - though not half as much as mine did. Blast! Why was I blushing? I had nothing to be guilty about, did I? Well, did I? He was misogynistic, and arrogant, and cold…

…except when he’s kissing you.

Luckily, Eve was still too firmly on the trail to notice anything wrong with my face.

‘You still haven’t told us who he is,’ she said, narrowing her eyes at me. ‘And up on the platform, he introduced you as his secretary. How on earth did you pull that off?’

I opened my mouth - and no convenient lie came to mind.

Of all the times my creative talents of creative truthbending could have forsaken me, they chose now? When I most needed them? Bugger! Nothing was reliable anymore, nowadays.

‘Well?’ Patsy eyed me curiously. ‘How did you manage it?’

I was standing with my back against the door, the three of them surrounding me, with no escape in sight. Not just Eve and Patsy were burning with curiosity. Even Flora had stopped blushing and was staring at me. She never stared at anyone. She thought it was rude, and that this was enough reason not to do it. But now she was staring at me.

I wet my lips.

‘I… um…’

Suddenly, there came a knock from the door behind me.

‘Lill? Lill, are you in there?’

Ella! My angel, my darling sister, my life-saver! I love you!

‘Yes! Yes, I’m in here.’

Something pushed against my back.

‘Why won’t the door open?’

‘Because I’m standing against it.’

‘And why are you standing against the door?’

‘Good question. Have been asking myself the same thing.’ Like a fox between a regiment of red coats, I slipped between Eve and Flora. Turning, I saw the door open. Ella stood in the doorway, looking from me to Patsy to Flora to Eve and then to me again. When her eyes fell on me, an expression of quiet gravity appeared on her face which I had seen only once before: when our neighbours’ cat had gotten squashed by a coach and she had gone to deliver the news to the bereaved family.

‘Patsy, Ella, Eve,’ she said without removing her gaze from me, ‘would you mind leaving me and my sister alone for a few minutes? There is something we have to discuss in private.’

‘Sorry, Ella, not right now. We were here first, so we get to talk first.’ Patsy waved Ella off. ‘Go off and play, we’ve got serious things to talk about.’

At this, Ella did not quail and shrink back, or hurry off with an apologetic ‘I’m sorry to disturb you’ as I expected - she raised her chin and met Patsy’s eyes.

‘So have I, and what I have to say cannot wait. I have to discuss something of the gravest importance with my sister. You will please leave now. You can talk to her after I’m finished.’

Patsy’s mouth dropped open. She was so surprised that she did something which she had never, ever done before: what she was told. Her feet started moving towards the door, while her eyes were fixed with utter disbelief on the little wisp of a blonde girl ordering her around.

‘Err… I see. All right, Ella. We'll see you outside, Lilly.’ And with a last look at Ella, like a bulldog would look back at the chicken that has just chased him off his yard, she left the room, Eve and Flora in tow.

Closing the door behind them, Ella advanced towards me. She was