Storm and Silence(213)

The sinister figure, that is to say I, sprang forward and clamped a hand over her mouth.

‘Be quiet, silly! It’s no burglar, only me!’ I hissed into her ear. ‘If you scream, you’ll chase the little yellow piggies away!’

Her whole body relaxed in my arms.

‘Mmpf! Mgmpf nmm mpf.’

‘I suppose that means “Hello, Lilly, how nice to see you”?’

‘Mmmpf!’

‘I see. It’s nice to see you, too. If I let you go, do you promise not to scream?’

‘Ympf!’

Seeing as that was the closest approximation to a ‘yes’ I was likely to receive, I took my hand from her mouth. She turned to face me, grabbing me by the shoulders. Her eyes were large and moist with panic.

‘Dear God, Lilly! Where have you been? I was expecting you to come home hours ago, and I waited and waited, but you never arrived. I’ve had to tell the most dreadful, fiendish lies to explain your absence to Aunt. Where have you been?’

‘I?’ A small laugh escaped me. ‘I was with the little yellow piggies. Alexander was there, too.’

‘Little yellow… what? And who is Alexander?’

‘Alexander the Great. Haven’t you heard of him? Spiffing chap, absolutely spiffing.’

Ella sniffed.

‘Lilly? What is that smell?’

‘Smell? I don't smell anything. What do you mean?’

‘That smell… It smells like the tables at balls where the drinks for gentlemen… are… served…’

Her voice dwindled. Slowly, the colour drained from her face.

‘Lill! No, you can’t have! Lill!’

I smiled broadly. She remembered my name! It was so nice that someone did. Mr Ambrose never called me by my first name, let alone a sweet nickname like Lill.

‘Yes, my delightful, dear little sister?’

‘Lill, have you…?’ She lowered her voice until it was only a hushed whisper, deserving of a dark and dingy crypt, where human sacrifices were conducted by some strange oriental cult. ‘Have you been drinking?’

I pondered the question carefully.

‘Yes,’ I finally decided, nodding to emphasize the point. ‘I have. In fact, I have it on the reliable authority of a professional drunkard that I have emptied the entire River Thames. I must confess, I had no idea my belly could contain that much liquid.’

‘Lill!’ A moment later, I was in Ella’s arms and she was rocking me from side to side as if I were a small child who needed comforting. ‘Oh my dear, dear, sister, tell me, who is the man who has done this to you, the rake who has led you off the path of virtue and intoxicated you? I will help you, I promise!’

She continued to rock me like a baby, making cooing noises all the time. By Jove! I had no idea she felt so strongly about me. That was gratifying. But I was also slightly irked by the fact that she thought I needed a man to lead me astray. I was perfectly capable of straying from the path of virtue on my own, thank you very much!

‘Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid, Lill! I will go to him, make him leave you alone. He will never bother you again, I promise!’

There was a lump in my throat. Oh dear God. Was this really happening? My little sister Ella, sweet, innocent, shy little Ella was willing to face down a dastardly rake for my sake? She had hidden emergency reserves of courage that she had tapped now, for my sake, to protect me from the villain that was dragging me into a cesspool of iniquity. Never mind that the villain only existed in her imagination - this was touching.

She truly was the best sister one could wish for.

Yes, she is, but maybe she could stop this infernal rocking!

Very true. The motion made me feel woozy all over again, and once more, stars started dancing in front of my eyes. Ella’s voice seemed to be coming from a distance now…

‘Who is he? Oh Lill, please tell me. Who is the man? I know it may be hard for you to concentrate right now, but you really need to tell me. Can you tell me anything? What he looks like? His name?’

‘Napoleon…’

‘Napoleon? Dear Lord, he is a Frenchman? No wonder you’re in such a state! Did he touch you? Did he hurt you? Lill, you poor thing, do you remember his last name?’

‘Bonaparte,’ I mumbled, gazing at the stars dancing across my bedroom ceiling. ‘You know, the Emperor? The little chap with the funny hat and the hand glued to the inside of his jacket.’

‘Merciful God, Lill, you’re hallucinating!’

‘Am not!’ I protested. ‘He was there! He was! Ask the little piggies if you don't believe me.’

‘Lill?’

My head slumped to the side. The world around me shrank until all I could see was Ella’s anxious face.