Read The Ambitious Orphan for Free Online Page B

into his house again.
    “Good afternoon,
brother,” Sherlock said as he walked into the study. Not waiting
for a reply, he wandered over to the nearest armchair and sat down.
A few seconds after him, Amelia walked in. She stopped as soon as
she saw him, right in the entrance to the room.
    Her jaw was firmly
set and a fire burnt in her eyes that didn't waver even with the
hesitant entrance. There was only one thing she could be angry at
him for, and he had no intention of helping her say it. Instead, he
waited.
    “Did you know
rescuing me would start a war?” she asked eventually, sounding calm
even though her eyes still blazed.
    “Of course.”
    “I told her the
same thing,” Sherlock yelled from his chair. He then picked up the
nearby newspaper and began leafing through it. It was just like him
to come just to listen to the possible argument.
    “What have you
done to stop it since we got back?”
    Mycroft raised his
eyebrows at the question.
    “I've done nothing
to stop it; in fact, I've done everything to encourage it.”
    “Why would you
encourage war?” She took a few steps closer and let her anger
dissipate enough for him to see the sadness that fuelled it.
Emotion was ruling her. “Why would you encourage the deaths of
innocent people?”
    “Because it saved
your life!”
    “I've been safe
for a whole week.” She shook her head and he saw water well up in
her eyes. A second later she turned her head from him and walked
over to the window.
    “Was there no
other way to save me?” she asked, still not looking at him.
    “No. I assure you
we did all we could to rescue you before it got to the point of
starting a war.” Mycroft didn't hide his annoyance at her attitude.
It seemed to make its way through to whatever part of her mind was
still thinking rationally. The last of the anger and dramatic
emotion left her. She walked back to his desk and stood in front of
it looking at him where he sat. Not moving, he let her search his
face.
    “My conscience
doesn't like the thought of people dying now because I lived.”
    “It was my choice,
Amelia. If anyone should feel guilt for those lives, it is not
you.”
    “Can you end it?
Can you stop the bloodshed, now it has served its purpose?”
    Again, he raised
his eyebrows. She didn't try to hide her emotion from him,
something she'd never done before, and it was strange to see. She
looked calm and collected except for her eyes. The pain in them was
a thousand times worse than any other look she'd given him since
he'd known her, and he'd seen her in physical pain far more times
than he'd liked.
    “Please, Myron, do
something to stop it. I don't want people to die because of me, and
you're the only person I know who could even try to stop it.”
    “Will you go
home?” he asked. Her mouth dropped open and even Sherlock stopped
pretending to read to actually listen.
    “Are you going to
make helping those people conditional on me going back to Bath?”
Her question came out barely above a whisper.
    “I don't want you
in London.”
    “Why? And don't
avoid the question.”
    “No, I won't make
it conditional, but you know I don't like to be disobeyed, Amelia.
Go back to Bath.” Mycroft held her gaze, watching her think through
what he was asking. She bit on her lip and hesitated.
    “Why do you want
her to go back to Bath, brother?” Sherlock chose this moment to
interrupt, breaking the unspoken conversation happening between
them. Mycroft rolled his eyes.
    “It's not
something for you to be concerned about.”
    “Really?” Sherlock
finished walking up to stand beside Amelia, and then tucked his arm
around her shoulder. “If she wants some help from me with her
corset in the mornings I'm not going to say no.”
    “Sebastian!”
    “Don't be vulgar.”
Mycroft gave his younger brother a pointed look, pleased that
Amelia had exclaimed at the remark. She wasn't sleeping with him
after all.
    “He kicked you
out, Amelia. Where you go afterwards is up to