The Curse of Land's End

by Rose Lorimer

  She put a finger on my lips. “No, William. I love you, and I do not want to hear anything that is not ‘I love you too, Elizabeth,’” she whispered against my lips, kissing me again. “I too have dreamed about your lips…”

  I pressed her against me, putting her hand against my chest, trying to convince myself this was not a dream. That even unable to see her face, she was there with me, that she could truly love me and accept me for what I was.

  “I never met a man like you; a man who appreciates my impertinence and my outspoken behaviour. But you conquered me by accepting me for what I am.”

  I kissed her head, blessing all those fools who had rejected her. “It seems we have found each other then, seeing our hearts behind the wall of our appearances.”

  I paused, praying to God I was not too hasty in my search for complete happiness. “Do you think you could overlook my many faults and love me enough to share your life with me and consent to be my wife?”

  She loosened her arms and took my hands. I could imagine her blushing while she took some deep and ragged breaths. “I would love you even if you had signs attached to your chest and back, stating all of your faults,” she said, giggling. “Yes, William. I want to be your wife, not just because I love you, but because it will be my great honour to marry you, an honourable and kind man. That is what I see in you. I never want to be apart from you ever again.”

  Chapter 17

  Darcy

  I took a deep breath absorbing her last words. She loved me! She wanted to be my wife!

  But something in her last words brought back the gravity of our circumstances. She did not want to be apart from me. But if we could not find a way out of that place, it was exactly what would happen — in a bad way.

  “You have made me the happiest of all men,” I said, embracing her. “But as much as I love to hold and kiss you, we need to leave this place. Richard must be anxious, and Miss Wiley? I do not even want to think about her.”

  I felt her nodding. “How are we to find a way out with no light?”

  How indeed.

  Walking in the dark could mean falling into another hole or walking deeper into the mine instead of finding the way out. “Perhaps I can reach the opening we fell through.”

  I put back my glove and stood up, checking my balance. Once confident I was stable enough, I checked the ground around me for other holes and found nothing. I stretched my arms up, but could touch nothing. Moving a bit further, I found something that felt more like a large step. The ground was dry there.

  I returned to her and took her hand, helping her up. “Come. I found a dry place for us to stay.”

  As soon as she put her weight on her feet, she groaned in pain.

  “Elizabeth, is it your ankle?”

  “I am afraid not. The pain is in a different place.”

  I did not like it. “Can you reach it?”

  “I will try.”

  I felt her bending to one side, and I guessed she was trying to reach beneath her skirts. She groaned again, but now, there was something else in her tone. “What is it?”

  “I have a cut in my calf. But as far as I can feel, there is nothing inside it.”

  This was bad news. I rubbed my forehead and covered my mouth in an attempt to make my mind work. “We should sit on that dry area. Put you arm around my neck and I will carry you there.”

  I felt her body stiffening. “Do you mind if I just place my weight on you instead?”

  “That is a better idea.”

  We stumbled in the darkness, finally reaching the place. I helped her to sit and lean against the wall. She exhaled loudly when she sat, further confirming she was in considerable pain. I wondered how deep that cut might be.

  Once she was accommodated, I resumed my search. With this cut on her leg, we needed to find help. And soon.

  After spending what seemed ages groping and touching around, I realised there was no point in continuing. I had found what seemed to be a tunnel, but it was too risky to follow it with no light. I went back and sat beside Elizabeth, pulling her against me again. Thankfully, we were both dressed for an outdoor day, well protected from the cold.

  “Perhaps,” I said, voicing an attempt of mutual comfort, “it is a good thing we cannot go anywhere. Richard must be looking for us and if he finds the hole, the natural thing would be to bring some ropes and come down. If he cannot find it today, I am sure he can do that tomorrow. We just need to wait.” And keep our hope.

  “How long do you think we have been down here?”

  I had been asking myself the same question. If it was still day, we should be seeing some light. “I have no idea, but it must be late. We should try to sleep. With daylight we can find a way out.”

  “You are right,” she said with little conviction. We lay down and she cuddled against me.

  After some time, I realised I could not sleep, thinking about how long we had been in that mine, what to do to find a way out, what Richard could do to find us, how Bingley must have reacted and lastly, how Miss Wiley must have reacted. She must have been frantic when we failed to return. I also though about Georgiana and how oblivious she was of everything happening in my life. I should write to her.

  I might have dozed because a strange noise coming from the depths of where we were woke me up.

  “Elizabeth,” I whispered, sitting up, believing my eyes were playing tricks on me. “Can you see that?”

  She sat up and gasped. “Yes. Light!” She looked back at me, a hopeful smile opening on her face.

  From the opposite side, a weak light was flickering down the tunnel, just enough to outline our surroundings.

  I looked up and saw the opening twenty feet above us; impossible to reach as we were. Beneath us, the debris testified to our fall. Thankfully, there was only mud. If there was something else there, we would not have survived unscathed as we did. The step we were on was just a natural inclination of the hole we had fallen through.

  We heard the sound again, distant. Her widened eyes looked at me. “What is that?”

  “I do not know.” I looked at the tunnel. Whatever the source, it did not sound friendly. “But I am quite inclined to follow that light and see if we can find a way out. Do you think you can walk now? For some reason, I do not think it is a good idea to stay here anymore.”

  “I am more than happy to try.”

  I stood up and helped her. She attempted some steps and grimaced.

  The sound echoed again. A shiver ran down my spine, Miss Wiley’s words about ghostly sounds coming to mind.

  Elizabeth released my hand to put her arm around my neck looking into my eyes. “If I could lean some of my weight on you, I think I would be well enough to walk.” Her tone contained some urgency this time.

  I nodded, sharing the same feeling. I tucked her hand around my neck and embraced her waist.

  We walked for a short distance and stopped. The small opening from where we came merged with a larger tunnel illuminated by fire torches. I remembered my pocket watch. Twenty-five past midnight. It was as if the sound had started at midnight. Odd.

  I looked back assessing our surroundings. It appeared we had fallen into the abandoned part of an old mine. Is that why nobody has found us? I looked down at her and finally saw the smudges and scratches on her face, her dishevelled hair loose over her shoulders and for the first time since our fall I feared for our lives.

  Who or what else was there?

  “Which way?” she asked, looking to both sides of the tunnel.

  I did not know. How to make such a decision? Whatever the way we chose, I was not sure we would like what we might find.

  We heard voices, and I tightened my embrace on Elizabeth. “What about going in the opposite direction of those voices?” I shivered at the thought of how vulnerable we were.

  She nodded, her lips tensed in a line. She knew we could be in serious trouble.

  After some time walking, I noticed Elizabeth’s limp had worsened. I stopped, desp
ite her protests. “Let me see that cut.”

  She looked at me and bit her lower lip, shaking her head. “We do not have time for this.”

  I insisted. She finally turned and pulled her skirt up to her knee. Just above her walking boot there was a nasty gash, big enough to cause considerable pain — and some trouble if not attended. Our gazes met. We both knew what that meant. We should find help as soon as possible.

  “Let us take advantage of the light while we still have it,” she said firmly, but her ragged breathing told me another story.

  I cupped her face. “We will find a way out. I promise. And as your betrothed, it is my duty to take care of you now,” I said lamely, trying to ease her concerns.

  Her smile did not reach her eyes, but she nodded. She was being brave and I would do anything not to discourage her.

  After dragging ourselves for some time, the silence was once more broken by that guttural noise. It was a frightening sound, like a groan of torturing agony. And now, it was coming from both sides. Whatever it was, we were surrounded.

  Elizabeth grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to her. Neither of us were timorous people, but in that moment an irrational fear grabbed my heart. We quickened our pace, but I kept my eyes on the floor before putting our weight on it. The last thing I wanted was to fall into another hole.

  We reached another opening. This time, I had some difficulty understanding what was in front of us. It looked like a shaft, but much larger, about fifteen feet across, with some ropes and a narrow metal stairwell coming from above and disappearing into the darkness below; there was no light either way. The lights continued on the other side of the shaft, illuminating the continuation of the tunnel.

  We were at a loss about what to do. Elizabeth looked around and, kneeling with some difficulty, she stretched her hand, reaching what seemed to be a rope. She pointed it out to me. “Look. A rope bridge.”

  The improvised bridge comprised three ropes stretched across the shaft, two higher, about my hip height, and one lower. The three ropes were tied up together by smaller ropes, forming ‘V’ shapes on its whole length.

  “W-We could use this bridge to cross to the other side,” she whispered.

  I looked at her and then at the shaft. I stretched my neck over the opening and could not see the bottom. The idea was not at all pleasant. But I had another reason for concern. “Do you think you can cross it on your own? I can hold only one of your hands…”

  I did not need to finish my phrase. By her pale face, she understood my meaning. “I do not think we have another option, do we?”

  Unfortunately, not. I nodded, my heart in my mouth. “Very well. But first, I will check if it is safe.”

  I moved to the edge of the shaft and, grabbing the two higher ropes, I put my foot on the lower one. It seemed firm enough. I put my second foot and wobbled. Keeping my balance was more difficult than I had expected. Carefully, I dragged myself to the middle and looked at her. She had both hands over her mouth. I certainly felt the same, my hands sweating under my gloves at the thought of falling down. This time we might not be so lucky.

  Satisfied, I returned and took Elizabeth’s hand. “When you put your weight on the rope, do not lift your foot. Just drag it. It will help you keep your balance.” Without my support, I knew she would be in more pain.

  She did as I said, and her silent moans just confirmed my fears. I held one of her hands while holding the rope with the other one. Slowly, we started moving. I did not take my eyes from her more than enough to see where I was putting my foot before dragging myself forward. Despite our slow progress, in some minutes we were almost at the other side.

  Too soon to celebrate. That sound came again, so loud that the echo went through our bodies as if the devil himself was crying from the depths of hell — and from the bottom of the shaft beneath us, startling us. Elizabeth lost her balance and my stomach convulsed at the sight of her stumbling. Wobbling and landing on her injured leg, she cried out in pain. That leg slipped from the rope, and the sound of her despair reverberated throughout the whole mine as she fell.

  “NO!” I cried out, tightening my grip on her hand more out of instinct than reason. The tug came. I lost my balance and one of my feet slipped from the rope. Drums exploded behind my eyes as I fell on my shin. I looked back at her and gasped. She was hanging by the hand I was holding and one knee. The other hand and leg hung loose over the dark hole.

  If she had not tangled her other leg to the rope, she would have...

  “Elizabeth, hold on. Do not let go!” I cried, trying to shove the terrifying thought away.

  Too late.

  The familiar coldness began to sting my whole body. I was reliving it. Elizabeth’s life was in my hand as Anne’s once was. Drops of sweat began to trickle down into my eyes, burning them. I blinked several times, struggling to keep my focus on her.

  “I trust you, William,” she cried out. She must have sensed my fear because she continued, “I will not let go. I know you will hold me.”

  Her words broke the spell. Despite the evident fear in her eyes, I felt her trust infusing strength into my veins. I would not fail this time.

  With a trembling hand, I tightened my grip on her hand and started pulling her back.

  “No, no, no!” I groaned in horror. My sweaty hand was slipping out of my glove!

  Tangling the rope around my foot and shin, I lowered my body, releasing the rope from my other hand and falling. I stretched my neck to one of the vertical ropes, praying it was strong enough to hold my weight. I gasped with the impact, but it worked. Hanging by my neck, I removed my glove with my mouth and reached out, grabbing Elizabeth’s arm, pulling her up.

  As I feared, the extra weight pressed against my neck began to strangle me. I could not breathe. My sight began to darken. I knew I had mere seconds before becoming unconscious, my struggle pulling her just making things worse. But I gave one last pull, using all my strength before my sight darkened completely. Now I could only hear her cries.

  Through the fogginess of my mind, I felt the rope loosening its grip from my neck. As if resurfacing from turbulent waters, I inhaled several times, my vision clearing.

  I felt her squeezing my hand and looked at her. “William!”

  My name on her lips put me into action and we resumed our crossing.

  When we finally reached the other side, we collapsed on the hard ground, and I pulled her into my arms as we broke into sobs, taking our time to recover. But I had done it. I saved her.

  And she had saved me. “How did you… pull the rope from my neck?”

  “I do not know. I did what was needed…”

  My respect and admiration for her increased tenfold. Elizabeth was a woman with no equal. “Elizabeth,” I whispered, my voice still hoarse, pulling her head against my chest, kissing her hair, taking comfort from her embrace. “Are you well?”

  “I am. I am. But you almost killed yourself to save me…” she said still sobbing.

  “And you saved me, despite your pain,” I said, lifting her chin. “I think we are even.”

  She laughed nervously, drying her cheeks with her hands. “Let us go from this horrible place.”

  As I helped her to her feet, I looked back at the shaft, thanking God for one more mercy.

  But also wondering what was hidden in the belly of that mine.

  Chapter 18

  Darcy

  We walked for hours, always looking over our shoulders, always plagued by the sensation we were walking towards some sort of evil. Those moans of pain kept coming and going.

  Despite the noises, we found no one — which was equally relieving and strange.

  To make matters worse, Elizabeth was not well. The consequences of that cut on her leg were progressing quicker that I had hoped. For some time, she had been walking with her eyes closed, leaning all her weight on me, slowing our progress. I could sense her attempt to keep moving, but her grip was weakening as we walked without the assurance of heading out.
I knew she was at the limits of her strength.

  I was also on the verge of my own despair when a weak but cold airstream reached my face. I looked at the torches and could see the flames dancing, as if mocking our anguish and fatigue.

  A cold breeze…

  I stopped, holding back my growing anticipation. But there was no doubt.

  “Elizabeth, can you feel it? Can you feel this cold breeze?”

  Her eyelids were heavy when she opened them and looked at me confused.

  “This breeze! It means we must be close to an exit!” I said, desperately trying to encourage her. “Do you think you can push yourself a little more?”

  Looking ahead of us and inhaling, she turned and gave me a wan smile, nodding, strengthening her grip on my neck.

  As we walked towards what I hoped was the exit of the mine, I felt a sense of foreboding growing inside me. For some time now, I sensed we were being observed. I could almost feel someone — or something — skulking behind us, following us.

  But it made no sense. If there was someone there, why not assault us when we were within his reach and so vulnerable?

  The cold breeze brought me back to my main purpose. The air became colder and colder, and at the end of the tunnel I saw light — moonlight.

  Revived by that sight, I smiled and looked down, but Elizabeth was not responding anymore. I pulled her tighter against me, moving faster until my feet stepped on frozen ground. Collapsing on my knees, I closed my eyes, welcoming the sharp cold of the night as I took a long and deep breath, keeping Elizabeth’s face close to my chest. I looked up and a large crescent moon greeting us, its brightness mirrored on the sea far below.

  It was like waking up from a nightmare.

  But we had another problem now. The almost freezing temperatures could be as deadly as the dangers hidden inside the mine. I needed to find a place for us to spend the rest of the night.

  But where?

  I looked around and noticed a slope towards some kind of stream going down to the beach from where we were, on our right. It was a well-hidden position. For some reason, that thought caused me some uneasiness.