by Laura Landon
“Be careful, my lady. It’s terribly steep right here, and the ground is rough. It’s easy to lose your balance and slip.”
“I would like to go down, Timothy.”
“Are you sure, my lady? I don’t think it’s safe for you to attempt the climb down.”
“I’m sure your master would agree with you, but since he is not here at the moment, I’ll go down.”
“Very well, my lady,” he said shaking his head. “But I don’t think it’s wise.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.” Anne looked around. “Where would be the best place to get to the bottom?”
Timothy released a worried sigh. “Over here, then,” he said. He offered her his arm and led her a few feet to the left. “I think the climb down will be easiest from here, where the slope is not so steep.”
“Look, here’s a path. Someone must come here, then.”
“It looks that way, my lady. Do you want I should go down with you?”
“Yes, Timothy. I might need your help. I’d like to see what’s down there. I brought a lantern with me.”
Timothy picked up the lantern and gave her his hand as they made their way down the rocky hillside.
Rocks and boulders slowed their progress, and Anne had to watch every step she took. The small, pointed stones cut through her soft kid slippers, and she soon regretted she hadn’t worn a heavier pair of shoes.
“I envy you your boots, Timothy,” she muttered, wincing in pain when she stepped on another small stone. “Next time I will be more prepared.”
“I have a feeling when the master finds out that you came here without him, there won’t be no next time, ma’am.”
Timothy’s words caused a tremor to race through her. He was probably right. She just hoped she survived Griff’s temper when he found out.
“Let’s walk around a bit, Timothy,” she said when they reached the bottom. “I want to get a look at everything.”
“There don’t seem to be anything of value here, ma’am. It looks kinda worthless.”
“That’s what I think, too,” she said, looking up and down the desolate coast. “But we’ll look anyway.”
“Very well, mistress. But we can’t be too long. The tide will come in after a bit, and we don’t want to be caught down here when it does. See that line there.” He pointed to where it looked as if someone had drawn a chalk line across the cliff. “That’s the waterline. When the tide comes in, that’s how far the water rushes up. There’ll be no way for us to climb up fast enough if we stay here too long.”
“Don’t worry, Timothy. We’ll be gone long before the tide comes in.”
Timothy lit the lantern and stepped in front of her to lead the way. She followed close as he took her into the first cave to explore. The inside was dark and damp, and she doubted if it was big enough for Griff to stand upright without hitting his head on the rocky top. They walked forward a few feet, then stopped when they came to a dead end.
“Ain’t nothin’ here, my lady. We’d best try another one,” Timothy said, turning around.
They went to a second cave, then a third. They carefully made their way down the coastline, entering a dozen more caves just like the first. Finally, they walked through an opening she knew was more than large enough for Griff to stand in with room to spare.
Timothy held the lantern high and gave a whistle. This cave was huge compared to the others. The tunnel seemed at least twenty feet across, and when she stopped to take a breath, the air seemed lighter, not as stale and musty as the air in the other caves.
She turned in a complete circle, then stopped and looked down at the floor. She bent down and stared in confusion at the mass of footprints in the sandy floor.
“Look, Timothy. Look at all these footprints.”
Timothy hunkered down to study the sandy floor, then stood back up. “It looks like this cave has had a lot of visitors and they were here real recent, or the tide would have erased their boot marks.”
“Lift the lantern,” she said, and Timothy held the light high. “Let’s see where this cave leads.”
“Perhaps it would be best if we left, my lady. If someone is using this cave, it’s hard telling when they might come back.”
Anne knew Timothy was right, but she also knew how difficult it would be to come back. “Just a few more minutes. I want to see where this cave goes.”
She walked farther into the cave, with Timothy holding the light high to show the way.
“Is the ground slanting upward?” she asked, lifting her skirts in her hands and struggling to keep up with Timothy. It seemed to her as if they were climbing up a very steep hill.
“Yes, my lady. Do you want to turn back?”
“No. I’m fine,” she lied. She was getting tired. The farther they went, the harder it was for her to breathe. Even though the cave seemed to be getting larger, the walls seemed to close in around her. She didn’t like it here. What on earth had possessed Freddie to give her this land?
They walked a little farther, and suddenly the cave opened up. The ground flattened, and they stepped into a large room. Timothy lifted the lantern and turned a circle so they could see every foot of the huge cavern. It was empty now, but even Anne could see from the scrape marks and footprints on the floor, it had been a hive of activity not long ago.
“What do you make of it, my lady?” Timothy asked, still studying the marks.
“I think it’s time to leave before whoever was here earlier comes back.”
“Yes, ma’am. This place makes me shiver. Besides, it won’t be long before the tide comes in. I wouldn’t want to be caught down here when it does.”
Anne let Timothy lead the way. The minute they walked through the opening of the large room, she looked down. The ground was already wet, and more water inched its way across the floor until it was nearly to the bottom of the incline.
“Run, my lady!” Timothy hollered. “The tide is coming in.”
Anne and Timothy ran down the steep incline and into the swirling water. It was already over her slippers and rising steadily.
A fear unlike anything she’d ever felt raced through her. The minute she stepped into the water, her skirts soaked up the liquid, turning her gown into a heavy weight that made it almost impossible to move. She knew she would never make it to safety on her own, and if Timothy stayed to help her, she would risk his life, too.
“Timothy, run ahead and get help. Find your master and tell him where I am.”
“Are you sure?” Timothy said, sloshing through the water.
“Yes. Hurry!”
Anne saw him race ahead of her to the mouth of the cave, and a wave of panic washed over her. She tried to keep her heavy skirts out of the water and move forward, but she could only creep ahead by inches.
She wished she’d listened to Griff when he’d told her not to come here. She knew he was going to be furious, but right now, his temper was the least of her worries. Even if he ranted at her for being so foolish, it was better than never hearing him yell at her again.
Chapter 28
Would you like me to send some men back out, sir?” Franklin asked when they returned to the manor house. “I think we were close this time. We almost had him.”
Griff dismounted and handed his reins to the stable boy, who came running to get his horse. “No. We won’t find him again today. But we were close.”
“Yes, sir,” Franklin said. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Maybe,” Griff answered, although he knew they wouldn’t catch Jack Hawkins tomorrow or the day after—not until Hawkins wanted them to find him.
Griff strode up the walk, trying to keep his frustration under control, then took the steps to the house two at a time. “Where’s my wife?” Griff asked Carter as he handed the butler his coat.
“She’s either in the library or her room or the garden, sir.”
Griff gave Carter a hooded look, then waited for him to explain what he meant.
“She told me she would be in the library
, but she told Martha she would be in the garden. And she told William she was going to her room. She wasn’t in the library when I went to check on her, and William has not left his post on the terrace. He assures me she hasn’t gone outside.”
“Then that leaves her room. I’ll go up to get her.”
Griff mounted the stairs at a fast pace. He wanted to see her, to try to smooth over the harsh words they’d shared last night. They’d nearly passed the point of just arguing when he’d refused to take her to see the land Freddie had left her. He knew how important seeing the parcel was to her, but he couldn’t let her go. It was too dangerous. Even if she wasn’t convinced someone was out there, he knew someone was.
Someday, when Jack Hawkins was no longer a threat, he would take her to see the land. Until then, he could not risk letting her go out.
The door to her room was open and the room was dark. The first niggling of unease washed over him. He walked into an empty room and called her name. No one answered. From there, he went to the room that had become theirs together. And the sitting room in between. She wasn’t there, either.
“Carter!” he hollered, racing down the stairs. “Have the servants check the house and the gardens. Tell my wife I want to see her right away.”
Blood pounded in his head as he made his way to search the garden. Surely she wouldn’t have…But he knew she would and was afraid she had. She was determined to see the land Freddie had left her. And she’d told him in no uncertain terms she intended to go whether he took her or not. His blood ran cold.
“Sir!” Franklin said, rushing through the patio doors. “One of the carriages is gone. And the lad Timothy.”
His heart pounded in his chest. He raced through the house and out the door, fighting the same fear he’d battled several times before. The same fear he’d fought when Freddie had died in his arms. The same fear that had consumed him during the storm that had claimed Andrew and Julia. He’d made the same fatal mistake with Anne that he had with Julia. He shouldn’t have left Julia alone, nor should he have left Anne alone.
A groomsman had a horse waiting for him, and he jumped into the saddle. He knew where she was.
He rode across the meadows with Franklin and a small army of men following him. He took every path he thought might save him a minute or more.
He had to reach her as quickly as he could. He refused to think she might be injured or hurt. He refused to think Hawkins might have found her, and she was lying somewhere dead. He focused instead on the harsh scolding he would give her when he reached her. On the pleasure he would take locking her in the house and placing a guard at every door and window so she couldn’t pull such a dangerous stunt again. Mostly, though, he focused on the relief he would feel when he found her safe and sound, and he could hold her in his arms. He pushed his horse harder.
“Please, God. Please. Let her be all right.”
Franklin and the other men followed behind him, but he didn’t slow to let them catch up. The relief he felt when he saw the carriage ahead was unbelievable. He wanted to shout with joy.
“Anne! Annie, where are you?”
“Sir!”
Griff looked but didn’t see the owner of the voice.
“Sir! Here. Over here!”
Griff brought his horse to a stop at the edge of the cliff and jumped down just as the lad Timothy climbed over the top.
“Where is she?” Griff bellowed, clasping the lad by his shoulders. “Where is your mistress?”
Tears streamed down the boy’s face.
“Where is she?” he hollered again.
“Down there, sir. Still in the cave.”
Griff looked at the water rushing into the caves. “No!”
He raced down the steep slope, falling part of the way, sliding the rest. When he reached the bottom, the water was already past his ankles.
“Anne!” he hollered, wading through the frothy brine. “Where are you?” He raced on farther, hollering her name into every opening. Which bloody cave was she in? There had to be a hundred of them down here. Where the hell was she?
“Anne! Damn it, Anne! Answer me!”
He raced on farther. The water swirled around his calves, slowing him even more.
“Anne! Where are you?”
“Griff! Help me!”
Griff barely heard her voice over the rushing water but knew she was close. He raced ahead to the spot where he thought her cry for help had come from. “Where are you, Anne?”
“Here. I’m here.”
Griff made his way to the cave he thought she’d called him from and stopped. It was pitch-black inside the opening, and he couldn’t see a thing. “Anne!”
“I’m here, Griff. Straight ahead of you.”
Griff listened. He could hear her sloshing through the water. He walked forward with his arms outstretched. Finally, he saw her faint outline in the darkness as she struggled to make her way toward him. When she was close enough for him to reach her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and clasped her to him.
“Oh, Griff.” She clung to him as he pulled her with him toward the opening.
By now the water swirled around his knees. He knew even if they made it out of the cave, they would play hell trying to get up the steep slope. The material of her skirts had soaked up enough water to make her gown weigh a ton. He was surprised she’d even made it this far.
“Keep moving, Anne. Don’t stop!”
“I’m tired, Griff.”
“I know. But keep moving.”
Griff knew she was struggling to keep up with him, her cumbersome skirts slowing her down. She lagged behind with every step and he tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her along. Her knees buckled once or twice, and she nearly fell, but he held her up as they made their way out of the cave and into the sunshine.
If they were lucky, they might make it to the spot where they could climb the slope. But the water was higher now, almost above their knees. They took a few more steps and she stumbled again, nearly going down.
“Wrap your arm around my neck and hold on.”
He picked her up in his arms and carried her. She held on tight as he made his way along the coast.
His chest burned as he sloshed through the rushing water. When they reached the path, he set her on her feet but still held on to her hand.
“Keep moving, Anne, and don’t let go of me. I’ll lead and you follow. But hold on to my hand!”
Water rushed around him and he felt a fear he’d prayed never to feel again. He knew how the rushing waves could suck you under. How the water could steal the air from your lungs. How it could kill. Destroy. Take away the people you loved. She would not be safe until they were out of the water.
Griff grabbed Anne’s hand and pulled her along with him. He didn’t give her a chance to stop.
Their progress was slow. The water lapped at their heels with each step up the steep slope. But finally they made it to dry ground. Each step was still a struggle, but now they could move away from the angry waves at a faster pace.
His chest burned. His legs were numb and trembled beneath him. She had to be twice as tired. Blood pounded inside his head from fear and exhaustion. He clasped his arm around her to drag her the final few steps, not taking the chance she might slip or fall behind. When he was almost to the top, Franklin reached out his hand and helped him the last few feet. Griff kept his grasp tight on her and pulled her up with him.
When they reached the top, Griff brought her up against him. He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to him. He never wanted to let her go.
His body trembled and his chest heaved, but he knew exertion was only partially responsible for his lack of air. He sank to his knees on the grassy knoll and looked down on the rushing waters below.
He feared he might be sick. Rushing to reach Anne was like when he’d lost Julia. Water was everywhere, rushing around their feet, pulling them under. Just like on the ship. The fear was the same, a mind-numbing, chilling fear.
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He swiped his hand across his face and took another deep breath. He could have lost her.
His stomach revolted again, the pressure in his chest growing increasingly more painful. He held her tighter. He wouldn’t let her go. He wouldn’t chance losing her.
“Griff,” she said, pushing against him. “I can’t breathe.”
He lessened his grasp and touched his fingers to her cheek. He needed to leave, to be far away from this place. “Franklin, have the men prepare to go. Let’s get out of here.”
Franklin issued the order and the men who were with them went to their horses.
Griff clasped his hand around hers and pulled her to her feet. Even though the sun shone bright from above, she shivered. Her clothes were soaked and cumbersome, the weight of her skirts now impossible to manage. She stumbled as he led her to the carriage. When Griff looked down at her, her face was pale and drawn.
He’d almost lost her.
She stumbled a second time, and he lifted her in his arms to carry her to the carriage. His muscles bunched when she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him. A heavy fist pelted him in his gut.
He could have lost her.
She was shivering now, both from fear and from the cold. He walked to the carriage where the lad Timothy stood. “There should be blankets in the back. Get them.”
Timothy ran around the carriage and brought back two blankets. Griff stepped inside with Anne, then wrapped both blankets around her. When he had her cocooned in the blankets, he sat with her in his arms.
She was exhausted. Her lips were blue, her cheeks lacked the slightest hint of pink, and deep, dark circles rimmed her eyes. But at least she was alive.
The relief he felt nearly overwhelmed him. He released his pent-up emotions the only way he knew—in anger. “What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have drowned!” his voice bellowed in raspy gasps. “Of all the bloody fool things to do!” He gulped hard to take in air. He couldn’t breathe. “I could have lost you.”
He pointed a trembling finger at her. “You will never, ever come here again. Do you hear me? Never!”
“I hear you,” she answered, then shivered again.