"Tell me, how is your family, Marquis?" she asked, trying to change the direction of her thoughts. "I have very pleasant memories of my time with them. They were so kind to me when I stayed in your home."
"When my grandfather knows that I am going to San Francisco, he always asks about you. You charmed him when you were Paraiso del Norte. My sister often mentions you and wants to know how you are doing."
Valentina noticed that he did not mention his mother, but she was not surprised. Dona Anna had not been as open and friendly as Marquis's grandfather and sister had been. Valentina would have liked to have asked what his mother's feelings were for her, but she did not dare. Trying to keep the conversation light, she thought it would be only polite to ask about his wife-to-be. "How is Isabel and her sister Eleanor?"
Marquis stiffened. "I am sure they are fine." His face was turned away from her, so she could not see the frown that touched his forehead. Marquis did not like to think about Isabel; it was too much of a reminder of how close he had come to making the biggest mistake of his life. "I have not seen much of them lately."
Valentina had finished her food and shook her head no when Marquis offered her more. She busied herself with cleaning the pans with water from the large canteen, then stored them in the leather satchel.
The fire flickered low and Marquis added more wood. Seeing that Valentina had placed her bedroll across the room from his, he gave her a slight smile and brought it over to the fire beside his. "You do not have to be afraid of me. I will not bite," he said, laughing at her decorum but delighted all the same. How refreshing her modesty was, he mused silently.
"I am not afraid of you." Feeling mischievous, she smiled. "Perhaps I bite, and I was trying to protect you from me."
His smile was warm, and he reached out his hand to brush a tumbled curl off her face. "I would not mind being bitten by you, Silver Eyes." Valentina drew back from his touch, leaving him to shrug and remark, "I believe you do fear me a bit."
"No, I do not," she denied, thinking that her worst fear was her reaction to his touch.
A heavy silence followed until Valentina spoke. "I don't feel my father's presence here," she observed, looking around the deserted cabin. "I believe I would feel it if he had ever lived here."
"Perhaps it was built after your father . . . left. Most of the miners use a tent while they build a cabin. Many of them never build a cabin at all."
"I feel the answer to my father's disappearance lies with Samuel Udell. I wish he were here."
The sound of the wind moaning down the mountain made Valentina shiver and she curled up on her bedroll. "What do you suppose happened to Mr. Udell, Marquis?”
He was not sure if Valentina realized she had been calling him by his first name all day. The sound of his name on her lips pleased him very much. His eyes moved over her soft curves, up her smooth back, to fasten on her beautiful face. The flames cast a glow on Valentina's golden hair, and it seemed alive with amber and red highlights.
"We may never know what Fate dealt to Mr. Udell, Valentina. But if it is at all possible, we will find out about your father."
She rose up on her elbow and caught his eye. "I am going into the mine tomorrow, Marquis. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."
He smiled. "I will chance it if you will."
Sinking back on her bedroll and closing her eyes, she felt the tiredness wash over her body. "I still don't know why you came with me," she remarked, hiding a yawn behind her hand.
His voice was deep. "Do you not?"
"No," she murmured before drifting off to sleep.
Marquis stared at her for a long time. He watched the steady rise and fall of her breasts and felt an ache in his heart. What if Fate had meant this woman for him? Dare he ask her to be his wife? He thought of Jordanna and felt shame over what he had done to her. Had loving Valentina made him aware of the pain he had caused Jordanna? Was his newfound heart going to remind him of his guilt for the rest of his life? For the first time in his life, Marquis was frightened—frightened that Valentina would not return his feelings, thus sentencing him to a loveless life.
Leaning back with his arms folded behind his head, Marquis tried to decide what to do. He should do the right thing and marry Jordanna. How could he when every part of his being cried out to possess Valentina? But what about the child? he asked himself. He would see that the baby and Jordanna never wanted for anything, he assured himself. If the child turned out to be a boy, he would see to it that he was well educated. If it was a girl ... he could not bear to think of a little girl who had come from his body being shamed before the world because she had no name.
Staring at the flickering light of the fireplace, he swore softly. "Damnit, I had no guilt before. Why should I have developed a heart at this time in my life?" No, he was not going to allow guilt to make him offer marriage to Jordanna. As he had already decided, he would give her money, but that was all she could expect from him. He did not want to see the child after it was born. His eyes moved to Valentina. She was the woman who would bear the next generation of Vincentes. He loved her—he always would. Now that Isabel was out of his life, he could reach for his heart's desire. Valentina would be his. Surely he could convince her to marry him.
His heart felt light. Had this thought been in the back of his mind all the time? Was that why he had been so glad to be rid of Isabel? Closing his eyes, he thought of how he would woo and win Valentina Barrett. He would have to treat her gently. After all, she was of superior breeding, and as skittish as a blooded mare.
As he drifted off to sleep, his mind was filled with pleasant thoughts of the future.
Valentina awoke to the delicious aroma of coffee. Glancing about the cabin, she noticed that Marquis was nowhere to be seen. She stretched her arms over her head, feeling strangely rested and refreshed. She had slept the whole night through without waking.
Hearing a sound, she turned to watch Marquis enter the room. His smile was bright as he bent down to pour her a cup of coffee. "You will spoil me by waiting on me," she said, taking the cup and raising it to her lips.
"I believe a man would take pleasure in spoiling you," he said lightly. "Would you like breakfast now?"
Valentina remembered her morning sickness and shook her head no. "I only want coffee."
"What kind of a breakfast is that? You will soon waste away to nothing unless you eat," he scolded, finding that her health was most important to him.
"Have you eaten?" she wanted to know.
"Yes, hours ago. I have already been abroad scouting out the land. It appears that no one has been around here in some time."
Valentina stood up and walked outside. The air was crisp and clean and the sky was so blue it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. Her gaze wandered over to the mine, and once again Salamar's warning came back to haunt her. Pushing her fear aside, she squared her shoulders. She had to go into the mine because there might be some sign or clue that had been left by her father.
Feeling Marquis standing beside her, she nodded at the mine. "I'm going in now."
He picked up a torch he had made earlier and lit it. "Let's go," he said. "I have learned, during our short acquaintance, that it does not pay to oppose you in anything."
Her laughter bubbled out. "No man learns such a valuable lesson about a lady in such a short space of time. You are but humoring me."
His laughter joined hers. "Perhaps I am."
As Valentina neared the mine, a dark foreboding seemed to engulf her. She had the strongest desire to flee from this place, for she sensed evil here. She could feel it with every step she took—in every breath she inhaled. Refusing to give in to panic, she entered the mine behind Marquis.
A dank, musty smell assaulted her nostrils, and the torch did little to dispel the gloom of the shadows. In the distance, she could hear the scurrying of tiny feet and she shivered visibly.
Marquis turned to face her. "How deep do you want to go?
"To the end."<
br />
He led the way past the main cavern. As they progressed deeper, they often had to stoop to make it through a small archway. Deeper and deeper they went. When Valentina glanced back toward the entrance, all she could see was darkness. Drawing a deep breath, she trudged on behind Marquis, searching for any sign of her father, finding nothing but emptiness.
Suddenly Marquis stopped and held his torch high. "There is a small cavern off to the right," he observed. Reaching up and testing the timbers that braced the entrance, he found them loose. "I am not sure we should go in there—the beams appear to be unsound."
"I won't be satisfied until I have explored every inch of this mine," she declared stubbornly. To prove her point, she walked over to the arch, ducked her head, and entered. It was dark and she could not see anything until Marquis joined her with the torch.
As the light flickered across the recesses of the dark chamber, Valentina saw something on the ground that made her breath catch in her throat. Her piercing scream filled the chamber as she stared at the dead body of a man who lay face down on the floor of the cave.
"Oh, God, no!" she cried. "Don't let that be my father!"
Marquis pushed her back and handed her the torch. Going down on his knees, he turned the body over and stared at the dead man. Standing up, he moved over to Valentina. She was leaning against the wall with a look of horror and disbelief on her face.
"This is not your father, Valentina. It's Sam Udell."
Valentina dragged her eyes away from the hideous sight and buried her face against Marquis's shoulder as tremors shook her body. She was overcome with relief that the dead man was not her father.
"Wh—what happened to him?"
Marquis shrugged. "There is no mark on him. He appears to have died of natural causes. Pity he was so greedy and had to die alone."
She suddenly felt the bile rising in her throat and knew she was going to be sick.
Rushing toward the archway, she felt her foot land on a rock and she lost her balance. Grabbing at thin air, she tried to catch herself. As she fell forward, she clutched the boards that had been used to shore up the walls. A splintering sound split the air, followed by a loud, rumbling noise. Marquis gripped Valentina and pushed her behind him just as the whole mine seemed to pour down upon them. Valentina reached out frantically to Marquis, but already the torch had been smothered out, leaving them in total darkness.
"Marquis, where are you?" she screamed just before something hard slammed into her head and she fell into unconsciousness.
Marquis knew what was happening but was helpless to prevent it. He heard Valentina scream and tried to reach her. With a loud rumble, the heavy timber collapsed, crushing Marquis's leg beneath it. Pain shot through his limb and he moaned in agony. A whirling tide of pain pinned him to the ground. In a desperate effort, he reached out again for Valentina. Why was she so silent? he wondered frantically.
Marquis's last conscious thought was to wonder if Valentina had been injured.
19
Valentina regained consciousness in a haze of fear. She was in a pitch black hole, feeling as if she were in the very bowels of the earth. She had landed hard and she tested her arms and legs to see if they had been injured. Suddenly she remembered the baby she was carrying and her hand instinctively moved down to her stomach. She hoped with all her heart that the fall had not harmed her unborn child. When she tried to rise, a shower of rocks and dirt sifted down around her, cautioning her that there could be another cave-in if she were not more careful.
After slowly lifting herself onto hands and knees, Valentina rose shakily to her feet. With her back pressed against the wall of the mine, she edged her way forward, an inch at a time.
"Marquis, are you hurt? Answer me if you can." When there was no immediate response, she feared Marquis had been badly hurt.
If only she could see, she thought wildly. The only sound that penetrated the darkness was dripping water somewhere in the distance.
"Marquis, where are you?" she called out in a panic-stricken voice.
Stopping her progress to listen, Valentina heard a soft moan somewhere ahead of her in the darkness. Dropping down to her knees once more, she crawled along in the inky blackness, reaching out in front of her, trying to locate Marquis. Suddenly her hand came in contact with his body. Quickly feeling for his face, Valentina found that Marquis's eyes were closed. Another soft moan convinced her that he was not dead. Tenderly she touched his face again, feeling gratitude in her heart that his life had been spared.
"Marquis, are you all right?" Now she was wild with grief, fearing he had been badly injured. Feeling his breath on her hand, she realized he was unconscious.
Tentatively, she began examining his arms and legs to see if he had any broken bones. Her heart sank when she •discovered that his legs were pinned beneath a large section of wood that had been used to shore up the mine. Valentina grabbed the timber with both hands, lifted with all her might, and felt it give a little. With desperation, she thrust her shoulder against the timber and used it as a lever. After pushing and straining, she was at last rewarded when the wood slid off Marquis.
Valentina quickly examined him and breathed more easily when she felt his steady heartbeat. Then she ran her fingers over his legs. Although he was unconscious, she felt him flinch in pain. The probing continued, but she was more gentle, feeling first the left leg, then the right one. As her hand slid down the right thigh, she felt something warm and sticky and knew it was blood.
"Marquis, speak to me," she urged desperately. "Please tell me what to do."
Again there was no answer. Knowing she must take quick action, Valentina ripped a strip of cloth from her petticoat and bound it securely about the leg that was bleeding. In frustration, she wished for water to cleanse the wound and a knife to cut his trouser leg away.
Finally, not knowing what else to do, Valentina lifted his head onto her lap, praying all the while that his wound was not too serious and he would be all right.
Time had no meaning for Valentina as she stared into the hellish blackness. She kept one hand on Marquis's chest, comforted by the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Once in a while a soft moan would escape his lips, but he did not regain consciousness.
In her despair, Valentina cried out Marquis's name, only to hear the muffled sound echo off the walls of the mine. How long she sat there with Marquis's head in her lap she had no way of knowing. Soon her head nodded, and she drifted off to sleep.
Valentina was jarred out of her sleep by the sound of a muttered oath. "What in the hell is happening?" Marquis swore. When he tried to sit up, pain shot through his legs and he fell back, trying to catch his breath. "What has happened?" he questioned in confusion.
Valentina touched his face, forcing him to lie back on her lap. "We were in a cave-in. Lie still. I fear your legs have been badly hurt."
In the dark he groped for her hand. "Yes, I remember now." His voice was filled with all the uncertainty Valentina was feeling. "How long have we been here?"
"I have no way of knowing because it's so dark. Is your injury very painful?"
Marquis tried again to rise. Valentina felt him straining before he collapsed and his head fell back onto her lap. "I do not believe my legs are broken, but I cannot seem to move them."
"Marquis, both your legs were hurt, but your right one was bleeding a great deal, so I bound it with my petticoat. They . . . they may have been crushed. You must lie still."
He was silent for a moment, as if he were assessing the situation. Finally he spoke. "Have you heard any sound that might indicate someone might be digging us out?"
"No, nothing," she answered.
"I thought not, but we shall," he stated with confidence. "Tyree will discover us missing and be up here before too long." Marquis reached for her hand and gripped it reassuringly. "Help me stand, Valentina. We cannot just sit here doing nothing."
She heard him groan when he moved forward. Scrambling to her feet, she took his
arm and tried to help him stand.
"It is no use," he told her, falling back. "See if you can find two pieces of wood. I am going to need splints on my legs or I will not be able to walk."
"Don't, Marquis," Valentina begged. "Both your legs are injured. You should not try to stand."
"I must try," he said. "If you do not help me, I will have to do it myself."
"Wait," she agreed, knowing that if she did not help him he might hurt his legs more. Already she was moving along the wall to reach the place where the cave-in had occurred. "I will find boards that were used to shore up the doorway. You just lie still until I return."
Reaching around in the dark, Valentina finally found several splintered pieces of wood. Tucking them under her arm, she made her way back to Marquis. Going down to the ground, she began tearing more strips from her petticoat and attached the splints to both his legs. Marquis gritted his teeth in pain when Valentina tightened the splint.
"You had better rest, Marquis. I am going to make my way back to the mine entrance. It might be that I can dig us out."
"Help me stand, Valentina. I want to go with you."
"No, Marquis. You must stay off your legs as much as possible. We don't know how badly you are hurt or how much blood you have lost."
He reached out and caught her arm. Clamping his lips tightly together to keep from crying out in pain, he stood up slowly. Leaning against the wall, he waited for the wave of pain to pass and fought against the nausea that threatened to engulf him.
Knowing what a proud man he was, Valentina said nothing else about him staying off his injured legs. She knew she would only be wasting her breath.
She clasped his hand in hers, and they both made their way slowly toward the mine entrance. It seemed to take forever to make it a few yards. Every so often, they would pause to allow Marquis to catch his breath. At one point Valentina's foot caught on the edge of a rock and she pitched forward, landing on her stomach. For a moment she was too stunned to move. She could hear Marquis calling out to her, but she could not answer until the pain in her stomach subsided. Fearing she surely had injured the baby this time, her hand stole protectively to her abdomen.
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