by Meara Platt
She did not bother to contradict him since Warfield was looking at them and obviously wondering what they were going on about. “Good afternoon, Your Grace. Miss Prudence.”
Prudence smiled at the kindly, older man. “Warfield, is Miss Lucinda at home?”
Warfield moved aside to allow them both in. “No, Miss Prudence. She walked to the cliff caves to study your birds this morning and has not yet returned.” He frowned lightly. “She said that she was going to meet you there. Did you not see her?”
Prudence cast Bhrodi a worried glance. “Meet me? Are you certain she mentioned me and not one of our other birdwatching friends?”
“She held up a note and distinctly said that you had sent it with instructions to meet her at your usual spot, Llangolyn Rock.” His eyes widened in alarm. “Did you not instruct her to bring her sketch books too? She walked out with a travel bag in hand that she said contained those books.”
Prudence tamped down her own alarm. “What else did the note say?”
“That’s all she mentioned to me.” The blood appeared to drain from the poor man’s face. “We must alert Sir Emrys and Master Dylan immediately. I believe they are still with your father.”
Prudence placed a comforting hand on the butler’s arm. “We thought they’d returned here. But we must have been mistaken. Warfield, I’m sure it’s all been a silly misunderstanding that will quickly be cleared up. We’ll find Miss Lucinda’s father and brother. As you said, they must still be with my father. Even if they’re not, their meeting just broke up so they can’t have gone far.”
She also knew that Bhrodi would put all his resources at their disposal to find Lucinda, assuming there was cause for alarm. She noticed that his jaw was clenched and his serpent eyes were dark with concern.
As soon as they were away from Lucinda’s house, he wasted no time in finding Colliers and issuing him instructions. “Alert Miss Pertwee’s father, but be discreet about it. I don’t want Sir Emrys de Courcy or others to know what’s going on yet.”
Prudence gasped. “You’re not going to tell Lucinda’s father that she might be missing?”
“No,” he said with a sharp authority that momentarily stilled her tongue. “If de Courcy brought those strangers here, he might be involved in this plot against the Crown. His son as well.”
“Not Dylan!” she said in a harsh whisper, not wishing any passers by to overhear.
“Perhaps Lucinda, too. Inadvertently, no doubt. She might have been obeying her father’s instructions. Unlike you, she seems the sort to obey without questioning.”
Prudence didn’t know what to say. This was too much. She loved Lucinda like a sister. The de Courcy family and hers were the closest of friends. It had to be a mistake and she would do all in her power to prove it.
Bhrodi was no longer staring at her, but had turned away to quietly finish giving orders to Colliers. “You’ll likely find them both at the magistrate’s hall. Miss Pertwee and I will go straight to Llangolyn Rock. Find out what you can about the de Courcys and the two strangers who were with them today. Afterward, go straight to Pembroke Hall and alert Bigbury. Both of you are to join us at Llangolyn Rock.”
Bhrodi turned to Prudence when they were once more alone. “In truth, I doubt we’ll find Lucinda there. But it’s the best place to start. Can you walk?”
She nodded. Even if she couldn’t, she’d never admit it. If Lucinda was in danger, she’d crawl on her knees the entire way if she had to in order to save her best friend.
Bhrodi glanced at her leg and then toward cliff road. “My carriage will be useless on these narrow trails.”
“You needn’t worry about me, Bhrodi. I will manage.” It still felt odd calling him that aloud. Odd and intimate. But his feelings for her weren’t important now. Finding Lucinda was all that mattered. “What about the two strangers who were with my father and the de Courcys?”
“If they are involved in this intrigue, I’m sure they fled the moment they noticed my carriage in town. Colliers and Bigbury will track them down later. Saving your friend is our first priority, assuming she’s in any danger. Then I need you to show me the cave you were talking about.”
Prudence nodded. “I have chills running up and down my spine. I can’t shake off this feeling of dread. What if those sinister strangers harmed Lucinda? Their presence here is too much of a coincidence.”
“Don’t be too hasty to condemn them,” Bhrodi cautioned. “We have no proof that anything out of the ordinary has occurred. For all we know, Lucinda might be skipping back to town as we speak… or has run off on an assignation and used you as her cover.”
Prudence regarded him aghast. “How dare you consider such a notion! Why would you suggest such a thing?”
“Because she has a travel bag with her. Telling her butler that she carried her sketch books would provide a reasonable explanation for her walking out with that bag. She only held up a piece of paper and waved it about for effect, but never gave it to Warfield to read. He merely repeated what she’d told him. For all we know, her books are safely in her bedchamber and she could be–”
“Don’t you dare suggest that she eloped with a beau. I’d know if Lucinda had one. She’d never keep that secret from me. I’m certain something nefarious is afoot.” The bad feeling had settled in the pit of Prudence’s stomach and would not go away.
Bhrodi gave a curt nod. “We’ll search the promontory and caves first, and then search Lucinda’s bedchamber for those books afterward. You’re with me now and can tell me most of what’s in those drawings anyway.”
They made their way hurriedly out of town. Prudence led him along the familiar path that she and her birdwatching friends had taken for years without incident.
She tried to move fast, but her sore foot would not cooperate. She knew that she was holding Bhrodi back. His frustration was palpable. So was hers. She felt like a snail inching slowly up the hill, every lost moment precious. “Do you think those villains have abducted her?”
Her greatest fear was that they’d find Lucinda dead, her broken body lying at the base of one of the cliffs. She hoped those strangers hadn’t stolen her sketch books and then pushed her off.
But if they had abducted her, intending to hold her for ransom, then there was still hope of saving her friend.
Tears welled in Prudence’s eyes. She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, blaming her watery eyes on the biting wind that swept off the sea and howled up the cliff face. She didn’t want Bhrodi sending her back to town because she was too overset.
He took her hand and helped her up the last hill. Llangolyn Rock came into view. She was about to call out for her friend, but Bhrodi stopped her. He reached into his boot and withdrew a small pistol. Prudence gasped when he handed it to her. “What’s this for?”
“Your protection. Wait here and stay out of sight until I tell you it’s safe to come up. Understood?”
She nodded.
After what could only have been a few moments, but seemed endless, Bhrodi returned to her side and took her hand in his to help her up onto the overlook. “She hasn’t been here. No sign of a struggle either. In truth, no sign that anyone was up here today.”
Prudence attempted to hand him back the pistol, but he shook his head. “No, hold on to it for now. You might need it later.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“No, just cautious.” He glanced around once more. The wind whipped through his dark hair, but the tousled look only made him appear handsomer than she already thought him. Sunlight shone down upon them, and for a moment, Prudence thought that he did resemble a mythical god brought down from the heavens in a golden chariot.
“Prudence,” he said with a throaty rumble, “look around. Do you see anything that I might have missed? Do you ever leave notes for each other here? In a secret place? Under a rock or in the knothole of a nearby tree?”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. We were always together and had no need.” But she sc
anned carefully for a sign of her friend having been here. She knew this area very well and would have noticed if something appeared to be out of place.
All was as it should be.
But one last thing worried her. “Bhrodi,” she said in a ragged whisper so that her voice was almost lost upon the fleeting wind. “Look below. I can’t bring myself to do it.”
He stepped close and wrapped his arms around her, understanding her fear. “Prudence, rest easy. I did that before I called you up here.” He did not need to say the rest aloud, for he’d just assured her that her friend’s body was not lying in a broken heap at the bottom of the cliff.
“Thank goodness.” She clung to him while fighting to control her tears of relief. She had to remain composed and subdue the rush of feelings that rose like stormy waves inside of her, swelling and crashing against the tender wall of her heart.
It wasn’t easy to remain calm when she was still so frightened for her friend.
Lucinda wasn’t here.
So where was she?
Chapter Five
BHRODI HELD ON to Prudence, telling himself that this is what she needed and ignoring the fact that he wanted her in his arms with a desperate ache. She looked to him for comfort and he wanted to provide all he could.
But they both knew that Lucinda could still be in danger.
He prayed that his first thought was correct, that she had run off with some besotted foolscap to marry against her father’s wishes. It was the sort of thing a young woman who believed herself in love might do. Lucinda was just the sort of girl a young man would fall in love with, too. Pretty. Not too taxing on the brain.
Not at all like Prudence, although Prudence was certainly beautiful. Jaw dropping, heart stopping beautiful, in truth. But she could drive a man insane with her questions and causes and spirited mind. She was as fiery as her blazing red hair.
“Sweetheart, she’ll be all right.” Blast, had he just called her sweetheart? What was wrong with him? He never spouted endearments unless it was to seduce a woman out of her clothes, and he made it a hard and fast rule never to seduce an innocent.
He’d never been tempted to break that rule until Prudence had stormed into his life. “I’m sure she’ll be all right,” he repeated, admonishing himself for giving her false hope. In his own defense, he sincerely believed that Lucinda was not in any real danger.
Prudence drew away from him to gaze out across the shimmering sea.
Bhrodi moved to stand beside her, but kept a little distance between them. He sensed she needed it.
He did not mind standing here to take in the view. He loved the sight of the sea, the mix of swirling blue water and white foamy caps formed by the breaking waves. He loved the diamond shimmer of the sun glinting upon that endless expanse. Thanks to Prudence, he was even learning to love the various flocks of birds that flew in and out among the jagged cliffs. He was even becoming tolerant of their noisy cries.
These creatures had just been mindless birds to him before. But now he was noticing their differences and coming to admire their majesty and grace. Prudence’s influence. He would soon learn to tell which bird had built which nest. He would soon know which birds lived here all year long and which ones migrated.
He breathed in the breeze that carried the scent of fish and seaweed and rugged beauty along with it. “Point out which cave caught your notice, Prudence. I’m going down there now.”
“I’ll go down there with you.”
“No, you need to stay here.” He wanted to throttle her for her strength of spirit, but it was this very thing he admired about her. “Keep alert and hold on to that pistol until Colliers and Bigbury arrive. Tell Colliers and Bigbury where I am. Send Colliers down to me. Bigbury is to remain with you, keeping watch on the trails and cliffs. Tell Bigbury that he is to alert me if you see something out of the ordinary. You,” he said, emphasizing the word with a frown, “are to stay up here and not go anywhere near that cave.”
“Why? Because I’m a suspect?” Her eyes widened in anger.
His narrowed in frustration. “Must you question everything I say or do? You know you’re not a suspect. Indeed, you’re one of the few people around here I can trust. I expect your father is also trustworthy.”
“He is.”
“But you know I cannot completely rule anyone out yet. Once we’re done here, I’ll pay a call on your father. I need to question him.”
That flicker of anger turned fiery. “But you just said he’s innocent.”
“I sincerely believe he is, but he may know more than he realizes. Certainly about those strangers. Probably about Lucinda’s father and brother. In truth, about anyone on the town council. Even the local merchants, farmers, tavern owners. Somehow these plots always seem to take root whenever men are drunk.”
She arched an eyebrow. “So I’m to wait here while you investigate on your own? You claim to believe in my innocence, but you’ve ordered me to keep out of your way.”
He sighed. “Prudence, don’t be difficult. You aren’t trained for espionage. You’ll only get hurt and put us all in danger.”
“I hate when you state it like that.”
A grin finally escaped his lips, for he’d just won this battle. He doubted he’d win many with Prudence. “Why? Because it makes sense?”
She nodded grudgingly and extended her hand to point toward the nearby cliffs. “Do you see where those choughs are circling just above the rocky shore?”
“Yes.”
She moved her hand slightly upward and to the right. “See those three caves just above the circling birds?”
“Yes,” he repeated.
“The middle cave is the one used by those outside smugglers. The other two caves are not in use. They’re situated too low and flood completely when the tide comes in. Smugglers can’t store anything in them because the contents would all wash out to sea. But the mouth of that middle cave is just high enough and it has a rocky lip as an added barrier to keep the tide from rushing in.” She cleared her throat. “None of the locals will use it because that cave is still situated too low and will flood in a violent storm, especially our many winter storms. I think these particular smugglers are only using it for the short term. They intend to move fast and will have those goods out of there within the next few days.”
Bhrodi listened attentively, struggling to keep his grin from broadening. Prudence would have made a first rate agent and he was a horse’s arse for not appreciating her knowledge of the terrain or her cleverness. “Go on. Is there more?”
She nodded. “There happens to be a back entrance to that cave. I doubt anyone is aware of it but me. The route to reach it winds along the hills behind this cliff.”
“So it would take longer for me to reach the cave.”
“Yes, but it is a safer approach. No one has noticed that entry because it’s hidden by Romeo and Juliet’s nest. You can sneak into the cave unseen by going in that back way, but you’d have to break apart their nest.” Her sigh, as she emitted it, was ragged and filled with sadness. “Just be gentle when taking it apart.”
Yet again, he stifled the urge to put his arms around her and take her into his embrace. He’d do it later. He had much he wished to say to Prudence, but now was not the time. “I’ll climb down the cliff path. There are no boats in this cove and no one is on the beach. It should be safe enough.”
She agreed, but had more to say before he began his descent. “Bhrodi, you will come across other caves that are higher up. I would appreciate your not looking into those.”
He laughed, for this was a typical Prudence thing to say. She loved her birds, but also deeply cared for the local townspeople and did not want any of them to be caught smuggling. The punishment was dire, if one had a mind to ever enforce the law. “I won’t look. I have no interest in disrupting the local businesses.”
“Thank you.” She placed a hand on his arm to hold him back a moment. “Be careful.”
“I always am. They haven�
�t killed me yet.”
“Yet?” Her eyes widened and her grip tightened on his arm. “Do you mean to say they’ve tried before?”
Bollocks.
He sighed as he removed his jacket and handed it to her. It would only constrain him as he climbed down the cliff side. “Yes, which is why I want you to hold tight to that pistol. But don’t waste your shot. If confronted, aim for the leader’s chest. The torso is the biggest target and easiest to hit. If that leader happens to be Lucinda’s father, don’t falter. He may love you like a daughter, but he’ll still kill you.”
He left her with her mouth agape and made his way swiftly down toward the caves.
* * *
PRUDENCE WANTED TO follow Bhrodi, but dared not.
He’d given her strict instructions not to follow him down.
She had no choice but to respect his wishes. Besides, it was broad daylight. Little activity would take place now. He’d be safe enough even if scoundrels were hiding out in that cave. He was a descendant of the Serpent. He was smart and brave and an experienced agent of the Crown.
But she knew those caves better than anyone else.
She set his jacket out upon one of the overhanging rocks and then stretched flat atop it while peering down to follow his progress. She knew he’d easily manage the cliff trail, for he was as surefooted as she was and certainly much stronger.
Still, she breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the bottom and had only to make his way across the rocks below that middle cave. The tide was out, so there was little chance of him getting soaked by the constant waves that lapped the shore. But the tide came in quickly around here.
Oh, dear. Did he know that?
She had neglected to mention it.
“He must know it,” she muttered to herself. After all, he was the Duke of Pembroke. His family had ruled over these acres for hundreds of years. Pembroke was in his blood. Surely the ebb and flow of the sea was as familiar to him as the beating of his heart.
But what if it wasn’t?