It was pitch black, but he could stand up. He reached out and his fingers encountered the sides. He kept his hand against the left side and cautiously made his way forward, the water getting shallower and shallower until he found himself on a dry floor. The tunnel seem to slope upward, and under his feet was metal tracks to take the grooved wheels of a wagon.
The sea water didn’t reach this far up, but water dripped from the roof and roots stretched down to clutch at his face. The air was warm and clammy, and he imagined the weight of the cliff just above him and began to sweat. Then he remembered the props his hand had encountered, and knew that the tunnels had been properly constructed and maintained over the years. Flynn stopped to take a swig from the whisky bottle. The liquor warmed his stomach and relaxed his mind, and he began to feel better.
‘Thank you, Lord,’ he said humbly. ‘All you need to do now is calm the storm and send the boat, and I’ll be on my way in the morning with no further need to trouble you.’
And it seemed that his prayers were to be answered, for by dawn the storm had blown itself out, and although Flynn didn’t know it when he woke, a small ship was standing off the cove and a dinghy waited on shore for his use.
Magnus was up before dawn the next day. Apart from a sore head he’d suffered no ill effects from the events of the day before. He stroked his prickly chin. He needed a shave. But then, so did Gerald. His friend was curled up on the couch, his head on a cushion.
He’d slept long enough. Magnus nudged him with his foot and Gerald came blearily awake. ‘Oh, it’s you.’
‘Who were you expecting at this time of morning, Miss Alice Carradine?’ He handed Gerald a cup of coffee. ‘Collins’ cousin wanted no part of the escape arrangements, so it’s been arranged by the authorities. The constables arrived back at the crack of dawn, bringing reinforcements, and there’s a customs’ cutter hidden behind the promontory. Once they sight him he won’t get far.’
Taking a gulp of the coffee Gerald let out a heartfelt sigh, then grinned. ‘The revenue men, eh? Your ancestors will turn in their graves like a bull on a spit.’
Magnus laughed. ‘So will yours. We must be a great disappointment to them. I’ve been told we’re to stay home and keep our noses out.’
‘The devil we are!’
Gerald looked so disappointed that Magnus laughed. ‘Better we don’t attract the attention of the revenue men. The constables deserve to be in for the kill, and the soldiers, too. I bet you ten guineas that the soldiers get him rather than the constables or the customs.’
‘My money’s on the constables. Don’t forget I still owe for the last wager.’
‘Our usual charity, Gerald?’
‘Where else.’
‘Just remember that I haven’t proposed to Sarry yet. She might refuse me. In fact she’ll probably box my ears for me now she knows about the wager. I might have to lock her in the cellar until she accepts that I know what’s best for her.’
Gerald grinned. ‘We were going to search the cellars this morning.’
‘And we shall, but only as a precaution. I can’t see that anyone can get in via the cave since my uncle had that boarded up at the beach end and filled with shingle. We’ll go down there now.’ He set his cup down on its saucer and stood, yawning as he stretched to his full capacity. ‘Afterwards, George can tidy us up before the women wake up. Alice will change her mind if she sees you looking like that. You know, Gerald, you’ve got a sweet-natured and sensible woman there. She’s more than you deserve.’
‘Nonsense.’ Gerald punched him lightly on the arm. ‘Sarry doesn’t know what she missed by refusing me.’
‘You knew she would. But
your
loss is going to be my gain.’
‘As you always meant it to be. Will you show her the cellar room?’
‘It’s part of the history of Fierce Eagles, and so will she be when she accepts me.’
Sarette rustled down the stairs in pastel green taffeta. She’d left Alice soaking in a bath of scented water. After a hearty breakfast she went to find Branston, who informed her of the latest gossip.
‘Where’s Mr Kern and Mr Grimble?’
‘They’ve gone to check the cellars.’
‘Oh, I see.’
She was about to return upstairs when her glance fell on the cellar door standing open, and she remembered the secret room Mr John had told her about. She stood and looked down a steep flight of stairs. The gas lighting extended into the cellar, and the place was brightly lit, revealing racks of bottles.
She went down and looked around. She’d never seen so many wine and spirit bottles gathered in one place. No wonder Mr John had drunk so much, she thought inconsequentially.
One of the racks had been swung open like a door. Beyond was darkness, except for a faint light flickering in the distance. There was a small scuffing noise and she shuddered. Rats?
‘Magnus,’ she called out.
The gaslight suddenly went out and she was plunged into darkness. The next moment an arm came round her neck, nearly choking her.
‘Make one fecking sound and you’re as dead as a doornail,’ a voice growled.
She froze.
‘You’re going out before me and I’ll have a gun in your back. Understand?’
‘Oh yes, Flynn Collins,’ she sneered, as loudly as possible. ‘You’re good at shooting people in the back.’
‘You think you’ve gone up one in the world, don’t you? Miss Maitland is it? People don’t bother about whores like you. First it was the old man, now the nephew. I’m glad your father didn’t live long enough to see this.’
‘My father was worth a dozen of you, and so was John Kern, you thieving, murdering snake in the grass.’
‘One more word from you and you’ll get my fist in your teeth.’ He shoved his kerchief as far into her mouth as he could get it, so she wanted to gag, then tied her hands behind her back with a piece of cord. Something cold and hard was shoved against her spine. ‘Walk.’
Sarette managed to stagger up the steep stairs. As luck had it, the hall was deserted and the dogs were still in the kitchen begging for scraps. Collins closed the door to the cellar until it clicked gently, then turned the key in the lock. ‘Help me get down to the cove and I’ll spare your life.’
She doubted it. And she knew that nobody was going to spare
his
life if he killed her. And even if she escaped, Magnus would follow him to the ends of the earth to take his revenge if she was so much as harmed. He had fallen in love with her – she just knew it.
She took Collins out through the French windows in the morning room, which was at the side of the house and directly under her bedroom. They kept behind the shrubbery and skirted the grounds as they sloped gently down towards the cove.
The landscape was battered by the storm and there were mud patches everywhere. She walked through them, leaving many footprints for the soldiers to follow, her bright gown collecting dirt and rips as they went. Her hair was snatched at by twigs, her style unravelled and the length of it falling about her body, where it became tangled more with every step.
The day was bright. Too bright to die. But the day didn’t show any mercy to its victims. It had been a bright day when the snake had killed her father.
There was no sign of anybody on the cliff. What had happened to the soldiers and the constables?
A movement caught Alice’s eye and she stared at the shaded patch on the other side of the shrubbery. She caught a glimpse of two faces as people passed a gap between plants. Sarette? Her friend’s arms were held at an awkward angle behind her back, and she was with a man.
Alice knew without asking who the man was. Pulling on the rest of her clothing she hurried downstairs, bursting into the dining room. ‘Where’s Mr Kern? The Irishman has got Miss Maitland.’
Branston paled. ‘I thought she was with you, Miss Carradine. Mr Kern and Mr Grimble are in the cellars.’
There came a sudden banging and shouting from the hall and they hurried to release the lock.
‘Miss Maitland has been taken by the Irishman, and I think he must have locked you in,’ Alice told them.
Magnus swore. ‘This is my fault. I should have checked last night.’ He gazed around at everyone. ‘We’ve just discovered that the shingle my uncle put in the tunnels has been gradually sucked out by the tide, and the barrier had been kicked in where the wood had gone rotten. We found an empty whisky bottle, obviously the one stolen from the farmer’s house. I’ll never forgive myself if anything bad has happened to Sarry.’
With Gerald on his heels, Magnus hurried through to the gun cabinet and began to load the weapons. One rifle and one pistol apiece.
‘They went along the side of the garden, using the shrubbery for cover. Be careful,’ Alice said, her alarm clearly written on her face.
‘We will.’ Gerald touched her face. ‘Ring my father and tell him what’s happened. Then go to the kitchen and wait there with the servants until I get back. I don’t want to have to worry about you.’
‘Promise you’ll bring her back safely, Magnus.’
‘Even if I have to swim to Ireland to get her,’ Magnus growled. ‘The authorities have got the cove covered and we’ll go down through the tunnel. The tide is out, and if Collins can get in through the tunnel, then we can get out the same way.’
The beach was piled high with seaweed washed ashore by the storm.
Collins smiled when he saw the dinghy loosely tethered to a rock, and pushed Sarette down the precarious path in his haste to get to it. Sarette half slid and half ran in the scree that formed the path. When she reached the bottom she tripped and sprawled face down in the shingle. His fist closed around her hair and he hauled her upright.
‘Let the woman go, Collins,’ someone shouted.
On the cliff top were some half-a-dozen men with rifles. A quick glance showed her that they were surrounded. Collins brought a gun up against her ear. She didn’t even flinch when he clicked the safety off. Coward, she thought.
She caught a glimpse of Magnus in a small gap between two rocks. He was gazing down the barrel of a rifle, his eyes dark, and downright deadly. When he caught her glance he became uncertain.
Sarette smiled to reassure him that he had her trust, then closed her eyes.
It seemed a long time coming. It was a time in which she heard the safety catch of Flynn Collins’s pistol being released. It was a time in which she smelled his fear and experienced her own moment of resignation, followed by calmness. This gun had killed John Kern, who was stronger and braver than she was. It was fitting that she died the same way. This might be her last second alive.
A shot rang out.
Sarette’s knees buckled and she sank like a stone.
Two seconds later Magnus gathered her up in his arms and turned his back on the scene. He began to carry her away from it, up the cliff path, seagulls wheeling and shrieking in the sky above her. He didn’t say anything, and that made her nervous.
She clung to him, beginning to shake. ‘There’s something you should know first. I’ve told Mr Grimble to sell the house in Bournemouth.’
‘I know. It was his duty to inform me. I’ve rescinded the request.’
‘I didn’t want you to think I was a gold-digger, you see. Well, I was one, but the mining gold out the ground sort of gold-digger – not that I mined much, mind you. I’m really not the sort of gold-digger that befriends rich old men . . . or rich
young
men come to that . . . just to shove my diggle into their pockets.’
His mouth twitched. ‘You mean, dig your shovel into their pockets, don’t you?’
‘I thought that’s what I said. And I’m going to give Mr John’s legacy away, too, because before you propose to me I want you to be aware that I won’t allow anyone to marry me for my money.’
‘I’ve rescinded that request too.’
‘I knew you would. I wanted you to marry me for love . . . rather than my legacy. You do see.’
He gazed down at her. ‘Yes . . . I see everything perfectly. It just happens that I’m in love with you, so everything will work out fine.’
‘And remind me to talk to you about those wagers when I feel more able,’ she said. ‘I’m a bit nervous at the moment. Will you take me home now, please?’
‘Happy birthday.’
She gazed into his eyes and smiled. ‘It is indeed, since I’m still alive. Did I hear you say you loved me?’
He nodded, then said, ‘And despite uncle John’s legacy.’ He kissed her so very tenderly that she forgot everyone was watching until a cheer went up. Then she broke down and began to cry.
Alice fussed over her. Alice who was so shining with happiness over the fact that they all survived the ordeal that her quiet glow warmed Sarette’s heart. She was grateful for Alice’s friendship and hoped it would endure for the rest of their lives.
The bath water was relaxing against her skin and when she emerged Ada was waiting for her with a warmed towel.
‘Oh, your poor face,’ she wailed. ‘It’s scratched to pieces, and so are your arms. And look at your hair, all tangled. I’ll never get all those knots out.’
‘The scratches are superficial and will soon heal when some salve is applied,’ Alice said calmly. ‘As for her hair, it will take a little while but I’ll brush it free of tangles.’
An hour later they went downstairs arm in arm.
Ignatious Grimble had arrived, and he clucked over her injuries.
‘They’re nothing, really. Just superficial scratches.’
She crossed to where Magnus stood, smiling at her. ‘Is he dead?’
‘Yes.’ He took her hand in his and caressed her knuckles. The others hesitated to shoot in case they hit you.’
She said quietly, so the others couldn’t overhear, ‘You were unsure.’
‘Hell yes . . . what if I’d misjudged . . .? I knew you’d told me to go ahead as soon as you closed your eyes. My main fear was that Collins would move you into the line of fire. As soon as he pulled back the hammer on his pistol I knew I had to take the risk.’
‘Do you still love me . . . really love me, I mean?’
‘Do I love you, Sarry girl? I absolutely adore you.’ He tipped her chin up and gently kissed her on the mouth for everyone to see.
She grinned when Ignatious Grimble cleared his throat and said, ‘I wonder if you’ll get the reward offered for Collins’s head.’