“It might be simpler if you come down to me. We can exit through the building and hopefully misdirect the earl’s men.”
Shouts rose up in the distance, and her pulse jumped. “Yes,” she urged. “Get me off this roof; I’m a veritable beacon up here.”
Despite her instincts screaming at her to do otherwise, Heather approached the hole and crouched.Creak. She stepped back with a gasp.
“It’s not sturdy,” she said, her voice wavering. “How am I to sit over the edge when it is threatening to collapse?”
“Just drop down,” he urged. “I’m here, ready to catch you.”
She bit her lip. “Drop?”
“Yes. It’s not as far down as you might think.”
As foolish as this plan was, she trusted the man. So, her perspiring palms and quavering nerves notwithstanding, she lowered to her arse, slid to the edge of the hole, and dropped.
Whompf. Just as he’d said, Percy caught her with a grunt before setting her on her feet.
“There, now,” he murmured, clasping her hand in his. “Safe. Are you well?”
Heather took stock of herself and smiled ruefully. “Trembling slightly, but a mite better than I was a quarter of an hour ago.”
“Good. Let’s find our way out of here.”
Together, they navigated the dark attic rooms and descended the staircase. The floor boards creaked and groaned beneath their weight, the walls echoing back their rapid breathing and the clunks of their bootheels.
What was this place? Why was there no one around? Heather squinted through the darkness but couldn’t identify anything around her. Where were the candles, the lanterns?
Percy led the way, but she hadn’t the faintest idea how he could ascertain their direction. They descended two more narrow staircases and turned down a hall.
He stopped. “Fuck. We’ve hit a wall. This is the wrong way.”
They spun around and carefully navigated another corridor before they reached the diminutive foyer. Relief loosened the knot in Heather’s stomach, and she reached for the door.
“Don’t,” Percy whispered. “They might be out there. Allow me to check first.”
The knot twisted tighter again, but she wouldn’t allow fear to make her cower when she was capable of fighting. “I have my dirk. I can defend myself.”
His lips thinned, but he nodded. “You are correct. We shall go together.”
With a buoyancy in her heart that she hadn’t expected to feel at his words, she opened the door. Beyond was a narrow dirt road with a wood-planked walking path on the opposite side. Smoke blew through the air, almost entirely covering the scent of the ocean.
“It’s clear,” Percy breathed. “Let’s go.”
Heather gave a nod and followed Percy onto the dirt road. Keeping to the shadows, they sped to the next building and pressed themselves against the door.
“There they are!” a man bellowed.
Percy cursed. “Run.”
CHAPTER 19
Heather’s lungs were afire. Her muscles ached, and her feet throbbed in time with her rapid pulse as she ran.
They wove around inebriated men and between rows of buildings, and yet footsteps still rang out behind them.
“I…can’t go…much…further,” Heather huffed out. “We will…have…to fight.”
Percy led her around a sharp corner into a close, and stopped, forcing Heather to bump into his back. They crouched beside some piled crates.
