“And of course the key is on the other side,” he said needlessly.
“Of course.” Hero looked about her now, seeing what she hadn’t before. The rains from the previous night had continued into the day. It was the reason they had been engaging in parlor games that morning. By the time luncheon had been served, the rain had been slapping furiously at the windows, the wind rattling the panes. Now, through the mouth of the cave, she could see the turbulent waters of the firth, feel the cold winds that she had been immune to while basking in the warmth of Ian’s smile and affection.
It may have been June and the days preceding this one some of the hottest she’d ever experienced, but the rain of the last day had brought with it a bite that was only amplified by the eternal chill of the caves. This was what made the dungeons such a dreaded place.
Despite that, a few moments, even an hour or more, would cause no harm. Robert had told her that as children he and his sister would play there at pirates for hours at a time.
But when the tides came in…
Hero shuddered and Ian wrapped his arms around her, chafing her lightly to warm her. “Worry not, my love, we will find a way out.”
“There is no other way out.”
“Then someone will find us,” he reassured her.
She nodded against his chest but she had her doubts.
Chapter Twenty-One
An hour later, Ian had rammed his shoulder against the door so many times that he knew he’d be bruised from the effort. Assuming he survived the day. The door hadn’t budged an inch. He’d attempted to pry the hinges out to remove the entire door but they were rusted over. He’d even tried to lever the door away with a rock and a long piece of driftwood. Nothing worked.
Now he waded into the rising water, assessing the force of the waves on the incoming tide and wondering if he could swim to the beach. He’d have to scale the cliffs as well or run the half mile up the beach to the ancient stone stairs that were built into the cliffs before he could make it into the castle and back down into the dungeon to free Hero. By that time, there was no telling what condition she would be in.
“You’d never make it.”
Hero’s perceptive observation had him pounding his fist against the cave wall in frustration. He turned back to where she leaned against the wall by the door, unable to sit now that the tidal waters lapped about her feet. She was pale, shivering in his coat. Her teeth chattered audibly and Ian cursed inwardly, angry with himself for being unable to free her. Terrified for her.
“You must be freezing,” she said. “Please take back your jacket.”
“The sight of your bonny face is enough to warm me.”
The lie earned a slight smile and a shake of her head. She knew he was as chilled as she. His wet feet and legs in particular were almost numb. But he didn’t feel nearly as cold as she looked. Her cheeks and nose that had been red from the cold not long ago were now a worrisome white. He was desperate to get her warm and dry, but even as Ian watched, the water rose higher, soaking the bottom of Hero’s skirts. He looked back, trying to remember where the original water levels had been, measuring where they were now, and applying what little he knew of the Firth of Clyde’s normal tides.
She exhaled a huff that might have been a chuckle. “I can see you working it out in your mind. Shall I save you the trouble? In just a few hours this cave will be nearly underwater. Even if it we were not close to a full moon, it wouldn’t matter. High tide floods this cave every time between nine and up to nearly fourteen feet. The water will reach this far up the passage, almost to the level of the main cavern. That’s why the iron parts of the door are so rusted. If it assures you at all, however, we will not drown.”
“It doesn’t assure me at all.”
What was the worst way to die? From drowning or exposure to the elements? The brisk wind swirling about the cave would have been bad enough, but the waters of the firth even in the summer were frigid. When the sun went down, it would be even more miserable. There had to be a way to keep Hero from the worst of it until someone realized where they were and opened the door.
Again she spoke as if she could read his thoughts. “I can handle getting my toes wet, Ian.”
“It’s not your toes I’m worried about.”
He waded back to her and drew her into his arms. He lifted her out of the water, negating her protests with a frown. Turning, he leaned back against the wall with her cradled against him. He worried about her life. Worried about losing her just as he had found her. He laughed derisively. Who was he fooling? He was afraid, very afraid.
Holding her tight, Ian willed his body to warm hers and keep her safe. He didn’t want to be without her. Couldn’t be. Hero was his. He’d known from the moment he’d seen her bonny eyes that he wanted her and he refused to lose her now. Rocking her gently against his chest, he studied the door with a frown, wondering again how it had closed. Ghosts aside, the door appeared too heavy—and felt too sturdy against his shoulder—to be blown shut, even by the forceful winds from the firth. That meant that someone had purposefully shut it, locking them inside.
Knowing they were inside?
He reflected on the events of the previous night. Of the candle stump in the pool of oil. Had someone tossed the lamp and thrown a lit candle into it, hoping to start a fire? The oil itself would drown the flame before it had a chance to ignite but not everyone would’ve known that. If someone was trying to harm them, Ian wondered who. And why.
Pressing a kiss to the top of Hero’s head, another appalling thought occurred to him. What if her accident in Glasgow hadn’t been an accident at all?
Time slipped by as he mulled over the problem, the passage of the minutes marked by the water creeping past his ankles and up his calves. His arms burned from holding Hero for so long but he refused to let her go.
Abruptly, she slumped against him and he turned his frantic attention to her, checking her pulse. Not dead, just unconscious. Or sleeping. Cold and exposure often had that affect, but sleeping was the worst thing for her. He shook her gently, then more forcibly. “No, Hero! Wake up now, lass.”
She moaned softly and Ian continued to shake her and talk to her until she opened her eyes once more. “That’s it, my love. Wake up or I’ll drop you in the water.”
