“It’s level for a few feet and then drops practically straight down. We used ropes to climb in and out.” Harold knelt beside her, and she gave him some space so that he could crawl inside. “Yes, the ropes are still here. We’ll want to replace them.” A little sheepish, he ducked his head back out. “I’m a little heavier than I was back then.”
In truth, Sophia was not happy about the condition of this so-called cave. It was dreadfully small, and the earth around it did not seem all that stable.
“Show me the lagoon,” she demanded, standing up.
They replaced the rocks, hiding the cave once again, and he guided her around the outcrop. A few fledgling trees and bushes grew, slightly protected from the winds blowing in from the sea. They climbed the nearby rise, and just as Harold grabbed her hand, she caught her breath. For a sheer cliff dropped hundreds of feet down to a swirling cauldron of water. Rocks hung over the edges precariously, but some had fallen and poked up when the sprays of froth ebbed away.
“The water never empties. It’s never a beach like the other side,” Harold said. He was slightly breathless from their climb.
She could not imagine swimming in such a perilous pool.
“Oh, my God, Harold” was all she could bring herself to say.
She looked over at him.
Whereas he’d looked a little flushed before, he had suddenly gone white as a sheet. “I don’t remember it being this…”
“Formidable?” she asked.
“Horrifying,” he answered.
* * *
Dev was pleasedwith the condition of Dartmouth Place and found it necessary to order only minimal repairs. He left instructions with the man who’d been acting as steward and then made his way directly to Priory Point. It was a two-day ride, and he was glad to have good weather for the journey. Although it was always safer to travel with a companion, it was not always practical or expedient. He almost always travelled alone.
He was nowhere near the first of the family members to arrive. If he hadn’t spotted some of Harold’s younger cousins running about on one of the lawns, he would have been alerted by the constant coming and going of various tradesmen and servants.
Ah, yes, the house party had commenced.
It had been five days since he’d seen her.
He was not the sort of fellow to pine. He’d been infatuated a few times, but never had he felt such a… connection… such a bond as this. What was it about her?
As he neared the castle, his heart seemed to skip a few beats. Neither she nor Harold were on the lawns with the other guests.
Five nights had passed since he’d held her. Since he’d left her, drowsy from his lovemaking, wearing nothing but a sheet.
He dismounted and then affectionately patted his mare before handing her over to one of his uncle’s stable lads. His aunt, of course, would have his room set aside and readied for him. Of all the ducal properties, Priory Point was Dev’s favorite. He even dared to feel somewhat at home here.
He didn’t wait for a maid to bring up a basin of warm water. The cold water in the pitcher was sufficient. He washed and changed out of his dusty riding clothes.
The newlywed couple was down at the beach, he’d been informed. They’d swam every day since arriving.
Harold must be practicing. Hearing that his cousin was swimming was encouraging.
Sophia had told him she enjoyed sea-bathing. She’d not done it often, she’d said, but had learned the skill in a lake as a young girl.
He followed the well-worn path down to the beach almost without thinking. Everything about this place elicited youthful memories — racing along the trail, hiding from his uncle, playing pirates with Lucas and Harold.
Cutting across the last switchback, Dev landed easily as he jumped down to the hard sand. At first, the beach appeared to be empty but for a few gulls and a pile of driftwood. But, no, not far from the shore, a blanket was spread out on the sand near a basket, and two people were in the surf.
One of them was face down, swimming out to sea, and the other stood watching the swimmer, in nothing but a chemise, plastered to her wet skin.
She must have sensed his presence as she glanced over her shoulder for no apparent reason and raised her hand to her eyes to shade her view.
Dev lifted one hand and waved.
“Dev!” She didn’t hesitate before turning back toward the sea and yelling once again. “Harold! Dev is here!”
