But she’d insisted upon coming and would not become a liability now. Dev was grinning at Harold, and she realized he did this intentionally. She knew he’d already spent a great deal of time discussing techniques and problems to watch for. Now, she knew, he was ready to share his courage.
Gritting his teeth, Harold nodded.
“Here.” She stepped toward Harold, taking the lead from Dev. “I’ll hold your waistcoat.” If Harold was not ready to do this, then now would be the time to back out.
She also knew that Dev would not lead his cousin into an impossible situation.
As did, apparently, Harold.
Harold handed Sophia his coat and then sat on the ground to remove his boots. When he stood up, he began moving his arms back and forth as well, and jumping from one foot to the other. “All right, then, Dev,” he said. He flashed his cousin an impulsively wicked grin. “On three?”
Dev merely shook his head and took a running leap. As his body flew off the side of the cliff, he tucked his feet beneath him into a tight human missile.
Not waiting even another second, Harold followed him enthusiastically into the churning cauldron of the cove’s murky depths.
Sophia covered her face. She knew what she needed to do now. She was to return to the cave and wait.
Stay Watchful
All in all, Harold jumped three times And Dev twice.
She could imagine them, as boys, spending warm afternoons, throwing themselves into the sea, over and over again until they’d worn off their adolescent restlessness. It hadn’t taken them long to swim back into the cave, thank God. Sophia had heard Harold’s laughter just moments after she, herself, climbed back to the opening.
When she’d heard it, she couldn’t help grinning. Dev’s voice was casual, matter-of-fact, as though he’d not doubted Harold’s abilities for a moment. The greatest challenge for Harold had been climbing back out of the cave itself. With a few pointers, though, and encouragement from Dev, he’d eventually emerged, full of confidence, ready to do it again.
“At first, I thought I wouldn’t make it through that tight part, in the middle, Dev,” he said as he stepped gingerly through the rocks back toward the cliff, “until you shoved me from behind. This time I’ll do it without your assistance.”
“I’ll let you do it alone this time, then,” Dev said. “I could see that once you found your handles on the rocks, you would have made it through without my help.”
“You think so, Dev? I thought so too. But I wasn’t certain. I’d forgotten how important the torch was. We’ll have to have it set in place when I jump in. Blazing bollocks! That water was cold as I hit it. Nearly drank a gallon of saltwater when I went under.” And then he smiled at Sophia. “Excuse my language, ma’am.” He looked sheepish for all of two seconds. “Couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t encouraged me to do all that swimming this week, Sophia. I’d give you a hug if I weren’t all wet…” He looked down at his shirt front. “…and covered in mud.”
On Harold’s second jump, Dev waited with Sophia. Both of them watched as Harold threw himself into the water and then dove for the tunnel.
This was progress, indeed. Up until today, this part of the plan had been an uncertainty.
After Harold disappeared into the tunnel, Dev glanced over at her, grinning. But his gaze held an intensity.
His hands landed on her waist, and he pulled her up against him.
“I’m soaked, and I’m just as covered in mud,” he growled into her neck, “but I’ll not let this opportunity pass.”
“It’s been forever,” Sophia agreed, closing her eyes and tilting her head to give him better access to her nape. His skin was warm beneath the wet fabric, which reminded her. “You cut yourself, Dev. You’re injured.”
But he made no move to release her. “It’s nothing, a scratch.” His lips trailed her cheek before settling upon her mouth.
Oh, yes. He tasted of salt and man and sunshine. Sophia wanted to stay in his arms forever. She wanted to explore every inch of his skin, inhaling his scent as she did so. Their time together the night of her wedding had been like an explosion. They’d gotten a taste of one other, but not been able to savor and delight. She dug her fingers into his scalp and hair, pressing herself closer to him in the process.
Breathing harshly, Dev broke away and again buried his face on her shoulder.
For although Harold knew of their relationship, the situation demanded restraint. The three of them were too close to success to jeopardize it now.
And so, after a moment to regain their composure, Dev turned her, draped one arm around her shoulder, and led the two of them back to the mouth of the cave.
Harold could be heard climbing the rope.
“Dev, are you out there? I will do it one more time, but I need to make it look as though I truly am falling. I’m thinking,” he said, his face appearing at the opening, and he addressed Sophia, “I must look as though I’ve lost my balance. When I jump this time, I want to make it look as though perhaps I’m teasing you, you know, showing off, and then I can appear to have underestimated the proximity of the cliff. Any witnesses, hopefully, will be too far away to see how I land in the water.”
Sophia’s heart squeezed. Harold really was going to do this. She and this brave young man had grown surprisingly close over the past week. And he was going to go away.
