It was a grand occasion that ended with hugs and best wishes for her future, along with hopes that she would find a fine man who would appreciate her. She smiled and accepted their good wishes, thinking that her father and brothers appreciated her, and that was all she needed.
* * *
The weather in Calais had been generally pleasant and sunny since Tamsyn had arrived in the town, but the day of her planned rescue was cool and misty with spatters of rain and rare moments of sunshine. The weather was well suited for her purposes. She breakfasted at the boardinghouse and said her goodbyes, thanking Madame Bernard and the other residents.
Then she called on Marie Barriere and thanked her for her help and also changed into her boy’s clothing before she collected Zeus at the livery stable. As she rode along the beach, the mist thickened into fog. Mentally she considered all she’d done to improve the chance of success and couldn’t think of anything she’d missed. The trouble with plans, though, were the problems shehadn’tthought of.
She reached the overhang under Château Bastien and tethered Zeus. The critical moment had arrived. The climb up the cave passage seemed familiar now. When she reached the door into the fortress, she took several deep breaths to steady herself. She would leave one small lantern here, unlit, and take the other inside with the flame reduced as much as possible.
She rested her hand on the door and scanned to determine how many people were in the fortress. As before, she sensed perhaps half a dozen residents, all of them in higher levels of the structure. She guessed that half of that number were in the kitchen, busy preparing food. They were unlikely to cause trouble.
She moved her hand over the door lock and used the mental trick she’d learned from Bran to unlock it. It was easier this time, and she felt the shift inside the mechanism. Carefully she turned the knob and opened the door, wincing as it squealed. She caught her breath as she looked into the dark, cluttered cellar. A tiny golden thread ran through the darkness. She blinked and looked again but the golden thread was still there.
Nowthatwas interesting! Her brother Bran had a gift for seeing silver threads that would lead him in directions that were important. A silver thread had led Bran and Cade to London when they were desperate children. A silver path in his mind had led him to Cornwall, and when he met Merryn, she had blazed with silver.
Nothing like that had ever happened to Tamsyn, but perhaps the intense work she had done with Bran, learning how to open locks, had triggered this new ability to see golden threads to guide her way. So if Merryn was silver, did that mean Cade was gold? She almost laughed at the thought. He’d be appalled by the idea when she told him that!
But first she had to free him from his prison. By the faint light of her lantern, she picked her way around old furniture and battered boxes. Madame LeBlanc had drawn floor plans of the building so Tamsyn knew where to find the stairs to the higher levels. The golden thread led unerringly to the door at the foot of the stairs.
This one wasn’t locked. It moved stiffly so people probably seldom came down here. Because it was daytime, there was enough light to see, so she left her dim lantern in the cellar and climbed to the next level. The kitchen was to the left and she smelled roasting meat and bread and heard the clink of utensils as well as a murmur of voices. But she saw none of the servants.
She turned right along the corridor. At the end she found the stairwell that ran all the way up to the top level. Soft-footed, she followed the golden thread and prayed that her luck would hold.
Her steps quickened as she climbed and the golden thread grew brighter, leading her to a locked door. She was panting and breathless from the climb and her heart accelerated at the knowledge that Cade was on the other side of the door. She rested her hand on the lock andpushed.The lock clicked and the door opened under her hand.
Cade had been doing energetic push-ups against the wall, but he swung around as she entered. The misty weather outside cleared and a shaft of golden sunshine came through the window and touched him with golden light. He was less than fully himself, but he wasenough.“Cade!”
Their gazes struck and held, and then she hurled herself into his arms. He was warm and strong and utterly familiar. Her best friend.
His heart was hammering under her ear as he hugged her with rib-bruising force. “Tam,” he whispered hoarsely. “Tamkin, I’ve missed you so!”
“As I’ve missed you,” she said in a shaky voice. She wanted to hold him forever, but reluctantly she broke free of his embrace. “We must get out of here as quickly as possible.”
She lifted his chained hand and rested her fingers on the manacle. It snapped open as she poured power into it. His wrist was rubbed raw underneath.
His brow furrowed as he looked at his freed wrist. “How . . . ?”
“Bran taught me the trick of it.” She looked up into his beloved face and touched his unshaven jaw. He was well on his way to a beard and obviously hadn’t been able to bathe, but the connection between them was as strong as ever. Stronger, perhaps, because of the way their minds had been touching since he was captured. “Is your mind clear enough to escape? I can fully remove the mental block, but we can’t afford the time to do it now.”
“Not . . . myself,” he said with effort, “but can follow orders and run.”
She smiled a little. “That will do. Now it’s time to leave. We’ll go down to the cellar. A cave passage leads from there to the beach. It’s awkward and it will be tight for you, but I think you’ll be able to manage.”
“I will,” he said harshly. A chair in the corner held his boots and coat, which he rapidly donned. As they turned toward the door, it swung violently open and Claude Bastien stepped into the chamber, his face twisted with ferocious satisfaction. “Now I have you both!”
CHAPTER19
Everything happened at once. Horrified, Cade tried to move Tamsyn aside, away from Bastien’s hungry stare.
“First I’ll block her mind, Tremayne,” Bastien said viciously. “Then you’ll tell me everything you know about the Home Office to spare her from being tortured. A little thing like her won’t be able to endure as much pain as you did.” He was already swinging his palm toward Tamsyn’s forehead for the mind block.
“No!” she spat out as she jerked away from him. “Neither of us will tell you a single damned thing!”
Bastien lunged toward her, and she kicked furiously upward. He twisted away so that her boot struck his thigh rather than smashing into his genitals. Swearing, he staggered a moment, then lunged at her again.
The bastard was attacking Tamsyn! Incandescent with rage, Cade hurled himself at Bastien. His mind might not be clear, but he was no longer chained, he was stronger than Bastien realized, and he was trained to fight. He stepped between Tamsyn and Bastien and slammed a punishing fist into the Frenchman’s jaw, knocking the other man into the door shutting it.
As Tamsyn scrambled out of their way, Bastien swore, then collected himself and struck back. Cade dodged the blow and slammed one fist into the other man’s throat and the other into his belly.
