“It’s tight.”
“Okay, then.” He grasped the rope near him, where it stretched over the large boulder between them, and slowly took up the slack. “Ye’ll feel a pull as I tighten the rope. Use it tae help pull ye tae yer feet, but keep it taut. Stay close tae the boulder. Dinnae step back! Yell when ye’re steady on yer feet. Are ye ready?”
“I think so.”
“Wait until ye feel the tug.” Slowly, carefully, he pulled the rope. Slowly, awkwardly, she came to her feet. When he saw her standing, hugging the rock with her body, clinging to the rope with her hands, and knew it was tied around her waist, he wanted to yelp his joy and relief to the sky.
But ’twas no’ over yet.
“Hold tight tae the rope. I’m goin’ tae pull ye over the boulder and I need ye tae stay as close tae the center, as ye can manage. Are ye ready?”
Even though her terrified expression said otherwise, she nodded, eyes fixed on him. “Ready.”
It took all the strength in his back and arms to pull her up the boulder. He was grateful for the smaller stone behind him that let him wedge himself between the two and use his feet for leverage. Thankful, also, for the labor done at Wickham’s. Along wi’ building the barracks for the ghosts, he’d built up his long dormant muscles. If ever he needed them, ’twas today.
An excruciating inch at a time, he pulled her up and over the boulder, until she was close enough to literally fall into his arms. He pulled her close, needing her to feel safe and secure as she sobbed against his chest.
“Go ahead, lass. Ye’ve earned a good cry.”
Reginald looked up to see Lauren with both hands crossed over her heart, and Julia and Phoebe hugging each other. Drew was doing some version of sign language. After watching him for a moment, Reginald finally understood. The rope was tied around a tree and was secure enough for them to climb to the top.
Deidre, now with the hiccups, moved out of his arms and looked up, as well. Lauren blew her a kiss and Julia made an exaggerated heart with her arms.
“They love ye, lass. I dinnae ken ye know how much.”
Deidre hung her head. “I know. I’m sorry. I was… I just… I don’t know how to explain. I was so embarrassed and ashamed. All I could think to do was run. From everything. I didn’t care where except to find a place to hide. And then I was on the ledge and I couldn’t go up, or down. I’ve never been so afraid. What I did was wrong. I know that, now. But before, I guess I was too ashamed to see anything.”
“Dinnae fash about that now. Let’s get ye tae the top where I suspect ye’ll find naught but open arms.”
She nodded and worked up a small, but genuine smile. “Let’s.”
“Can ye climb? I dinnae ken Drew can pull us both. We can go together, usin’ the rope for balance.”
“Wait.” She tugged on the end of the rope that hung from her waist. “These were tied to the end, but I didn’t dare try to undo them, back there.”
Two pair of gloves were knotted to the end of the rope. Not only would they save their hands climbing back up, they’d acted as a weight for the rope when Drew tossed it down.
Grateful, Reginald waved them in the air to thank Drew, handed a pair to Deidre and gratefully pulled the others over his singed hands. A few streaks of blood stained the cuffs, from the broken blisters on his palms, but ’twas naught to fash about, now.
“ ’Twould seem Drew thought of everything. Our climb will be far easier wi’ these. They’ll help protect yer wrist, as well as yer hands, from the rope.” He sidestepped out of the narrow slot between the boulders and studied the next section of cliff-face, above them. “We’ll go together and take it a little bit at a time. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Her head bobbed, eagerly.
“We’ll redo the rope around yer wrist, every few feet, to get rid o’ the slack. Then if ye fall, and I canne catch ye, ye willnae fall far.”
“Okay,” she said shakily.
He pulled the rope as tight as he could from above and had her rewrap her wrist. “Together, then. Just tell me, and we’ll stop whenever ye need tae rest.”
He guided her, the best he could up the easiest route, boosting her, when necessary, over one slick boulder or stretch of slickrock, after another.
When they were about a third of the way up, he paused to let her rest while he studied the next section. He glanced toward the waterfall, where the spray was especially heavy, and saw the shadow of something dark. He blinked and looked again, trying to peer through the ribbons of water, but couldnae quite make out what it was.
The next several feet he traveled with Deidre, took him a little closer. Still puzzled, he squinted at what looked like the rugged edges of a large hole.
A cave?
Mayhap. And mayhap no more than a shallow indentation of some kind. Strange that in all the years living here, no one kenned its existence. But, how could they? Ye couldnae see it from the top, and who would be daft enough to climb over a ledge, for no reason?
