As they stepped down a flight of steps into the darkened corridor, he shoved a lever and the bookcase closed. She heard him fumble around for a moment then soft light bathed the interior as he held up a lit candle.
“Follow me.”
Mutely, she hurried after him. Who was this man? They had been set upon by murderous thugs and yet he remained perfectly calm. He could certainly handle himself in a fight, and he had secret passageways in his house.
Her anxiety dimmed just a bit. Perhaps shecouldtrust him. He had the opportunity to kill her, and yet he had saved her from certain death.
In truth it made her nauseous to trust anyone, but it was becoming increasingly clearer that she would not get out of England alone.
They followed the passage for what seemed an interminable distance. Musty, damp odors assaulted her nose. Her nostrils quivered, her eyes watering with the need to sneeze. A cold draft skittered over her just before they stopped.
“Let’s hope this will open,” he said grimly, looking up at a trap door.
“If this is your attempt at humor, you are failing miserably,” she growled. “Wherearewe?”
“Assuming I didn’t take a wrong turn, we should be two blocks from my home.”
“Wrong turn? What kind of labyrinth exists under your house?”
He shoved at the wooden plank, and a cloud of dust consumed them. She coughed and waved her hand in front of her face then gave into the urge to sneeze. She ran her arm over her face, wiping the dust off.
“I’ve always believed in having the most possible ways out of my house and the least possible ways in.”
Despite the direness of their situation, she grinned. “Good policy.”
“Want to help me?” he asked, looking pointedly at her.
She took up position beside him and awaited his signal. They both thrust their shoulder upward. The wood gave way and a wave of cold air burst through shocking her with its ferocity. Unable to control the shiver that racked her body, she braced herself for the raw night air.
He pulled himself up through the opening and moments later extended his hand down to her. “It’s safe.”
She grasped his hand and he easily pulled her up to stand beside him. As her thinly clad feet made contact with the icy ground, she winced. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut in.
“We don’t have much time. We can talk later. For now we must get to safety.”
She wouldn’t argue with that logic.
With a furtive glance in all directions, he took her hand and pulled her behind him as they started down the darkened alleyway. “Stay close to me at all times,” he warned. “This isn’t the time or the place to launch any objections.”
She nodded her assent.
Within minutes, her feet, in her too small boots, began to grow numb as the cold invaded her limbs.
He paused a moment and looked back at her, his voice soft with concern. “Can you make it?”
Gritting her teeth in determination she said, “Don’t worry about me. I can make it. Let’s just go.”
After an hour, the earl slowed his pace. “We’ve only a short time before daybreak. They’ll be looking for us.”
“Who exactly is they?” she asked, wincing as her feet screamed at her for relief.
He whirled around to face her. “Do you think I know?”
She could barely make out his features in the dark, but she knew his eyes were blazing. Anger emanated from him in distinct waves. For a long moment, she stared at him. “No,” she said softly.
“Well, that’s something. Now come on, we’ve but a few short blocks left.”
“Where are we going?”
