Leaving Thorncliff behind, they hurried across the lawn, hand in hand, both short of breath by the time they arrived at the cave.
“The Duke of Lamont arrived today,” Mary said as she entered the cave ahead of Richard. “He invited me to walk with him.”
“And did you?” His tone was cautious.
Looking over her shoulder at him, she gave him her reply. “Yes. In fact, he was very forthcoming.”
“Forthcoming?” Richard’s hand tightened around hers. “Are you saying that he declared an interest in you?”
Fighting her jittery heart, Mary allowed a broad smile. “Indeed he did. Much to my surprise.” Turning away, she focused on the ground beneath her feet, careful not to misstep.
Behind her, Richard muttered something inaudible, then said, “Is it just my imagination or are you attracting the attention of all the eligible gentlemen these days?”
With a laugh, she shook her head. “You need not worry. I told him that he would have to look elsewhere for a bride, which is just as well since I very much doubt that he and I would suit.”
“Why do you say that?”
“For starters, he is nothing like you.” She spoke the words lightly, but deep in her heart she knew that he needed the reassurance—that his appearance made him more insecure than most.
“Go on,” he murmured with genuine interest.
“He seems too grave for my liking. In fact, the most interesting part of our conversation was when he mentioned you.” She paused momentarily before saying, “He spoke very highly of your heroism as a soldier and seemed quite shaken by the fact that you had not survived the war.”
Stayed by the pull of his hand, she turned to face him. “Lamont was supposed to go on that fateful reconnaissance mission in my stead,” he said, “but news of his father’s and brother’s death arrived just moments before he was meant to depart. He was no longer a second son, but a duke, so I told him to return to England right away and that I would handle the mission for him.”
Mary scarcely knew what to say, her eyes holding his—absorbing the strain of his soul. “He blames himself for the death of a man who is still very much alive.” She could not stop the words—the truth in them shifting the air around them.
Richard nodded. “It never occurred to me that he might. But now... I will have to seek Lamont out. He needs to know that I am still alive and thatheis not to blame for what happened to me.”
The hard tone of his voice made her wary. “You speak as though someone else might have been.”
He shook his head. “It was a long time ago—an ordeal I prefer not to speak of.”
“Of course,” she whispered, aware of how difficult it must be for him to reflect on such painful memories. So she tugged on his hand and said, “Shall we continue our exploration?”
Nodding, he raised his lantern to light the way forward. “Watch your step,” he cautioned as he helped Mary down the descending slope leading past the river and toward the tunnel. “You need not worry,” he added, “The bats have gone. I made sure of that when I came down here earlier this evening.”
Mary paused to look at him. “I thought you said that you would not explore the cave or the Roman villa without me.”
“And I have not,” he assured her as he tugged on her hand, urging her to resume walking, “but I did mention that I had a surprise for you.”
Curious, Mary found herself increasing her pace, allowing Richard to lead her forward. Exiting the tunnel, they arrived in the foyer. Unlike the last time when Mary had been there, however, she was now able to see every corner clearly, thanks to the numerous candles illuminating the space in soft golden tones. A gasp was torn from between her lips. “This must have taken you forever,” she murmured.
Beside her, his hand wound comfortably around hers, Richard grinned. “I will admit that it may have taken a few minutes.”
“Afew?”
His grin widened into an overjoyed smile. “Just wait until you see the rest of it.”
Stepping forward, he led her through the doorway in front of them and into the hallway beyond. It too was illuminated by candles, torches and lanterns so Mary could fully appreciate the rich display of color in the mosaic floor beneath her feet. “This is incredible,” she said as she released his hand and went toward the same room that she’d visited before. Here too the smothering darkness had been pushed back, accentuating the details of the architecture as well as the furnishings. Venturing inside, Mary went toward the desk, her fingertips carefully tracing the edge of it before sliding toward the notebook. It was just as they’d left it.
Raising her gaze, Mary found Richard watching her from the doorway. “As you can see, I kept my promise,” he said.
“You waited for us to continue reading it together?”
With a small shrug of one shoulder, he came toward her. “It seemed like the right thing to do, and besides, I think it will be more fun unraveling the mystery behind this secret lair as a team.”
“But you said yourself that you recognized your grandfather’s handwriting.” She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him to resist the temptation that the notebook offered.
