“Fair enough.”
We retrace our steps, the tight walls forcing us close until the space opens again at the trapdoor.
Back in the lodge, she looks down into the shaft. “So, this and the tunnel from the fort… You think they’re connected? Same smuggling route?”
“Maybe.” I push the boards back into place. “Could be the same network. Could be separate routes that happen to begin a few hundred meters apart.”
She peers at me. “This one has been used more recently, right?”
“Definitely.”
She draws a slow breath. “Do you think Geoffroy knew about it?”
“If he did, it raises questions,” I say. “Was he moving contraband or working with someone who was?”
Could that someone be Kurt Ozzi?
I don’t voice my follow-up question. There’s no need. From the way her pretty face contorts, I can tell that it’s exactly what she’s asking herself.
We stand there for a moment, saying nothing.
Finally, she speaks. “We should tell Von Dietz.”
“Yeah,” I agree, my mind jumping ahead. “And I want to see if the archives at Fort Vauclairt have anything on this place.”
She nods. “It’s worth checking.”
We step back into the daylight and head for the castle. The air feels heavier now. The playful urge to seduce her out here is gone. Sex can wait. We have bigger concerns this afternoon.
Inside, we go straight to the small office with the secure line. No detours. No jokes, no flirtation. We follow protocol to reach Von Dietz.
Eva takes the lead, explaining the first tunnel, then the second, giving him every detail. I fill in where I can.
“Understood,” Von Dietz says, his voice clipped through the speaker. “I’ll have agents there within the hour. Don’t approach the lodge or either tunnel again until my team arrives.”
“Copy that,” Eva says. “We’ll be here.”
The line goes dead.
She turns to me. “Meet me in the archives room in half an hour.”
“OK.”
She disappears upstairs, her boots thumping on the stone steps.
Thirty minutes is my least favorite chunk of time—too short to start anything requiring concentration, but too long to do nothing.I pull my phone from my pocket to check my messages and find a text from Derek.
Judge’s verdict is coming tomorrow. Zero doubt you win. Get ready to start ordering stationery with “His Grace the Duke of Rohinn” on it.
A grin tugs at the corners of my mouth. I love winning. I also love finishing what I started. And I love fixing things. God knows, the estate and duchy need it. Eva would agree.
My smile fades.
What happens when I tell her?
Will she understand? Will she accept my offer to stay at Fort Vauclairt with Millie for as long as they want?
Or will her pride push her to grab Millie and move out? Will she let me pay Millie’s medical bills? Will she accept a monthly allowance to tide her over until she finds a job?
