Page 101 of A Figure of Love

Gareth approached the hole and dropped into a crouch before leaning over the edge and lowering the lantern. Hand and footholds had been chiseled out of the rough wall and metal rungs set in the stone at widespread intervals. When he lowered the lantern into the shaft, he could see what looked to be dry stone floor far below.

He glanced around the cavern, looking for something that could be used to tie the lantern around him somehow. Unfortunately, he’d worn no cravat because he owned only white neckcloths.

But the cave only held the skeletons of small animals, twigs, branches, and more cobwebs than he’d ever seen in his entire life.

And then he remembered the dog lead. It had jerked out of his hand when he’d slid down the hillside. He went back to the opening to find all the dogs waiting, eerily quiet and expectant. He quickly removed the rope lead and tied it in a knot around the metal lantern handle and then tied a knot in the rope itself and looped it over his head. It hung down his back, heavy against his throat, but not enough to cause breathing problems.

He’d taken off his gloves, thinking it would be easier to gain purchase in the hand holds, but his hands—his entire body—ran with sweat, so he put them back on.

As he took another look down the shaft, he couldn’t help being grateful he did not have a fear of heights, along with everything else. He took hold of the top metal rung and gave it a hard tug before turning his back to the hole. And then he began his slow descent into darkness.

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Serena’s heart was pounding and it wasn’t because she’d just slid down a hillside on a wave of rocks, pebbles, and dirt.

“Are you hurt?”

McElroy leaned toward her, the cloud of dirt further obscuring the dim light from the lantern.

“I’m fine. Where are the dogs?”

He helped her to stand and then turned. The dogs were gone, but the trail they’d taken was clear.

“Gareth, or someone, has recently been this way,” he whispered. “We will need to go single file or you risk being torn to shreds by the brambles. Hold on to the tail of my coat.”

He held the lantern ahead of him and took small steps. She followed him, all but blind, shuffling her feet across the uneven terrain.

Serena told herself not to become overexcited. It was possible Gareth had come here and moved along. Although it was only a hunch, she just didn’t think Etienne had ever left the property. As for co-conspirators, she couldn’t imagine who he had left that he hadn’t double-crossed or used so badly they were after him, too. He would be out of money and there was no inn or hostelry where he could take a struggling child. And Oliver would know enough never to follow him off the property. No, he was here, on the estate, and this was the best possible hiding place for a man with no other options but to kidnap his own son.

Low whines and snuffles snapped her from her daze and McElroy came to a halt. She peered around him and saw nine leaping dogs and a large opening in the rock face.

“Oh my God.” She pushed around him and then realized she couldn’t see without the lantern. “Quick, the light—right here.”

He lifted the light over her shoulder as he followed behind her.

They stopped at the opening to the cave. “He must have gone in there.” She began to lift her foot over the remaining wooden barrier, but his big hand on her shoulder stopped her.

She swung around, furious. “My son is in there!”

“We don’t know that yet. And what are you planning to do?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Let us investigate this calmly.”

Serena glared up into his face, prepared to fight him tooth and claw, but the worry she saw on his rugged face gave her pause.

“Very well, what do you suggest?”

“I will go in first and then open the lantern. Then I will look around, and then I will help you inside once I’ve determined it’s safe.”

She gave an abrupt nod, her stomach in knots as he disappeared inside and a few precious seconds passed before he opened the shutter, illuminating a surprisingly large cave.

“It’s enormous.” He turned to her. “You say this was an old chalk mine?”

“Yes, but not for hundreds of years.” She looked over his shoulder. “What is that? Over there in the corner?”

The light moved to the far side of the cavern.

“It is a shaft of some sort,” his voice was an eerie echo and she watched him bend down. “It looks to go straight down to some other level.” He stood and came back toward her, his expression grim. “That shaft is the only other way out of here. The dogs wouldn’t have been waiting outside the cave if Gareth hadn’t gone down it. And that dark hole is Gareth’s worst nightmare.”

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