Page 119 of His Wicked Charm

“Up! Up! It’s caving in.” Behind them they could hear rocks crashing. Con put his hands on Lilah’s waist and boosted her up.

Lilah started climbing and glanced over at her aunt. Vesta was gone. “Aunt Vesta!”

She started back down, but Con shouted, “No! Up! Don’t stop.”

He whirled and started back, but the ground shook violently, knocking him to his knees. The other end of the room disappeared in a pile of rocks and dust.

“Con!” She couldn’t see him. She began to back up.

“Run, damn it, go!” Con burst out of the cloud of dust.

Lilah hiked up her skirt and hurried up the ladder. Con was right behind her, their steps ringing on the metal rungs. Behind them the earth thundered and stones crashed. Dust billowed up, filling the air. The ladder trembled beneath Lilah’s hands, and her fingers slipped on one rung, but she held on tight with the other hand, steadying herself, and in an instant Con was close behind her, his arms around her on either side of the ladder. She began to climb again.

They reached the top and climbed out, crawling away to collapse on the path. Con wrapped himself around her, and she clung to him. The ground continued to vibrate beneath them, but gradually the rumbling quieted, then stopped. The earth stilled.

Lilah felt like crying and laughing and screaming, all at once, but was too exhausted to do any. It was enough right now to rest in Con’s arms, listening to his still-ragged breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall against her. She looked up at the moon above them. How could it still be night? It felt as if days had passed.

They could hear voices calling and through the branches of the hedge Lilah saw the bobbing lights of lanterns. Con rose to his feet and pulled Lilah up. They turned just as footsteps pounded into the maze and a man came running toward them.

“Con! Thank God.”

“Hallo, Alex.” Con took Lilah’s hand, and they started toward his twin. “Lilah decided to close the Sanctuary.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

THEY WALKED OUT of the maze with Alex as Sabrina ran up to join them, throwing her arms around Lilah. Servants clustered around them, all staring at the jumble of dirt, rocks and grass that lay before them like a wide, shallow cup in the lawn. A buzz of voices filled the air, but Lilah and Con could only hold each other and stare.

After a time, they began to tell Alex and Sabrina what had happened, their tale breathless and disjointed. Sabrina and Alex, their eyes going wider with each detail, then related their own side of the story. They described how Alex had shot up out of his chair earlier that evening, certain that Con was dying. That terrible feeling had lessened, but, still sure something was wrong, he and Sabrina had ridden over from Carmoor, arriving in time to find the servants milling about in distress, unable to find Con, Lilah or Vesta.

It was then that the great rumbling had started beneath the ground, rattling even the dishes in their cabinets in the house, and everyone had run out to find that part of the lawn was now sunken and the ground broken. Alex, certain of his brother’s location, hadn’t bothered with the cave-in, but had run straight for the maze, Sabrina following not far behind.

“What will we say?” Sabrina whispered, turning to gaze at the broken ground.

“She’s right. There are bound to be questions,” Alex agreed.

Lilah was still too shaken to think and even Con had trouble coming up with any coherent idea, so it was left to the other two to create a story of a midnight exploration in the underground tunnels that had ended in a tragic cave-in. However implausible it sounded, it was more believable than the truth, and the evidence of the collapsed ground was indisputable.

In the miraculous way of small villages, it didn’t take long for word to spread. It seemed as if half the town was there in a flash. The doctor arrived first in his buggy and began to tend to Lilah’s cuts and bruises. The village constable came next, followed by the magistrate, his hair still standing on end from yanking off his nightcap. Lilah was glad that their sympathy kept them from questioning her but made them turn instead to Con, who was always more accomplished at making nonsense sound like truth.

As they interrogated them, a rider came tearing up the lane, another horse some distance back, seemingly chasing him. Everyone turned to stare, mouths agape, as Niles Dearborn slid down from the horse and tore across the lawn, shrieking.

His speech was almost unintelligible in his rage, his words liberally sprinkled with curses, but his intent was clear as he ran at Lilah, shaking his fist. Con quickly stepped in front of Lilah, extending his hands to stop the man.

“Damn you!” Niles roared, starting around Con to reach Lilah. “You interfering, sanctimonious b—”

Con shut him up with a right hook that sent the man staggering backward. Niles sat down on the ground with a thump, but scrambled back up, paying no attention to the blood trickling down from his nose. “You ruined everything! It’s gone! It’s all gone.”

He lunged forward again, but Alex had come up behind him and grabbed him, holding him back. The constable, staring at the scene agape, finally recovered his wits enough to take Dearborn’s arm. Dearborn twisted, raving wildly, spittle flying.

“Take this madman to jail,” the magistrate snapped, and two other men came up to help the constable drag him away.

The rider of the second horse had arrived and now ran toward them. “Father!” Peter Dearborn stopped beside the constable, panting for breath. “Please, no, he—he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s gone mad. Please don’t lock him up. I’ll take him away. I swear. Please let him go.”

Niles had now dissolved into tears, mumbling and cursing as he cried. The constable hesitated, turning to look questioningly at Alex and Con.

“The devil I will,” Con began. “He belongs in jail. Many times over.” Lilah reached out and touched his arm.

“No, Con, please...let it end.”