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“No.”

He nodded and studied the cliff face above them. Were there any caves hidden in the pale-colored rock?

“My lord.” Thomas’s voice could barely be heard over the waves. “Look. A few feet below the tree.”

A lone tree stood at the edge of the cliff, and as William searched the rock surface beneath its crooked trunk, he spotted a dark figure moving along the cliff face.

“There must be a path,” he said. “He’s moving too quickly to be looking for footholds.”

“A sheep would not need anything very wide,” Thomas said. “But did he access it from the beach or from above?”

William’s heart pounded. Finally, they had the thief in their sights, and it appeared that he was going after the sheep. If he brought the animals down, they would have him. If he took them up to the ridge, they would have no chance of catching him from here.

“We must find a way up,” he said, already scouring the base of the cliffs for anything that resembled a trail. “He must be heading for a cave.”

“He’s gone.” At Charlotte’s startled whisper, William’s head jerked back up.

“Where?”

“About halfway down, my lord,” Thomas said. “I reckon there must be a cave there, or a crevasse large enough to contain a few sheep.”

“Do you see a boat out at sea?” he asked.

“It’s hard to tell with how dark it is out there,” Thomas said.

“I don’t think there is one,” Charlotte said. “Listen to the waves. There’s no slap of water against a hull and no creak of ropes or oars.”

She was right. It had been too long since he’d taken the time to simply listen to what the sea could tell him.

“It seems like this blighter’s going to make his getaway on foot,” Thomas said.

“I agree,” William said. “But will he go up or down, Thomas? What do you think?”

Thomas slid out of his saddle, his feet landing soundlessly on the sand. “What I think is, we shouldn’t take a chance that he’ll walk into our waiting arms. We need to get closer before he reappears.”

“Wait.” Charlotte’s low voice rang with urgency. “I think I see his horse.”

“Where?” William asked.

“A few yards ahead. It must have turned its head just right. I saw its eyes in the moonlight.”

Thomas walked forward a few steps, and out of the darkness, a horse snorted nervously.

“She’s right, my lord. Looks to be a black stallion.”

“A mount that blends well in the darkness,” Williams muttered. “I should have expected nothing less.”

“It would seem that your thief can access the cave from the top and the bottom,” Charlotte said. “Earlier today, I saw him on the ridge, and yet it appears that he started from the beach this evening.”

“And he will be returning this way to reclaim his mount,” William said. “I am grateful to you, Charlotte. Your observational skills are second to none.”

“Then may I make one more, my lord.” The moon caught a portion of her upturned face. She was studying the cliff face again. “I believe there are two sheep traversing the same path the man was on moments ago.”

Charlotte had barely finished speaking when a rattle of small rocks rained down the cliff face. Moments later, a sheep bleated.

“I see our man,” William whispered. “He’s following after the sheep.”

Thomas appeared beside them, leading a large stallion. “I have his mount,” he said quietly. “I’ll tie him to mine.” His teeth flashed in the moonlight. “No sense in leaving his ride available to him, is there?”