Always Have Hope (Emerson Book 3) (13 page)

“I don’t believe so. These tunnels are well-built.
They will likely muffle any noise. Shall we set off? This could be a long
night.”

As Grayson and Lady Rose set off in their tunnel, Alex
held up his candle to look at theirs. The few feet of light gave way to almost
total darkness. It was everything Alex could do to control his breathing. He
didn’t like enclosed spaces even in the light. The darkness would make it almost
unbearable.

Lady Win passed him and began to make her way forward
at a rapid pace.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“I believe we already established that we have only a
limited time in the tunnels. At your rate of exploration, I would die of
starvation and thirst before the Crown had the chance to hang me. Perhaps even
old age would claim me.”

Her impertinence got him past his fear – momentarily,
at least. “You should have a care with your speed. There could be any number
of hazards down here. You would not wish to trip and turn an ankle.” Or be
paralyzed by fear and be unable to walk.
Was it getting warmer down there?

“Thank you for the warning, Mr. Lewis,” she said,
increasing the distance between them. “But I am keeping watch as best I can. I
promise I shall not break a limb.” She sped up just a bit.

He wasn’t certain, but he thought she might be afraid
of him. He wanted to say something to reassure her, but he was finding it
difficult to concentrate. The distance between them was now growing to such an
extent that Lady Win’s candle was becoming more and more faint. The darkness
in front of him grew with her every step, threatening to merge with the abyss
behind him. The walls seemed to be closing in on him, and with a few more steps
he would be in complete darkness, save his own meager candle.

He ran forward until he caught Lady Win, then he
grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. He needed the security of having
her next to him to stave off his panic.

Only to realize his error too late.

Her every muscle tensed. She dropped her candle in a panic,
causing it to blow out. But there was enough light to see her turn her head
away and down, shielding herself from the blow she thought was coming. Her
breathing was erratic. She began sobbing quietly. In his panic to catch up to
her, he hadn’t realized how strong of a grip he had on her.

Never in his life had he felt like such a brute. He
deserved to be swallowed up by the darkness.

“Pray forgive me, Lady Winifred,” he said, as he let
go of her hand. He tried to back away, but realized they were wedged together
in the narrow passageway. He tried to step aside, but saw only darkness around
them. His fear was taking hold and suddenly he couldn’t get a deep enough
breath.

With horror, he realized he was about to faint.

*

Win braced for the blows – or worse – that she felt
would come. She hadn’t known what her instinctual reaction would be when Nate
and Rose had left. But she could feel Mr. Lewis’s strength, his muscular build,
with each step they took. He had a presence much greater than his size. She
had wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.

And then he’d run after her, grabbing her arm and
pulling her to him. Why had she put herself in this position? She should have
known better. There were very few men you could trust. And this one already
knew she’d been beaten. Perhaps, he thought she was someone who liked being
struck, as her maid Tawny had once suggested, though she could not imagine such
a woman truly existed.

But she was well and truly in his power. She was so
frightened and he was so close to her in the enclosed space, she wasn’t sure
she could even draw breath to scream.

She didn’t know what he was waiting for. Perhaps he
was changing his mind. Mayhap he would let her go. She no longer had her
candle, but she would find her way back to Nate and Rose and safety.

She gathered the courage to look at him, hoping he
wouldn’t choose that moment to strike her.

She wasn’t prepared for what she saw. His eyes were
wide with fright, his breathing was much too fast. And though the light was
dim and she could not tell for certain, there appeared to be sweat on his
brow. He looked like he was trying to calm himself, and at the same time he
was swaying from side to side.

“Mr. Lewis?” she asked hesitantly.

He didn’t seem to hear her. He was swaying too much.
She took the candle from his hand and felt how cold his fingers were. His
breathing was too fast and shallow. He was swaying more and more.

Without too much thought, she threw her arms around him,
just as he collapsed. She was barely able to keep hold of him. But,
fortunately, he slumped into her arms and she was pressed back into the wall.

It was difficult, holding him upright without either
dropping the candle or setting their clothes on fire. But, fortunately, he
regained consciousness after only a moment or two.

She could tell when he came out of his stupor, for he
tensed – no doubt trying to figure out where he was and who was holding him. He
started to stand upright. She held him closer. “Slowly, Alex. Don’t stand up
too quickly.”

With her help he was able to stand upright eventually,
though she kept her arms around him. “Are you feeling better?” she whispered.

He nodded ruefully. “I am terribly embarrassed. I
hope I didn’t hurt you when I collapsed. Thank you for not dropping me on the
ground – a fate I surely deserved after frightening you.”

“You did not frighten me, sir,” she said, not wanting
to appear weak before this man.

But the look he gave her showed he knew better.
“After what you endured in your marriage, your reaction was to be expected.
And that may be true for some time in the future. Please forgive my callous
behavior. I…panicked. You were so far ahead and it was so dark and…” He
looked away.

“And you do not like enclosed spaces?” she asked.
That’s why he’d sped up. He hadn’t been chasing her. He’d been trying to save
himself.

Something she could very much understand.

“Not in the least, my lady. It was foolhardy of me to
come down here in the dark. I should have just waited until tomorrow, though I
believe this place is dark even at noon.”

“But if you had waited, I would have been discovered
by the amorous maid and footman. You came into these tunnels – the place you
dreaded – because you did not want me to be sent back to Newgate.”

It was hard to read his expression in the dark. “I do
not believe I thought that far ahead.”

“And I believe you are the one not being truthful now.
Thank you. For many things. But, specifically, thank you for facing your fear
tonight to save me.”

Neither said anything. They simply looked at each
other in the near darkness. His breathing seemed to be back to normal. Yet,
for some reason, hers was becoming erratic. The moment was becoming too
intense, the two of them still pressed together in the dark. So Win added, “Of
course, given your goal is to send me to the gallows, perhaps I should have
dropped you. I can give it a go now if you will kindly slump forward again.”

He smiled, then leaned in just a bit. “My lady, if I
slump forward into your arms again, it will not be for the purpose of you
dropping me.”

Win breathed in his scent. It was sandalwood with a
hint of bergamot. She hadn’t been this close to a man in years. Not like
this. And she realized to her great surprise that she wasn’t afraid. Even
more surprisingly, she was enjoying it. She also had the absurd feeling he was
going to kiss her.

He leaned closer to her, then…

They heard two short bursts from a whistle some
distance away.

Without delay, he grabbed the candle and her hand. He
began running as fast as was prudent toward the sound, with her close behind.

Win was frightened for Rose. She would never forgive
herself if Rose was hurt because of her. She didn’t panic outright because she
knew Grayson was with her. He would lay down his life to protect her. But
then, there had already been one murder in this house, so who knew what might
have happened?

However, in those brief moments of racing through the
tunnels, it occurred to her that she wasn’t frightened of the dark, of running
toward danger, or of holding Alexander Lewis’s hand.

The tunnel they were in was gradually getting
lighter. Alex slowed down, motioning for her to stay back as he pulled out his
pistol. Of course, she had no intention of doing any such thing. She let him
take three steps away, then crept along slowly behind him. He turned again to
motion for her to stay still.

Her answer was a defiant shake of her head.

He answered with a glare, then turned the corner and
walked into a small room. Win immediately followed, only to see her former maid
Tawny dead on the floor. Win drew in a sharp breath. Alex put his arm around
Win’s waist to steady her. He studied her face, as if ready to withdraw the
moment she panicked.

But his touch was more reassuring than she would have thought
possible and she was grateful he was there. Win looked over to see that Rose
was in Nate’s arms and they were both looking at Tawny’s body. The maid’s neck
was at an unnatural angle.

The room itself was small but comfortably outfitted,
including a small cot in the corner, along with several bottles of wine – most
of them empty.

“It looks like someone has been living here,” said
Win.

“Or it might have been a popular spot for an illicit
rendezvous,” said Alex. “Did you see anything else of note before you found
the body?”

“No,” said Grayson. “Everything was dark until we
stumbled in here. I lit the sconces to take a better look. It appears she’s
been dead for only a few hours.” Rose made a strangled noise and Grayson held
her closer.

“Who is she?” asked Rose.

“My former maid, Tawny.”

“She’s the one you suspected of having an affair with
Mr. Pierce?” asked Alex.

“Yes. I do not know if she was seeing anyone else.
Nor do I know how she knew about this place. I lived in this house for six
years and didn’t know of its existence. If this room was used for….liaisons, I
would think it was a great deal of trouble to go to for a few moments of
pleasure.”

Grayson snorted. “A few moments of pleasure? You
just told us a great deal about your late husband. I think there may be
another entrance to this room other than the passageway from the library.” He
pointed to another tunnel. “That seems to slope upward and appears to have a
light at the end of it.”

“That poor woman,” said Rose, still holding on to
Grayson.

“Indeed,” said Win. “No one should have to die in
such a wretched way.”

Rose looked at Lewis. “If Tawny died earlier today,
surely that exonerates Win because she was at Lynwood House until only an hour
ago.”

“It is true that even Bow Street couldn’t arrest her
for this murder,” said Alex carefully. “However, it could be argued she
conspired with the person who did kill her.”

Win tried to move away from him. “I did not conspire
to kill anyone.”

Alex hesitated, but let her go. “I do not think you
did.”

“Bow Street didn’t pay attention to the evidence
before,” said Grayson. “How can we be sure they’ll be any more honest this
time around?”

“Because this time I intend to call Sergeant Fisk.
I’ll send for him as you escort the two ladies home.”

“You cannot remain here alone, Mr. Lewis,” said Win.
“The killer could still be in the house. I will not have your death on my
conscience.”

“I am well able to protect myself.” Then he added
with a slight smile, “Provided, of course, the killer does not come after me in
the tunnels where I am embarrassingly weak.”

“One could never accuse you of being weak, Mr. Lewis,”
said Win quietly. “No, Rose and I will go back to the house and Grayson will
stay with you.”

“Absolutely not!” said Alex.

“Out of the question!” reiterated Grayson.

Rose cleared her throat. “May we continue this discussion
outside? I fear this conversation may become heated and we cannot awaken the
household.”

Grayson nodded. “Good idea. I suggest following this
tunnel with the light to see where it leads. Lewis and I can go first, with
you two ladies behind us.”

“Win and I are not ninnies who need to follow helplessly
behind our men.”

Grayson raised an eyebrow. “I did not know we were
‘your men.’”

Rose’s only reply was an exasperated sigh.

Alex pulled out a knife and handed it to Win. “You
and your sister will remain behind us, but in case we encounter any
difficulties, I want you to be able to defend yourself.”

Win was extremely touched to know Alexander Lewis
trusted her enough to be behind him with a knife. “Thank you, sir. I will
keep Rose safe.”

“And I shall keep Win safe,” said Rose, as she pulled
out a rather large knife.