Haunted by the Earl's Touch - By Ann Lethbridge Page 0,91

in a natural cavern.

He turned to face Mary. ‘How much of these caves did that blasted book show?’ he murmured directly into her ear, inhaling the scent that was uniquely her.

‘I didn’t take much notice of the caves,’ she muttered. ‘But I think there was only one leading out to the sea.’

‘We are going back.’

‘What?’

‘We have no light. No weapon. And we have no idea where we are. I am not chasing a will o’ the wisp when I have no hope of catching him.’ He made to step around her to head back the way they had come. His foot slipped off the edge of a rock and slid down. His heart jolted as he came to rest one leg knee-deep in water with Mary clutching his arm. He cursed under his breath, but thanked providence it wasn’t any deeper. He could have pulled her down with him.

‘Bane,’ she cried out.

‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘You can let go now.’ He scrambled back up the rocks to her side. ‘This is why we have to go back.’

A glowing figure appeared in front of her. ‘Boo!’

Mary screamed.

Bane curse as he looked over her shoulder at what was clearly a person wearing a sheet and carrying a lantern beneath it. ‘Jeffrey, you idiot. What game are you playing?’

‘I am the White Lady,’ the apparition moaned. ‘It is your turn to die.’

Chapter Fourteen

The light grew brighter, blinding Bane until his eyes adjusted. The figure behind the lantern was masked by the glare of the light, but he had no problem making out the pistol pointing at Mary. His stomach fell away.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ he growled. ‘Put that thing down before you hurt someone.’

‘Turn around and continue on.’ There was no ghostly voice this time.

‘Gerald,’ Mary exclaimed. ‘Stop this at once.’

Gerald? Now that was a surprise, but she had suspected the younger man.

Gerald laughed and it was an eerie sound that echoed off the cavern walls. ‘Do as you are told. Turn around,’ he said. ‘Bane, you go first. Watch your step, the rocks are slippery.’

‘It would be easier to see if you gave me the light,’ Bane said, hoping the boy would be stupid enough to try it.

‘Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of light in a moment. Walk straight ahead and you will be fine.’

He lifted the lantern higher and Bane was able to make out the path ahead. They came to an outcrop of rock and the path disappeared around it.

‘Stop,’ Gerald commanded.

Bane did so. He reached back to where Mary was holding on to his coat and gave her hand a squeeze, offering comfort, hoping she would realise he was biding his time, waiting for an opportunity that would allow him to deal with this mad man.

His gut clenched. Fear that he would fail Mary, as he had failed his mother. No. He wasn’t a weakling boy held down by a full-grown man. He just needed patience. To wait until the time was right.

‘Against the wall, both of you,’ Gerald ordered.

They shuffled back.

He passed by them, but since he had the pistol shoved against Mary’s chest, Bane could not risk an attack. He could see that the pistol was cocked and the lightest pressure on the trigger would cause it to fire.

And then he was past them. ‘Here.’ He handed Bane a lantern and stepped back. ‘Walk straight ahead.’

‘It seems you have thought of everything,’ Bane said, holding the lantern up.

‘I wasn’t expecting both of you,’ Gerald said. ‘Just Miss Wilding. But this is better. Much better. Don’t try anything, Bane. Miss Wilding will confirm I have my pistol pressed to her neck.’

Mary gasped.

Bane’s blood froze. He stifled a curse. He was going to make this man pay.

The skin across Bane’s back tightened as they headed into yet another narrow tunnel. A draught of cool air blasted through it and when they reached the end and it once more opened out, Bane could see why. This cave led out to open water. He could see the waves washing into the mouth of the cave a few yards away.

They were standing on what looked very much like a quay with a boat lying on its side on a narrow strip of sand. It was tied to a ring set in the rocks.

Judging from the way the seaweed grew up the walls, when the tide came in, where they were standing would be underwater.

‘You weren’t thinking of going for a midnight sail?’ Bane said lightly. ‘I don’t think