37. Thirty-Seven
Squelch . Camilla’s boots hit the bottom of the cistern, and she had to grab the slime-coated wall to keep her balance. She sloshed around in knee-deep water that smelled of sour leaves and rot, giving room for Daniel to descend the rope behind her. There had to be maggots and mosquito larva swimming around in here.
Daniel plopped down next to her, and she pressed her fingers under her nose at the stench arising from disturbed the layers of rotting vegetation.
She studied the muck. “Do you really think there’s treasure here?”
Would they have to sift through decades of sludge to liberate dirty coins one at a time? Hopefully Dorothy had put them in a container and not scattered them down here like forgotten wishes.
Daniel lifted his lantern, casting shadows over brick walls coated in moss and slime. Couldn’t be a large box. She could stretch out both arms and nearly touch the walls. They tapered to a rounded opening about four feet above her head.
“Probably nothing here. Surely someone getting water would have noticed.” Daniel toed his boot around in the sloppy mixture of silty ground and decomposing foliage.
“Who knows? Maybe Dorothy quit using it on purpose.” Camilla edged her foot through the wet leaves, dislodging another wave of stink. “Then after she died, her daughter moved away, didn’t she? Other family members lived in the house? What if they didn’t know about it back here?”
Daniel shrugged, bobbing the light. “Possible. Though I’d have more hope if it’d been filled in or hidden.”
He had a point. She glanced up at the sunlight trying to poke through. “How deep are these usually?”
Daniel followed her gaze and then lowered it again to the ground. “Hmm. About twelve feet, if I remember correctly. Which would make this one roughly three feet too shallow.” He flashed her a grin. “Hang on while I go get us a shovel.”
Before she could respond, the man handed her the lantern and shimmied up the rope and out with as much skill as any rigging monkey. She nearly shouted how impressed she was with his physical ability before the realization she stood in a cavern alone stole her breath.
She shook the sudden sensation away. No. This wasn’t the Devil’s Punchbowl or the cave where they’d taken her that night. She could climb the rope at any moment and escape.
The logical thought eased the tightness in her chest.
Still, she closed her eyes and thought about open boat decks and fresh air until Daniel’s voice came again.
“Got it!” His handsome face appeared in the circle of light. “I’ll hand it down to you.”
She lifted her free hand to receive the lowered handle. Once her fingers wrapped around the wood, Daniel swung his leg over and slid down the rope. He landed in the leaves with a sickening squishy noise. Her momentary unease dissipated as soon as he stood by her side. The tingling in her nerves flowed into excitement.
What if after all the dead ends and disappointments, they discovered the treasure right here? On property Daniel owned, where it couldn’t be disputed?
She handed him the shovel, and he poked the tip around. Making a slow search pattern, he started in the center and worked his way in a circle toward the edges. Her heart sank more with each stab.
What if they never found anything? There weren’t any more clues if they didn’t find Dorothy’s gold here.
The sense of peace swelling within her lately surged anew.
Whether or not they found anything of value didn’t matter. They didn’t need the treasure. They’d been blessed with so much already. Her gaze settled on Daniel.
This man.
He possessed a kindness running to his core. He was honest and dashing. Protective yet not restrictive. God had given her a wonderful opportunity to share her life with someone amazing. How could she not seize her chance?
She grabbed his arm. “Daniel. I—”
Thud!
Her breath caught. Daniel’s eyes widened, and he poked the same place again. Another thump.
“There’s something here!” His excitement quickened her pulse.
He collected a shovelful of dirt and leaves and tossed it to the side. The viscous ground replaced what had been removed, flowing back into the indent before Daniel could lower the tool again. He tried three more times anyway before giving up.
“Hold up the light.” He propped the shovel against the wall.
She did as instructed. Then she held her breath as he plunged his bare hand beneath the festering surface.
“Yes.” He felt around. “There’s something here and…” He snatched against a weight. “I have the handle!”
Camilla couldn’t help bouncing on her toes. “Pull it out.”
He stopped tugging and shifted his weight. “I need you to grab the other side so we can lift it.”
She nearly dropped the light in her haste to tromp around to the opposite side. She thrust her hand into the slimy ground.
There! Her fingers met something hard. She swiped dirt and grime out of the way until she could hold the slender metal. “I have it.”
“Ready? On my count, we lift.”
“Now!” She snatched upward, too excited to waste another second.
Daniel nearly lost his balance but recovered and put his muscles into the effort. They heaved, jolted, and wiggled, finally dislodging his corner of a metal strongbox.
“It’s heavy!” She panted. “That’s a good sign, right?”
He grunted. “Get the end of the rope.”
Right. Good idea. She let her end go and snagged the dangling rope. Thankfully, he’d given enough slack for her to free the end from the slurry and pull it to the strongbox. She looped the end through the handle and tied a perfect bowline knot like Papa had taught her.
Daniel straightened, hands on his back. “This is going to be a pain to pull out of here. We’re going to need help.”
Solomon would have been the best for the project, but his gunshot wound hadn’t yet healed. Stella and the two girls wouldn’t offer much by way of muscle.
“What should we do?” She blew a stray piece of hair off her nose. “I’m not sure adding three more women to the task will help.”
After a reluctant nod, he flashed a smile. “I have an idea.” He gestured to the rope. “It should still be safe for us to climb out with the end tied.”
Warm hands encircled her waist, and her boots made a sucking sound as Daniel lifted her out of the mire. She grabbed the rope above her head, and with his help lifting her knees, she pulled herself out and over the rim. He followed.
Daniel brushed his hands against his trousers. “We’ll hurry down to the livery and hire out one of the draft horses for an hour. That should do the trick.”
He started marching away when Camilla caught his arm. “Wait.”
A little line formed between his brows, and he cast an impatient glance at the cistern.
She parroted his earlier sentiment. “A few more moments won’t hurt, right?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “I find patience harder to come by since we’ve discovered the treasure. I’m dying to open that box.”
She took both of his grimy hands in hers. “Before we do, I have something to say, and I don’t want whatever is in there or not in there to change anything.”
Intense green eyes flecked with gold shone down at her.
“If there is a treasure in there, I don’t ever want you to think I said what I’m about to because of it.” She dipped her chin and angled her most serious glare at him. “Do you understand?”
Those tempting lips quivered again, but he pressed them into a serious line. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Captain.”
A crack of laughter burst from his throat. “Captain. My apologies.”
She allowed a coy smile. “Now, Mr. Gray, as I was saying. I want you to hear this with the utmost sincerity.” She swallowed the thickness in her throat. “I love you, and I’d like you to ask me to marry you.”
Camilla straightened her shoulders. There. She’d laid out her heart before him to do with as he would, treasure or no, uncertainties and all.
His eyebrows shot toward his hairline, mussed with their adventure. “You would?”
This time, all she could manage was a nod, what with all the emotions trying to clog her throat.
He released her hands and fished something out of his pocket, then frowned down at it. “Rats. Now I’ve gotten it dirty.”
The light caught a delicate band of alternating blue and clear gems. He’d been carrying a ring around in his pocket? Waiting for a chance to propose?
He lowered himself to one knee and held the ring up, and her heart buzzed. “I’d be honored if you would be my wife and allow me to spend my days attempting to become the kind of husband you deserve.”
She threw herself into his arms, not even caring they were both smeared in mud.