Chapter Seventeen
A lexander stood on the headlands, his hands gripping the handle of his pistol. He saw no trouble—either from the blue-gray sea below or from the grassy hillocks behind him. Gulls cried as they dove into the water, some emerging victorious with flashes of silver in their beaks. Sandpipers scurried on the golden stretch of beach between the bumpy red cliff face and the white-capped waves. Tufts of sea thrift bobbed in the wind, their spring pink flowers long gone, but their greenery remaining.
It was a bucolic summer day, perfect for picnicking at the shore. Yet despite the beauty, danger permeated the air. Foxglen, Malbarry, and Clifville’s unwelcome visit had shaken Alexander more than he’d realized. He wasn’t sure if the trio posed any danger, and their trespassing had verged more on the absurd. But their presence had reminded Alexander of the very real perils that he and Georgina faced.
Even setting aside their ambusher from yesterday, Georgina was literally treading close to a potential den of thieves—or, at least, of smugglers. Transporting illicit goods from France was the lifeblood of the people of Essex, and they would kill to protect their source of income. In these cliffs, there was a better chance of stumbling upon a smuggler’s cache than locating a cave of gems.
But if Alexander joined Georgina in scrambling over the rocks below, he could bring her more danger. Although he could pick his way down the path, he’d be unsteady. If he tumbled, he could bring her down with him. It was better to stand at the edge and stand guard. She was close enough that he could still protect her with his pistol. And he had a good vantage point. It wasn’t as if the smugglers would be curled up in a cave on a bright day like some storybook dragons protecting their horde.
“I found an opening!” Georgina appeared on the strand below as she waved her arms enthusiastically. “It’s not too far from the bottom. You can take the normal path down.”
Alexander nodded and picked his way along the narrow passage. The edge was crumbly, and twice his cane sent red chunks of gravel bouncing down the hillside. His movements became even more hampered when he finally made it down to the beach. Loose sand was one of the hardest surfaces to traverse, and he knew he’d pay for it with more muscle spasms tonight. But it was a pain he was willing to endure to assist Georgina and search for Percy.
“Here!” She pointed to what at first appeared to be a shadow between the main cliff and a crumbly outcropping of sandstone. “It is narrow, but I do believe it is a deep crevice.”
“It is your cave, so you choose who goes first. Since I am the one who can shoot, it might be safer for me to lead.” Alexander wanted to insist on the more dangerous position, but this was Georgina’s search.
Georgina worried her lower lip and glanced at the lantern in her hand. “But you wouldn’t have any light. You’ll need your cane for support, and your other hand will be holding a weapon.”
“You could follow close behind. It would give me some illumination,” Alexander offered.
Georgina shook her head. “That is unnecessarily perilous. What if I crouched low and we entered at the same time with you above me?”
“That may be the best plan,” Alexander agreed. If smugglers were indeed hidden in the recess, they’d aim their weapons high. And it would help to have the glow from Georgina’s lantern if he needed to fire his own pistol.
Together, they moved slowly toward the gap. The crevasse was too small for them to simultaneously squeeze through. Using hand gestures, they agreed for Georgina to smoosh herself in first. She kept her body as low as possible, giving Alexander space to reach over her head. He followed close after her, trying to ward off an uneasy sensation as the red rock seemed to grip him in a rough embrace.
Georgina moved more easily than he did. His broader shoulders kept scraping painfully against the walls and loosening flakes of sandstone. The powdery bits danced in the dim light of Georgina’s bobbling lantern. Alexander tried not to sneeze as his lungs constricted almost as if the cave was actually compressing him.
Then suddenly there was a release. The two of them popped into a broad tunnel. The flickering flame revealed a carved passageway. Uneven marks from chisels dotted the soft stone walls along with curious deep grooves. Even through Alexander’s untrained eyes, it was apparent that something had been extracted.
“Footprints,” Georgina whispered as she held her light a little higher. Sure enough, the soft sandy floor was littered with the outlines of human shoes. They were far enough inside the entrance that wind and rain wouldn’t wipe away the impressions, so it didn’t mean anyone was inside. But that didn’t stop Alexander from checking his grip on his pistol and straining his ears for the slightest sound.
“It looks like they’ve dragged crates through here.” Alexander nodded toward a flat trail where other marks had been compressed.
“It would have been difficult to get through the entrance, but not impossible,” Georgina agreed. “Do you think this is a smuggler’s hole? Rather than a secret mine?”
“The tight entrance certainly would deter the excisemen,” Alexander pointed out. “Although I do wonder why they went to the effort of making a deeper tunnel. It seems like this was far enough in the hillside just to carve out a decent storage area.”
“I believe something was dug from the walls.” Georgina aimed her lantern at the missing chunks that Alexander had noticed earlier. Even though Georgina spoke softly, an almost palpable excitement hummed in her voice.
Alexander knew her well enough to surmise that it wasn’t the prospect of gems that thrilled her, but the peoples who might have removed them. “Do you think this is the ancient quarry, and the smugglers repurposed it?” he asked.
She nodded. “Can’t you imagine ancient Britons or Anglo Saxons spotting a sparkle in the rock and following it farther and farther? Would their tools be cruder than ours? What would their light source be?”
Personally, Alexander’s entire being was entirely focused on alive smugglers, but he didn’t want to spoil Georgina’s vivid image of their forebears. So while her mind created scenes of the past, he tuned all of his senses to the present.
They moved as they had originally planned. Georgina shuffled awkwardly below Alexander as he led with his weapon extended. The passage twisted, parallelling the missing portion of rock. Then, just as suddenly as the switch from natural crevice to man-made tunnel, the rocky chute opened into a small cavern.
Wooden boxes and crates were shoved into every nook, barely leaving much space to move. Glinting in the lantern’s light, the necks of glass bottles peeked up from nests of straw. Barrels were stacked neatly, their copper bands shining like thin, emaciated moons. Despite the cramped quarters, the entire inventory seemed meticulously organized.
A cool dampness clung to the air along with an eerie stillness. This was not some abandoned operation but an active one. Despite the sandy conditions of the smugglers’ lair, no layer of dust lay over the goods—not even a fine one. No one seemed present at the moment, though, and there was no sign of Percy.
“Since we did see evidence of mining, we should look quickly to make sure no current excavations are occurring. But I don’t wish to tarry,” Alexander said.
“Neither do I,” Georgina admitted. “I felt at ease in the passageway but not here.”
As they stepped fully into the storage area, Georgina raised the lantern above her head. The sandstone appeared brown instead of red in the dull light, making the space even more oppressive. Alexander’s heart thudded against his chest, and he tried to focus the energy building inside into heightening his instincts, just as he did when racing his curricle.
When Georgina suddenly gasped, he tightened his muscles and lifted his pistol at the unknown threat. Then he saw it too: the glistening band, sandwiched between two plain layers of sandstone. Georgina followed the sheen with her lantern until it suddenly stopped. It had been gouged out of the wall, leaving behind a gaping hole that was more sinister than those in the entranceway. Perhaps it was seeing such beauty torn away, or maybe it was because this gash was less neat.
“Where did the seam start?” Alexander asked.
Georgina once again illuminated the line of gemstone. It curved around a corner and disappeared.
“Another passage!” they both exclaimed before they hurried toward the overlooked opening. It, too, was hand-dug and followed the precious mineral. This seam was positioned lower to the ground, making it easier to examine. Although the gemstone was not as brilliant as the polished lining of the snuffbox, it was clear that it was the same material.
They glanced at each other, both not ready to voice what this meant. They moved deeper into the tight chamber with Georgina leading the way. More of the gem had been ripped from the sandstone, and the channel suddenly stopped after a few yards. Mining tools were left neatly by the dead end, clearly to be used again in the near future. It was looking more and more obvious that not only was Georgina’s brother involved in smuggling, but he was stealing from her as well.
And so, most likely, was Alexander’s father.
A thousand different emotions clawed at Alexander—too many to make sense of right now. But he had no trouble detecting the guilt. Georgina—brilliant, intelligent, no-nonsense Georgina—had been locked up because of this unexpected wealth and a scheme between their relatives. Their greed appalled him, and so did the hypocrisy. Falcondale had blamed Alexander his entire life for allegedly bearing the consequences of his aunt’s sins. Yet she’d simply married a pirate. Even if that had been a truly dastardly act, Alexander had never been a party to it. But the duke—his father—was actually participating in smuggling.
Oh, Alexander was under no illusion that his father was haunting beaches at night and flashing signals with a dark lantern. Falcondale had nothing to do with the actual work—of that Alexander was certain. But the man had invested in this illegal enterprise and filled the precious coffers of the dukedom with the dirty gains. Yet Alexander was supposed to be the one besmirching their illustrious family history?
Pain—old mixed with new—serrated him. Wounds that Georgina had soothed only hours before burst open anew, ugly and festering.
But this wasn’t just his agony. He was more of a bystander.
Georgina’s legacy was being robbed. Her brother had treated her worse than a pawn. She was a burden to be shuffled about for the sake of the earl’s profit. Alexander could not fathom all her emotions, but he could empathize with so many of them.
“I am sorry.” Alexander’s voice sounded rumbly even to his own ears. There was a deepness he’d never heard before, but it made sense. His feelings for Georgina had depths that sank far into his soul. Alexander reached for her, his fingers lightly brushing over hers. He wanted to offer comfort yet also give her a chance to pull away.
He wouldn’t blame her if she did.
“It isn’t your fault,” Georgina said softly. But even though she rejected his apology, she accepted his comfort. Her palm pressed tightly against his as if he were the only bulwark while the very land shifted under her feet.
“My father is involved.” Alexander clutched the Nemean lion with his other hand, feeling the beast’s claws against his thumb.
“He probably is,” Georgina said, her voice carefully controlled as her eyes flicked from the vein of the colorful mineral to the neatly arranged tools. “But we have no direct evidence, just supposition.”
“I admire your calm, Georgina.” Alexander squeezed her fingers. “If I were in your position, I would be raging.”
She turned to fix him with a surprisingly fond smile. “No. You would be making pointed quips with a grin on your face.”
And just like that, she managed to alleviate the hurt roaring inside him. “You know me so well.”
“We’ve both endured wretched relatives,” Georgina sighed. “I am only so tranquil because I’m not surprised. My half brother has always been scurrilous. I did not suspect him to be involved in smuggling, but in retrospect, I probably should have guessed.”
“How do you wish to proceed?” Alexander asked.
“I—I am not sure.” Georgina shook her head. “I cannot allow him to steal my land for these gems, but how do I fight against smugglers? After we find Percy, then I’ll consider what my choices are. But not now. Not until my cousin is safe.”
“Do you think Percy could have discovered something about the illicit trade?” Alexander asked. He could not imagine his father kidnapping a lord, but he also hadn’t suspected him of smuggling, either.
“Doubtful. Percy was in London when he vanished.” Georgina tapped her foot against the mine’s floor, sending puffs of silt into the air. “And his silence could be easily bought with a supply of good French brandy. Algernon knows that. There’d be no reason to resort to abduction.”
“Percy might not have said a word about the smuggling, but he wouldn’t have kept quiet about the gems on your land,” Alexander pointed out. “He’s a rogue, but he does have a sense of honor. Moreover, he cares for you, Georgina, and he wouldn’t let Algernon steal your inheritance so blatantly.”
“I’d like to think that, too.” Georgina drew a circle in the dust with her shoe. When she lifted her head to face him, both fierceness and pain lurked in her eyes. “If he’d discovered this cave, he would have told me before he left. How would he have learned about the gems in the city?”
“Perhaps he drew the connection between the antiquities in your barrow and the snuffboxes like we did.”
“That’s a bit too observant for Percy, don’t you think? He’s not lacking in intelligence, but he’s too self-absorbed.” This time Georgina swung the lantern in clear frustration, rather than her foot. “I almost wish that he had realized Algernon’s scheme. Then we’d have a better lead on where to look next.”
There was a small glint of bright red, like a scarlet star, winking among the powder on the floor. It didn’t look like the banded gemstone, but something that would come from a faceted jewel.
“Wait!” Alexander shouted.
“What?” Georgina asked.
“Shine your lantern there!” Alexander pointed in the direction where he’d seen the unexpected twinkle.
When the beam fell on the floor, he spied it again. Keeping her lantern steady, Georgina slowly moved forward. Alexander followed, his eyes trained on what he prayed was an actual clue.
“I… I’d know those garish garnet hearts anywhere!” Georgina’s voice vacillated between fear, hope, and triumph, echoing the emotions clashing inside Alexander. She released his hand as she ran toward the semiprecious stone.
He watched as she reached down and pulled a familiar shoe buckle from the dirt. She blew off the extra dust, but Alexander didn’t need more confirmation. It was one of Percy’s favorite ornamentations. Alexander had even accompanied him the day he’d picked up the hideous things from the jewelers. Percy had boasted about designing them himself. There wasn’t another pair like them.
“Percy… Percy must have been here!” Georgina clutched the buckle tightly as she raised her fist to her chest.
Alexander didn’t voice the questions racing through him—not when they could puncture Georgina’s temporary feeling of success. Had Percy lost the buckle while exploring the cave… or had he been brought here against his will?
No matter the answer, it seemed that Algernon was indeed connected to Percy’s kidnapping… which meant that Alexander’s father was likely involved as well.
Ignoring the sick sloshing in his stomach, Alexander focused on what he and Georgina could control. It was clear that Percy wasn’t still tucked away in the main room or in either tunnel. The closest known place that they could investigate was Lord Craie’s property. Perhaps Percy had been moved there, or maybe they could find information on other nearby smuggler holes where he could now be held. “We should head to your brother’s estate.”
Breaking into the earl’s country home could bring dangers as unexpected as the visit to this mine. But to save Percy, they needed to face them.