13. Chapter 13 #3
The wind continued to push past me, but it wasn’t as forceful as when I’d first opened the panel, and the moaning noise quieted down. But I was growing closer to the voices. It was still hard to pick out who was speaking, though one was definitely a man.
Other passageways broke off from the main one and I briefly looked down each one, seeing stairs in some and doors in others.
Soon, the passageway turned from wood to stone, as the voices, wind, and moaning sounds disappeared. No doubt this part of the passage was carved out of the very cliffside that the castle was built into.
Up ahead, the tunnel turned a corner and light reflected on the wall.
I paused, listened for a moment, and then slowly turned the corner, surprised to discover a man-made cave.
There were two torches lit and secured into holders on the walls.
The room was full of old boxes and crates, some of them covered in the same cobwebs and dust as the passage, while others looked new.
Many of them were marked with the names of tea companies from all over the world.
There was one other way out of the cave, through an old wooden door on the opposite side. Where did that lead? And where had the voices and wind gone?
The door latch clicked and my heart pounded as I hurried back to the passageway, out of sight.
As the hinges creaked, a gust of wind whipped around the corner and snuffed out the remaining lights on my candelabra, while at the same time, the moaning noise greeted my ears.
It was coming from the wind, pushed through the passageway, just as Ames had said.
But it stopped when the door was closed.
The only light came from the opening to the cave, reflecting off the stone wall in front of me.
“That’s the last o’ the crates for tonight,” said a gruff voice I didn’t recognize as the sound of crates hitting the earthen floor echoed in the passage. “Not much o’ a shipment this time.”
I was holding my breath, afraid to move or make a sound, for fear I would be caught—and by whom? Who was that man?
“Jackie told us the freight would be lighter this week,” said another male voice in an accent I didn’t recognize as two hands were clapped together, as if to remove dust. “We’ll have to take what we can get.”
“His lordship will not be happy,” said the first man. “He’ll think we’re cheating him out of his due.”
Did they mean Ames? Wouldn’t they call him His Grace and not his lordship?
“He can come see it for hisself,” the second man countered. “We only git what we can git.”
“Come on. Let’s git out of here. I want to be in me own bed before morning.”
Soon, the torch light was fading, and the creaking hinges were grating before the door was closed and the wind and moaning died away.
And I was left in utter darkness.
Panic clawed at my heart. I wasn’t sure what to do.
Ames had warned me not to enter the passage.
He’d said that I could get lost and might never be found.
Did I just stay in one place and hope he would come looking for me?
Or did I feel my way back? There had been other passageways that broke off the main one, and doors that led to various parts of the castle, no doubt.
If I took my time, I might find my way out.
It was better than panicking in the dark and being met by something far more dangerous like a rat or one of those men—or the Wailing Duchess herself.
I held the candelabra in one hand as I used the other to feel the stone wall. I didn’t want to think about the spiders and cobwebs—or the rumors about the castle.
Eventually, the stone turned to wood, but this was where it would get more complicated. I’d followed a straight passage toward the cave, but if I hurried, or didn’t pay attention, I could make a turn and get lost.
It felt like it took forever, but eventually I started to hear Ames’s piano music, and my heartbeat began to calm.
It was still pitch black, but my eyes had adjusted enough to make out shapes.
When I found the opened panel, my relief was overwhelming.
I stepped through and closed it tightly behind me, breathing hard.
I needed to speak to Ames.
Ames was lost in his music as I opened the door and found him sitting at the piano, his eyes closed. Tonight, I didn’t want to wait until he finished and noticed me there. I walked across the room and placed my hand on his shoulder.
His eyes flew open and he stopped playing. “Lily!” He put his hand on mine. “You scared me.”
I swallowed the apprehension in my throat. “Who were those men in the cave?”
He frowned as he rose from the piano bench, removing a cobweb from my shoulder. “What men? What cave? Where have you been?”
I would have to be honest and tell him I was in the passage, even though he’d told me it was dangerous.
“I was curious about the noise,” I said as I realized I was still holding the unlit candelabra.
I set it on the piano. “I found a secret panel near the library the other day when—” I paused.
I hadn’t told him about finding Molly and Brant.
“I wanted to see if the noise came from there, so I opened it and heard voices.”
Alarm filled his face. “Did anyone see you?”
“No.” I shook my head, troubled by his intensity. “I don’t think so.”
Ames pulled back from me and ran his hand through his hair. “I told you the passageways were dangerous. You told me you understood.”
“I thought perhaps the noise was—” I paused again. “I wanted to make sure Brant and Molly weren’t meeting in secret.”
He studied me as if weighing a great question in his mind.
“Who were they, Ames?”
He walked to the window and looked out at the dark night, toward the cliffs and the sea. “They are smugglers.”
I inhaled, though I’d suspected as much. “You know about them and you still let them use your property?”
“There is a labyrinth of caves and tunnels throughout the cliffside, leading from the sea to the castle, hidden from view to those who don’t know of their existence.
They were created during the medieval days to keep the castle safe.
” He turned and leaned against the windowsill, crossing his arms. “They were the perfect way for previous dukes to make a lot of money through smuggling. Their existence has been secretly guarded by the Welby family.”
“Not just the previous duke.” I frowned. “You’re still letting them use the caves.”
“Not by choice.”
“What does that mean?”
He sighed and pushed away from the window, returning to the piano to press a few keys. I wasn’t certain he would answer me.
Finally, he said, “My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were in partnership with the same smuggling family for the past century. They have been running through our caves and tunnels since well before I was born. But because they knew about the tunnels, they were able to blackmail my father and grandfather with the information. For many years, it was the main income for the Welby family.”
“And now?”
“I refuse to accept their money, and because of it, our income has sharply declined. And, like I said, smuggling is no longer a lucrative business, but it is the only business for these men.”
“Why don’t you just tell them they can’t use the caves anymore?”
“They still hold certain information over our heads.”
My frown deepened. “What sort of information?”
He crossed his arms again and gave me his full attention. “I would not have you concern yourself, Lily. This issue extends back for decades, long before you came to Pickering Castle. It is not an easy thing to navigate, and if I could stop them, I would.”
“That makes very little sense. You are the Duke of Severton, the master of Pickering Castle.”
“And the heir to problems I did not create.” His voice rose in irritation. “And now I have a whole household of women who are under my protection, while smugglers are running through the passageways, right under their feet. Believe me when I tell you that I am very aware of this issue.”
“Are they dangerous? The smugglers.”
He scowled. “Let’s just say, they would not make good members of the house party, should they be discovered.” He paced away from me. “This is why it’s been easier keeping people away from the castle. You’ve made everything more complicated.”
“I—?” His words sliced through my heart, but I would not let them go unchallenged. “ I did not agree to let the smugglers use your cave.”
“No, but you invited irritating strangers into my home, you brought a maid with you that is threatening my brother’s future, and you went into the passageway when I told you not to. If those men saw you, I am not sure what they might have done to you, Lily. They are not to be trusted.”
I stared at him, trying to quell the hurt and anger rising within me. “I am only trying to help your family.”
“That is my job. Let me do it without interfering.”
I lifted my chin, trying not to cry. I had put so much work into the castle and the house party over the past month. I was tired in both body and soul. His words felt like a slap on my face.
Without another word, I turned and left the music room.
Instead of going to Ames’s bedchamber as I had planned, I went to mine.
He did not join me.