Page 79 of Beauty and the Rake
He led her back to his bedchamber and shut the door behind him. Leading her across the room, he motioned to his lips, indicating to her not to speak. Graham stopped in front of a dark panel to the right of the bed. He pressed on the panel in one specific location and the panel slid to the side like a pocket door.Leaning down, he picked up a lantern sitting on the floor and lit it. He slid the door back to its closed position and began to lead Roxanne farther into the dark.
It was a priest’s hole, albeit one in a peculiar place. Graham didn’t speak, which she took to mean she shouldn’t either. At least for now. They finally came across a room to the left of the corridor. She felt confused looking at what was in front of her.
A large comfortable bed took up one corner in the back. There were three tables, one of which was specifically made for this room by the looks of it, a couple of chairs, lanterns, and baskets.
“Priest’s hole?” she whispered.
“No, because there is one on the main level.”
“Then why is it here?”
“I believe it was a place the earl could go when he wanted privacy. Either that or a place to hide in troubled times.”
“What about the rest of his family?”
“The earl probably would have sent his family somewhere safe. If not, there would have been plenty of room.”
She gazed around at her surroundings. “It would have been quite cramped.”
“There are three other rooms along the way. All like this. Nothing has been done to them in years so they’re dusty. There is another room I believe was used for food and supplies.”
“What if they needed to exit the house without being seen?”
“This corridor leads down to a tunnel that continues to an old building that’s out of sight because it’s hidden by a grove of trees.”
“Wouldn’t someone find it?”
“That’s always possible, but the opening is well hidden.”
“This house has quite a history,” she said.
“It does and fortunately, my ancestors wrote it down when it happened. There are lots of diaries in the library in addition to letters.”
“I will have to find them and read them. I’ve always been fascinated with what might have happened in these older estates, not just my family’s.”
He pulled her against his hard body, not saying a word.
Chapter Twenty-One
Graham joined Arthurin his study the following morning. The rain had stopped at least for the time being, but the skies overhead were still gray and menacing. Today was their meeting with Crenshaw about whether or not they had a deal for the ships, and for them to try and understand the man. His father had been the guide to India for Arthur and Roxanne’s parents. They had never returned, and Arthur wanted answers.
“Crenshaw’s an hour late. I wonder if he’s even going to show.”
Graham ran his hand through his hair and sat back in the brown leather chair. “He’ll be here. I’m sure the roads are in a dreadful state after all this rain.”
“True. I simply hate being kept waiting.”
“Don’t we all.”
The detective they’d hired had expressed to them how hard Crenshaw made it for anyone to keep him in their line of sight. It was obvious the man had more debts than he could handle. His spice trade had shrunk in the past year. He wasn’t paying attention to what had been a thriving business. Crenshaw seemed to want to make fast cash. One was to guide tourists as his father had. It was lucrative, but not to his expectations.
A knock on the door as it was being opened caused both Arthur and Graham to jerk their heads back around to the door.
“Mr. Crenshaw, Your Grace,” the older man said, and Crenshaw went around him and into the study.
“That’ll be all,” Arthur bid the butler with a nod.
With the butler gone, Arthur guided their guest to where they had been seated moments ago. “How are the roads from here to London?” Graham asked as the man sat down.
