Page 50 of The Heir's Fortune
That’s when they heard the shout.
Gideon and Cassandrahad crawled forward together, Gideon allowing his sister to take the lead. There was just enough sunlight filtering through the hidden entrance for them to see a few feet in front of them, and as much as his instincts were telling him to go ahead and make sure all was safe, he knew that he needed to trust Cassandra.
She was as much a part of this as he was, and he had been holding her back for too long – Madeline had made that abundantly clear.
Cassandra had been able to stand into a half-crouch, and he followed along behind, but then she halted so abruptly that he ran into her and nearly knocked her over.
Shockingly, she didn’t even comment on it.
“Gideon,” she breathed, her head scanning from side to side. “We found it. We found it!”
Her voice had risen as she spoke before she turned around and gripped his arms, bouncing up and down on her toes as bestshe could in their limited space. His eyes widened as he stepped beside her to see what was awaiting them – large, old, wooden chests tucked into the back corner. From the dirt and dust that had accumulated on top of them, they had been undisturbed for some time. Gideon stepped forward, reverently stroking his fingers over the lid of the chest closest to them.
“What do you suppose is inside?” he asked, his voice so low that he was surprised when Cassandra answered him.
“There is only one way to find out, isn’t there?” she said, crouching beside him. “Open a chest.”
He slid his fingers around the latch, only to find that a padlock kept it shut.
“Check the next one,” he told his sister, and she was silent for a moment.
“The same.”
Gideon took a deep breath, trying to quell his growing annoyance that every step of this treasure hunt only brought more resistance.
“The key,” Cassandra said suddenly, staring at him with her palms flat on one of the treasure chests. “The key that unlocked the necklace, the one that Hope found in the piano,” she said. “Could it, perhaps, open the padlocks?”
He lifted one of the locks, holding it up to inspect it.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything to try,” he said.
“Well, let us go and get it, then,” she said. “The treasure has waited this long. I am sure that it can wait a few more hours.”
“No need,” he said, already walking over to the chest. “I have it right here.”
“You carry the key around with you?” she said, her mouth hanging open.
“Usually,” he said. “This treasure hunt has brought us so many surprises that I like to be prepared.”
“Of course you do,” she murmured and he smiled sardonically.
He reached beneath his cloak to his jacket, finding the key in his pocket next to the compass. He lifted the padlock, said a quick prayer, and then attempted the key.
It clicked.
He looked up, meeting Cassandra’s eyes, before he slowly turned it and the padlock sprang open. He lifted up the lock, set it to the side, and then slid the chain through the hole before ever so slowly pushing the lid upward. Now that the moment was finally here, he wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to see what was within or not, for it could change everything. He didn’t know if he was ready for that.
“Oh. My.”
Gideon hadn’t even realized his eyes were closed until he heard Cassandra’s voice behind him, and his eyes flew open, the sight causing him to gasp as well. For there within were thick, round coins of gold. He had no idea what they were worth or what country they belonged to, but the metal of the coins alone would be worth a fortune, let alone whatever the currency was. He reached a hand in and allowed the coins to cascade over his fingers.
Cassandra did the same before plucking a coin out of the pile and holding it up before her.
“Do you think the other chests contain the same?” she asked, and he shrugged.
“There is only one way to find out.”
The same key worked on the padlocks of the other chests, and soon all four stood open, showcasing their coins, a few jewels, and fine goblets set in straw that had allowed them to survive its many journeys.
