Page 36 of The Wise Daughter
“It will be worth it. You’ll see.”
Once she was snuggly inside, he eased the door closed behind them. As the last slip of light disappeared, leaving them in darkness, Nora reached for his hand. The sounds of their breathing seemed louder in this tiny space. The air held a clammy chill, but she could sense his heat behind her. Now that he had held her in that protective embrace, she didn’t mind an excuse to be close again.
The narrow passage led only one way, so she lifted her skirts and side-stepped deeper into the darkness with the duke following her lead. Small bits of light occasionally broke through cracks in the walls and stone but grew less frequent the further they went.
When her pace slowed, his other hand gently fell on her shoulder. “Just follow the passage, Nora. I won’t let you go amiss.”
His breath tickled her neck. She imagined how close his face would be to hers if she turned around. He left his hand on her shoulder as they walked.
After a few minutes, she heard a small scuffling and a smell that meant rodents.
Oh, no.
Her next step took great effort.
Another scuffle scratched the air, and she froze. Her nose began to itch with the musk and dust their footsteps were stirring up. For several uncomfortable seconds, she held back a sneeze, but the pressure of the itch built until the sneeze sputtered out in a most unladylike fashion.
A flurry of scuffles sounded ahead of her, sending her backward into the duke’s chest.
“Aaron!” She instantly covered her lips. This was the first time his given name had flowed from her tongue without putting any thought into it. She couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but she was sure he had noticed.
“It’s all right, Nora.” His hand tightened around hers. “I’m sure it’s only a mouse.”
“Or several mice. Or rats.”
“Are you afraid of mice?”
“No,” she whispered, fighting off a rising tremble. “Only their sharp teeth and their glassy little eyes and those tiny, grasping paws.” At least there was no light to reveal the distress that was surely written across her face.
“Then let’s walk quickly, and I’ll tell any rodents we encounter to keep their distance.”
“If you can command the rodents, I’ll consider you the most powerful of all dukes.”
She felt his breath again on her neck as he made a wheezing sound. “Please don’t make me laugh right now, Nora. The walls are thin in some places, and I don’t want to be detected. Come, I’ll keep you safe.”
“Eliminating the rodents would be more gentlemanly.”
“I’ll remember that.”
His hand softly rubbed her shoulder, steadying her while simultaneously making her insides come loose, but it gave her strength to continue. On they walked until they came to a narrow, wooden staircase where the light barely permeated the cracks.
“If you walk up those stairs and follow the passageway in that direction, you will eventually come to a door that leads to my bedchamber.”
“What if the thieves know about this passageway?”
“I actually came here to see if that might be true, but I don’t think they do. I’ll show you what I mean when we reach the next exit. For now, we will take the stairs down.”
Down they went until they came to another door, at which point Nora still hadn’t decided whether or not she regretted following him.
“Now, reach out.” He slid his arm alongside hers and guided her hand. “Do you feel these threads here and here?”
She swallowed and tried not to be too distracted by the trailing heat his touch left on her arm. With his help, she felt two thin strandsof thread pinned across the door. With the lack of light, the threads were impossible to see.
“Yes.”
“I placed these strands here years ago across each entrance so I would know if anyone else ever came here. I haven’t been to inspect them until now. And since they are undisturbed…”
“No one has visited this passage since you were last here,” Nora finished. “Our thieves do not know of its existence.”
