mother, Miss Duvall? Was she also a—vivacious spirit?" Lady Royce asked Antoinette.
"My mother was devoted to her studies, Lady Royce," Antoinette answered. "Just as your son is."
"People came from all over the island to hear her wisdom," said Cassie.
"Just like the Delphic Oracle," Lord Royce murmured. "I should very much like to hear about it sometime."
"Would you truly? Or are you just being polite?" Cassie teased, echoing his earlier words to her.
He laughed. "I assure you, Miss Richards, I am never 'just polite.'"
* * *
After they finished eating, Cassie, Antoinette, and Lord Royce set off to look at the tunnels, leaving Chat and Lady Royce to their gossip and the last of the sherry.
The passages were mostly blocked up, just as Lord Royce had said they would be, and what was left was drafty and damp. Sand and pebbles had blown in to form a thin layer on the hard-packed floor. There were crates piled up along the cold walls, and a few upturned fishing boats.
Cassie thought, with a small thrill, that it looked like a smuggler's lair. She leaned back against one of the boats and looked around, wondering what sort of daring adventures had once happened in these tunnels.
Suddenly, her reverie was broken when Antoinette gave a scream and collapsed into a heap on the dirty floor. Her green cloak spread about her in a dark pool.
"Antoinette!" Cassie cried, running across the tunnel to fall down on her knees at her friend's side. "Antoinette, what is it?" She placed Antoinette's head carefully on her lap and rubbed at her cold wrists, wishing desperately that she was the sort to carry smelling salts around with her.
"What happened?" Lord Royce said, his voice hoarse with concern, as he knelt down beside them. "Is Miss Duvall ill?"
"She was perfectly well before," Cassie answered, frantically waving her hand in front of Antoinette's face. "Perhaps it was something she ate!"
"But we all ate the same things. Do you feel ill, Miss Richards?"
"Not a bit. Oh, Antoinette, do wake up, please!"
As if in answer to Cassie's panicked entreaties, Antoinette's ebony eyes fluttered open, and she glanced quickly about. "Cassie? What has happened?"
"Thank heaven you are conscious!" Cassie said in great relief. "You fainted."
"Did I? How very odd." She struggled to sit up, with Cassie and Lord Royce's help. Her turban was askew, and she pressed her palm to her forehead as if in pain. "I would like some water, please, if there is any."
"I will just fetch it, then," said Lord Royce. "Miss Richards, you stay here with Miss Duvall and lower her head to her knees if she feels faint again. I will not be gone long." Then he hurried off on his errand.
As soon as he was gone, Antoinette clutched at Cassie's hand and whispered, "We must come here on Friday night, not the East Tower. I feel that Lady Lettice's presence is very strong here."
"Is that why you fainted?" Cassie whispered back. "You sense something frightening here?"
Antoinette shook her head slowly. "Not frightening. Just—strong. We must come back here."
"Of course we will come back. On Friday. But you mustn't worry about it now. Are you feeling better?"
"Oh, yes, quite. I must have just been overwhelmed. Here, help me to stand, and we will wait for Lord Royce outside."
* * *
"How is Miss Duvall feeling, Miss Richards?"
Cassie, who was hurrying past the open door of the library with a basin of lavender water in her hands, paused to peer into the dimly lit room. Phillip came to stand in the doorway, his gray gaze inscrutable behind his spectacles.
"Much better, thank you, Lord Royce," Cassie answered, thinking how odd it was that he should care. All the men in Jamaica, and even in Bath, had seen Antoinette as nothing but a servant and an oddity. They would never have inquired after her health.
But Phillip appeared truly concerned.
"I was just taking this to her," Cassie added, holding up the basin. "Lavender water is very good for headaches."
"Does Miss Duvall
"My mother was devoted to her studies, Lady Royce," Antoinette answered. "Just as your son is."
"People came from all over the island to hear her wisdom," said Cassie.
"Just like the Delphic Oracle," Lord Royce murmured. "I should very much like to hear about it sometime."
"Would you truly? Or are you just being polite?" Cassie teased, echoing his earlier words to her.
He laughed. "I assure you, Miss Richards, I am never 'just polite.'"
* * *
After they finished eating, Cassie, Antoinette, and Lord Royce set off to look at the tunnels, leaving Chat and Lady Royce to their gossip and the last of the sherry.
The passages were mostly blocked up, just as Lord Royce had said they would be, and what was left was drafty and damp. Sand and pebbles had blown in to form a thin layer on the hard-packed floor. There were crates piled up along the cold walls, and a few upturned fishing boats.
Cassie thought, with a small thrill, that it looked like a smuggler's lair. She leaned back against one of the boats and looked around, wondering what sort of daring adventures had once happened in these tunnels.
Suddenly, her reverie was broken when Antoinette gave a scream and collapsed into a heap on the dirty floor. Her green cloak spread about her in a dark pool.
"Antoinette!" Cassie cried, running across the tunnel to fall down on her knees at her friend's side. "Antoinette, what is it?" She placed Antoinette's head carefully on her lap and rubbed at her cold wrists, wishing desperately that she was the sort to carry smelling salts around with her.
"What happened?" Lord Royce said, his voice hoarse with concern, as he knelt down beside them. "Is Miss Duvall ill?"
"She was perfectly well before," Cassie answered, frantically waving her hand in front of Antoinette's face. "Perhaps it was something she ate!"
"But we all ate the same things. Do you feel ill, Miss Richards?"
"Not a bit. Oh, Antoinette, do wake up, please!"
As if in answer to Cassie's panicked entreaties, Antoinette's ebony eyes fluttered open, and she glanced quickly about. "Cassie? What has happened?"
"Thank heaven you are conscious!" Cassie said in great relief. "You fainted."
"Did I? How very odd." She struggled to sit up, with Cassie and Lord Royce's help. Her turban was askew, and she pressed her palm to her forehead as if in pain. "I would like some water, please, if there is any."
"I will just fetch it, then," said Lord Royce. "Miss Richards, you stay here with Miss Duvall and lower her head to her knees if she feels faint again. I will not be gone long." Then he hurried off on his errand.
As soon as he was gone, Antoinette clutched at Cassie's hand and whispered, "We must come here on Friday night, not the East Tower. I feel that Lady Lettice's presence is very strong here."
"Is that why you fainted?" Cassie whispered back. "You sense something frightening here?"
Antoinette shook her head slowly. "Not frightening. Just—strong. We must come back here."
"Of course we will come back. On Friday. But you mustn't worry about it now. Are you feeling better?"
"Oh, yes, quite. I must have just been overwhelmed. Here, help me to stand, and we will wait for Lord Royce outside."
* * *
"How is Miss Duvall feeling, Miss Richards?"
Cassie, who was hurrying past the open door of the library with a basin of lavender water in her hands, paused to peer into the dimly lit room. Phillip came to stand in the doorway, his gray gaze inscrutable behind his spectacles.
"Much better, thank you, Lord Royce," Cassie answered, thinking how odd it was that he should care. All the men in Jamaica, and even in Bath, had seen Antoinette as nothing but a servant and an oddity. They would never have inquired after her health.
But Phillip appeared truly concerned.
"I was just taking this to her," Cassie added, holding up the basin. "Lavender water is very good for headaches."
"Does Miss Duvall
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