Andrews Brothers 01 - The Ruse by Felicia Rogers Page B

blunder.
    “How do you know that?”
    Brigitta didn’t respond. Instead
she focused on holding the hem of his greatcoat. Water dribbled from the fabric
as she squeezed. If she lost him in the darkness, she would be lost forever.
    She sighed and the tunnel
swallowed the sound. Rumor held the baron’s brother was a bit of a rogue. A
child conceived out of wedlock, wanted by no one, and brought into the world,
only to be disdained. As he’d grown to adulthood he’d taken to gambling.
    Was his disgrace the reason he
snuck into the estate through the tunnels? Maybe he didn’t want Chadwick to
know he’d returned. Maybe he was banned from the estate?
    To cover the next mark she made,
she asked, “Does the tunnel only have one exit into the estate or are there
more?”
    Fortune shined on her and he
spilled what could only be secret knowledge.
    “There are actually several entry
points. One is in the library, one in the kitchen, several in various suites,
and one close to the ba—” He interrupted himself and stopped talking.
    She hummed and pretended she hadn’t
heard his slip of the tongue. They continued, staggering over broken
cobblestones. She bit her tongue as she stubbed her toe through her thin-toed
slippers. Her damp chemise clung to her frame and heat flushed her cheeks as
she realized her state of undress. Thankfully the darkness covered her and she
forced herself not to think about what might happen when they exited the
tunnel.
    She made another mark and he
swiveled, propelling her into his chest. He placed his free hand on her arm.
    “Did you hear that?”
    Even though he couldn’t see her,
she shook her head.
    “My lady?” Concern tinged his
tone.
    “Yes?”
    “So you did hear the noise?”
    “No.”
    “But you said—”
    “I was merely responding to your
call.”
    “So you didn’t hear a noise?”
    Innocently, she said, “The
darkness must have affected you for I didn’t hear a thing.”
    “Humph,” he said as he turned and
waited for her to grab his greatcoat skirt before continuing. Brigitta held her
breath, afraid to even release a sigh.
    Uneven stones continued to bump
her toes. She yelped in pain, and used the opportunity to strike another mark.
    “Are you well, my lady?”
    “Naught that good shoes wouldn’t
fix.”
    “Perhaps the next time you climb
from a window, you will consider sturdier footwear.”
    Brigitta fought a smile. “Perhaps.”
    He came to a sudden stop and began
tapping the wall. Brigitta cringed as an ominous screech filled the air. Light
filtered into the tunnel through a widening crack.
    He disappeared through an
opening. She waited. When she didn’t follow he poked his head back out and
said, “Aren’t you coming?”
    “No,” she said, shaking her head
and wrapping her arms around her middle. The warmth filtering into the tunnel
renewed her. She was a brave, intelligent, resilient woman who had just lowered
herself from her bedroom window during a vicious thunderstorm to escape her
imprisonment. If she could do that, then she could stand up to Chadwick’s
brother.
    He stared aghast and held out his
hand. “But you must!”
    “No!” she whispered harshly.
    “But—”
    Pointing a trembling finger, she
said, “I have finally escaped the clutches of my unloving husband and I will
not return. Besides, how do you propose I reenter my rooms? Once the footmen
are alerted to my insolence, I will be boiled in pitch and my already roasted
flesh burned.”
    ****
    The secret entrance opened into a
rarely used hallway not far from his own suite of rooms in the east wing. Light
poured through the gallery of windows and filtered into the tunnel. Brigitta
trembled, whether with fear or cold Luke couldn’t decipher. The chemise sagged
against her frame. Her auburn hair dried and sprang upward in a mass of unruly
curls.
    The lady refused to move.
Expediency was of the essence. If they didn’t move quickly, they would be
discovered by a passing servant and that would