Lady Emma's Campaign (21 page)

Emma started when she felt
a hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake. “Nico,” she muttered, automatically reaching for the boy lying next to her.

“Emma, come with me.” She recognized Sidney’s whisper but could only see the vaguest outline of his form in the dark.

He found her hand and led her silently through the halls and rooms and doorways. They stumbled down a dark staircase, and he finally stopped, releasing her hand. Emma’s heart pounded. What was Sidney doing? It was certainly the very essence of impropriety for them to be alone together in the dark like this.

“Sidney, what are—?”

A scraping sound and a burst of cold, damp air were her only answer.

“Sidney?”

She felt his hands upon her shoulders. “There is a tunnel, most likely leading to the church in the town. We do not have much time.”

Emma felt as if her insides had turned to ice. “Sidney, you cannot flee. Nico—”

“We will return before our absence is discovered, but we must hurry, Emma. It is our only chance.”

“I cannot leave him. What if it is discovered that we have gone?” She swallowed against the lump forming in her throat.

“I have watched for hours, they do not maintain a patrol. None of them know there is a way out. You
must
trust me. Jim and Serena will delay the guards if necessary. Come.”

“But Nico—”

“It is his only chance as well. I guarantee the lieutenant does not intend to split the treasure with a four-year-old child.”

A pang shot through Emma’s heart as she realized the truth in his words.

Sidney had begun to pull her forward into the passage as he spoke. Though she could see nothing, she felt the compression of the air and heard the echoes of their footsteps change, indicating they had entered a small space. The air smelled damp. He must have been feeling his way along the wall the same way as she and Serena had when they descended into the prison dungeon.

“And what is the plan when we reach the end of the tunnel?” she asked.

“We must find a way to signal the irregulars. They cannot have gone more than a few miles. If we could find something to burn, it is my hope that Marcos will return to the town to investigate the smoke.”

His hand squeezed hers tightly, and it began to hurt her injured palm. She opened her mouth to tell him so when she heard his quick breathing. She had been so consumed by anxiety for Nico that she’d given no thought to how terrified Sydney must be in this underground space.

“I’d begun to worry that this particular monastery was not built with underground access until I found the stairs.” He continued to speak, and she wondered if he was trying to distract himself. Though she could not see, she could feel that they were moving downhill at a rather steep angle.

“Sidney, why did you bring me with you? Would not Serena or Jim be a better choice?”

He was quiet for so long that Emma thought he would not answer. Finally, he said in a low voice, “I knew I could not enter this place if you were not with me.”

Heat spread through Emma’s body as she pondered on his words. Perhaps their relationship was not as damaged as she’d supposed. “I am sorry, Sidney. Earlier . . . the things I said, I should never have presumed to—”

“It seems we both have said things we wish we could retract.” He squeezed her hand, and even though she knew it was a gesture of friendship, she still could not help but flinch at the sting on her damaged palm. “I will gladly forgive you if you will do the same for me.”

“I will.”

Sidney stopped abruptly, and Emma nearly collided with him.

“There must be a door somewhere.” He let go of her hand, and Emma realized they had reached the end of the tunnel. She heard shuffling sounds as he apparently began to feel around the walls.

She ran her hands over the stone, searching for anything that might be an opening. She came upon what she thought must be a doorframe, but upon closer inspection she realized it was a ladder attached to the stone. “It is in the ceiling.” Emma said.

Sidney joined her and climbed the ladder. “Here,” he said a few moments later. She felt the waft of fresh air as he pushed open a trapdoor.

He climbed the rest of the ladder and then turned to assist her. They emerged into the darkened church, behind where Emma guessed the altar would have been, if the entire room wasn’t completely empty. The sight gave her a chill of uneasiness as Sidney pulled her out into the night.

They ran through the town, searching house after house for anything they might burn, but any furniture, door frames, even the pews from the chapel were gone. Turning down another street, Emma glanced up at the sky lightening behind the church and felt panic burst from her chest and shoot down into her fingers and toes. They needed to return before their captors awoke.

Something tickled at the back of her mind as she looked toward the church. “Sidney, the bell.”

He turned toward her, his eyes narrowed in confusion, but an instant later, understanding dawned on his face. “Brilliant, Emma!” They ran back to the church and stood beneath the bell tower. Even in the dim lighting, they could see that the rope had been cut twenty feet up.

Sidney didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed on to the coarse stone and began to climb, swinging himself up over the rafters and wooden supports as she imagined he had climbed riggings aboard his ship.

Emma’s hands were clenched into fists, her knuckles pressed against her mouth as she leaned back to watch his ascent.

Reaching a crossbeam, he scooted away from the wall toward the middle of the tower, holding on to the timber with his legs. “Cover your ears,” he called down as he reached for the rope.

The wave of sound that hit Emma was enough to shake her off her feet. She crouched on the stone floor of the tower, with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands clamped over her ears until Sidney grabbed her arm, pulling her through the church and down the ladder into the tunnel. Her ears continued to ring.

They ran as fast as they could, Sidney pulling her so strongly up the slope of the tunnel that she felt as though she was not in control of her feet. Her legs ached from the effort of lifting the heavy boots with each step. In the darkness, she could feel the jarring as Sidney’s shoulders banged into the walls, but he did not slow down.

Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch a breath. Only the thought of Nico drove her to push past the pain in her legs.

They stumbled up both flights of stairs and through the monastery’s turning hallways. The early morning sun shone through the high windows of the rooms they passed.

When they arrived at the hallway outside the dining hall, Sidney pushed her back against the wall while they both tried to catch their breath. They could hear Lieutenant Trenchard’s voice booming through the hall.

“Where are they?”

“Lieutenant, I do not presume to speculate as to my friends’ private business, but if I were to guess, I suspect they might have slipped away for a midnight tryst.”

Emma gasped. How could Jim possibly insinuate something as indecent as a
tryst
?

Sidney looked as if he were holding in a laugh at her horrified expression. He mussed her hair and tousled his own then pulled her beneath his shoulder, whispering, “Put your arms around my waist and act as if you are enamored with me. And for heaven’s sake, have the decency to look embarrassed when we are discovered.”

“Sidney!” She attempted to put a sufficient amount of indignation in her whisper as heat spread up her neck. Even though he was teasing, she was still mortified.

“Well done.” His eyes twinkled. “The blush is a perfect touch.”

They walked into the dining hall, Emma feeling like a strumpet draped all over Sidney. What on earth would her mother say if she could see this behavior?

“Lieutenant Trenchard, such a lovely morning, is it not?” asked Sidney brightly.

The lieutenant’s eyes squinted as he looked between the two of them. “Where have you been, Captain?”

“Surely you do not expect me to divulge such a thing with the lady’s reputation on the line. When it comes to questions about my personal liaisons, I am afraid I must demur.”

Emma’s ears burned. She cast her eyes upon the ground, knowing full well that the lieutenant was the only one who actually believed she had been involved in anything inappropriate, but even the implication left her feeling humiliated. Nico rushed toward Emma, and she let go of Sidney to lift the boy into her arms. Her eyes met Serena’s, and her friend moved her hand back and forth in imitation of a bell ringing and winked.

Enrique rushed into the room, Sidney’s sword dangling from his belt. “We have seen nobody leave the town, lieutenant. The soldiers are afraid, worried that it is haunted.”

“They should worry less about ghosts and more about the savages in the mountains.” The lieutenant turned to the prisoners. “We will depart immediately.” He stormed out of the room with Enrique following behind.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief. They had done it. And now they had only to hope that Marcos had heard the bell and would return to investigate.

They gathered their supplies and ate a quick breakfast. Emma thought if she never saw another oatcake in her life, she would consider it the greatest of fortunes.

While she helped Nico with the canteen, Emma overheard Jim speaking quietly to Sidney. “Unusual signal.”

“The bell was Emma’s idea.”

“I told you that gal would surprise you,” Jim said, and Emma turned away so the men wouldn’t know that she’d been listening. She felt an expansion in her lungs. The words of the two men and their faith in her made her feel strong, which she found she quite liked.

The sensation did not last long as the soldiers arrived to bind the men’s hands and escort them to the entrance hall, weapons at the ready.

Enrique approached Emma, and she turned away, but the movement did not dissuade him as it had before. “Señorita, you are mistaken if you believe you are in a position to avoid me.” He stepped toward her, crowding her until she backed against a wall. Her breathing accelerated, and her eyes darted past him to the other members of the company.

Sidney was being restrained by two soldiers, his skin flushed and nostrils flared.

Enrique moved to block her view. He slipped his fingers up her arm, resting his hand upon her shoulder, his fingers caressing her bare neck.

Emma’s skin crawled at his touch. She tensed as he leaned his face close, brushing his lips on her cheek.

“You would be wise to join yourself with the winning side, Señorita
.
”

Emma did not pull away; she would not allow him to see that he had power over her. “Señor, that is the craven’s way.” She spoke clearly, not allowing the fear she felt to enter into her voice. “I will not associate myself with cowards who betray their people.”

Enrique’s face flushed. His eyes narrowed into a glare, and his hand moved to clench around the front of her neck. “You make the mistake of believing you have a choice.” He bent his face toward hers, and Emma was terrified that he would kiss her, but Lieutenant Trenchard inserted himself between them, pushing Enrique.

“Señor, we must march now. Soon enough, you will have time with the mademoiselles.”

Enrique’s intense stare burned into Emma as his mouth curled into a sneer. He released his hold upon her neck. “I will not forget how you treated me, and in the end, I will get what I want, Señorita.”

Emma drew a deep breath when her throat was able to expand to full size. There was no disguising her fear now. She wrapped her arms around herself.

She lifted Nico from Serena’s arms and retrieved her gear. She was afraid to look at Sidney. Though she knew his anger was not directed at her, she felt too humiliated by Enrique’s words and familiar touches to meet his gaze.

When the group emerged from the monastery, the morning was silent and the valley empty.

“It did not rain, Captain,” Lieutenant Trenchard said to Sidney.

“My mistake. I suppose one cannot always predict the weather,” Sidney replied, shrugging his shoulders.

The soldiers were anxious to leave the valley, talking amongst themselves about the church bell that had chimed before sunrise. They hurried the prisoners along over the path they were treading for the third time. Emma fully expected to see Marcos and his band pop out of the trees, but the prisoners reached the location where they had been captured the day before without incident.

She began to wonder if they should delay. Marcos had told them his territory only extended through the mountains. Would he find them on the plains? Was he even searching for them? She wondered if she should stall or create a diversion, but looking down at the child whose hand she held, she knew she could not risk angering the lieutenant.

“My lady,” Jim said, quickening his step to walk next to her. “For the life of me, I cannot remember the words to that ditty you and Nico sang a few days ago. If you would oblige me?” He nodded slightly, his eyes holding hers, trying to communicate something.

“Certainly, sir.” Emma began to sing the folk song, nervously, at first, as she glanced around at the soldiers. But they didn’t seem to mind. Nico joined in and then Serena.

Lieutenant Trenchard turned from where he marched at the head of the column, annoyed. “Silence! You will alert the guerillas to our position.”

“Monsier, that is a very astute observation. Unusual for a Frenchman.”

The lieutenant whipped his head around.

“Marcos!” Emma nearly swooned with relief as the man stepped onto the path with a group of his men, surrounding them and freeing Sidney and Jim from their bonds.

The commander of the militia brandished a sword and bowed. “I heard the church bells from the village calling me back. This was no doubt your doing, Captain Fletcher?” Marcos tossed him a sword, and Sidney raised his brows and smiled.

“We would never have found you if it were not for the sound of my favorite childhood tune floating upon the air.” He inclined his head toward Emma. “How could I not join such a merry band?” His words were light, but his eyes intense as he stared at the men who had captured his friends.