Surrender The Night (48 page)

Farrow hissed at her angrily, but she stayed frozen on the ladder, afraid to move. Blackness lapped at her feet. Only flimsy stays kept her from being consumed.

‘ ‘Hurry up, damn you, else I’ll club you and lower you down on the rope. God knows how badly you’ll be bruised and scraped.”

Fury rushed through Katrina, washing terror away. How she hated him; how she reviled herself for her own gullibility in trusting this degenerate scoundrel. She’d see that he paid for this. Taking a deep breath, she began to descend.

The further she went into the gloom, the harder it became to stifle fear. The candle on Will’s hat barely pierced the vast darkness. She saw lanterns staked into timbers at frequent intervals; she knew why he didn’t light them. But she was puzzled by the echoing sound of splintering wood. The ladder seemed firm enough.

Cold, moist air assailed her, and she could only imagine what hell this place must be when the pumps, snaking down alongside her like sleeping serpents, were spitting their steam on the laboring miners. Pungent odors filled her head: sulfur, wet timbers, raw copper ore. The vague nausea that had troubled her earlier returned with a vengeance. When her feet finally reached level ground, she sank down the wet cavern wall and buried her face in her knees.

“Come on, we’ve got to go deeper,” Will growled, pulling on her arm.

She lashed out at him and began to gag. Since she hadn’t eaten lunch, however, her stomach was empty. The dry heaves racked her for several minutes, but at least the physical misery abated her emotional fears somewhat.

Watery-eyed, she glared at Will. Only then did she notice what he’d done. The splintering sounds she’d heard . . . Katrina began to shake again. “You’re mad,” she whispered, staring at the broken remnants of the ladder he’d chopped up with a small ax as they came.

Even as she said it, she knew she was wrong. That was the horror of it: He was quite sane. Coldly, grotesquely sane. “Why?”

A harsh laugh shook Will. He looked about, then dropped comfortably down beside her. “I’d do anything to get you away from him.”

“But I don’t love you.” When he flinched, her voice softened to regret. “Now I can’t even admire you any longer.” She shook her head sadly. “I suppose you’ll tell me, too, that you murdered Jack for me?’ ’

“I did.”

She covered her mouth as more spasms racked her, but she couldn’t block out his remorseless voice.

“And I don’t regret it. Davie told me he tried to rape you. Besides, I didn’t want my identity known just as I was about to get out of smuggling.”

“And would you have killed Davie, too?” Katrina dropped her hands limply in her lap.

“Davie’s seriously ill with lung disease. If he survives, by the time he talks I intended for you and me to be long gone.”

“How?” She looked about them at the tunnels of stone. Will surely hadn’t been down here enough to get them safely out of this maze.

“There’s a way out, all right. I’ve no wish for suicide.” Will cocked his head as a new voice joined the mumbling up above.

“Katrina! If you’re all right, please yell.” Devon’s voice echoed faintly down the shaft.

Katrina scrambled away from Will and screamed, “I’m here, Devon.” She frowned when Will stayed motionless. Why didn’t he care that she called to Devon? She gasped. “You
want
him to come, don’t you?”

She leaped to her feet, almost banging her head. Will had to crouch, the roof was so low. “Devon, don’t come! He has a gun!” She strained to hear, but silence lay as heavily on her as the fathoms of rock above her head.

Grabbing her arm. Will pulled her behind him down an adjacent shaft. The rough passage, lined with timbers, led ever downward. Lanterns lined the walls here, too. If only he would light them . . . But Katrina wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking. Oh God, it was so dark. So cramped. She began to fight again in earnest, to no avail. She was dizzy with weariness and hunger, so her strength was even punier than usual against Will’s.

Katrina cast hunted looks around. The walls were closing in. She . . . couldn’t breathe.

Will forced her into a passage so low that they had to crawl. Water seeped down the walls, wetting their clothes. A small canal full of water ran downward shortly past where they hovered, disappearing into solid rock.

Finally Will pushed her into a nook in the stone and planted himself in the passage before her. He pulled the saddlebags off his shoulders, took out his pistol, and began to load it.

The sight cleared Katrina’s swimming head. Terror for Devon became more immediate than her own fear of entrapment. She cast a yearning look at the ax Will had dropped beside him, but it was too far away. Even if she reached it, could she use it?

Her gaze settled on the saddlebags. Guineas and pound notes spilled out of one of the pouches. She picked up a handful of notes. Their crisp crackle made her sick all over again.

“Is it really me you want, or am I just an excuse for your own greed?” She drew a relieved sigh when he paused to slice her a glance. She flicked the notes at his nose. “You’ve been embezzling from those you took an oath to serve for longer than you’ve known me.”

The insolence worked. He stiffened and put the pistol aside to catch her shoulders and press her into the stone. The candle atop his cap flickered in his eyes.

How could blue eyes scorch with coldness? she wondered dimly.

‘ ‘What do you know of my years of service? Have you any idea how many people I’ve saved, often without a penny in recompense? The men pay my wages out of their own, but I’ve often served their friends and neighbors at no charge. While men like Carrington and your precious earl feed on their despair. I’ve worked my fingers to the bone, day and night, trying to bring a better
life to these people. And some of them don’t even thank me, much less appreciate me.” Will’s voice softened with satisfaction. “That will change when I’m gone and their usual sot of a sawbones is hired.”

Katrina heard faint rustling sounds and said loudly, “That’s why Jem was so wary of your help, wasn’t it? I never understood at the time, but he didn’t want to be beholden to you. Like Carrington. You sent him to kill Devon, didn’t you? What did you have on him?”

Will shrugged. “He raped a girl of good family. I doctored her. Her parents didn’t want a scandal, but I needed help with the distribution among his fancy friends. So I used him.” He smiled bitterly. “Over time, those who are used become masters at it themselves.”

“I was just another pawn, wasn’t I?” Katrina’s tears made her eyes soft and luminous in the dim candlelight. “You saved my life. Because of it you think you own me. What a fool I am.

I . . . trusted you. The evidence was damning, but I didn’t see it because I didn’t want to believe you culpable. Oh Will, how could you?’ ’ Her voice broke as the tears fell in earnest.

Will’s hands trembled as he smoothed her shoulders. “Shh. I never meant to cause you pain
. Since the day I first saw you I’ve wanted only to make you happy.” He clutched her shoulders desperately. “Katrina, I was there, remember? I saw what your love for this . . . demon did to you. Since you don’t seem to have strength enough to reject him, it’s up to me to protect you.”

She shook her head violently. “I don’t
want
your protection. I’m neither weak-witted nor weak-willed, despite what you may think.” She covered the hands holding her shoulders with her own. “Please, Will, let me go and give yourself up.”

His sad sigh rippled down her spine. ‘ ‘I cannot. Please, come with me. Let me take care of you.” Then, almost inaudibly, he added, “You’ll . . . need a father for the babe.”

In the midst of her sorrow his words hit her like a slap in the face. She lifted her head and stared at him. “Pregnant,’’ she whispered. Then, with a little squeal of joy, she hugged her abdomen. “Oh Devon, we’ve a life after all.” '

Will looked at her oddly. “You didn’t know, did you?”

“No. Praise God, my prayers have been answered.” And then, as the shock of the revelation waned, the full import of his statement took hold. Her beautiful smile flickered and died. Why hadn’t she realized this before now? The signs had been there: her tender breasts, her nausea. She’d attributed everything to her emotional state and the events of the last few days. After Will was apprehended, she’d had no time to think. He claimed to love her, yet he’d put her through the greatest torment she’d ever known for his own twisted designs.

Her voice became as hard and chilly as the stone surround
ing them. “You lied, didn’t you? All along. You knew I could have children.”

He shrugged. “Not at all. You yourself said your menses were irregular. The infection could well have harmed you permanently.”

‘ ‘But you weren’t certain. You lied because you knew it was the one thing that would drive me away from Devon.” He looked away from her accusatory eyes.

The last of Katrina’s fear of being buried waned. This master manipulator would have to find another puppet. She had a future to look forward to now. For the babe, and for Devon, she had to keep her wits and find a way out of this.

Katrina couldn’t see him, but she knew Devon would come, somehow. She had to distract Will. “It almost worked! I left him tonight never intending to see him again.” She beat her fists at his shoulders. “You bastard! Do you know what agony you put me through? I’ll not have it, do you hear? You’ll not harm him. If you do. I’ll kill you myself—” -

Will winced, then his face set with such mingled pain and fury that she gasped and shrank away. “Then so be it. Once he’s dead, you’ll have no one else to turn to save me.” He picked up his pistol again, his fingers hurriedly loading the other barrel as a soft footfall whispered in the adjacent shaft.

Katrina’s heart leaped in her breast. “Devon, be careful, he has a gun!” she screamed. “Double-barreled!”

The footsteps paused. All was silent save for Katrina’s raspy breathing. Then they made out an approaching pinpoint of light. Will eased up on his knees and lifted the pistol, aiming slightly beneath the light. Katrina grabbed for his arm, but he got the shot off.

“Nooo!” Katrina’s scream resounded into silence. She strained to see.

Instead of falling, the candle continued relentlessly on
. Katrina sighed gratefully as he realized what Devon had done. Knowing the candle would make a perfect target, he carried it high and to the side rather than setting it in his cap.

She saw from the change in Will’s aim that he, too, understood Devon’s craftiness. She had to stop him before he shot again. She gathered herself into a crouch on her toes and lunged. She connected to his back just as he fired. The shot went wild into the corridor where Devon stood..They heard the shattering of glass, then the strong scent of oil. He’d harmlessly exploded a lantern, Katrina deduced.

She was so relieved that when Will shoved her aside, she made no resistance. Too late, she realized he’d picked up the ax, snuffed his candle, and gone to meet Devon.

“He’s got an ax,” Katrina yelled, crawling out of the cramped space and standing up in the adjacent corridor.

The wavering candle paused, then it, too, was snuffed. Total blackness descended, velvety, stifling. Katrina stayed frozen, crouched between the two corridors, knowing that doing otherwise would only complicate Devon’s task. Her nails bit into her hands under the strain, but all she could do was listen. And pray. The advantage must be Will’s, for he was far more accustomed to this hellish place than Devon.

She heard the ax clang as it struck stone. Sparks flashed, but not enough for Katrina to see. Then she heard a soft thud followed by an oof. Devon had hit Will! She was glad, viciously glad. Stomping feet skidded as the men battled over the ax. She heard the ax scraping the shaft walls, breaking several lanterns. The scent of oil grew stronger.

“You fool!” she berated herself. Then, without fear even in the stygian gloom, she crawled back into the small tunnel and felt frantically through Will’s things. There it was! She hurried back into the other shaft, felt along the wall until she found a lantern, then struck the flint in the tinderbox. No sparks flew. Was it too damp?

A cry of pain, too deep to be Will’s, galvanized her. Breathing deeply, she steadied her shaking fingers and tried again. This time the wick caught. Katrina turned the wick up. The shadows danced away, revealing the life-and-death strug
gle.

Will still held the ax, but Devon’s hand about his wrist kept it from striking. Normally Devon would have been stronger, but he seemed tired from the exhausting climb
down the long shaft on the rope Katrina saw snaking behind the struggling men. Katrina also saw scratches and bruises on Devon’s face.

“Dear God, please, help him,” she prayed aloud.

Unable to force Will’s hand down with his arm, Devon used his legs, walking Will backward, trying to throw him off balance. Katrina moved to step out of their path, but she had nowhere to go but back into the crawl space.

Devon slammed Will against the stone next to her, right below the lantern. Then, with
a
feral growl Will jammed his knee into Devon’s groin.

Devon dodged, but Will’s glancing blow slowed him briefly. Will pulled his arm free and swept the ax high to bring it down on Devon’s head.