Page 67 of The Rebellious Countess
He nodded but didn’t turn to look at her. “She is devout.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” she muttered.
At any other time, her debauched language would be laughable, and he prayed they’d be able to laugh about it after making it through the dire situation they faced. “You’re beginning to sound like one of my crew.”
“I’m beginning to feel like one of them.”
“If we’re through discussing?—”
“We’re not through,” Máira hissed. She pushed forward, but Elias held her back before she hit the holy man. She batted at him ineffectually and asked, “How are we supposed to get Simon off this island without you?”
“I will meet you here in one hour.”
“And if you don’t?”
The priest shrugged. “Then you’ll have to make it back across by yourself. Remember, the tide will start coming in at three o’clock. You need to be over the wall before then.”
Before she could argue further, Elias agreed. “We’ll be here. Make sure you are as well.”
The priest nodded. “That is the plan.” He turned and walked away in the same direction the dead soldier had come from.
“If the Pope is here…” Her voice trailed off.
“We are as good as dead if he finds him before we find the earl.” Elias confirmed. There was no reason to lie to her. “Let’s find Astley and get the hell off this island while we still breathe.”
He took her hand and led her up the stairs. They climbed for what seemed like forever. Blind corner after blind corner, he felt her fretting over what they would face. His jaw set with determination, he took each turn as if the damn dragons of hell awaited him.
Each turn, however, was empty except for the inevitable locked gate he had to allow Máira to conquer. He couldn’t help the sense of pride he had in her when she magically opened each one. If he’d had time to admire her skill, he would have lovedto watch her nimble fingers at work. As it was, he stood guard, watching her back, and then once he heard the lock click free, he shoved her behind him as they moved on to the next. Each time he prepared to slay an attacking guard on the opposite side of the door, it was eerily vacant. Where were the guards?
Máira bent to work her magic on the fourth lock, but instead of hearing the click of the lock, her soft curse caught his attention. He glanced behind him just as she looked up, frustration evident in her furrowed brow.
“I bumbled it,” she admitted, as her eyes refused to meet his. “I’m sorry.”
“Try again,” he encouraged. “You can do it.”
“You don’t understand. I broke my tool in the lock. There’s no way to open it without brute force.” Her voice quivered.
Elias looked up at the wall. The odds were slim for the two of them not to be seen if they climbed up this particular wall this close to where the prisoners were being held. He was going to have to hide her somewhere and come back for her. Yet he didn’t relish leaving her behind. “I’m going to climb the wall?—”
“No,” she answered before he finished his sentence as she shook her head and clutched the front of his coat in her hands. “You can’t.”
“It’s what I do, Máira. I need to rescue the earl.”
“Then you’ll have to pull me over with you.”
He shook his head. “I can’t use the grappling hook here. I need to climb the wall and we don’t know what awaits us on the other side.”
“Nor do we know what awaits me if I stay here.”
Every word she uttered nearly gutted him. He should’ve never taken her along. He sighed in defeat. “Fine. I go first and I’ll drop you the rope if all is clear.”
Her feminine smile of satisfaction made him want to show her just exactly who was in charge, but that would have to wait.“Remember how I showed you how to wrap the rope around you?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” A moment passed between them as he looked down into her eyes. He kissed her forehead, his warm lips meeting her cool skin. He didn’t dare kiss her lips because despite the danger, or maybe because of the danger, he wanted more. He always would.
Elias draped his bag over his head and one shoulder and leapt up the wall. As quickly as possible, he climbed. One foothold for every pull of his hands. Ignoring the bite of stone across his skin, he gambled with the impossible footholds and momentum that wouldn’t last if he didn’t keep moving. He climbed and climbed till his fingers grasped the top ledge, where he paused to listen for any sound of movement on the other side.
