Page 50 of The Lady Glass
Rolland didn’t go any farther. “I would’ve thought you thrived off situations like this. But no, Marcus won’t mind I am showing you this, because...”
“Because?”
“Because he thinks I am fond of you.”
The whispered words spoken in the dark sent gooseflesh down her arms.
“He knows about my father’s arrangement but doesn’t understand my commitment to it.”
She licked her dry lips, unsure how to respond. He was still holding her hand, so it was hard to hear what he was saying and believe he was meant to be with anyone but her. Her own plans were not as sharp as before, but she couldn’t falter now. There was no use dreaming of what wasn’t meant to be.
“Wh-where does this passage lead us?” The words came out choked, and it had nothing to do with where they were.
“Hold on. We’re about to go up some stairs. It’s narrow, so you might have to turn sideways. I’ll continue to lead you to capture any spiderwebs. Unless, of course, you’re afraid of the dark or confined spaces. I should’ve asked first.”
She gave a quiet laugh. “Have you forgotten about my brave spirit? Press on, Captain.”
He chuckled and they took the first few stairs.
Truly, if he weren’t holding her hand, she might have been a little nervous. But not from the dark. “Did you say there are spiders in here?”
She felt his hand shake slightly from the vibration of his quietlaughter.
“I’m not scared. I’m only curious of the size of them... and where exactly they would be.”
“I’ll protect you; I promise.”
His words sent a thrill racing through her. She believed him too.
She didn’t have to turn sideways, but she did feel the brush of the narrow walls a few times. When they reached the top, Rolland hesitated. “Here’s the tricky part,” he whispered.
“What’s that?”
“Exiting without being seen.”
“How can you be certain we won’t be?” she whispered back.
“We’ll take a moment to listen for any footsteps, and then I’ll take a peek.”
She didn’t answer but stretched her ear to listen too. A faint noise sounded, and she squeezed his hand in case he missed it. He squeezed it back, the rest of him holding perfectly still. The noises were muffled and possibly belonged to more than one person walking by.
She hadn’t expected the noises to stop on the other side of the passage, nor to hear voices next.
“Just act natural, and I’ll take care of everything,” the voice said.
She froze, the simple words making her head spin. French! He was speaking French!
“Rolland!” she whispered.
“I heard him,” he said, his voice barely audible.
The footsteps faded. “It’s him. I know it is!”
“I believe you,” he said quickly. “Switch me places, and I will hurry back down and see if I can intercept them. You stay here for the count of sixty, and if you’re sure you’re in the clear, turn this handle and you’ll exit in a small alcove. It’s blocked by a potted tree, but you’ll still need to be careful. Go right since Ithink that’s the direction they were going. And, for your own safety, don’t give away that you know anything.”
“Of course.”
He took the hand he was holding and set it on the handle. Then he put his hands on either side of her arms and squeezed past her.
