I watched as the footman got up unsteadily, picked up a platefrom the stack we had made on the floor, smashed it and advanced towards William with the biggest and sharpest shard.
‘William! Watch out!’ I screamed.
I ran at the footman, picking up the closest thing to hand. I heard Aunt Bill calling to me. William and Harold were fighting. Everything seemed like it was in a dream.
Maids from the kitchen ran in. Screamed. Tried to intervene in the fighting. As far as I was aware, none of them had seen Aunt Bill, Hermione and Violet go into the trap door. Aunt Bill had pulled the cover of the door closed just in time.
My hand had closed around a large crystal jug. It was the sort of thing that cocktails would be served in, at a summer party. It was heavy.
I was about to do what Aunt Bill had done, whack this footman over the back of the head with him and knock him out, but William got there first.
He landed a powerful punch on Harold, making him sink to his knees, and turned in the same instant to knock the footman’s knees out from under him. His head resounded loudly on the wet stone floor.
The maids were watching us, but we couldn’t do anything about that now. I dragged William to the cover of the tunnel, pulled it up and climbed in.
When we were inside, we pulled across a bolt so that no one could open it from their side.
‘William. You’re bleeding.’ Aunt Bill had brought a lamp for us, and I picked it up to examine William’s beaten hands, and his nose, which was bloody.
‘I’m fine.’ He took the lamp. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
TWENTY-EIGHT
I held the lamp up in front of my eyes and looked into the tunnel. A lump formed in my throat.
It was low, hollowed out from the earth, and roots hung from the ceiling. The sides of the tunnel were shored up with rotting wooden posts. Some of them had fallen in.
There was something primal about wanting to be in the light. All my instincts resisted walking into a dark underground tunnel; everything in my body shoutedNOwhen I tried to move forward. But, I had to. In a very literal sense, the only way out was through.
William saw my hesitation and took my hand.
‘Would you like me to lead the way?’ he asked, gently. I shook my head.
‘No. It’s okay. I can do it.’
We walked on in silence for a moment, and then he chuckled.
‘You were going to knock that footman out with that crystal vase,’ he commented. ‘I had no idea that you were such a little tigress.’
‘Didn’t you?’ I shot him a regal look over my shoulder.
‘Hm. A fair point. You are a tigress in the bedroom.’ He chuckled again. ‘Perhaps, then, I underestimated your… significant powers… in other areas.’
‘We needed to get away. I thought they were going to get the better of you.’
‘Pah. I have fought three men at once and won.’
‘I know, I know. You’re invincible. Believe me, your fighting skills were very welcome, just then,’ I admitted.
‘If I cannot protect your honour, and the honour of any lady, then what use am I?’ I knew that was William’s honest opinion, and I loved him for it. ‘Violence is a last resort in the presence of a woman, and certainly a child, but sometimes there is no other choice. And the fact that… scoundrel… dared to issue orders to the Lady of Trevarron…’ William trailed off. ‘It fills me with fury. As if I was not furious enough about the actions of Albert Trevarron. I refuse to call him Lord, even. He does not deserve the title.’
‘I agree,’ I said as we picked our way along the tunnel. There was a lot of fallen rock underfoot, and plant roots tugged unpleasantly at my hair and at my clothes as we walked.
My main concern was the air, however. I was aware that the further we went into the tunnel, the more likely any available ventilation would fail.
‘Was ventilation ever considered when these things were built?’ I asked William. ‘Did your father tell you anything about them?’
‘If he did, I do not recall.’ William sighed. ‘We take a risk being here. It was always a risk.’
