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CHAPTER21
Pippa made it to the base of the enormous rock formation jutting out of the rock pools at the edge of the cove. She looked up and knew a moment’s hesitation. The sheer enormity of the rock was much larger when standing at its base than it appeared from the beach. She swallowed her reserve and stepped over the wet sand from the receded tide. She needed to push herself as much as she was able, to get her heart thudding in a way that William could not claim ownership of.
She was angry with him, but more at herself for falling victim to his flirtatious ways. The cad.
Wedging her foot into a low groove, Pippa pulled herself up and began to climb. It was not overly steep, and the climb would have been fairly simple even for the children, but her skirt whipping in the wind did make it a little more complicated than she had hoped. She kept to the side that pressed nearly against the sheer cliffside, focusing her attention on locating proper footholds. Pippa might break convention with her climbing habits, but she was not reckless.
She crested the peak she was on and looked over her shoulder at the beautiful view of the waves crashing against the rocks and the tips of Camden Court on the other side of the cove’s curve. The thudding of her heart pulsed in her ears. Black birds swooped over the sky and landed on a rock further out to sea. She wanted to climb higher, but she’d promised Mabel she’d return before their guests arrived, and that didn’t leave her much time.
Breathing in the salty air, Pippa felt refreshed. Her heart pounded, her chest heaved, and her muscles ached softly from the exertion. She felt, and it had nothing to do with William. It was rejuvenating.
She had allowed herself to fall victim to a handsome man and his cunning tongue, but she would not give him more of herself. It was a blessed thing she had not allowed him to kiss her, for that would only have made the hurt more acute.
Pippa turned to find the best pathway to descend, saving the higher peak for another day and a skirt which lent itself better to climbing. A narrow, dark inlet caught her eye up against the side of the cliff. It looked to be a small cave set up the cliffside at least the height of two fully grown men standing feet to head. Pippa scrambled closer. An array of twigs and dried grass poked from the edge. A bird had nested within the small cave, but by the look of the broken shells and bits of twigs, they were long gone.
She reached from her perch to the cliffside and moved the nest over. She couldn’t see how far back the little cave reached, but she imagined it had been a bird refuge for many years, tucked away as it was into the side of the cliff and not easily accessible.
Pippa had never noticed it herself, and she’d been coming to this beach for more than half her life. Birds often flew around up here, but they perched on the rock she was currently standing upon and she’d never looked to the shadowed cliffside and expected more.
After one final lungful of salty air, Pippa climbed down from the rock until her feet were securely on the wet rock pools at its base. She stepped back and took in the majestic rock. She had only made it just over halfway up, but that was high enough for today. She searched for the bird’s refuge and found it easily, the space darker than the rest of the cliffside.
Shadows dripped down the rocky side where the cliff shape undulated and shifted, but she could easily pinpoint the cave’s location. It was so plain to see now that she knew where it was. Perhaps she hadn’t noticed it before because she hadn’t known where to look.
Pippa watched the birds fly over the rock for a few minutes more, but none of them went near the cave, reinforcing her belief that the bird who’d been using it was now gone. Gathering herself, she turned back for her house.
It was time to have dinner with a wolf.
* * *
William approached the tree-lined drive to Camden Court with anticipation to see Pippa, but worry lodged in his gut and refused to vacate. Worry that they wouldn’t be able to clear the church of their products in time, that Ainsworth would descend at any moment and arrest Roger for the shooting in Dorset, that William would never be free of the duty he felt to aid his father and brother.
Roger walked at his side, a smug smile lifting his lips. “Why so glum, Will?”
Despite his eagerness to see Pippa again, Will could not erase the memory of Ainsworth’s calm expression from earlier that day. Too calm. The man’s confidence filled William with trepidation. Ainsworth should have been upset to have come so close to catching William and his men, and having them slip through his fingers.
Because the only explanation William could reasonably understand was that Ainsworth planned to exact his revenge by putting all of them in gaol, and not settling for just Roger. Otherwise, he could have already moved on Roger’s arrest, could he not?
William looked at his friend in mild confusion. “Are you not worried at all? You saw Ainsworth’s face at the church today. He wasn’t troubled in the least.”
Roger’s smile slipped. Ah, so he was concerned, even if he tried to hide it. It was a little comforting to know he didn’t believe himself invincible. “The man doesn’t have enough evidence to arrest me, or he would have done so by now.”
“That is one theory. Perhaps his purpose in coming here is to gather enough evidence to arrest you. To arrest us all.” William shook his head. “We’re being foolish by pretending otherwise.”
Roger paused on the walkway and grabbed William’s arm. His angular face grew shadowed and serious. “I am not unaware of the danger here, Will. I am merely not allowing it to show so readily. You needn’t remind me how my neck was on the line. I felt it keenly.”
“Was?”
“Yes, was. If Ainsworth had just cause to arrest me, he would have done it the moment he located us. But the night was so dark when it happened, and I’m fairly certain—no, I’m positive he did not see who shot the gun.”
William shrugged his arm free. Roger made a valid observation. “That’s an interesting point. I couldn’t understand why Ainsworth hadn’t yet made his move, but perhaps you’re correct. Maybe the darkness protected you, if only just.” And in doing so, made all of them a target. If Ainsworth did not know who to blame, would he indeed blame them all? Father must have made their guilt obvious by forcing them to flee. No one else left Dorset except the three of them.
Father must not have considered that to begin with or he wouldn’t have believed that bringing Roger to Collacott would protect him. Though in his own words, they’d never been truly hiding.
They approached the front door of Camden Court and were let inside by a servant who took their discarded coats and hats. Voices came from the drawing room, filtering into the hall and wrapping about William like a warm, comforting blanket. He was eager to join the Mackenzie family, and even more excited to see Pippa. He crossed into the room just after Roger and met with Mac’s tall form near the door. They exchanged pleasantries and lamented the water-bogged earth due to the previous night’s storm, but William’s attention was repeatedly drawn back to Pippa’s straight back, facing him from the far window. She bounced Liam on her hip and hadn’t moved from her position watching out the window since he’d arrived.
Had she been watching him approach the house? Surely she was not ignorant of his presence in the room.
And yet, she still would not turn and face him.
