Page 38 of To Claim His Highland Bride

Marcus once more took her hand and followed. As they moved along the passageway, the ground beneath them dipped down. A stream of water covered the rock, but a bank was visible again on the opposite side. Marcus released Rowena’s hand and jumped across. “Come. It’s a fairly easy crossing. Worst that will happen is your boots might get wet.”

Her heart sped up, and a tumbling mix of excitement and anxiety dampened her palms, turning them cold and clammy. With a leap, she made it easily to the other side. They continued walking. Only the sound of their breathing and their soft footfalls echoed around them. The cold dampness of the stone walls seeped into Rowena’s bones and plastered her leather tunic and trousers to her skin, but she didn’t notice the discomfort. All she could think about was the treasure that may lie ahead and how it would fund her future life.

After what felt like an eternity, Bryce stopped.

“What is it?” Marcus asked.

“There are two tunnels. Which direction should we head?” As Bryce held his lantern aloft it wobbled in his hands, causing the light to vibrate haphazardly across the arched entrances to two tunnels.

“It should be safe enough for us to split up. Since it will take a while for the men to return from the ship, we have time to explore. What do you say we each progress deeper into the cave for five hundred paces, then head back here to report?”

Bryce shrugged. “Fine by me as long as you take Rowena with you.”

“Of course.” Marcus took her hand, and they moved towards the tunnel on the left.

“I’m betting the treasure is this way.” With a grin, Bryce headed for the tunnel on the right.

Deep inside the tunnel Rowena remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt Marcus’s counting of his paces, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the earlier trembling she’d experienced. Marcus did not seem to notice, nor did he seem to feel the uneasiness she was feeling.

When Marcus reached five hundred paces, he stopped. They’d come to a larger opening in the tunnel. On one side, the rock dipped downward. On the other, there was a kind of platform. Marcus released her hand and jumped onto the elevated rock, searching the shadows. It would have been a perfect place to store more of the treasure. “Hmm,” he said, turning back towards her and jumping down. “Nothing is here.” He held the lantern higher, illuminating the distance.

“What if we can’t find any more of Jacob Thorne’s treasure?”

“Then we’ve lost nothing. What we did find will be enough for the men and Bryce to live well for what remains of their lifetimes.”

“Yet you wanted more for your men.”

Marcus shrugged. “No amount of treasure will ever assuage the guilt I feel over their loss.”

“Oh, Marcus, before anyone else can forgive you, you must forgive yourself. What happened was not your fault.” She had meant to say more but a sudden odd sound in the distance stopped her. Marcus must have heard it too by the expression on his face. “What is that?”

He didn’t answer as they both kept listening to the shushing sound growing ever louder and closer. Suddenly water swirled into the tunnel where they stood, covering their feet in the span of a heartbeat, with more rushing in.

“Come with me, Rowena, quickly.” Marcus moved to the elevated rock. “Give me your hand.” After jumping onto the platform, he stretched his hand down and lifted her up. His hands came about her waist as he pulled her back from the ledge. In a matter of moments, the entire chamber was filled with rushing water.

“What is happening?” Rowena asked, turning to Marcus. At the look on his face, fear clutched her.

“The tide. How could I have been so foolish as to forget about the tide?” Agony reverberated in his tone.

Despite her fear she would not allow him to add this burden to those he already carried. “Tides come in and go. All we have to do is wait it out. This shelf seems to have protected us from the water. In six hours the water should recede and we will be able to make our way back to your men, who will no doubt be waiting for us.”

“And if this is just the beginning of the higher tide, then we might possibly drown in the next six hours.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “’Tis my worst nightmare coming true all over again.”

Rowena drew a breath and released it, trying to remain calm. Giving in to terror would not help either of them in this situation. “I am going to believe that this will be the worst of it. Come.” She motioned back towards where he’d set the lantern. “Let’s sit and conserve our strength for the journey out of here in six hours.”

He hesitated. “What about Bryce?”

“He’s clever and resourceful, as all MacDonalds seem to be.” Rowena smiled. “He’ll find a way just as we did to wait this out.”

Marcus released a deep shuddering breath before joining her near the lantern. They both sat down. “You are right about one thing. All we can do is wait.” He turned to look at the candle in the lantern. “We only have about four hours of light left. If we are going to make certain we can avoid any dangers on our way back out of this cavern, then we’ll have to extinguish the light.”

Rowena swallowed roughly. She wasn’t afraid of the dark and Marcus was with her, but willingly pitching themselves into total darkness while they couldn’t see whether the water was rising or receding left her unsettled. Yet it was something that had to be done. “You can relight the wick?”

He patted his sporran. “I have flint and steel.”

Rowena looked about her. There was nothing they could use in the cave to make a fire. “Very well.”

“Take a good look around. Try to memorise our little shelf in case we need to move about.”