My Noble Disgrace by Lisa Campbell

Author:Lisa Campbell [Campbell, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twenty-One

We all jumped at the sound.

The person on the other side of the door continued their struggle to open it, and the chair that held it started to slide.

Cait and Lachlan darted over, pressing their weight against the door.

I eyed the tapestry Graham had emerged from.

“Help us,” I said quietly to him, trying to keep my voice from being heard by the people outside. “Please.”

He looked back and forth between me and the door as if considering his options. Then he came close to me, speaking in a hushed voice. “What’s wrong with Pearce?”

“Help us get out of here and I’ll explain.” I reached for him, gripping his hand.

He looked down, his face reddening from my touch before he pulled away. “You don’t deserve my help.”

“I know,” I said, “but I swear on the pyre of my mother that I would do this for you, if that means anything at all.”

“I’m not a murderer and a traitor,” he said between gritted teeth.

“I’m not a murderer either,” I said, which wasn’t strictly true.

He raised an eyebrow at Pearce. “What did you do to him?”

“I can explain. I promise. Just get us out of here—please.”

More pounding came from the door as it trembled on its hinges.

“Graham.” I reached for his hand again, and this time, he didn’t pull away. “Please help us, I beg of you.”

He sucked in a breath, his lips tight, before speaking in a barely audible voice. “Will Pearce be okay?”

“Yes,” I said, “I promise.”

“Fine,” he said, “but you better explain all of this.”

“I will.”

The entire door shook, the chair creaking and groaning under the pressure. Cait and Lachlan gritted their teeth as they pressed their backs against it.

But then it went quiet. The person on the other side seemed to give up.

Cait left the door and crouched by Pearce where he sat slumped on the floor. “We’ll let you go—for now. But keep in mind, we’re the only ones who know how to contact your grandson, so if you want to see him again, tell no one about this.” She lifted her blue skirts and backed away, heading for the tapestry on the opposite side of the room.

Pearce watched us from the floor with an almost serene expression on his face, but he was still breathing.

Graham rushed to the corner of the tapestry, lifting it away from the wall and gesturing to us. He ducked behind the fabric and I followed him, Cait and Lachlan close behind.

We passed through a door that blended into the dark paneled wall. The moment we all stepped into the pitch-black corridor between the walls, I pulled out the light from my bag and switched it on.

“What on earth is that?” Graham asked, scrutinizing the cylinder in my hands.

“Electric torch?” I directed the beam of light down the narrow passage ahead of us. The walls were rough stone, with broken cobwebs hanging from them.

“And that black box with the voice?” asked Graham. “Care to explain that to me?”

“I will later,” I said.

Graham looked exasperated as he ran a hand through his hair.

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