The boy nodded. He glanced behind him at the house, guilt painfully etched in his young features. He’d learn soon enough that you had to betray everyone in order to get what you wanted out of life. Either that, or wait for them to betray you. It wasn’t a difficult choice once you learned that lesson.
The Raven pulled the counterfeit stone out of his bag. His carefully orchestrated theft from Westminster had been a thing of legends, printed all over the newspapers, a crime that had completely confounded the police. Sadly, it had all been for naught.
“Here,” The Raven said. “Put this one back in its place, and your brother will never know the difference.”
The boy looked unsure as he held firmly to the actual Stone of Destiny.
“That belongs in England with Her Majesty. It is a royal artifact, and she would very much like to see its return,” The Raven said, choosing his words carefully. For whatever foolish reason, this boy felt a strong attraction to the English aristocracy. “You know your brother is planning to keep that, and it was never meant to belong to anyone, but rather to be protected by the government.”
“Go to the devil,” Dougal snapped. “I’m not a fool. I know that Graeme would have done right by the queen.” He took the counterfeit and braced it under his arm.
The Raven smiled at him. “You’ve done the right thing.”
“You gave me no choice,” Dougal said, then turned and walked toward the cottage.
Now his plan was in motion. Eager to convince him of his veracity, Niall had described the other stone’s location in precise detail. The Raven needed only to wait until Niall was out of the cave so that he could rearrange the dynamite, setting a trap for the bastard. It seemed a fitting ending. A small explosion would kill Niall, but leave the treasure unharmed and waiting for Graeme. Such a pity
The Raven wouldn’t be there himself to witness Niall’s ending, but he had plans back in London he needed to attend to. Besides, digging around in the dirt wasn’t really a suitable activity for the future king of England.
Graeme would follow him back to London. After all, The Raven now possessed the authentic Stone of Destiny. The only reason that The Raven wasn’t killing Dougal right now was that he needed the brat to tell Graeme what he’d done. Once Dougal was no longer under The Raven’s influence, the boy would no doubt begin to feel guilty. In no time at all, he’d be running off to big brother to confess.
CHAPTER 20
Graeme moved quietly toward the cave. He knew Vanessa would be unhappy that he’d left without her, but he couldn’t trust the stability of the caves with Niall’s incessant use of dynamite. He would deal with her anger later. He had a task to accomplish, and he needed to do so without worrying about her safety.
Graeme had her notes in his pocket, crude drawings from the farmer who had originally found the bone that interested her. Her previous fiancé had swindled the notes from the poor man, then proceeded to ridicule his finding in every scientific journal he could. Vanessa had stolen the notes and had intended to discredit her fiancé. Once this business with the Kingmaker was resolved, Graeme fully intended to assist her in doing so. It would give him such pleasure to bring down the man who had hurt her.
Graeme hadn’t thought anything of the notes until he’d had that foolish dream. This quest could be utterly futile, but what if that treasure truly was resting in a pile of bones?
* * *
Vanessa muttered to herself as she climbed the slope of the hillside, trying to keep a safe distance from her husband. It was so like him to sneak off and leave her sleeping in bed. But she was not such a heavy sleeper that she did not notice him rustling through her belongings. She hadn’t heard him sneak into her room, but she’d heard him take something from her dressing table.
After he’d left the room, she’d waited a few moments, then lit the lantern and realized that he’d taken her notes. She’d seen him out the window leaving the house. She would not be a perfect little wife who stayed behind to embroider or mend her husband’s pants. If he was out in those caves, she would be too.
Daylight was fast approaching, which she greatly appreciated as she traversed the damp grass that led down to the caverns. What precisely did he intend to do with her notes? Or more to the point, what plans did he have for the notes that she’d stolen from Jeremy? Did he intend to find the bones for himself? Curiosity beat a wild path inside her, fueling her questions.
She walked softly as she entered the caves, knowing that the sound would echo and alert Graeme to her presence sooner than she’d like. He would notice her eventually. He had highly attuned senses and generally could tell when he was being followed. But she wanted him to get enough of a head start that she might be able to determine what he was after.
She continued to follow him. He moved into the open cavern that had tunnels leading off of it, much like a wagon wheel. He stood still.
If Graeme turned back and looked behind him, he’d see her. So Vanessa hid against the cavern wall, the chilled stone pressing through the warmth of her cloak and dress. She waited for Graeme to move farther into the cavern.
He held his lantern up, stepped into a tunnel, and disappeared into the darkness. Vanessa started to count; she’d follow on ten.
Before she could reach seven, an explosion shook the cave. Small rocks fell all around her. Luckily none of them hit her directly. Still her heart leapt into her throat.
Graeme.
Fear plastered her to the wall, and she froze. For two long breaths, she was unable to move. Then she ran, arms over her head to protect herself from the falling rocks.
“Graeme!” she yelled.
She ran down into the tunnel he’d selected. She hit something hard and warm and found herself braced against her husband’s body. She exhaled loudly, then swore. “You scared me,” she said.
“Vanessa! Damnation, woman, must you always follow me?” He held up a hand. “Don’t bother answering that.”
“Must you always try and sneak off without me?” she asked.