“Are you sure you’ve searched in that direction?” Laura asked Fiona. Having agreed to help her sister find the elusive Thorncliff treasure, she’d ventured into the tunnels below the manor together with Milton, Rachel, Belgrave, Montsmouth, Emily, and Chadwick.

“Quite,” Fiona stated with certainty. She looked toward Chadwick, who held one of the four lanterns they’d brought along. “Am I not correct?”

“You are,” he said as he swung the light around. After following the tunnel he and Fiona had been exploring the previous day, they’d arrived at a cross section.

“Shall we split up then?” Laura asked. “Emily and Montsmouth could come with me and Lamont.”

“It will be more efficient than all of us going the same way,” Rachel said, while Belgrave nodded. After announcing their betrothal at breakfast, the earl had taken every opportunity to dote on his fiancée, while Rachel herself had smiled a lot more than usual.

Laura could not be more pleased. Even though she and Milton had not yet made a public announcement, she was thrilled to know Rachel, who’d been least likely to marry, had managed to find both love and happiness.

And then there was Emily and Montsmouth – a couple Laura still had to get used to, though Emily’s assurance he was everything she’d ever hoped for offered more than enough reassurance. And although they had only just made their courtship known, Laura was certain they would soon be announcing their engagement, if the tender looks they were sending each other were any indication.

“Come on then,” Montsmouth said. He started down the tunnel to the left.

“See you later,” Fiona called. She hurried after Chadwick with Rachel and Belgrave in quick pursuit.

“After you.” Milton pressed his palm against Laura’s back. The depth of his voice lent a rich warmth that seemed to ward off the damp chill of the tunnel.

Starting after her sister and Montsmouth, Laura remained aware of Milton’s solid presence behind her. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a firm chest with hardened planes that bore evidence of an active lifestyle. As a woman who’d spent the greater part of her life imagining what her perfect hero might look like, she had to admit Milton was as close to perfection as she might have wished. In fact, she’d considered him at great length for some time – long before she’d ever imagined forming an attachment to him herself.

Inclined to admit her secret, she allowed Emily and Montsmouth to move on a few paces so they wouldn’t hear what was only meant for Milton’s ears. “You ought to know I’ve admired you for some time.”

There was a slight moment of silence, and then a quietly murmured, “Really?” He sounded intrigued.

“When I started working on my first novel—”

“The one you recently published?”

“No. The one to which I am referring has never been read by anyone.” She continued forward, carefully watching her footsteps while she went. The ground felt lumpy beneath her feet, with stones occasionally sticking up in a way that made her trip at least once. Milton caught her by the elbow with a steadying hand. “It features a woman who flees her mean-spirited guardian.”

“The best stories do have a heavy dose of drama.”

“I absolutely agree,” Laura said. “And in this case, it offered the perfect opening for the hero to come to the rescue.” Milton chuckled so deeply, she felt the vibrations flowing through her. Had they been completely alone… She forced herself to focus on what she’d been saying. “I wanted him to be strong – tall with broad shoulders and dashingly handsome. At the time, I didn’t know anyone perfect enough to offer inspiration. Nobody really fit the image I had in my mind. Until I attended the Jupiter ball and saw you.”

He was suddenly closer than before – so close she could feel his breath fanning across her neck. His hand clasped her shoulder, and his lips grazed her ear when he leaned forward to whisper, “And then?”

She could scarcely speak for the jittery nerves now bubbling up inside her. He’d lit her whole body on fire with that simple question. Against the tightening of her bodice, her heart drummed a rapid beat, the effect so intoxicating it made her feel slightly faint. “And then I had my inspiration for every hero I’ve written since.”

His teeth scraped the side of her neck in a playful caress that made stars spark behind her eyes. “You drive me to distraction, Laura.”

Shivering slightly, she whispered back, “I cannot wait for us to be wed – the sooner we make our engagement known, the better.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He’d leaned back again, adding some respectable distance, but not without letting his hand slide down her side and over her thigh.

Heavens, she’d never have thought a man might provoke such intense sensations inside her – that he might make her want things no decent woman had any business wanting. She’d probably have to broach the subject with him at some point. After all, she did hope to base her marriage on honesty.

“There’s another intersection here,” Emily said from further ahead.

Laura approached, with Milton right behind her. “I wonder if we’ll ever find the end of these tunnels.”

“Shall we split up again?” Montsmouth asked. “We can give ourselves half an hour and then meet back here. Do you have your pocket watch with you, Lamont?”

“I do.” He pulled it out and checked the time. “It’s three o’clock right now.”

“Good. We’ll meet you back here at half past three. Does that sound reasonable?” Montsmouth looked from Laura to Milton and back again.

“I believe so,” Laura said with a glance toward her sister. There was no missing the hopeful gleam in her eyes or the color that rose to her cheeks. No doubt she was as eager to be alone with Montsmouth as Laura was to have Milton for herself.

“Then it’s settled,” Montsmouth said. Moving away from Laura and Milton, he guided Emily down the tunnel to the left.

The glow from his lantern diminished as they went, leaving Laura and Milton with considerably less light than before. “Allow me to lead the way.” He stepped in front of her and started walking.

“I don’t suppose you were counting on such an adventure when you decided to visit Thorncliff for Christmas.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder, the planes of his face cast in dark relief and his eyes so black she could not make them out. “I didn’t count on a lot of things, but I had my hopes. This adventure, as you call it, will be an interesting tale for us to tell our children one day.”

The mention of starting a family together made Laura’s toes curl with pleasure. “I never dared hope I would—” The sound of grating rock cut her off, and she instinctively leapt toward Milton who pulled her aside and away from a wall that slid into place, blocking their way back. Laura stared at it for a long moment before glancing down at the ground. “We must have triggered something.”

“I felt a sinking movement beneath my foot right before it happened.” He stomped around a bit, testing the ground. “It’s right here, but I don’t see a way to reverse the effect.”

“It probably has to be done from the other side of that wall.”

“Or perhaps there was no plan to reverse anything – perhaps this was meant to safeguard the treasure.”

“That would mean it has to be somewhere back the way we came.” Laura had never felt more deflated. “Our hope of finding it now is close to nil if your hypothesis is true.”

“Agreed, though there is still a chance of your siblings finding it.”

She expelled a deep breath. “We won’t even be able to meet Emily and Montsmouth at the designated time.”

“No. We’ve no choice but to continue in this direction and hope we find a way out.”

Laura suddenly felt less brave than she had done when they’d all agreed to explore the Thorncliff foundations. “Do you suppose we might have some trouble with that?”

Taking her by the hand, Milton started off at a moderate pace. “No, but whether or not we do before this lantern runs out of fuel depends on the length of this tunnel. If I may, I’d like to suggest we make haste.”

Agreeing with his logic, Laura gathered up the hem of her gown so she could walk faster. The air was musty and damp with a hint of dirt clinging to it that prompted her to cough every couple of minutes.

“I cannot wait to return upstairs for a cup of hot tea.” In spite of the spencer and shawl she’d brought with her, she could feel the chilly air ripping through every layer of fabric and sinking its fangs into her skin.

Milton drew to a halt, set down the lantern, and began shrugging out of his jacket. “Here,” he told her. He set the heavy garment over her shoulders. His warmth still clung to the fabric, infusing her with the heat she needed.

Still, she could not allow him to suffer on her account. “No. I couldn’t possibly. You’ll catch a cold or worse.”

“Better me than you,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. Snatching up the lantern once more, he recommenced walking. “Look there. Do you see that?”

She didn’t see anything at all since his much larger size blocked most of her view. “What is it?”

“Looks like a door.”

Hope brimmed inside her. She no longer cared about finding the treasure. Her feet hurt, Milton was likely freezing, and with their way back blocked, her only interest at present was in finding some means of escape as quickly as possible. If there was a door, then they might have found an alternate route.

“It’s locked,” Milton said, shortly after he’d tried to first pull, then push on the handle. He held the lantern toward Laura. “Hold this please and step back a bit.”

She did so without question, watching silently while Milton threw his right shoulder against the door once, twice, three times. It finally splintered beneath his weight in an impressive show of masculine strength and power. Laura stared at the bits of wood that lay strewn around and at those still hanging from the hinges.

“Most of it was rotted.” He rubbed his shoulder for a moment before taking the lantern from her hand. “Breaking it down would have been a lot harder otherwise.”

“I still find your efforts incredibly admirable.” Of course, she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from his chest or from his arms. The muscles there were far more apparent now that he’d taken off his jacket, and the sight made Laura long for more contact between them – for him to hold her close so she could revel in the security he was capable of providing.

Meeting her gaze, he paused for one second before muttering something beneath his breath and heading through the now open doorway. She followed him into a large circular room with a spiral staircase built out of stone. Milton took a turn of the space with the lantern. “It looks as though the only way for us to go is up,” he said.

“Do you think this might be a remnant from the original manor? Spencer says it was built by a knight in the twelfth century.”

“Judging from the way the stones are laid – the style of masonry, that is – I’d say this stairwell is quite a lot older than other parts of the manor. The themed salons, for instance, were probably built a couple of centuries ago. But the interior courtyard which sits to the west of the foyer and some of the hallways there share a medieval look.”

“The ballroom doesn’t, and that room is right off the courtyard.”

“Lady Duncaster has said the manor has undergone many renovations – most recently under her own supervision. To dress a room with polished wood flooring, mirrors, and stucco would not have been difficult.”

“And it would have transformed it tremendously.”

He smiled in response, then turned toward the stairs and allowed the glow from his lantern to light the first steps. “Shall we see where this leads?”

Nodding, she followed him up slowly until they arrived at a wide landing which didn’t appear to have any doors. Instead, a large square piece of glass had been set into the stone roughly four feet off the ground. Milton held his lantern toward it and Laura stepped up beside him for a closer look. “Is that—”

“Lord Duncaster’s study,” Milton said with as much awe as Laura felt. “This has to be the mirror above the fireplace.”

“Do you think there’s a way to get in there from here?”

Milton shifted the lantern, holding it as close as possible to the wall so the light could spill across the uneven surface of crudely shaped bricks.

“There,” Laura said with a sudden sense of excitement when she glimpsed a slight anomaly in the structure. “Go back. A bit more. Yes. Right there. What is that?”

Milton peered down at the brick Laura was pointing toward. “It looks as if something’s been etched into it…letters or numbers perhaps?”

Laura leaned in as well and allowed her fingers to trail across the rough indentations. “I think this might be an N followed by a C…no, there’s another line here. It has to be an E and a…” She frowned as she tried to make sense of the squiggly letter. “I don’t know, but the last one looks like an S, so perhaps the one I can’t figure out is a W?” Leaning back, she met Milton’s gaze. “It would make sense with the references my siblings found to North, South, East and West, both in my grandfather’s notes and the letter my great aunt sent from France.”

“They decided to leave their mark, though I suspect there may be more to it than that.” Reaching out, he placed the palm of his hand against the brick and pushed.

The wall creaked before starting to turn with a grating sound while dust spilled from every crack. Laura stared at the opening it formed. She could see the fireplace molding now as it stood sideways, allowing for passage on either side. “Shall I go first?”

“Please do,” Milton said. Stepping forward, he lowered the lantern to light her way before following.

Laura scrambled out into the study on her hands and knees, her foot catching on the hem of her gown and causing her to fall forward. She immediately rolled onto her back and sat up.

“Are you all right?” Milton asked, coming to kneel by her side. He’d set the lantern down and placed his hand against her cheek. A frown crinkled his forehead, while concern flooded his eyes. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“No.” Laura leaned against his touch, reveling in the feel of his skin and the warmth he emitted. Placing her palms on the carpet behind her, she leaned back on her arms and tipped up her chin. “I am fine.” She couldn’t quite stop herself from dropping her gaze to his lips and admiring their fullness. Her own felt suddenly dry, so she licked them, aware he followed the movement with a dark sort of interest that instantly tightened her limbs.

He leaned forward, paused long enough to allow their breaths to mingle, and then pressed his mouth to hers with an urgency that pushed her off balance. Her hands slid outward, and she was suddenly on her back with his much larger body pinning her down to the floor. His lips were moving against hers while his hands slid scandalously against her thigh, her waist, the side of her breast. She moaned, deep and throaty, as she gave herself up to his kiss and to every sensation he was trying to bestow. She tasted toffee, nuts, and chocolate…a hint of coffee too. The flavor was more than divine, it was intoxicating.

He pressed himself closer, kissing her fully and deeply until he groaned with a pleasure that heated her skin and tightened her belly. Her arms wound their way around him, hugging him close while she arched up against him, her skirts a tangled mess around her knees…knees he suddenly touched with his hand…a hand sliding gradually higher. “Yes… Please…”

The door to the study burst open, and Milton cursed as he threw himself off her and pulled down her skirts. Light flooded the space, and Laura sat up, blinking past locks of stray hair that had come undone from her coiffure to fall across her forehead.

“Well. If this isn’t a compromising situation, I don’t know what is,” came Lady Duncaster’s voice.

“I can explain,” Milton said, now helping Laura to rise so she could appreciate the true awfulness of the situation. Because Lady Duncaster wasn’t alone. Laura’s mother and father stood by the countess’s side, both staring at Laura and Milton with grim expressions.

“I look forward to hearing every word,” Lord Oakland remarked.

“We are affianced,” Laura blurted. The last thing she wanted was for Milton to have to endure her father’s wrath. “You may offer your congratulations.”

It was as if dark thunderclouds cleared, and the sun came shining through. “Well,” Laura’s mother exclaimed with a smile of pleasure completely apart from her previous expression of horror. She stepped forward, as did Lord Oakland, whose sudden grin was hard to fathom.

He shook Milton’s hand. “Welcome to the family.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased,” Lady Oakland added.

“I don’t know what to say,” Milton said. He sounded as stunned as Laura felt. But a quick glance in Lady Duncaster’s direction suggested that maybe this match had not been as accidental as Laura might have believed. She didn’t care. The most important thing of all was she’d found a man who was certain to love her as much as she would love him. And nothing in the world had ever felt more right than that.