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Lileas let out another long wail. “I want to get out!”

“She must have slipped when she was running and somehow landed down there,” Davina gasped. “My God, she could have been killed falling down through that rock.”

James turned a frustrated eye on Davina. “Lower yer voice! The lass is frightened enough without hearing yer words of doom.”

“I’m sorry.” Davina looked contrite, but then her eyes brightened with hope. “She cannae be too badly injured if she can speak to us.”

“And sob,” James muttered, then felt guilty for his uncharitable reaction. The child was terrified and rightly so. She was in grave danger. Miraculously, she had survived the fall, yet he needed to ensure she survived the rescue.

James dropped to his knees and then to his belly, straining for a better look. His brow rose in astonishment when he spied Lileas standing precariously on a narrow ledge a good ten feet inside the split.

How the bloody hell had she gotten in there without breaking her neck?

Yet what worried him more was the sight of another ledge a few feet in front of the child. There was no telling how deep it was or how much farther she would drop if she stumbled into it.

“I see some footholds on the side of the rock near her head,” Davina said. “Should we encourage her to try and climb out? If she moves up just a few feet, you can grab her.”

Startled, James turned to find Davina lying beside him on her stomach as she, too, peered into the opening. She turned her head and they were nose to nose. His heart quickened and a peculiar heat invaded him as memories flashed through his mind of them lying together, locked in a passionate embrace.

’Twas no use. Even under the most trying circumstances, Davina could still make his mind—and his cock—race with wicked images. Shaking away those erotic thoughts, he concentrated on the problem at hand.

“’Tis far too dangerous to tell Lileas to climb up. If she slips, she could be badly injured. Besides, I doubt she has the strength to pull herself very far.” James reversed his position and gingerly sat at the edge of the opening, dangling his legs inside.

“Ye willnae fit,” Davina said, her face bleak.

Fearing she was right, James nevertheless ignored her. Using the ledge of rock in front of him for leverage, he slowly started lowering himself down the crevice. But as he feared, he stopped dead once he reached his chest. The opening was too narrow to allow him to pass.

Cursing beneath his breath, he pulled himself back.

“Wait! I see yer feet!” Lileas cried. “Come back fer me, Uncle James. Dinnae leave me here! It’s dark and cold. I promise I’ll be a good lass. I promise.”

Her pitiful, terrifying sobs tore at his heart, frustrating him further. An equally agitated Davina paced back and forth in front of him.

“I’ve no rope with me, but maybe we can fashion one from the vines of ivy we gathered,” James suggested.

Davina ceased pacing. Her brow furrowed as she considered the idea. “I fear it willnae be strong enough. She’s a wee lass, but a sturdy one.” She gulped nervously and held out her arms. “Lower me down.”

She had removed her cloak and was shivering. Partly from cold, but also, James suspected, from fear, for he remembered well her aversion to small, dark places.

“Nay, Davina—”

“’Tis the only way, James, and ye know it. I’ll lift her onto my shoulders. If she stands tall and holds her arms up, ye should be able to pull her out.”

“And how are ye going to get out?”

Davina swallowed hard. “I’ll climb up until ye can reach me.”

He lifted a skeptical brow. “A lot must have drastically changed these past years. Exactly when did ye become an agile climber?”

Her chin lifted, but she averted her eyes. “When the need became dire.”

He glanced uncertainly at Davina. “Nay. ’Tis a foolish plan. If it fails, I’ll have two of ye stuck down there, instead of one.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Aye, I am clumsy and not overly fond of heights. But the sleet is falling and darkness will soon be upon us. I cannae ride alone to get help, nor can ye ride away and leave us here. And we cannae wait until help arrives. It could be hours until someone realizes we haven’t yet returned. We must act now.”

Her bravery impressed him. As did her argument. Though they were not that far from the castle, they had few choices. Somehow, they must rescue the child themselves.

Davina walked to the lip of the crevice, then turned and held out her hands. “Will ye lower me down?”