Free The Adventuress by TASHA ALEXANDER Page A

kissed him. Had I allowed him to keep talking, the opportunity might have escaped us. “I think the monks would have approved, do you not? They would not have constructed their church and castle and walls in such a romantic spot otherwise.”
    â€œSurely the monks constructed these battlements with an eye to defense rather than—”
    He stopped as a scream pierced the air. It was Amity. We moved as quickly as possible along the rough and uneven path through the ramparts until we reached her. Her face, drawn and pale, and her eyes, filled with tears, suggested some sort of injury, but it was Jeremy, not her, who appeared to be the worse for wear. He had fallen, face first, into the crenel between the solid parts of the battlement and appeared to be convulsing.
    â€œJeremy!” I pushed Augustus away and reached for my friend, stopping only when it became clear the convulsions were due to laughter. “What happened?”
    â€œOh, my dear, dear Amity.” He ignored me altogether and reached for his fiancée. “You ought not shriek like that—it will make a man think something terrible has happened.” He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head, unable to control his mirth. “What will our friends think? If you were behaving like a lady, my dear, you would not want to draw attention to the fact that I tripped.”
    â€œJeremy—”
    Amity interrupted me, but Jeremy had not so much as taken notice of our arrival. “I tripped, my love,” she said, brushing away her tears, “and I fell right against you. Thank heavens the force wasn’t enough to send you…” She gulped and the tears started again.
    â€œIt would have been difficult to get him to really fly.” Augustus’s voice was flat. “The crenel is nearly three feet deep, I would say.”
    â€œThank heavens for that,” Colin said. “Are you hurt in any way, Bainbridge?”
    Jeremy was brushing dust from his jacket. “I am not certain that my lapels shall ever truly recover, and my pride has, without doubt, taken a serious blow. Other than that, I am entirely unharmed.”
    â€œHow did this happen?” I asked.
    â€œAs I said, Emily, I tripped.” Amity’s eyes were dry and clear again. “These cobbles or stones or whatever paves the walk are slippery—and we both know that ladies’ shoes are not meant for vigorous expeditions. The smooth soles are a hazard on any surface. I reached out for Jeremy as I started to fall, but wound up pushing rather than grabbing him. You are quite certain I have not hurt you, my love?”
    â€œQuite,” Jeremy said, kissing his fiancée on the cheek. “Are we going to look at this wretched church or not? I can’t say I have a mad desire to stay up here any longer.”
    We descended from the walls—all of us, that is, save Augustus, who remained perched above, looking down in our direction with an eel-like grin on his face. I cannot claim any strict knowledge of eels, but I am certain that should one ever have the occasion to grin, it would bear an uncanny resemblance to him. Even after I turned away I could feel him watching me, and I was happy to disappear into the cool darkness of Notre Dame de l’Espérance. Happier still that Colin had had the foresight to bring me a shawl.
    It did not take long to tour the small but lovely church, and soon we were back outside and again in the sun. We crossed through a stone archway and into a yard next to the old castle keep. Margaret and Amity had already made their way inside, the rest of the group trailing behind them—all except Augustus, who was now sitting on a wall much lower than that of the ramparts we had crossed. I walked over to him, nodding to tell Colin to go with the others.
    â€œIt is much warmer again here,” I said, sitting a few feet away from him. “The wind is not nearly so strong as it was above. I