The Earl listened.
He heard them, he thought, moving over the rocks, but then the continual crashing of the rough sea made it impossible to be certain of anything.
As the last smuggler disappeared from his view, he looked towards Melva.
He wondered what on earth they could do.
She was as incapable as he was.
It meant that when the smugglers returned, as they intended, they would load up their ship.
And he and Melva would be taken aboard.
There was no need to even ask himself what would happen next as he knew the answer only too well.
Whether they were killed before they even left the cavern or when they were pushed into the sea, the result would be the same.
He and Melva would die ignominiously.
And no one would ever find out exactly what had happened to them.
‘How in God’s name
