“Min?” Rebecca’s voice joined Sally’s. No doubt they were standing at the cliff’s edge waiting for her to appear on the path. She might not have told them she was heading to the caves, but her sisters knew her just as well as she knew them.
If she did not appear back at home soon they would start to worry.
Minerva was never late.
With one last longing look toward the cave’s mysterious sounds and the phantom person responsible for them, she turned and headed back to her sisters.
Back to her real life.
Chapter 2
When afternoon lessons were over, the chores done, and dinner had passed with the usual sisterly squabbles and laughter and chatter, Minerva found her mind wandering back to the cave.
To the mystery that was inside the cave, to be more precise.
Her father’s snores filled the air, his mustache quivering with each loud exhale as Hattie did her best to be heard over the sound as she read aloud.
Rebecca sat beside Minerva, her brow furrowed as she concentrated on the bow she was attaching to make her simple blue gown more elegant before the upcoming ball for the soldiers.
Their father was well aware of how few distractions this small seaside town had to offer for his small battalion of men during their off hours, and he’d enlisted his daughters to help provide entertainment and keep up morale.
His daughters also helped provide medical attention, thanks to Abigail and Sally’s knack for nursing and medicine, respectively. Hattie, for her part, ran a lending library for the more scholarly officers...or those looking for a fictional escape.
But it was Rebecca who truly thrived when it came to entertaining. Music, dancing, storytelling, and gossip...these all fell well within her area of expertise. She lived for the dinner parties and the soirees with the higher-ranking officers, but it was the larger balls that were open to the public where she truly shined.
Minerva watched Rebecca work beside her now with just a little envy.
All of her sisters had something they were passionate about in their household, while Minerva’s sole priority was ensuring order and obedience. Making sure schedules were adhered to and that work goals were achieved. Still, while not exactly exciting, her sisters certainly kept her occupied. And she was surrounded by love and friendship. What more could a young lady ask for?
The thought had her smiling again as Hattie flipped the page to the next chapter, not that Minerva could remember a single thing she’d read in the last one.
Ought she to have told her father about the mysterious boater who’d wound up on their shores?
He likely would have laughed and told her she had an overactive imagination. Or worse, he’d get that worried crease between his brows and his bright blue eyes would grow unbearably sad as he told her she ought not be searching for an adventure.
Like her mother.
She bristled at the thought, shifting uncomfortably until Rebecca shot her a glare for having disrupted her delicate needlework.
“Sorry,” Minerva murmured as Hattie’s gentle voice cut through their father’s snores once more.
Before she’d really given it much thought, Minerva was moving. Rising from the settee, she made her way toward the front hall, stepping over Sally, who was strewn out on the floor next to Abigail, who was curled up on the armchair knitting something, likely a scarf or a pair of mittens for one of the children she taught. Her little army of waifs, as their father was wont to call them.
Minerva paused in the doorway, looking back upon her family who looked so peaceful and content.
She would just take a quick glance outside, that was all. Just to ensure that all was well.
She reached for her wrap, almost convincing herself it was the truth, even as she lit the lantern the family kept by the door.
It wasn’t until she’d carefully closed the front door behind her with a quiet click that she admitted it.
She was going back to the cave.
Not because she was seeking out an adventure, of course.
Of course not, her inner voice mocked.
No, she was merely going to take a quick look to ensure that nothing nefarious was going on right beneath their noses. And if it was...
Well, it likely wasn’t. Nothing exciting ever happened in Billingham.
And that was a good thing, of course.
Of course. She scowled at that mocking voice that seemed to taunt her. Giving her head a quick shake to rid herself of the taunting sarcastic little voice, she strode toward the cliff’s edge. It was hardly the first time she’d taken an evening stroll, and between the lantern and the moonlight it was easy enough to find her way, even if she was wearing slippers.
She shivered as the wind whipped around her more violently the closer she drew to the shore. When she reached the cliff’s edge... Nothing. There was nothing there but the dark sea and the starlit sky.
She exhaled loudly. There was nothing there. What had she expected?
She allowed herself another long moment to enjoy the siren song of the ocean waves and the enchanting melody of the night wind, which somehow sounded so much more mysterious when the sun was down.
Poppycock. She rolled her eyes at her own fantastical thoughts.
There she went again, letting her imagination run wild. At least it was just her imagination. She might have inherited an adventurous spirit from her mother, but fortunately, she’d also inherited her father’s good sense.
She lifted her skirts and padded toward the cliff’s edge, telling herself she would just take a quick glance over the edge. The quick glance turned into a few steps down the cliffside. Then a few more because...well, what harm would a closer look do?
None. There was likely no one down here, so why not just take a look to be certain?
Once on the beach, the wet sand quickly made her silk slippers damp and her feet
