Read Online Lethal Legend by Kathy Lynn Emerson - Free Book Online Page A

cove.”
    “We can get there by way of the promontory path,” Ben countered, annoyed by the sudden renewal of  his old friend’s mistrust of Diana. “She’s not going to betray any confidences, Graham. You have my word on it.”
    Diana said nothing.
    Graham took several deep breaths, calmed down and, finally, nodded assent. “That’s a difficult descent for a lady, but if you don’t mind the climb, I suppose it will be alright for you to watch.”
    Only Ben noticed the tight compression of Diana’s lips before she accepted Graham’s grudging invitation. “I’ve had quite enough of small boats for one day,” she told him. “I will be glad of a brisk walk.”
    Courageous or foolhardy? Ben was never quite sure which word best described his fiancée. What he did know was that Diana Spaulding had enough determination to keep her fear of heights at bay. Because she’d said she would, she’d climb down the steep, narrow path that led from cliff top to beach and utter not a single complaint along the way.
     * * * *
    “Difficult” did not begin to describe their descent, Diana thought. Safe at the foot of the promontory at the seaward end of the island, she looked back the way they had come and shuddered. A rock-strewn goat path twisted and bumped its way upward. If she had not had Ben’s arm to hang on to, she was certain she’d never have kept her feet. Worse, she’d had to keep her eyes open the whole way. Twice she’d been unable to repress the urge to look down. Both times the dizzying, stomach-wrenching aftermath had stopped her in her tracks for several long minutes while she fought to regain her courage and continue.
    Now she made a production of straightening the divided skirt of sturdy blue serge that she’d changed into before they set out. The action did little to hide her trembling hands but Ben, gentleman that he was, pretended not to notice.
    “The boats are just arriving,” he remarked. “We’ve plenty of time before they are ready for the dive.”
    She pasted a bright smile on her face and once more took his arm. “Onward then.”
    “A moment first. I need your promise, Diana. No word of Miss Dunbar’s explorations must leak to the press. Nor can you publish anything about Graham.”
    “I will write nothing without their permission,” she temporized.
    Ben considered her answer carefully, searching her face, before he nodded his assent and started walking towards the landing site.
    She was not on ground that was either level or solid, since the sand shifted with every step and was littered with rocks besides, but it was easier going than on that wretched path. As they picked their way along she studied her surroundings, paying particular attention to details that might interest her readers. She was convinced that she’d eventually write about Serena Dunbar’s archaeological expedition. To create a sense of being on the scene, she’d have to report sounds and smells and textures as well as a factual description of what she saw.
    “What is that?” she asked Ben, pointing to a bird she did not recognize.
    “Osprey. There is a colony of them on the island. Also gulls, cormorants, herons, ducks, and loons.”
    “I’m well aware there are gulls.” Their plaintive, rather annoying cries were as constant a part of the background on Keep Island as the sound of waves lapping against the shore. An even more unpleasant racket reached her ears as they advanced upon the tents set up in the cove.
    “Pigeon hawk,” Ben answered, before she could ask. “Nasty birds. They deplete the songbird population.”
    Underfoot, the way continued to be rough and rocky—no white sand beaches on this part of the coast! In fact, the ragged shoreline was littered with large, irregularly shaped rocks, worn down by water and wind but far from smooth.
    She sniffed cautiously. Brine. Seaweed. And the distinctive odor of mud flats. She could not tell if the tide was coming in or going out but to judge by the