The Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn Read Free Book Online

outcrop, though she would have if watching and cheering them on—silently—could aid them in their peril.
    Megan had already hoisted one of the rucksacks and slung it on her back. She picked up the first aid kit. “Sure you can manage Nick’s stuff, Aunt Nell?”
    “Yes. You go ahead.”
    With a wave, Megan followed the stretcher.
    Eleanor crossed the slate to where Nick’s satchel, camera, and tripod lay, well out of the way of the spray of any errant wave. The other rucksack was nearby, and bending over it, the girl, who had put on a sleeveless shirt.
    “Hello. I’m Megan’s aunt, Mrs. Trewynn. And you’re Julia.”
    “That’s right. I say, would you mind awfully if I took off these shorts and put on my jeans? Megan could have borrowed them if she could’ve got into them, but as she couldn’t … It’s not as warm as it was.”
    “Of course not, dear. It’s kind of you to lend your pullover to Megan. Have you brought another woollie?”
    “’Fraid not. But she’s welcome to it. She was soooo cold when she came out of the sea. Isn’t she fabulous? I’ve never known a police detective before. There, that’s better.” Fastening her jeans, she looked at Eleanor, who had Nick’s satchel over one shoulder, the camera by its strap over the other, and the tripod clasped to her bosom. “Just let me get my rucksack settled and I’ll take the camera and tripod, if you can manage the satchel.”
    About to respond with some indignation that she could perfectly well carry everything, Eleanor reminded herself of the wisdom of allowing people to follow their charitable impulses. Besides, she was tired, and she had already tripped once, and the camera was both heavy and valuable. Nick would not be happy if she were to damage it in another fall.
    “Thank you, that would be a help.”
    By the time they had sorted themselves out, the stretcher party and Megan were out of sight, having rounded the curve without untoward incident. Eleanor and Julia set off after them, Teazle scurrying ahead.
    “I hope Chaz wasn’t too obnoxious,” Julia said, falling behind as they reached the narrow path.
    “My dear, even if he was, which he wasn’t, I wouldn’t dream of criticising your boyfriend when you’re just behind me with a nasty drop to our left.”
    Julia laughed. “Oh, that’s all right. He’s not my boyfriend, though he sometimes behaves as if he thinks he is. We’re both doing geology at Exeter, and as we live quite near each other, we sometimes do things together in the summer vac. The rocks on this stretch of coast are pretty interesting—but don’t worry, I won’t bore you with them!”
    “Cliffs and coves and caves,” Eleanor said vaguely. “And narrow inlets like this one. And there are mines of some sort, aren’t there? I’ve seen warning signs about old mine shafts. I’m sure it must all be fascinating.”
    “To us. I’m glad Chaz wasn’t too awful. He’s racially prejudiced, you see, and he made the most awful remarks when the poor man turned out to be Indian. I had to shut him up.”
    “Yes, I heard a bit of that. To do him justice, though, he asked if I needed help when I—” She didn’t want to go into her pathetic collapse over the steering wheel. “Well, never mind. You both live in this part of the world?”
    “He’s from Flushing. Across the river from Falmouth?”
    “I know it. Where the Victorian ships’ captains built their mansions.”
    “One of which is Chaz’s family’s. They’re in shipping, I think, though his father’s an architect. There’s some sort of family connection with Boscastle, too.”
    “And you? Teazle, come! You’ve just dried off. Don’t go swimming again.”
    Teazle, poised on the edge of the stream, hesitated a moment before obeying, scrambling up the steep slope to the path. They were well beyond the obtrusive boulder now, and safely past the spot where Eleanor had tripped earlier. The last glimpse Eleanor had caught of the stretcher