I peered inside a dark opening. “Do you think it leads somewhere?”

“Maybe not,” he said. “It could just be for storing deck chairs and the like, but I’ll wager it hasn’t been used for years.”

“Oh, my goodness,” I said. “The children said there were secret passages in the house and they were trying to find one, but they had never managed to. I thought it was just childish fantasy. You know—a house this size ought to have secret passages.”

“What’s the betting this was created so that the duke could make a hasty getaway at the time of the civil war,” Darcy said. “Are you game to see where it leads?”

“It’s awfully dark,” I said. “We can’t walk all that way in the darkness. At least, I’m not attempting it. I’ll keep thinking of spiders and rats.”

“I thought you were intrepid.” Darcy laughed. “Actually, we’re not very far from the house. The path curled around through that glen but we’re only just below the stables. And I happen to have my trusty cigarette lighter with me.” He produced it, and clicked it on. A tiny flame appeared. “Better than nothing,” he said.

“That won’t light our way very much and it probably won’t last all the way up to the house.”

“Oh, all right then.” Darcy scooped up some dead twigs, some still with leaves on them, fashioned them into a crude torch then lit the tip. It flared into flame. “Come on, follow me.”

We plunged into darkness with the flame from the impromptu torch lighting the passage with an eerie red glow. The floor and walls around us were smooth, cut into the chalk of the Downs but the ceiling was so low that we had to stoop, and unpleasant drips of water ran down inside my collar. I couldn’t stop thinking about those spiders. I am normally quite brave—just not where spiders are concerned. I really wanted to go back, but I didn’t want Darcy to think I was scared. The passage led steadily upward until without warning, Darcy swore and dropped the torch, whose flame sputtered and went out. We were plunged into darkness. I stifled a scream and grabbed onto Darcy.

“Damned thing burned my fingers,” he said.

“Turn your lighter on again.”

I heard its click, and he said, “Drat. I knew I should have filled it. Come on. Take my hand. Can’t be far now.”

We moved forward, inch by inch, until my foot kicked against solid rock.

“Steps,” Darcy whispered, his voice echoing strangely. “We must be under the house now. Carefully.”

Up we went, feeling our way with hands and feet until we came to a small platform and before it a solid wall.