He frowned as he caught a glimpse of white on the water-lashed rocks. For a moment he thought it was the reflection of sunlight on sea foam. Then the patch of white moved, heaving itself higher up onto the rocks. Pale legs and arms and a tangle of wet, dark hair spilled over the stone.

Phoebe.

Gabriel's stomach went cold. For an instant he wondered if the little fool had gone swimming. Then he realized she was fighting for her life in the churning surf.

"Phoebe. Hold on. I'm coming for you," he shouted, plunging down the cliff path, heedless of skittering pebbles and shifting sand. He jumped the last few feet, landed on the beach, and splashed into the thigh-deep water.

"Phoebe. For God's sake."

The tangle of drenched hair moved as he waded toward her. Phoebe turned her head, her cheek pillowed against the barnacles. She clung to the rock, half in and half out of the water. Her eyes opened partway and she smiled with a soul-deep weariness.

"I knew you would come eventually, Gabriel."

"Hell and damnation, what are you doing down here?" Gabriel lifted her off the rock and cradled her in his arms. Her wet chemise was virtually transparent. He could see the dusky flowers of her nipples as clearly as if she were nude. "Where are your clothes? What in bloody hell has happened?"

"Went looking for you." Her voice was frighten-ingly weak. She lolled in his arms like a rag doll. Her eyes fluttered shut.

"Phoebe, open your eyes." Gabriel heard the rough edge of fear in his voice. "Open your eyes at once and look at me."

Obediently she lifted her lashes. "Why? I am safe now, am I not?"

"Yes," he whispered as he carried her up onto the tiny beach. "You are safe."

She had not run from him.

An hour later Phoebe lay propped up against the pillows in her bed. Under Gabriel's supervision she had been immersed in a warm bath and fed endless cups of hot tea. He had not been satisfied until the color had returned to her lips and cheeks.

When she had started to resist the tea and complain about the fussing that was going on around her, he knew she was all right. He sent the last of the maids from the room with a curt command.

He had almost lost her. The terrible weight of that fact gnawed at his insides, making him short-tempered and edgy. He had almost lost Phoebe.

He forced his seething emotions back under control. It was an almost impossible task. He used a blanket of anger to contain everything else he was feeling, including the fear.

"Now, then, madam wife," he said as the door closed behind the last maid, "perhaps you would care to explain what the devil happened to you today? What was all that nonsense about looking for me?"

She patted away a tiny yawn. "Alice said you had sent for me."

"Who is Alice?"

"One of the maids."

"Which maid?"

Phoebe stared at him from beneath drooping lashes. "Well, I really don't know. I thought I was acquainted with all the staff by now, but this is such a huge place and there are so many names and faces to learn."

"Describe her," Gabriel said abruptly.

"She had pale blond hair and a rather pretty face. I remember thinking she seemed a little old to still be a housemaid. One would have thought she would be at least a chambermaid by now."

Gabriel was very still. "What did this Alice tell you?"

"That you wished to meet me downstairs in the lower part of the castle. She said you were waiting down there to show me the catacombs." Phoebe paused. "I was very excited."

"She took you down there? Showed you the way?"

Phoebe nodded. "But we could not find you. Alice was getting nervous, so I sent her back and continued along the passageway on my own. Then the most awful accident occurred."

"What accident?"

"A massive iron gate slid out of the wall and sealed the passageway. I was trapped on the other side. I could hear no sounds of rescue and assumed no one could get the gate open. So I looked for another exit."

"And found the secret quay?" Gabriel was incredulous. "Damnation. You swam all the way out of the cavern and back to the shore?"

"I really did not see an alternative at the time."

Gabriel's jaw clenched. "Where the devil did you learn how to swim?"

Phoebe smiled slightly. "Once when I was very little I jumped into the pond at our country estate. It was a very hot day and I wanted to cool off as Anthony and his friends were doing. Anthony had to pull me out of the water. Mama said that he had better teach me how to swim, as there was no telling when I would take it into my head to jump back into the pond."

"Thank God for your mama," Gabriel muttered.

"Remember that when she asks for a loan to cover her gaming losses," Phoebe said dryly.

Gabriel scowled. "What is this about gaming losses?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Phoebe yawned again. "Mama is very fond of cards. She tends to view her sons-in-law as potential bankers."

"Good God."

"I would have warned you about Mama's passion for gaming before you offered for my hand if you had had the courtesy to consult me before you consulted Papa."

Gabriel smiled briefly. "So it's all my own fault if I end up having to cover your mother's losses?"

"Yes, my lord, it is." Phoebe was thoughtful for a moment. "Do you know, I believe it would be best if we did not mention this unfortunate incident to the members of my family. It would only alarm them and I seem to do that often enough as it is."

"I won't tell them about it, if that is your wish."

She flashed him a relieved smile. "Thank you. May I go to sleep now?"

"Yes, Phoebe. You may go to sleep." Gabriel moved away from the window and went to stand at the foot of the bed.

"You have an odd expression on your face, Gabriel. What are you going to do while I sleep?"

"Find the missing Alice."

Phoebe lowered her lashes and snuggled down into the pillows. "What will you do when you find her?"

"At the very least, I shall turn her off without a reference," Gabriel said.

Phoebe opened her eyes very wide. "That would be most cruel, sir. She would be unlikely to find work at her age without a proper reference."

"She may consider herself fortunate if I do not summon the magistrate and press charges. As far as I am concerned, she very nearly got you killed."

Phoebe looked up at him, her gaze intent. "Are you saying you did not send her to summon me this afternoon, my lord?"

"No, Phoebe," Gabriel said gently. "I did not."

"I see." She looked very forlorn. "I was afraid of that. I was rather hoping you had sent her to fetch me, you know. I thought it meant …»

He frowned. "What did you think it meant?"

"That you wanted to tear down the wall that you have put between us."

"I did not put the wall between us, Phoebe. You did. It is up to you to tear it down." He walked to the side of the bed and tugged the quilt up over her shoulders. "Get some rest, my dear. I shall have your dinner sent up to you."

"Gabriel?"

"Yes, Phoebe?"

"Thank you for saving me." Phoebe gave him a misty smile. "I knew you would."

"You saved yourself, Phoebe," he said. The stark reality of that fact was going to be with him for the rest of his life. He had almost lost her. "If you had stayed in the passageway, it might have been a very long time before I thought to look for you down there. I have standing orders that no one is to go down into the catacombs unless I accompany him or her. The door is always kept locked."

She gave him a searching glance. "Then why would Alice take me down there?"

"An excellent question, my dear. I shall not rest until I discover the answer."

Gabriel walked out of the room and closed the door quietly behind himself. Out in the hall he summoned Phoebe's maid.

"Stay with her while she sleeps," he instructed. "I do not want her left alone even for a moment."