Amanda Quick Rendezvous

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skirts, and jumped down onto the carpet. She looked at the volume lying at her feet as she
slowly removed her cloak. "I fear 'tis a rather unusual story, my lord."
"With you, it always is."
"Oh, Harry, are you very angry?"
"Very."
Her heart sank. "I was afraid of that." She stooped down and picked up the book.
"Sit down, Augusta."
"Yes, my lord." Dragging the cloak behind her in one hand, she went across the room
to sit down on the other side of the desk. Her chin lifted as she prepared to defend herself.
"I know this looks very bad, Graystone."
"It does, indeed. It would be amazingly easy, for example, for me to jump to the
obvious conclusion that you are returning from some illicit midnight rendezvous with
another man."
Augusta's eyes widened in horror. "Good heavens, Harry, 'tis nothing of that sort at
all."
"I am, of course, relieved to hear it."
"Honestly, Harry, that would be a perfectly ridiculous assumption."
"It would?"
Augusta straightened her shoulders. "The thing is, my lord, I was conducting my own
investigations."
"Into what?"
She frowned at his obtuseness. "My brother's death, of course."
"The hell you were, madam." Harry sat forward swiftly, looking vastly more
dangerous than he had a minute ago.
Augusta pressed herself back into the depths of her chair, alarmed by the sudden show
of anger. "Well, yes. I was, as it happens."
"Damnation. I should have known. You are surely going to be the death of me, madam
wife. Innocent fool that I am, I assumed you were merely taking a shortcut back through
the gardens after a late visit to Pompeia's."
"Oh, no, it had nothing at all to do with Pompeia's. I went to meet a man, you see.
Only he was not there. Rather, he was, but he did not show himself until "
"You just told me this did not involve a man," Harry reminded her grimly.
"Not in the way I assumed you meant," she explained, trying to be patient. "There was
no romantic rendezvous, you see. Let me tell you the whole story and then you will
understand."
"I sincerely doubt that I will ever understand you, Augusta, but by all means, tell me
this story. Please tell it quickly and succinctly, as my patience is hanging by a thread.
That fact makes your situation extremely precarious, my dear."
"I see." She bit her lip, collecting her thoughts hurriedly. "Well, today at the balloon
ascent a small boy thrust a note into my hand. The note said that if I would come out into
the lane behind the house at midnight tonight I should have the truth about my brother.
That is all there was to it."
" 'All there was to it.' Dear God in heaven." Harry closed his eyes and briefly lowered
his head into his hands. "I am going to end up in Bedlam. I know I am going to end up
there."
"Harry? Are you all right?"
"No, I am not all right. I just explained to you that I am in imminent danger of going
mad." Harry shot to his feet and came around to the front of the desk. He stood there
towering over Augusta, folded his arms across his chest, and fixed her with a cold stare.
"We will take this one step at a time. Who had the note sent to you?"
"I do not know. As I said, whoever it was did not show himself out in the lane. But he
was watching and waiting for me to pick up this book. As soon as I noticed it, he rode out
of the lane and went down the street. I never got a close look at him."
"Let me see that book." Harry plucked it out of her lap and began leafing through it.
Augusta jumped up and craned her neck to get a glimpse of what had been written
inside. She saw at once that it was filled with handwriting. " 'Tis a private journal of some
sort."
"Yes, it is."
"Slow down, you are turning the pages too fast. I cannot read it."
"I doubt if you would understand the meaning, even if you could read it. 'Tis in code.
An old one that was broken a long time ago."
"Really? Can you read it? What does it have to do with my brother? What do you
think it means, Harry?"
"Please be quiet, Augusta. Sit down and give me a few minutes to examine it. I have
not dealt with this particular code for quite some time."
Augusta obeyed, sitting very still, her hands laced tightly together in her lap as she
eagerly awaited the results of her investigations.
Harry went back around behind his desk and sat down. He opened the volume to the
first page and studied it with an intent expression. He turned the page and then he turned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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