Jacquie D’Alessandro - Not Quite A Gentleman

For the next thirty minutes the only sound in the room besides the crackle of snapping wood burning in the fireplace was the scratching of their quills on vellum. Victoria then spent the next two hours minutely studying the series of squiggles she’d drawn. They looked like gibberish. She slowly turned the vellum, looking at the lines from all angles until her eyes felt gritty.

“I’ve tried a dozen different codes, but can’t decipher anything further,” Nathan said, his voice filled with frustration. “Anything from the map?”

“No… although an idea just occurred to me.” Sitting up straighter, Victoria stared at the lines. “All along we’ve assumed that based on the words ‘rock formation’ in the letter, this drawing depicted the particular formation where the jewels were hidden. But what if it depicts something else?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps a patch of tall sea grass?”

Nathan scooted his chair closer to hers and peered at the drawing. “If it’s sea grass, we’ve either missed the jewels or Baylor’s information was wrong.” He slid over the grid map he’d recreated and pointed to the still unexplored areas. “All of the five remaining squares are inland, too far away for the sea grass to grow. But I think you may be right about this not being a drawing of the actual rock formation.”

They both studied the lines, and she mused, “What if it’s a series of trails, or paths?”

He nodded, then pointed to a spot where the lines intersected. “It could be three trails that converge here.”

Victoria looked at him with a growing sense of excitement. “Do you know of such a place on the property? Where three trails converge near a rock formation?”

He rose and paced across the room, his brows bunched in a frown. Forcing herself to remain silent so as not to interrupt his thoughts, she could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he mentally scanned the estate’s abundant acreage.

“Near the north corner,” he muttered, then shook his head. “No, no rocks there.” He paused at the desk and again studied the grid map. “There are so many trails,” he said, shaking his head in frustration. “But nothing is coming to mind. I’ll need to think on this-” He stopped abruptly and stared at the squiggles she’d drawn. “Water,” he said. “Not dirt trails, but water. Streams.” He repeated the word “streams” a half-dozen times, each time sounding more excited. Then he pointed to one of the squares they hadn’t yet searched on the grid map, the square covering the farthest northwest end of the property.

“Here. There are three streams that converge here. It marks the boundary between my family’s property and the Alwyck estate.”

“Is there a rock formation there?”

His gaze met hers. “There are the ruins of a small stone cottage. Just three crumbling walls, no roof… by God, I think that must be it!” There was no mistaking the excitement in his voice, in his eyes. Taking her face between his hands, he pressed a hard, fast kiss to her lips then let out a short, triumphant laugh. “You’re a genius.”

“Me? You’re the one who figured it out.”

“But you provided the idea. The inspiration.” He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. “I’d say we make an unsurpassedly marvelous team.”

Something in his tone, in the sudden seriousness of his gaze, curled heat through her, robbing her thoughts. Next week she would think of an outstanding reply, but for now she simply nodded. Next week you’ll most likely be on your way back to London , her inner voice whispered. At the unwanted reminder, her entire body tensed.

Clearing her throat, she asked, “Shall we leave immediately for this abandoned cottage, or do you wish to wait for daybreak?”

His brows snapped down in a frown. “Victoria, I want you to stay here.”

She stepped back and his hands slipped from her cheeks. Planting her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Stay here? While you recover the jewels by yourself? I’m afraid not.”

He reached for her, but she stepped back again, eluding his grasp. “Victoria, I need to know you’re safe-”

“And I need to know you’re safe.”

“Now that the real letter and map are no longer in my possession, anything could happen. I can’t risk having you in the middle of a possibly dangerous situation.” This time when he reached out, he caught her shoulders. “After what happened with that knife-wielding bastard…” He briefly squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed. “Your father swore me to protect you, and I won’t fail again.”

Lifting her hands, she clasped his strong forearms. “You didn’t fail the first time, Nathan. As far as I’m concerned, the safest place for me is with you. I’ve come this far on the search, I refuse to be denied seeing it through to the end. We’ve been partners all along and shall remain as such. Besides, with both of us looking, the search will go twice as quickly.” When he seemed about to argue further, she added, “You might as well agree, because if you don’t, I’ll simply follow you. So the only question that remains is whether you think it better to depart now and conduct our search under cover of darkness or wait until dawn.”

“I’m surprised you’ve deemed to leave that decision up to me,” he muttered in a disgruntled tone.

She cast her gaze demurely downward. “You’re much more experienced in these matter than I.”

“Yes, I am. Which is why-”

“You’ll choose when it’s best for us to depart.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Have you always been this headstrong?”

“I think I must have been, but until recently I’ve kept the trait hidden.”

“I think you should have kept it hidden a bit longer.”

“No you don’t. You told me that discovering new aspects of my nature was good. I recall precisely what you said-that my past experiences haven’t allowed me enough freedom to know my true nature. That I’ve done what’s expected of me rather than what my heart desires. That speaking my mind, acting on my impulses, can be very liberating. And that I should feel free to say anything to you that I wish.”

He muttered something under his breath that sounded like “hoist on my own petard,” and she bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling at his displeased expression.

“You will not, for any reason, wander away from me.”

“I swear. And let’s not forget the lady’s pistol in our tool bag. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it if necessary,” she said, praying that was true.

That reminder didn’t cheer him nearly as much as she thought it should. Indeed, his frown deepened. “But you might not be able to get to the pistol in time, and I don’t want you to actually carry it on your person. You might shoot someone.”

“Wouldn’t that be the point?”

“I meant like yourself. Or me.”

“Oh. Well, then I’ll just load my reticule with rocks and keep it at the ready.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “A reticule ? Filled with rocks ?”

She raised her chin. “Yes. Surely there’s something about such a thing in your Official Spy Handbook.”

“I assure you there is not.”

“Well there should be. A reticule is small, easy to handle, and looks nothing like a weapon. And I won’t hesitate to cosh any brigands, believe me.” She hiked up a brow. “Hopefully you won’t make me start with you.”

She fancied she heard his teeth grinding in annoyance. “We’ll depart at dawn,” he said in a voice that resembled a growl.

“That would have been my choice as well.”

“How delightful that we agree on something this evening.”