Page 55 of A Bluestocking’s Secret Courtship

“There is something else," she said, her fingers tightening around the quill. “At the market today, before the riot... a man accosted me. He demanded that I take him to Uncle Charles.”

Tension coiled in his chest, cold spreading through him. Just as he had feared, Farrin had sent someone else after her uncle. Evangeline and her family wouldn’t be spared if they stood in the way.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” she said, color draining from her face. “He might have, but I ran into the crowd.”

“Evangeline, no.”

When she shivered, he cradled her face. Her soft skin heated beneath his palms. “Love, you should have told me sooner. Dom will place guards outside.”

“I should have, but…”

“But?”

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I—I forgot about him after everything. I’m sorry. We have placed the household in danger.”

“You are safe here. Everyone is,” he murmured, his thumbs tracing her cheekbones. “But we will take precautions.”

Her eyes fluttered open, the brightest blue he had ever seen. Her chin quivered, and she pressed her lips together to try to control it. Her vulnerability dug a crater into his chest, empty—a loneliness he always carried but never allowed himself to feel until now.

“When I think of what could have happened…” He couldn’t finish the thought aloud.

Evangeline leaned into his touch, the smallest movement as she lifted her face. He hesitated only a moment before lowering his head, his lips brushing gently against hers.

The contact was brief. To comfort her, he lied to himself.

When he began to pull away, her hand came up to rest against his chest, her ink-stained fingers lightly gripping his lapel.

“Kiss me again,” she whispered.

Unable to resist, he pressed his lips against hers. It was no longer about comfort but a surrender to what he’d wanted since the moment he spotted her at the docks. Her scent surrounded him, leaving him dizzy, as if he’d drunk too much wine. Her sweet sighs caused his heart to race.

When she slid her arms around his neck, he pulled her closer, holding her securely. She melted into him. It felt right, her presence filling the void she had uncovered. Belonging to the Regent’s Consul had brought him no peace; nor had any of his digs. He had been alone in the world since his parents died, but now…

He drew back slowly but didn’t let go. Her eyes were hazy, filled with a dreaminess that shattered his resolve. Farrin had to be wrong about her uncle. Why would Wedmore campaign for the destruction of England when he had this most precious woman to protect? It made no sense.

Jonathan would find the truth. But first, they needed the keywords to decipher his journal.

Nineteen

“This feels impossible,” Regina said, drumming her fingers against the teak desk.

Evangeline noted the ragged edge of her sister’s fingernails, reinforcing her decision to withhold information about the man at the market—at least until Xavier returned to the villa. Her brother-in-law grounded Regina in a way she’d not been able to achieve on her own. His meeting with the late ambassador’s wife yesterday hadn’t been fruitful, but he was back at it again, meeting with a French nationalist who had been in Athens for several months.

“We will solve it,” Evangeline said. “We already know Isabelle is correct. We just need to identify the combination.”

“Isabelle and Matthew?” Regina offered.

Their father’s name. Evangeline leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “It’s worth a try.”

Jonathan, who stood at the hearth with his arms crossed, returned to the desk. “Let me. You have been at this too long. Stretch your legs.”

Gladly, she vacated the seat and wandered to the window overlooking the courtyard. With her hands at the small of her back, she arched backward as Leda entered through the back gate.

“Let’s see,” Jonathan muttered, drawing her back to the desk.

With the new key written above the alphabet, he began to decipher the first line.