Twenty-two
Jonathan spread his deciphered pages across the desk as Evangeline, Regina, and Xavier gathered around with theirs.
“Divide and conquer,” Evangeline had said earlier as she ripped pages from her uncle’s diary, each tear causing her to wince.
As antiquarians, it wasn’t in either of their natures to destroy source material, but a set of four hands was more efficient.
The lamplight spilled across the papers, and with grave expressions, they all looked up. Evangeline’s, Regina’s, and Xavier’s discoveries were as monumental as his own.
“What did you find?” he asked Evangeline. She passed him her pages and asked him to read aloud.
“Fourth midnight meeting at the tavern. Lord Geoffrey and uncle in attendance. They are plotting something, though the goal is unclear. The merchants in the group are known for their greed. Most likely their aims are dishonorable.”
“I know what they are,” Xavier said, pointing to his page. “Read.”
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Followed L. G. to Whitechapel where he met with a man named Jack Crawford. They spoke quietly in a corner of the Black Dagger, but I witnessed the exchange of an envelope and leather satchel. Followed Crawford to his lodging house. Later, ransacked his rooms and uncovered one hundred thousand pounds and a letter promising more if the Black Death succeeds.”
Regina gasped. “But you said they were a fable, or extinct.”
“I thought they were,” Evangeline said, eyes wide.
Jonathan swallowed around the lump in his throat. His instincts about Wedmore were proving to be right, though he’d doubted it when he deciphered his own pages. “There’s more. Your uncle found a map in the satchel, too—of Saint Helena Island.”
“Where Napoleon is exiled?” Evangeline asked. “Why? Everyone knows where it is.”
His mouth firmed. “It details security measures and locations, and where they are lax.”
Which meant someone in the Regent’s Consul was compromised. This information was highly classified and inaccessible to anyone outside the organization.
“Wait a moment,” Xavier said, rubbing his forehead. “Lord Geoffrey, a map… Is this what I was supposed to find at Wedmore House?”
Regina paled. “He was searching for it at the hotel on our wedding night. He thought you had the letter and map.”
“We cannot think about that now,” Evangeline said. “Uncle Charles is still in danger. Read my part.”
“Crawford set off this morning for Alexandria. I thought without the map, his mission would be foiled, but he seems set on completing it. Will follow tomorrow at high tide.”
Jonathan glanced up. How long had Wedmore been gone when Farrin ordered his assassination? Certainly long enough for Jonathan to feel the strain of trying to catch up to him.
“Not that page.” Evangeline shuffled the papers. “Here, this part. ‘I am being followed.’”
Jonathan’s breath caught.
“He has never gotten close enough for me to see, but I suspect his mission is the same as Crawford’s.
Word of Crawford’s death in a drunken scuffle with Alexandria locals must have reached the traitors, and they’ve sent another man.
I’ve continued tracking the Black Death to keep anyone else from approaching them, but what if I am leading him to their camp?
Must go underground for a while. I cannot help thinking about the girls at this time. ”
“That must have been when he disguised himself as Mrs. Flibberquick,” Regina said, then turned to her sister. “You told him about that, right? I hope I didn’t spill a secret.”
“He knows,” Evangeline said. “Later, Uncle Charles mentions arriving in Athens, then setting off to find the Black Death. He plans to intervene if someone else tries to hire them.”
Regina swayed and her husband caught her around the waist. “Sit, ma cherie. You haven’t rested all day.”
“Perhaps we should set this aside until tomorrow,” Jonathan said.
Evangeline shook her head. “Tomorrow we must set off to find him. Our uncle’s life is at risk. The man from the market is looking for him.”
“What man?” Regina and Xavier asked at the same time.
A blistering blush flooded Evangeline’s cheeks. “I, erm… Maybe you should sit, Gigi.”
Her sister’s hands landed on her hips. “Maybe you should answer the question. What man?”
“Perhaps I should go,” Jonathan said, easing from his chair.
“No, stay,” Evangeline said. “It’s your study, and I might need you. Regina, please come sit with me.”
She guided her sister to the small brocade settee and sat beside her, holding her hand. Xavier moved to Regina’s side. Evangeline glanced up at him before focusing on her sister.
“We’ve known all along Uncle Charles’s activities carried a risk of danger.”
“But this is more than someone trying to steal his work. How did he even get into this mess?”
Evangeline shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense, I know. Apparently, he stumbled into it during his research, and he’s out of his depth.”
Jonathan’s eyebrow twitched. They still believed their uncle was simply an antiquarian—an unlucky one at that.
He remained quiet, not moving in case he became a distraction, as Evangeline reported on her encounter with the Englishman at the market.
She left out the part about the riot, quickly meeting his gaze during a pause then changing the subject.
“He could be after Uncle Charles’s research, or he might be looking for the Black Death to hire them,” she concluded. “All I know for certain is we need to find Uncle Charles before he does.”
Regina nodded. “But where do we look?”
“From his research, we know the group takes shelter in the mountains. They’re used to rocky terrain, and pursuing them would be more difficult for their enemies.” She stood. “Sir Jonathan, do you have a topographical map of the area?”
“Lord Dominic has one in his library, but Mount Parnitha meets your criteria. It’s fairly close to Athens, heavily forested with caves for shelter.”
“How long will it take us to reach?” Regina asked.
“You are not going,” Evangeline said to Regina. Xavier quickly agreed.
“You and your sister will stay behind where it is safe,” he said. “I will go into the mountains.”
Evangeline shook her head. “You’ve never met Uncle Charles, and you have no experience in the field. Besides, you need to be here for my sister, especially if the man from the market shows up again.”
Jonathan held his tongue while the trio argued about who was best suited to track down Wedmore. Evangeline won the argument by citing her familiarity with their uncle’s methods and her knowledge of the mercenary group, but only barely.
“Well, you cannot go alone,” Regina snapped.
Evangeline lifted her chin, her pearly skin flushed. “And you need your husband.”
Jonathan intervened. “There’s no reason for any of you to leave the villa. I’m familiar with the terrain and offer my services.”
“No,” Evangeline said. “Uncle Charles already thinks someone is following him, and he won’t show himself to you.”
And Jonathan’s life could be at risk taking Evangeline into the mountains if Wedmore thought she was Jonathan’s prisoner. If he had gleaned anything from hearing her stories, her uncle was fiercely devoted to his family.
Still, Jonathan would walk through hell before he would allow Evangeline to set off with anyone other than himself. Her brother-in-law might be strong, but he was no match for the Black Death if they accidentally stumbled across their camp. How would they explain their presence?
“I have an idea, Miss Darlington,” he said.
She and her sister turned toward him expectantly.
“How are you at dancing?”