Page 44 of When a Lady Desires a Wicked Lord
“The constellation Capricorn is represented as a goat. According to astrology, those born in late December and much of January are influenced by the sun’s position in the sky at that time.”
“Now that you mention it, I do recall some charlatan at a carnival informing me of the positive qualities I possessed—some nonsense about whatever was going on in the heavens on the day I was born. To this day, I suspect the ability to place a coin in her palm ranked first and foremost.”
This near, she could detect the slightest hint of shaving soap against his skin. Her senses came alert.Blast it!With a little sigh, she dismissed the tingle of excitement. This was not a time to indulge her sensory pleasures, not even to the slightest extent.
His words brought back a memory, an image of Benedict and her brother, smiling and laughing. “I believe I was there with you. And Jeremy.”
A hint of a smile curved his mouth. “You’re right. Jeremy wanted to protect you from me, even then.”
“That wasn’t it at all. We were friends in those days.” She swallowed against a sudden surge of emotion. “It was all so much simpler then, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed,” he said. He pointed to theMwith a curl. “Now, tell me, what is this supposed to mean?”
“My interpretation is that this symbol represents Scorpio.”
Benedict nodded his understanding. “November birthdates, as I recall the fortune teller’s blather to you.”
“You remember that?”
“How could I forget?” He grinned. “By her estimation, you are one part saint, one part diabolical genius.”
“An accurate assessment, I’d say.” She pointed to the photograph. “With the exception of the symbol for death, the other glyphs represent signs of the zodiac. I’m convinced of it.”
“Hence the need for the dates of birth of the dead men.”
“Yes.” She tapped a finger over the glyphs in the center of the array. “As you mentioned, this symbol clearly indicates death. I suspect this comprises a partial list of those who are in danger.”
Benedict leaned closer, indicating the unclosed circle with his fingertip. “It appears the man did not complete the symbol. This representation may not include all of those who have been at risk.”
“Quite so,” she said. “I believe the other symbols represent the zodiac signs of Gemini, Sagittarius, Aries, and Aquarius.”
“So, we need to identify the persons on this list. If your conclusion is correct and two of the symbols are intended to represent us, others are in danger.”
“So it would seem,” she said. “These likely represent the four men in addition to the guide who were killed.”
“Perhaps.” Benedict dragged his long fingers through his hair. “But how would Hamid have known this information about the victims?”
“I cannot answer that question. But this list is a start. Colton and his agents may soon ferret out the truth.”
“It’s obvious now that you cannot stay here. You must see that, Alex. I intend to see you safely away from London…away from the danger.”
She drew back a step, studying him. His features were taut with tension, his chiseled features sharper than usual. Worry darkened his eyes. He scrubbed a hand against his stubble-coated jaw, as if to massage away an ache.
Something in his expression touched her. She longed to reach out to him, to sweep her fingertips over the bristles of new beard, to savor the contact of her skin against his.
But she held back.
“What about the map? Have you forgotten that so soon?” She regarded him beneath her lashes.
“I will find it soon enough,” he said. “Keeping you alive takes priority over a blasted scrap of paper.”
“Does it, now?” she said, watching him. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Or could it be that you will have more opportunity to search for it if I am far from here?”
“I am not going to lie to you, Alexandra.” His mouth was a hardened slash. “I intend to search for that map. But in the meantime, I want you far away from this place. Out of reach.”
Slowly, she shook her head. “If there is a conspiracy in place, it’s not logical to think I will be out of danger, even if I am an ocean away.” She pulled in a low breath. Truth be told, the idea of leaving Benedict behind to face the menace on his own was too distressing to bear.
“It’s far more likely that one man is responsible for these deaths, someone with a very specific objective.”
