Page 6 of The Earl's Secret
Devon paused. “They will be coming as well?”
“Of course,” Gideon said, his brows forming a vee. “It gives them both time to see Father and with the season done, it makes sense to return anyway. Is that a problem? I know that you and Cassandra have never gotten on particularly well, but that was all in the past, was it not? You have barely seen her in years.”
Because both Devon and Cassandra had made sure of it. But it was too late for excuses.
“Not a problem at all.”
“Very well, then. Next week it shall be.”
CHAPTER3
Cassandra had known that Madeline’s choice for their next book would be an odd one, and she was right. Some might consider it a romance, but Cassandra did not – at least, not yet. It read more like a crime novel, as it involved a mystery in which it seemed a wife had murdered her husband. She now had other interested suitors, but it was difficult to decipher just who was at fault and who was the love interest.
As they had selected their books months ago, Cassandra had perused the shelves of the library at their country estate to see if she could locate any of them before purchasing a copy, and this particular one had been sitting on the shelves, far at the back and nearly forgotten about. The books they chose were not meant for young ladies, and Cassandra had always wondered just why their library seemed to hold such books. One of her relatives must have held a similar interest, she thought with a chuckle.
Thinking of where she had found the book reminded Cassandra that they would return to visit the estate soon, according to Gideon. Cassandra was both looking forward to it and slightly apprehensive about it as well. For while she loved being out in the country, with the freshness of the air and the grounds around them, it was also always rather melancholy with the state of her father, which sometimes led to her mother’s desolate moods as well.
She turned a page, surprised when a piece of paper fluttered out of the book and onto the cover of her bed where she was resting. It had obviously been there for some time, as it was rather thin and seemed fragile, and Cassandra picked it up with careful fingers.
“What do we have here?” she murmured, her eyes passing over it quickly.
“Oft surrounded by a deep, wet ditch, where flags fly and women stitch,” she read out loud, wondering as she did just what it could mean. Was it a poem?
She continued down to the next line, and the further she read, the wider her eyes grew. For it seemed, if she was not mistaken, that this was some kind of riddle. But what was it regarding? It was only when she reached the last line that the meaning of it all hit her. The riddle was leading the reader to a place, a place where the prize it referenced at the end could be found. A prize that, from the lineA treasure of magnitude that does lie belowseemed to be a rather significant one.
Oh, the possibilities. A great many things could be done with such a magnificent prize, she considered. It could buy her a life in which she could look after herself if she never married – which seemed like more of a reality with each passing day. But then, it could also go toward helping restore her family’s fortunes to what they had been at one point in time. She had seen the look on her mother’s face when she had wistfully run her hand over the finest fabrics in the store. It was not as though their family was destitute, but Cassandra knew how hard Gideon was working to look after them.
The first two lines were rather simple. She guessed that they would lead to a place within Castleton – it had to be. Just where, however, was another question entirely and one she couldn’t seem to decipher – at least not quite yet.
The more she thought on it, the more excited she became – until she realized that she could be getting ahead of herself. What if this was nothing more than the page of another book? Or a poem written in the form of a riddle? And even if there was any truth to it, what were the chances that this treasure had not already been found, that it would actually be waiting for her?
She bit her lip as she shook her head, pushing away the thoughts. This paper had come to her for a reason, she considered, and if it wasn’t for her to figure out, then who else could possibly do so?
She would have to think more on it in the morning, she decided, for she was too tired at the moment to properly decipher any more of it. Perhaps she would also bring it to her book club. Her friends were intelligent women. They were sure to have their own thoughts and fresh perspectives on the matter as well.
For a moment, Cassandra wondered whether she should go to Gideon with this right away. He would be interested, that was for certain, but then he would also likely take the riddle and the game from her and want her to have nothing more to do with it. She knew he thought he was looking out for her best interests, but he still treated her like a child who needed looking after, even though he was a mere two years older than she. Giving him this, something that actually intrigued her besides a story found within the pages of a book, was not an option – at least, not right now.
First, she would speak to her friends, and then, when she was ready, she would go to Gideon.
She would solve this riddle and do what she could for her family. She was certain of it.
* * *
Cassandra didn’t havea chance to meet with her friends until the following week, on the day before her family was set to depart to Castleton. The estate was not particularly far, thank goodness, a day’s journey away.
Still, they would likely be there for a time so there was much to prepare for. Cassandra was pleased, at least, that Hope and Faith would be at their own country home nearby as well and would be leaving shortly.
With her mother in quite the fuss with all of the preparations to be made before their departure, Cassandra suggested that they avoid her townhouse altogether and instead enjoy the day outside, taking advantage of the early spring weather. They walked through Hyde Park until they found a peaceful spot on the grass near the edge of the Serpentine and their maids spread out blankets for the ladies to sit and – ostensibly – discuss their books, although Cassandra had other plans in mind.
“Before we begin to consider the first few chapters of Madeline’s book, I have something to share with you all,” Cassandra said, too excited to even have poured their drinks yet. They might have been out of the house, but her basket contained a few surprises within it that would have been sure to shock anyone else from thetonwalking nearby – if they were ever to discover their secret. “I have found a riddle that is going to lead us to treasure.”
The women all looked at her as though she had gone mad, and Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh.
“I thought the same myself when it first fell into my lap. However, I have had time to consider it, and there must be some truth to it. Perhaps there is no treasure, but there most certainly is a clue.”
She had tucked the riddle back where she had found it, into the pages of the book, and she flipped through until it appeared once more.
“Here it is,” she insisted, carefully holding up the letter to show all of them before turning it back around to read aloud. “I shall tell you what it says.”
