Page 13 of The Viscount's Code
He stopped, and Anthony followed the earl’s gaze, which now rested on the book. Apparently, he hadn’t realized what they had been doing here until this moment.
“Father, we can explain,” Hope said, lifting her hands up in front of her, and the look that the earl now pinned on Anthony was nearly murderous.
“When I told you I didn’t have the book, you should have dropped the subject entirely. I do not know how you ever found it, but it was not your place to even search for it.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Hope said, stepping forward, and while Anthony didn’t require her to protect him, he was actually rather touched by her attempt. “I was the one who came down looking for it.”
“We both did, actually, my lord. This was not a prearranged meeting but rather one of happenstance, as we were both searching it out.”
“Hope,” the earl said, turning to her, and Anthony was surprised by the hurt in his eyes. “Why would you betray me like this?”
“Father, I didn’t mean to do so,” she said, desperation lacing her tone, and Anthony was aware how much she loathed to hurt anyone else – likely most especially anyone within her family. “It is just that the book means a great deal to very dear friends of mine, and I wanted to see if I could locate it myself before asking you and upsetting you about it.”
“I can assure you this is far worse.”
“I see that now,” Hope said, her head lowering. “Why do we not sit down, and I will explain all?”
Her father paused for a moment as though he might say no, until he nodded reluctantly and waved them to the table in the corner, each of them taking a chair around it. Anthony felt the brunt of the earl’s glare again and knew he would likely be taking most of the blame for this, but he was willing to do so if this ended as he hoped.
“You see, Father, this all began with a riddle,” Hope said, her fingers winding around one another. Anthony wasn’t sure that they should be explaining all, but it wasn’t for him to stop Hope from sharing what she wished with her father. “Gideon and Cassandra discovered the riddle in some of their ancestors’ possessions. It appears it was the beginning of something of a treasure hunt. Cassandra and Devon – another long story – eventually discovered that the riddle led to a book, which they found at Castleton.”
“How does this relate tomybook?” Lord Embury asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“The book we found matches this one,” she said, sitting forward earnestly, her eyes lighting up as she explained. “The duke said he recalled the twin at our house.”
“The duke?” Lord Embury repeated. “The Duke of Sheffield?”
“Yes.”
The earl gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “The man can barely remember his own name.”
Hope leaned in, looking squarely at her father. She might prefer to keep the peace, but she also knew when to stand her ground.
“Well, it seems he was right, was he not?”
The earl said nothing for a moment, pausing to stare at first Hope and then Anthony before he sighed in resignation.
“Very well. Obviously, I have the book you asked about. The Duke and I did discover it when we were children, which led my father to hide it.”
“How did he come to have it, Father?” Hope asked, for which Anthony was glad, as his own curiosity was also niggling at him but the question was best to come from Hope instead of him.
“It was originally in my grandparents’ possession. My grandmother said it belonged to a friend of hers.”
Hope and Anthony exchanged a glance. “Perhaps Cassandra’s grandmother?” Hope questioned.
“The former duchess? Could be,” the earl mused with a distracted nod. “My grandparents instructed my father, who passed on the role to me, to keep it safe. I knew it was there, but I have never known much about it. I was told not to give it to anyone except someone I trusted, someone who had the right message.”
“What message would that be?” Anthony asked.
“Why – do you have it?”
“Would it perhaps be…” Anthony closed his eyes to recall the words to his memory. He had them written on a paper in his room, but he could see them in his mind without looking for it. “Dear friend, it was wonderful to see you again. I have no news to report. Hoping to spend time with you when I visit this summer. Yours, friend.”
The earl blinked twice. “That’s it. This is all rather… sudden, I must say, after years of secrecy. I had nearly forgotten about it until you asked about a book.”
“I suppose the time is right,” Hope said brightly, although the tension in the room didn’t ease.
“What are you proposing to do with my book now?” Lord Embury asked.
