Page 42 of The Viscount's Code
“The combination of letters and numbers seems strange because it is an old form of Latin,” Reeves explained. “I have hardly ever seen Old Latin in use before, but there was no difference in letter case.”
“All right,” Anthony said, waiting for him to continue. He noticed Hope had set aside her book and had now wandered over to listen, stopping behind Anthony’s chair, one hand upon the back.
“Now, in this case, I believe there is a pattern to the letters, which I’ve figured out from the numbers,” Reeves said.
Anthony was momentarily distracted when Hope leaned closer and the scent of lemons wafted through the air around him.
“By that, I mean that some of the numbers come after a certain letter,” Reeves continued. “Sometimes it is a single letter, sometimes it is more than one. But I think that if we took those letters and arranged them in a certain sequence, it would then form words.”
Excitement built in Anthony’s chest, and he sat forward in his chair, staring at the page that Reeves had turned to. “And then the message that accompanied the first book – would that point us to how to find the pattern?”
“I believe so,” Reeves said, pulling the paper out and regarding the message written upon it once more.
Anthony felt Hope move behind him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder as she bent forward, taking a closer look. Reeves continued to point out each word, each letter and number, as they began to work out the next set of words.
“There’s a name,” Hope said, pointing to a combination of letters. “It is a woman’s name I believe.”
“Mariana,” Reeves said.
“I wonder if that is the name of one of Cassandra and Gideon’s ancestors,” Hope mused, placing a finger against her lips. “Part of their family is Spanish.”
Anthony sat back as he tried to piece everything together. “I think I see a pattern now.”
Hope rushed to get a quill as Reeves pointed out the next sequence of words and letters.
Anthony watched as she lay them out, and he could soon sense her excitement.
“Is it a poem?” he asked, but she was already shaking her head.
“No,” she said. “It’s a song. I recognize the words.”
Reeves and Anthony looked at one another with a frown.
“But if it is a known song,” Anthony said, drawing his brows together, “then why would they make such an effort to hide it?”
Reeves looked as bewildered as he felt. Hope held out the paper and encouraged them to take it as she sang the words, her voice echoing through the room.
Anthony could pick out the tune, but the words didn’t seem to make any sense.
But her voice captivated him just as much as the woman herself, her music filling him with peace as it had at Castleton. Peace that he welcomed as much as it frightened him.
For he wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it.
CHAPTER16
“Mariana, mi amor, has llenado mi corazón. Me ha dejado tan ligero y sintiendo calor.”
Hope sang the tune again softly as she prepared for bed. The room was as humble as the rest of the cottage, but it was comfortable, and she appreciated Reeves allowing her to stay, despite the fact that he had not expected her, nor, according to Anthony, was he usually comfortable with strangers. She turned back the blankets and was about to snuggle between them when there was a light knock on the door. Her heartrate increased as she walked toward it, knowing who she would find on the other side.
“Anthony,” she said softly when she found him standing there. He had been running his hands through his hair for the majority of the evening while studying the books, and it was rather dishevelled now, hanging down around his forehead. He had already removed his jacket, cravat, and waistcoat, and Hope decided she rather liked how he looked in only his trousers and linen shirt, a few buttons open at the collar.
“I was hoping to catch you before you retired for the night,” he said, stepping backward, actually appearing somewhat hesitant. “But if you are in need of sleep—”
“It’s fine,” she said, opening the door wider. “Will Reeves be scandalized to know you are in here?”
“I can hear his snores from the hall,” he said with a small chuckle. “We should be fine.”
Once he was within the room, he paced slowly back and forth, and Hope sat on a corner of the bed, waiting patiently for him to get to the point he was here to make.
