Page 69 of The Viscount's Code
They had made it as far as the ruins of the old house, walking in silence as they all knew that there was no point in saying anything, when they heard the first shout. They paused for a moment before, almost in unison, they picked up their skirts and broke into a run, following the sound.
When they crested the hill and saw what waited before them, they froze, a keening cry filling the air as below lay the man Hope loved, motionless on the ground behind the hedgerow. The scene was almost serene with the call of the birds, the sun shining down on the green grass below him. And yet there was something so impossibly wrong with it that Hope almost wondered if this was a nightmare she had wandered into, one from which she just could not wake.
It was the moment she decided he was dead when she realized that the cry was coming from her own mouth, and she lost all strength to stand as she collapsed into Faith’s arms.
Utterly broken.
CHAPTER27
All he could hear was music.
The song was a familiar one, one that tugged at his memories.
The Spanish one. About Mariana. It swirled round and round in his mind, the lyrics sung in that sweet, honeyed voice that belonged to the woman he loved more than any other.
Hope.
Where was he? Was he beyond this life and into the next? Had he done something right enough to allow him to listen to her sing for eternity? Or was this to be his torture, to hear her, so close, yet have her completely out of his reach?
But when he felt his chest rise and fall with a breath, he knew that, perhaps, he had been allowed to live another day.
Then the music abruptly ended and all that had happened came flooding back in remembrance. When his eyes flew open, even the dim light caused him to wince, his head pounding fiercely as he looked around the room.
He was at Castleton. Thank goodness. But how had he gotten here? And where was— He patted his chest, trying to find where he had placed the key, but it seemed that someone had changed him from his riding clothes.
He tried to sit up and push himself out of the bed, but there was too much pain when he did so, and he found he had no choice but to succumb and to lie back down again.
“Whitehall?”
He cracked his eye open again to find Ashford standing in his doorway.
“Are you alive, man? I was just passing your door when I thought I heard something from within. My God, it is good to see you awake.”
Anthony opened his mouth to say something but found that it was far too dry to form sound. Ashford must have understood, for he found a cup of water beside the bed and helped lift it to his lips.
“We thought you were gone from this world for a moment.”
“So did I,” Anthony managed in a gravelly voice. “The key?”
It was all he could say at the moment, but Ashford must have understood, for he nodded. “We found it. Very clever, to hide it where you did.”
Anthony managed a small smile. He had sewn it into his linen shirt, just above his heart. It had seemed appropriate.
“Good,” he said.
“Do not worry about that now,” Ashford said. “Once you are up and about, we can discuss it.”
Anthony shook his head slightly, wincing in pain when he did. “Your family’s rubies,” he said. “I think that’s what you need next.”
Light of acknowledgment filled Ashford’s eye at that, and he began nodding slightly. “Of course,” he said, tapping his finger against his lips. “That makes sense. The first part of the riddle would be referring to a ruby, the second, a necklace. The jewels were my grandmother’s, and, as far as I know, she brought them from Spain.” He stood. “Before we get to that, however, I should find Lady Hope.”
“Hope?” Anthony said, trying to slow the rapid beating within his chest at mention of her name. He wasn’t sure that he was ready to see her. What was he to say?
“Of course,” Ashford said, appearing slightly puzzled. “She has been sitting with you nearly every moment since we found you. She had left for but a few minutes when you awoke.”
“Oh,” he said stupidly, just as he noticed her figure in the doorway, her presence filling the room with light, lemon, and hope. Of course.
“I’ll leave you for a moment,” Ashford said, before one side of his lips quirked up. “Although if anyone asks, I never left you unchaperoned.”
