that not right, Colchester?"
Yes." Matthias glanced at Patricia." I assure you, Imogen is
expert at reading Zamarian script. I saw the symbols for wheat
and oxen on that tablet myself, from where I was standing. The
message was definitely not a curse."
I don't understand," Patricia whispered." So many dreadful
things have occurred lately. The duel. Lord Vanneck's death. And
then, two nights ago, you were nearly killed, Matthias. I was
certain that Lady Lyndhurst was right when she said that the
Rutledge Curse had struck again."
The Rutledge Curse is rubbish," Matthias said." It was invented
by a group of cork-brained dilettantes in the Zamarian Society
shortly after word reached them that Rutledge had died in the
labyrinth. One can only hope that the Polite World will soon grow
bored with ancient Zamar and return to its interest in Egypt."
Not likely," Imogen scoffed." How could ancient Egypt possibly
compete with lost Zamar? Besides, we already know everything
there is to know about Egypt."
Matthias was briefly distracted by that notion. I'm not so
certain. If someone ever succeeds in deciphering the inscriptions
on that chunk of black basalt that they are calling the Rosetta
Stone, there could well be a renewed interest in ancient Egypt."
Imogen wrinkled her nose." I shall always prefer the wonders of
Zamar."
You are nothing if not loyal, my dear," Matthias said softly.
Patricia looked down at her hands." Lady Lyndhurst claimed
that she could translate Zamarian script. She said she could read
the inscription on that clay tablet. Why would she lie about such a
thing?"
Lady Lyndhurst enjoys playing games." Matthias did not
bother to conceal his disgust." Henceforth, you will both keep your
distance from her."
Patricia shuddered." I have no wish to attend any more of her
salons."
Imogen's brows snapped together." Patricia, there is something
I want to ask you. It was your idea to take Lucy's journal to the
salon this afternoon, was it not?"
Matthias's insides went cold." What's this about the journal?"
Patricia stiffened at his tone." I am very sorry about the journal.
I thought that what I was doing was for the best."
Matthias opened his mouth to repeat his demand for an expla
nation but Imogen silenced him with a quick, tiny shake of her
head. Reluctantly he subsided. It had occurred to him on one or
two occasions lately that Imogen's methods of dealing with
Patricia were more effective than his own.
Imogen smiled at Patricia." It's quite all right. No harm was
done. I merely wondered if you had mentioned the journal to
anyone since it, uh, came into our possession."
Matthias raised his brows at her tactful description of what
some might term outright theft.
Oh, no," Patricia assured her." I told no one about it."
Imogen watched her intently." No one suggested that you take
the journal to Lady Lyndhurst's salon this afternoon?"
Patricia shook her head with great certainty." Of course not.
How could anyone else have known that Matthias had taken it
from Lord Vanneck's house?"
Indeed," Imogen said very casually." Who could have known
other than the three of us?"
Patricia visibly relaxed." I concluded that I had to take the journal to Lady Lyndhurst after I got a message from one of my
friends in the salon."
That bit of news was too much for Matthias's self-control. He
pounced before Imogen could stop him." Someone sent you a
message about the journal? Who was it?"
Patricia's eyes widened." I'm not certain. The message I
received this morning was not signed. But it carried the secret seal
that the members of the salon use whenever they communicate
with each other."
Secret seal?" Matthias winced." What nonsense. Why the devil
didn't you show me that damned message? When did it arrive?
Did you recognize the handwriting?"
Patricia retreated into the corner of the carriage seat. She
looked at Imogen with a beseeching expression.
Imogen glared at Matthias." I pray you will be silent, my lord.
You are complicating matters."
Damnation." Matthias wanted to shake the answers out of
Patricia. As that approach was clearly not an option, he turned the
brunt of his rapidly thinning patience on Imogen." Make no
mistake, madam, I intend to discover just what is going on here."
I know you do and you shall," Imogen said in her apple-crisp
tones." But we will all get through this far more quickly if you
allow me to discuss the matter with your sister in a calm, reasonable fashion."
Matthias drummed his fingers on the side of the carriage frame.
She was right and he knew it." Very well. Get on with it, then."
Imogen turned back to Patricia." Pay no attention to him. Men
are inclined to be impatient. Now then, this message that you said
you received. Did it specifically mention the journal?"
No, of course not." Patricia was obviously perplexed." How
could anyone have known that we had it?"
How indeed," Matthias said dryly." Perhaps you jotted a few
notes to your friends in the salon? Properly sealed with the secret
seal, of course."
Patricia's eyes glistened with tears." I just told you that I did not
tell a soul."
Imogen gave Matthias another repressive glare." My lord, if you
possess half the intelligence I have always credited you with, you
will cease interrupting."
Matthias set his teeth but he kept silent.
Imogen smiled encouragingly at Patricia." Now then, tell us
about the note you received."
Patricia eyed Matthias warily, no doubt fearful that he would
renew his aggressive efforts to wring the information out of her.
When he said nothing, she looked at Imogen." The message
claimed that we must all beware of the Rutledge Curse, lest it fall
on the household of one of the members of the Zamarian salon. I
realized at once that Matthias had been the latest victim."
Naturally. A perfectly logical conclusion," Imogen said.
Matthias scowled at her, but he managed to hold his tongue.
Did the note say anything else?" Imogen asked quickly.
Only that anyone who possessed any object that might have
once belonged to Vanneck was in the greatest danger." Patricia
hesitated." The curse will have tainted everything that he owned,
you see."
Hardly subtle," Matthias said scornfully." Hell's teeth, someone
knows about the journal."
Imogen gave him another warning glance before resuming her
gentle inquisition." You realized that one of Vanneck's possessions
was indeed under our roof, did you not, Patricia? Namely the journal."
Yes." Patricia looked bewildered." I knew that neither you nor
Matthias would believe me if I tried to explain about the curse.
You both dismiss it. I had to do something. Matthias had nearly
been killed. Who knew how the curse would strike next? I thought
that Lady
Lyndhurst would have some notion of what to do with
the journal, as she is an expert on ancient Zamar and she believed
in the Rutledge Curse."
Damnation," Matthias muttered." Selena is no expert on
anything except fashion."
Imogen kept her attention fixed on Patricia." I understand why
you felt you had to take action, but your brother is quite right. The
Rutledge Curse is nonsense. I fear that Lady Lyndhurst was play
ing a rather unpleasant little game with you and the other
members of her salon."
Patricia sighed." But, Imogen, I don't understand. If there is no
curse, how can one explain all of the strange events of late?"
Coincidence," Imogen said easily." They happen all the time."
Coincidence be damned," Matthias growled twenty minutes later
as he stalked into the library behind Imogen." There is far more
than mere coincidence involved in this matter, and well you know
it."
Yes, Matthias, but I do not see any reason to alarm Patricia."
Imogen glanced at the closed door of the library as she stripped
off her bonnet and gloves." She is anxious enough as it is. And
given the family tendency toward lurid and dreadful imaginings, I
think it best that we not frighten her."
It strikes me that there is bloody good cause for a few lurid and
dreadful imaginings in this situation." Matthias flung himself down
into the chair behind his desk and watched with brooding eyes as
Imogen began to pace the room." What is this all about?"
I'm not certain. But it's obvious that Lucy's journal is very
important to someone."
Matthias narrowed his gaze as he freed his thoughts to make
connections between seemingly unconnected events and people.
Selena?"
She is certainly a possible suspect." Imogen appeared to have
no trouble following his leaps of logic." She is the one who
pretended to interpret the Rutledge Curse, after all."
Why would she want the damned thing?"
I have no notion. As far as I know, Lucy and Selena were only
barely acquainted three years ago. Lucy never spoke of her,
except occasionally in passing.
Indeed."
Imogen gave him a sharp, searching glance." Do you see some
connection that I have missed?"
Do you recall the night that we shared an extremely memorable embrace in a certain garden?"
Imogen turned a charming shade of pink." Yes, of course. You
insisted that we become engaged because of it."
I did not insist upon the engagement simply because of the
embrace, delightful though it was."
Imogen paused briefly in her pacing." You insisted upon it
because we had been seen by Selena and Alastair Drake."
Precisely. It's not much to go on, but it is an interesting tidbit
of information, is it not?"
But it was just a coincidence that they happened to be taking a
stroll in the garden together that night and discovered us in such
a . such a ." Imogen cleared her throat." Such a compromising
situation."
As I just told you, I am not inclined to believe that there is
anything coincidental about this entire affair."
Very well, let us start with some assumptions." Imogen clasped
her hands behind her back and resumed her pacing." Someone
knows that you took the journal from Vanneck's house. That
unknown person attempted to trick Patricia into bringing it with
her to the salon today. That individual could well have been
Selena, although there is no reason to believe she would have any
interest in the journal or that she would have any way of knowing
that we possess it."
Perhaps the person behind this was one of the other members
of the salon."
Imogen shook her head." Not likely. You saw them, Matthias.
They are all young ladies of Patricia's age. For most, this is their
first Season in Society. They would have still been in the school
room three years ago. None of them would have even been
acquainted with Lucy."
A relative of one of the young ladies, perhaps?"
Possible." Imogen frowned." But unlikely. It comes back to the
same problem. How could any of them have known that you took
the journal from Vanneck's study?"
You're forgetting that there were two other people in
Vanneck's house the other night in addition to myself," Matthias
said." I could not see their faces because they had gone to a deal
of trouble to conceal themselves. But they must have seen me."
Good heavens. You're right."
They may have assumed that I was after the journal simply
because that's what they were searching for themselves," Matthias
continued." They considered it valuable and likely concluded that
I also knew of its importance."
But you had no notion of its worth."
I did not enter the house to look for anything in particular, but
the two people I encountered there could not have known that. I
took that blasted journal only because it was obvious Vanneck had
deliberately concealed it." Matthias hesitated." And because I saw
that it had belonged to your friend Lucy."
You do have a remarkable ability for uncovering that which is
hidden," Imogen mused.
We all have our small talents. The skill served me well in lost
Zamar." Matthias wondered glumly if she sensed his lies of omission. He had not taken the journal solely because it had been
hidden or even because it had belonged to Lucy. He had taken it
because he had known that his fate was somehow tied to it.
But Imogen seemed intent on pursuing the logic of the problem
under discussion, not the murky questions of his particular choice
of self-imposed doom.
The two villains who attacked you may have gone back into
the house after you left to continue their search," she suggested.
When they failed to discover the journal, they may have
concluded that you had found it and taken it."
Perhaps they simply hid outside the house and watched as I
left with the journal in my hand. There was enough moonlight to
see quite clearly the other night."
I don't know, Matthias. None of it makes sense unless there is
something of grave import in Lucy's journal. But what could that
be? Vanneck was the only one who would have cared about Lucy's
affair with Alastair Drake. Surely no one else would be concerned
at this late date. It all happened three years ago."
Matthias steeled himself for the question he had to ask." Have
you finished reading the journal?"
Almost." She glanced out the window into the garden." I have
made slow progress, I fear. Lucy's writings have been somewhat
painful to read."
Matthias picked up the small knife he used to trim the nibs of
quill pens and began to fiddle with it." Imogen, I doubt you will
believe this, but I regret forcing you to read that damned journal."
Nonsense." She gave him a reassuring smile." You did what you
thought best and you were quite right. We need to know what the
journal contains that makes it so valuable to someone else."
&nbs
p; He tossed the blade down onto the desk." You're amazing, do
you know that? Absolutely astounding. Good God, can you not
deal squarely with the truth when you run headlong into it?
You're I. A. Stone, after all."
She came to a halt in the middle of the room and stared at him
in open mouthed astonishment." What is wrong? Why are you
angry, my lord?"
How can you be so bloody damn intelligent on the one hand
and so incredibly naive on the other?"
She gave him an odd smile." Have you considered that I am not
quite so naive as you believe, Matthias? I simply see some truths
from a different perspective than you do."
There can be only one truth in any given situation."
I do not agree, my lord. Only recall how often you and I have
argued in print about a particular point concerning Zamarian
history. In those instances we both interpret the script in an identical fashion but we attribute different meanings to it. Two views
of the same truth."
Don't you understand?" he said through his teeth." This has got
nothing to do with ancient Zamar. As long as we are discussing
truth, let us have one thing clear between us."
What is that?"
Matthias was appalled at what he was doing. He should stop
right now, he thought. He was a fool to say another word. He had
apparently had a narrow escape in the matter of the journal. He
should thank his lucky stars for his good fortune and cease digging
this bottomless pit for himself.
Imogen had convinced herself that he had given her the journal
to read because there was no alternative. If he had any sense, he
would allow her to go on believing that. It was folly to push his
luck in this absurd manner. But he could not stop himself. He
leaped into the dark chasm he had excavated.
Surely you realize that I was aware of what you were likely to
learn about Lucy's character when I gave you her journal," he said.
You made certain assumptions about Lucy based on old gossip.
You assumed I would do the same after I read her journal."
They were more than assumptions. You were hurt by what you
read. Bloody hell, I saw your tears, Imogen."
She tilted her head to one side and contemplated him in a
thoughtful manner." Aunt Horatia admitted today for the first time
that she, too, had been aware of Lucy's odd behavior."
Odd behavior?" Matthias gave a crack of humorless laughter.
That is putting an extremely kind twist on the matter. She was a
Amanda Quick - Mischief.txt Page 31