Page 26 of A Bluestocking’s Secret Courtship

“For now, anyway,” Regina conceded. “They are in good hands with Crispin, and I believe he enjoys playing the protector.”

“Perhaps too much. Sophia might never forgive you for enlisting his help watching over them.”

Regina shrugged, clearly not concerned. Crispin, Viscount Margrave, butted heads with their younger sister, but he was an old family friend and loyal. Even after he gave his word to look after Sophia and Aunt Beatrice, Evangeline was surprised Regina surrendered the responsibility. She had been acting as everyone’s self-appointed protector and caregiver for as long as memory served.

“What about Uncle Charles?” Evangeline asked. “We haven’t tried searching for him beyond calling at the lodging house.”

“I know you had hoped to join him in the field, but we have no way of knowing how long he’ll be gone.”

“We have only been here a week.”

“I’m not suggesting we leave tomorrow,” Regina said, “but we have been away longer than anticipated.”

Only because they had lingered in Brighton much longer than Evangeline had hoped. But it had been important for Xavier to see to his ward, and she couldn’t fault him for wanting to spend more time with his cousins.

Regina patted her knee. “Perhaps we should stay two weeks more.”

“But—”

“In the meantime, Xavier will continue to make inquiries into Uncle Charles’s whereabouts. Perhaps we can enlist Sir Jonathan’s assistance, too.”

Evangeline’s gaze strayed to her fellow antiquarian. Sir Jonathan appeared to be regaling Xavier with some tale as they approached a stone archway leading backstage. His gestures were sweeping and his expression animated. His enthusiasm spread like a contagion. Her muscles twitched with a desire to skip down the stairs to join the conversation.

Regina slanted her head, smiling as she regarded the men. “He could be perfect for you. Surely, you must see it.”

“My interest is⁠—”

“Academic. Yes, you have already said.” Regina reached for the parasol handle and Evangeline surrendered it. “I understand your reluctance to leave Athens, but don’t you think Uncle Charles would have found us by now if he were still here?”

“He wouldn’t have gone far without his belongings,” Evangeline said. “He is forgetful at times, but he would never leave behind his trunk.”

“Maybe you are right.” Her sister caught her bottom lip between her teeth, her amber gaze darting toward her husband. “I hope nothing has happened to him.”

Evangeline patted Regina’s knee and said with authority, “Uncle Charles will make an appearance as soon as he needs to resupply.”

“I suppose…” Regina cocked her head. “Have you made any sense of the scribbles you found?”

“Not yet. It isn’t any language I’ve ever seen.”

Evangeline sighed and contemplated the jumble of letters that filled every page of the journal she’d recovered from the false bottom of their uncle’s trunk. She’d found a scrap of paper with similar markings shoved into an old travel journal at Wedmore House a few months earlier.

“Do you believe it could be ancient writing?” Regina asked. “Perhaps words inscribed on something too large to move?”

“It is possible.” Though Evangeline wasn’t convinced. “His entries make use of the Latin alphabet, but the structure doesn’t follow any of the rules. I’m not a linguist, though. I might be missing something.”

“I could ask Xavier to make inquiries. Perhaps there is a local expert willing to examine the journal.”

“I don’t think it would be helpful,” Evangeline said. “I am entertaining the idea that Uncle Charles created a code that only he understands.”

“Whatever for?”

Evangeline shrugged. “To hide the nature of his work? You know how secretive he can be.”

“Unfortunately, I do. He won’t be pleased when he returns to Wedmore House to find an army of new servants he had no hand in selecting.”

“No hand in interrogating is more like it.”

Gravel crunched close behind them. Evangeline and her sister bolted from the ledge and whirled to face an intruder. Regina snapped the parasol closed, thrusting it toward him like a fencing blade.