AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Agreed. Now, to determine a logical place to begin…"
"Don't determine. Search."
Julian tossed her a look. "So bloody impatient. Very well, Rory, this time we'll do it your way. But only because no harm can come of it."
"Yes, sir," she muttered.
"I'll start with the shelves on the opposite wall. Call out if you find anything significant."
"Don't worry. If I find that blasted book, Courtney and Slayde will probably hear me at Pembourne." So saying, Aurora began, skimming the titles from the bottom shelf up.
She was on the third section about an hour later when she gave a speculative frown. "I didn't know your family was interested in weapons."
"Weapons?" Julian glanced up from his task. "They weren't—at least not to my knowledge. Why?"
"Because this whole shelf is devoted solely to books on that subject: pistols, swords, cannons—an entire variety."
Slowly Julian descended the ladder, a puzzled expression on his face. "That's odd."
"Perhaps, but I doubt it means anything with regard to Geoffrey. These probably weren't even his selections for the library. After all, there were—subsequent to Geoffrey and prior to you—two other Dukes of Morland."
"One of whom was a tyrannical maniac consumed with nothing but regaining our fortune and rebuilding our businesses, the other of whom was a drunken weakling consumed only by his bottle and his vengeance."
Aurora turned, inclining her head quizzically. "You're saying no one has used this library since Geoffrey?"
"I'm saying that even if my grandfather or my father glanced at a book on occasion, they were hardly the types to designate which reading material should be stocked in the library. Neither of them would give a damn. My guess is that whatever books we're finding now have been here since Geoffrey's era." Julian crossed the room, his forehead wrinkled in thought. "Odd that he'd openly display books on weaponry, even if he was interested in the subject. Given his covert role as the Fox, I assume he'd avoid exhibiting an entire shelf of books on a topic that might arouse suspicions. Which weapons in particular are represented, did you say?"
"A multitude of them," Aurora murmured, tracing the titles with her forefinger. "There is one book on field guns, one on rifles, one on military muskets, two on flintlock pistols, one on gun shields. There are two books on cannons, three on swords, and one on…" Aurora frowned, tugging at the final book which was small, wedged tightly between the previous book and the wall. "One on…" She yanked it free. "…eighteenth-century daggers." Even as she said it, she jerked around to face Julian, who'd reached her side. "That would cover the time period in which the Fox and Falcon daggers were crafted."
"Indeed it would."
"Let's scrutinize this book cover to cover." Aurora was halfway to the settee.
"Don't bother. It isn't necessary." Julian crouched down where Aurora had made her find, peering into the now-vacant corner that had held the book on daggers. Abruptly he shifted his attentions one shelf lower.
"Here's what we're looking for." He straightened, flourishing a book entitled England's Smallest Falcons.
The volume Aurora had been holding struck the floor. "How did you know that was there?" she gasped.
"James told me. Or rather, his strongbox did. Think about the items he left us."
"His falcon dagger—and the page from his book."
"Arranged in what manner?"
Aurora's eyes widened. "The dagger was atop the page."
"Exactly. So I merely followed his lead. You found the dagger. I merely looked beneath it." Julian clutched the falcon volume tightly. "This is the book we have to scrutinize cover to cover."
"Let's begin by poring over the section directly before and after the page James tore out," Aurora suggested, dropping onto the settee and reaching eagerly for the book. "Maybe we'll find a clue there."
"Agreed." Julian sat beside her, flipping through until he found the appropriate spot. "You were right," he announced immediately, scanning the page just after the missing one. "It is a sect
ion on the hunting habits of the merlin and the kestrel. 'The merlin hunts low, rises up to drop like a stone onto its prey'," Julian read aloud. "'It feeds on small mammals, insects, and mice. The kestrel makes a sudden drop from above onto its prey, reaps its prize, then carries on'." A contemplative pause. "Nothing significant there. Wait." Julian's eyes narrowed, and he angled the book toward the light. "There are faint lines drawn beneath several of these words: 'feeds', 'reaps', and 'carries on'." He scowled. "That's strange." With that he glanced back at the page immediately preceding the missing one. "This is the end of the previous section. It concludes by describing specific markings of both falcons: 'The merlin has a slight mustache and a bold black tail band. The kestrel has pointed wings and issues the eternal call of 'killy, killy, killy'." Again, Julian angled the book. "'Black' and 'eternal' are underscored. I'm beginning to doubt these notations are mere coincidence."
"They're not." Aurora gripped Julian's arm, her own hand icy cold. "Combine all those words, only arrange them in a different order: 'black' … 'reaps' … 'eternal' … 'carries on' … 'feeds'—don't they conjure up something in your mind?"
"The curse of the black diamond." Julian pored over the few pages once again. "Damn—all the underscored words are derived from that wretched curse."
