When a Lady Desires a Wicked Lord by Tara Kingston

Author:Tara Kingston [Kingston, Tara]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Viscount, romance, Ancient curses, Entangled, Brother’s Best Friend, second chance, Victorian Suspense, Adult, Victorian, historical romance, Amara, Egyptian Archeology
Goodreads: 39672750
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Amara)
Published: 2018-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“Please, Alex, do make yourself comfortable.”

Jennie motioned to an overstuffed wing chair, but Alex had no desire to sit, comfortably or otherwise. Pacing the length of the library in her sister’s spacious Mayfair home, jittery as a cat tiptoeing past a sleeping bulldog, she pulled in a deep breath. Releasing the air on a slow exhalation, she moved to the chair and sat perched on the edge of the seat.

“Matthew regrets he could not join us,” Jennie went on. “He is attending to some urgent business of great importance to the Home Secretary. As I’m sure you understand, I am not at liberty to discuss the specifics.”

“Of course,” Alex said. To her left, Benedict leaned almost casually against a leather settee. His nonchalant stance did not fool Alex. She knew he was filled with the same nervous energy that had set her feet in motion over the plush carpet.

Seated behind a modest-sized desk of polished cherry, MacAlister Campbell opened the folder containing Mrs. Donohue’s research and placed her neatly penned notes atop the maroon desk blotter. “Well done, Miss Quinn,” he said. “Given this new information, it appears your theory may be valid.” He tapped the nib of his fountain pen against the list. “However, there are certain inconsistencies that might actually prove meaningful.”

“What are you saying?” Alex stopped her pacing and stared down at the table Mrs. Donohue had prepared. November 19. Her date of birth was referenced with the symbol astrologers linked to that precise day. Beneath the date, Benedict’s birthday was noted, followed by the birthdates of each man who had died. Some had been paired with a symbol she had identified from Hamid’s cryptic message, while others were unmatched.

“Take a look, Miss Quinn. I think the discrepancy will be obvious to you.”

She leaned closer, taking in the information bit by bit. “Professor Stockwell came into this world on June 1… Gemini. The twins.” She pointed to the glyph on the photograph, repeating the process for each of the men who’d been identified by Mrs. Donohue’s research.

“Some of the men listed here were not depicted in the guide’s message. I suspect his strength gave out before he could complete the warning,” Benedict said.

“But there are two symbols that do not correspond to any of the men we’ve identified,” Alex pointed out. “The incomplete circle and the second hieroglyph of Capricorn. Other than Lord Marlsbrook, none of the men involved was born in December or January.”

“An excellent observation. As for the final symbol, Mrs. Donahue’s research indicated that the circle could have been intended to indicate Taurus. The icon is incomplete, but appears to be a half-formed representation,” Campbell said. “There’s no way of knowing what the guide’s birthdate was, so he may have meant to indicate himself among the victims.”

Tension cramped the muscles in Alex’s shoulders and throat, bringing about a dull, miserable ache. She rubbed the back of her neck, as if that might get rid of the discomfort. “Or he’d intended to depict additional victims who have not yet come under attack.

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