Page 22 of A Bluestocking’s Secret Courtship

Soon after Sir Jonathan returned to the house, Regina and Xavier’s sparring session ended. Evangeline kept working on her sketch while they tidied up for the outing.

When they arrived at Hadrian’s Library, she walked the perimeter. The book she had borrowed from Lord Dominic described the building before it had fallen into ruin. She could picture it clearly. Eager to begin sketching, she plopped her sketchbook on a large, flat-topped rock, climbed atop, and dug her charcoals from the enormous bag she used for her art supplies.

“Look, mon amour,” Xavier murmured playfully to Regina. “More columns.”

Evangeline glanced up from her drawing. “More places for you to steal kisses, no?”

“Evangeline!” Regina blushed, the color disappearing beneath the light blue turban she wore.

“You are newlyweds. No one will begrudge you a private moment of affection.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Now, off with you both. I cannot concentrate with you hovering.”

As the sun warmed her back, a fine sheen blanketed her body. Sir Jonathan had been correct about the heat. It was definitely hotter than it had been yesterday. Even the salty breeze off the sea provided little relief, which likely accounted for the lack of fellow travelers at the site.

She was happy there wasn’t a crowd like there had been at the Agora. In the distance, the Parthenon presided over the city, high on the hillside. She could make out the silhouettes of a few tourists against the white marble and sighed happily.

Since she was a little girl, she had dreamed of leaving England to visit faraway lands. She had been enraptured whenever Uncle Charles sent letters from his adventures, sitting still on the tufted stool while Mama read them aloud. Now, here she was.

She lowered her head and focused on her rendering. Her hand flew over the paper as inspiration seized her. She nearly had the roof completed when she felt a tingling at the back of her neck. She looked up, searching for Regina and Xavier, but they were still out of sight.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Setting her sketchbook aside, she stood, shading her eyes as she turned a slow circle. She was alone.

“Are you finished?” Regina called.

Evangeline looked over her shoulder to find her sister and brother-in-law returning. Xavier’s arm was around her waist, and she was beginning to look wilted again. Perhaps the heat was too much to handle after being ill.

“I am,” she said. “I can add details back at the villa.”

For the next two days, they settled into a routine: Regina and Xavier sparring in the morning, a midday outing to one of the city’s ruins, followed by an early return so Regina could rest. And no matter where they went, the eerie sensation of being watched continued, though Evangeline could never see anyone.

Eight

As Jonathan and Dom climbed the winding path leading to the Acropolis, Jonathan muttered, “When the Regent’s Consul promised me adventure, chasing ghosts wasn’t what I had in mind.”

Dom let out a gravelly sigh and ducked beneath a low-hanging branch. “I don’t know why you’re complaining. I would rather be shot than look at one more pile of rocks.”

“They are ruins, and they are a link to otherwise forgotten civilizations.”

“Eh, I don’t understand the appeal.”

Jonathan aimed a narrow-eyed glance at his companion. Dom was a philistine. It was a wonder they got along as well as they did.

Despite their differences of opinion when it came to ancient ruins, Jonathan shared in his frustrations. Dom had been following Evangeline and her family for six days, and Wedmore hadn’t made an appearance. Yet again, he was outmaneuvering them.

“Do you ever wish we had trained under him?” Jonathan asked.

“It would be damned easier to track him if he’d shared his secrets.” Dom whipped off his hat and intercepted a rivulet of sweat with a handkerchief before it dripped into his eye. “Hellfire, it’s bloody hot.”

For a man who should have grown accustomed to the Mediterranean sun after five years at his current post, he perspired like a vicar caught with his drawers down. It was scorching hot, though. Jonathan’s own shirt was plastered to his torso, and his lightweight ivory jacket was beginning to feel more like a fur pelt.

“You still haven’t found anything incriminating?” Dom asked.

“Nothing.” Jonathan had been searching the guest quarters every day Evangeline was away from the villa, hoping to find whatever she might have removed from the trunk’s false bottom.

Clearly, she had acquired skills her lady’s education wouldn’t have covered. She might have picked the lock before Jonathan had a chance. She had certainly gotten into the trunk later and found his book.

“Let’s hope Wedmore shows himself today,” Dom said. “The sooner you find him, the sooner I can stop being a prisoner in my own home.” He gestured to the guard-house ahead. “It cost forty shillings. I had to listen to the Disdar’s droning over coffee before he granted permission to visit. You owe me doubly.”

At the gate, Dom stated his name and the Turkish guard allowed them entrance. The grounds were teeming with tourists. Jonathan searched for Miss Darlington and her family.