The Secret Christmas Ciphers (7 page)

But despite that concern, Abigail felt her heart soar when she looked up and felt the flakes tickling her face as they landed and immediately melted. The beauty of the snow, the sweet smell of the country air, the sharp bite of the cold on her face—all combined to whirl her backward in time.

She remembered another winter when she was perhaps eight years old. It must have been around Christmas because Derek had been home from school and despite his being older than her and his stepsisters, he’d joined them for a snowball fight in the formal garden behind Melton Castle. She’d been hiding behind one of the hedges lobbing snowballs at the sisters when he’d sneaked up behind her and stuffed a snowball down the back of her dress.

Remembering her screams of surprise and shock brought a smile to her face. She glanced around for Derek. He’d turned to give instructions to the groom who’d dashed up from the stables to help see to the horses. She quickly bent and scooped up a double handful of snow, formed it into a soft ball, and threw it toward her husband. It caught him in the back of the head and a bit of it slithered down the back of his collar.

With a yelp of surprise, he turned to find the culprit, but Abigail was already running around the back of the coach. When she glanced over her shoulder, he was coming toward her with a grin on his face and a nicely formed ball of snow in his hand.

“Oh no,” Abigail murmured, then lifted her skirts and made a dash for the shelter of a nearby oak. She ducked behind the massive trunk just as Derek let the snowball fly. It landed with a splat on the side of the tree.

Abigail had just bent and scooped up another double handful of snow when powerful arms wrapped around her from behind. She squealed, then gasped as cold fingers crept under her coat collar and tickled a spot right below her ear.

“Unhand me, you oaf,” she said between giggles.

Derek merely wrapped his arms more tightly around her waist. “Drop the snowball,” he commanded, “and I’ll let you live to fight another day.”

“Very well,” she said, then raised both hands back and over her head before she dropped the snow. His yelp told her she’d managed to hit him in the face, so she lunged forward, hoping to break free from his hold.

He loosened his arms just as she lunged so that her momentum had her stumbling forward half a dozen steps before she completely lost her balance and splatted facedown into the snow.

He was by her side in a second and dropped to his knees. “Are you all right?”

She was laughing almost too hard to answer, but she managed to turn on her side, and look up into his face. Her laughter faded as she gazed into his eyes and realized there was more reflected there than mere worry. “I’m fine,” she murmured.

“You’re more than fine,” he said softly. “You’re quite beautiful, you know, with your cheeks rosy from the cold and your eyes sparkling with laughter. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, but today you’re absolutely the loveliest woman I’ve ever seen.”

Abigail rolled from her side onto her back and lifted her right hand to place it on the back of his head. “Kiss me,” she murmured. “I love it when you kiss me.”

“And I would like nothing better,” he said softly, pulling back another inch. “But not here and not now. The butler and two footmen are standing outside waiting for us, and while I’m sure they think the snow is pretty, I don’t doubt but that they’d prefer watching it from inside the house where it’s a bit warmer.”

“Oh!” Abigail pulled in a sharp breath. “How inconsiderate of me. They must think I’m a ninny of the first order. Oh, do help me stand and brush myself off.”

Derek chuckled as he got to his feet and then held out a hand to pull her up. “Don’t worry, my dear. All the servants here adore you, and no one is going to think any the less of you for enjoying a short frolic in the snow.”

“Oh, but I was doing more than frolicking. I was trying to tempt you into kissing me.”

Derek tucked her hand under his arm and started walking with her back toward the front of the house. “And would that have been such a terrible thing? We are man and wife, after all.”

Not sure how to respond, Abigail glanced toward the front portico and was pleased to see that the servants awaiting them there had indulgent smiles on their faces. She walked toward them, returning their smiles.

The butler bowed and addressed her as he had during the many visits she’d paid to Melton Castle over the years. “Good morning, Miss Pickering.” He quickly caught himself. “I should say Lady Westdale, of course. My apologies, my lady.”

“No apologies necessary, Morriton,” she said quickly. “I also have trouble remembering my new name.”

The butler smiled and nodded to her before turning to Derek. “We weren’t expecting you, my lord, but I’ve ordered that a fire be built in the drawing room, and the cook is preparing a warm breakfast for you and her ladyship.”

“We’ll also require a fire in the library, Morriton,” Derek said. “As soon as we’ve broken our fast, both Lady Westdale and I will be spending the morning there.”

“The library,” Abigail murmured. With the excitement of the snow, she’d forgotten the cipher. She bit her lip and grasped Derek’s arm. “We’d better hurry.”

He placed his hand over hers. “We can take time to eat breakfast. Our minds will be clearer if we get some nourishment. Besides, you probably want to freshen up. Why don’t we meet in the breakfast parlor in about thirty minutes?”

Abigail turned for one more look at the rapidly changing landscape before they stepped into the entrance hall. She couldn’t help reflecting that by the time she and Derek finished deciphering that cipher, chances were slim that the roads would be passable between Melton Castle and London.

But there was nothing she could do to change the weather so she turned her gaze back inside and greeted the housekeeper with the warmth that she’d long felt for this woman who had always treated her with kindness and respect.

Abigail had to admit that Derek’s plan to freshen up and then avail themselves of a hot breakfast had gone a long way toward helping her shake off the effects of a short night and a jolting coach ride that morning.

He, too, appeared brighter-eyed after having eaten and indulged in a few cups of coffee. In fact, when he stood and suggested to Abigail that it was time they got to work, he ordered that a fresh pot be brewed and brought to them.

A roaring fire had warmed the library, and the curtains had been opened. Abigail dashed to a window looking out on a side garden. Every shrub and tree now boasted a sparkling white covering. “Isn’t it absolutely beautiful?” she murmured.

Derek walked up beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Extremely beautiful,” he murmured. When she realized he was gazing at her rather than the scene outside the window, she flushed with pleasure. Perhaps they could manage to have a little time for each other if they successfully decoded that cipher. Which meant they should get to work.

“I’d better start searching for that book,” she said, making no effort to move away from his side.

He sighed and released her. “You’re right, of course. Do you know where to begin?”

“I have a good idea.” She motioned toward the far side of the room. “All of the books on ciphers were shelved together when I used to study them. All except that one. For some reason, it was kept with the books on agriculture.”

“Perhaps that explains why I never saw it. Why didn’t you move it and shelve it with the other books on codes and ciphers?”

Abigail raised her brows and stared at him a few seconds. “I was a guest here. It wasn’t my place to change the order of the books.”

She walked to the row where she recalled last seeing the book. If it had been moved, she could envision a long morning of searching for it because the library housed hundreds of books. She’d looked at most of the titles during the time she and the governess had spent here.

Fortunately, the book was exactly where she remembered seeing it, right between a title on crop rotation and another on the proper care of sows. She pulled it down and hurried to the table Derek had positioned near the windows so they would have ample light.

“Excellent,” he murmured. “Have a seat and let’s get to work.” He pulled a chair out for her and then took a seat beside her.

Abigail laid the book on the table in front of her. “Give me a minute to find the correct section.” She flipped through the pages slowly. She didn’t recall which section of the book contained information regarding that particular cipher, but she knew she’d recognize it when she saw it.

And she did. Less than five minutes of leafing through the book brought her to the pages depicting the type of cipher that had stymied Derek. “Here it is,” she said, handing the book to Derek.

He took a few minutes to read over the section. “I believe you’re right regarding deciphering the first sentence, but this says nothing about how to work with the various repetitions in the cipher. Obviously, there’s something not covered here.”

“Let me see.” Abigail pulled the book back, read for a few minutes, and then shook her head. “You’re right. But let’s at least decipher the first sentence and see if that provides us with a clue.”

“Very well.” Derek picked up a piece of paper from the stack on the end of the table and pulled the ink well toward him. “Let’s begin.”

Fifteen minutes later, when they realized they had fully deciphered the missive, they looked at each other with widened eyes. Derek started pulling at his earlobe. Abigail bit her lower lip. “Can this be right or has the book steered us in the wrong direction?”

“Oh, I think we’ve decoded it correctly,” Derek said. A smile slowly lifted the corners of his lips. “In fact, I can just imagine some exasperated Frenchman trying to decide if this style of ciphering suited his taste. Obviously it didn’t, but apparently his scribbling was mistaken by a clerk or courier as something of importance and mixed in with the real ciphers.”

Abigail felt her spirits lifting. For a few minutes she’d been afraid that she’d dragged Derek back to the castle unnecessarily. Finally she smiled, picked up the sheet, and read aloud.

This is an experiment.

This is merely an experiment.

This is a boring experiment.

This is a useless experiment.

This is a teeth-gnashing experiment.

I’m stopping now
.

When Abigail’s smile faded, she turned to Derek. “And to think that we raced here from London merely to decipher this piece of foolishness.”

Derek grinned. “Truthfully, I’m glad it’s not of any significance. At least I won’t have to try to make my way back to London today.”

“You can spend the night?” Abigail hadn’t been expecting this, and her stomach gave a strange little flip of anticipation. Did she have the courage to again suggest that she was willing to consummate their marriage? She bit her lip, then looked into his eyes, hoping to silently convey her desire for a marriage in more than name only.

If he correctly interpreted the message she was attempting to send him, he gave no indication. He merely shrugged. “There’s no sense in my risking my life to carry a worthless piece of paper back to my superiors. We can probably return together tomorrow.” He nodded to the scene outside the window. “The sun has come out and I suspect the temperature will start rising later today. The roads should be clear tomorrow.”

Abigail reluctantly shifted her gaze to look out the window. Sure enough, sunlight was glinting off the snow. The brightness brought tears to her eyes. At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself.

She stood. “Yes, no doubt the melting will begin this afternoon. What are your plans for the remainder of the day?”

He also stood, then placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. He gazed at her lips when he spoke, making plain his intentions. “I plan to begin the rest of my day by paying a debt I incurred earlier this morning.”

“A debt?” Abigail felt her cheeks reddening, almost as though his insult had been a literal slap in her face. “You want to kiss me as repayment of a debt?”

He grimaced. “My word choice was unfortunate, but I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I’ve always loved kissing you, and that’s the truth, I promise you.”

I promise you
. The words sent Abigail’s memory plummeting back in time. She and Derek had been in this very room two summers ago, and his words had been almost identical then as now.
Wait for me. I’ll ask your father for your hand when I return at Christmas. I will always love you, and that’s the truth, I promise you
.

And the next time they’d stood together in this room, she’d asked him to explain why he’d become engaged to another woman and he’d refused to tell her. What was it he had said?
My honor would not allow me to act differently. If I could tell you all, you would not condemn me, I promise you
.

She shrugged out of his grasp. “Promises come easily to you, Derek. A little too easily, I’m afraid. There comes a point when promises are without meaning and without value. I fear yours have reached that point with me.”

She turned and hurried from the room but not before she heard Derek rather heatedly cursing to himself under his breath.

* * *

Although Abigail longed to crawl into bed and weep, she wouldn’t give Derek that satisfaction. She might be a wife in name only, but she was still the mistress of this castle, and she had responsibilities to attend to.

She made her way to the small sitting room in the rear corner of the castle. Windows looked out over the gardens, which were now blanketed with melting snow. But those gardens would bloom with renewed growth and bright blooms come spring, and Abigail had determined that she would claim this room for her own. An elegant desk near the fireplace would work well for her correspondence, and a lovely overstuffed chair near the window would be perfect for reading on sunny days.

But all of that was for the future. First she needed to ascertain what needs the servants might have. She rang for a footman to light the logs already laid in the fireplace and then asked him to fetch the housekeeper.