Wizards Daughter

going to bloody your nose and lay you flat. You treacherous blockhead, I'll just bet Nicholas-another treacherous blockhead-was ever so delighted to see you, wasn't he?' She shook him again, got right in his face, ready to lambaste him some more-blast him to the hereafter-when Grayson had the nerve to laugh at her.

9

She stuck her fist under his nose. 'You dare to make light of this, Grayson Sherbrooke? You don't think I can kick you in the dirt?'

'Hello, Rosalind.'

She whirled to see Nicholas Vail standing in the open drawing room doorway. He looked ever so fit, and dangerous, in truth, with his black hair wind-tossed, his boots so highly polished she knew she'd be able to see her face in the shine. A black brow was arched; he looked ready to laugh.

'You!'

'I believe so, yes. Do you really think Grayson and I are treacherous blockheads?'

'You are probably a good deal worse.'

Grayson said, 'I did knock on your door, Rosalind. Rather vigorously, but you were dreaming of dancing with your three dukes, deciding which one of the poor dolts you were going to nab. What was I to do? Of course I went to see Nicholas. Of course I showed him the book. You would have done the same thing in my shoes, you know it. Don't be a twit.'

Nicholas never looked away from Rosalind as he walked into the drawing room. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. A graceful, old-fashioned gesture, to be sure, but it fit him, and it fit the moment. His mouth was warm on her flesh, the look of amusement still making his dark eyes gleam, and at the touch of him… Rosalind grew very still. Something akin to shock crashed through her. It was only a man's mouth lightly touching her hand-the absolute frantic delight of what she felt astounded her. She opened her mouth, stared at him, mute, her confusion, her delight, clear on her face. She looked at his mouth-she thought it could be hard, perhaps cruel-but when his mouth had touched her hand, she'd wanted to plaster herself against him and kiss him until her lips fell off. As for Nicholas, that unconscious clod appeared unmoved, as if he hadn't a clue that her world had just shifted, as if he were thinking about a nice cup of tea. She wanted to kick him, yell at him to wake up, but Nicholas said, amusement rich in his voice, 'Grayson came to me. He showed me the book, told me you could read the Rules as fluently as one of Mrs. North's gothic novels. I admit I disbelieved him because I couldn't read it, so how could you, a mere female? Now do you feel better?' Are you lying, Nicholas?

Before she could pin him, Grayson said, 'So it's only you, Rosalind, who has this ability, I suppose you could call it, this gift, this-'

'Yes, yes, I know, I'm different.'

'So, Nicholas is of no use to us at all. Why do you look like you want to kick him? He didn't do anything at all. You're still the only star performer here, not either of us.'

Nicholas said, 'Fact is, even though my grandfather showed me the book, he never told me specifically what was written; he only told me about Sarimund. Had he broken the code as well? I remember him trying, endlessly, but I don't think he ever did.'

She wondered again if he were lying and wanted to connect her fist to his perfect nose. Unfortunately she had to keep her fists at her sides because Uncle Ryder and Aunt Sophie came into the drawing room at that moment. Their faces froze, all conversation died.

Ryder said smoothly to Nicholas, 'Willicombe told us you'd arrived with Grayson.'

'It is delightful to see you, sir, ma'am,' Nicholas said, bowing to Sophie. 'Your gown is quite charming.'

Sophie grinned up at this dangerous young man. 'No more charming than you, my lord.'

Rosalind snorted.

Sophie asked, 'From the looks on all your faces, you wish us to the Devil, but alas, we're staying right here. Now, what is all this about a book? This is the one you were reading yesterday, Grayson?'

Grayson nodded. 'I, ah, had some questions about it, Mama. I wanted Nicholas to see it.'

'But why didn't you show it to him yesterday? After all, the three of you were together at the park, weren't you?'

Grayson turned mute. Nicholas stared hard at a lovely shepherdess atop the mantel, and so Rosalind, giving them both a disgusted look, said, 'You know how Grayson is, Aunt Sophie, he gets an idea and he goes off to hide. He left us in the park.' Unchaperoned. 'Er, that is, Grayson didn't really leave us, exactly, he suggested we come home immediately and so we did. Well, almost immediately.'

Ryder Sherbrooke walked slowly to where his son stood. 'You and Rosalind were always inept at dissimulation. I see that his lordship is no better. What is going on here?'

Nicholas said, 'Grayson found a rare old book at the fair yesterday. It is in code. Are you good at deciphering code, sir?'

'Code? This old book is written in code? How very odd. Let me see it.' Ryder held out his hand. Nothing else to do- Grayson handed his father the Rules of the Pale, though for an instant, he'd wanted to tuck it into his shirt and run.

Ryder, aware that his son was hovering, handled the book very gently. 'It indeed appears to be very old. You found this in a bookstall at the artists' fair yesterday?'

Grayson said, 'Yes, sir.'

The three of them watched Ryder open the book at random, watched his forehead furrow as he studied the page, watched him frown. Finally, he raised his head. They held their collective breath. 'It is a code I have never seen before. Douglas is very good at this sort of thing. We can show it to him.' Grayson took the book from his father without a word.

'Douglas and Alexandra will be arriving on the morrow,' Sophie said to Nicholas. 'He is the Earl of Northcliffe, but you know that, don't you?'

'Someone mentioned it to me at the ball the other night. I look forward to making his lordship's acquaintance.'

Sophie held out her hand to her son. 'My turn.'

To her disappointment, she couldn't make out the code either. 'How very lowering. I thought my dear husband and I knew everything of importance. This depresses my spirits. As for Douglas, he is coming to lend more weight to Rosalind's coming out. There will be a bail hare for her next Friday,' Sophie said, her eyes never leaving Nicholas Vail's dark face.

Guileless as a nun, Rosalind said, 'Lord Mountjoy came back with Grayson because I agreed to go riding in the park with him; he is going to tell me all about Macau. I have a fascination for Portuguese colonies, you know.'

Both Ryder and Sophie strongly doubted Rosalind had even heard of Macau before this. Still, Sophie found herself nodding. 'I suppose that will be all right. But don't forget, dearest, you have a final fitting at Madame Fouquet's this afternoon.'

'Macau can wait,' Grayson said. 'The book, Rosalind, we must work together on the book. Nicholas as well.'

It was odd, but Rosalind no longer felt any urgency about the book. She felt urgency about Nicholas. She said, 'I will get more information from Nicholas about it, Grayson. It will assist us. When we return, we will all work on it together.'

'But why-'

'I have a headache. I need fresh air.'

'That was very well done,' Nicholas said as he sat opposite Rosalind in his carriage. 'Your Uncle Ryder is wrong. You lie quite fluently.' He thudded his cane against the roof. 'Tell Grace and Leopold to go leisurely to the park, Lee.'

'Yes, my lord.' The carriage rolled forward.

'Grace and Leopold?'

'My grays. They're proud and know their own worth. If they feel someone has slighted them, they bite. Now,