Read A Code of Love (The Code Breakers 1) for Free Online

pretend.” The boy patted his plump partner. “If you don’t come back after tea, should I meet you at the club?”
    The panic had returned to her chest. She didn’t want to consider the next step, should Uncle Charles not be found. “Why don’t you wait until I get back? If we need to change our strategy, I’ll want us all together.”
    Her brother searched her face, his green eyes wide.
    “I’m sure Uncle Charles is fine and reading some obscure tome on ancient Egyptians.” She tried to sound confident.
    “He is probably looking for something on embalming. He loves mummies.”
    “You’re probably right. You and Gus head that way. I’ll go this way,” she said.
    The pair turned back toward Kendal house. She waited for them to disappear before she renewed her frantic pace.
    In Uncle Charles’ present condition, he might not fare well with his friends. The club was made up of a motley group of eccentrics who might not notice the dramatic change in her uncle. Unlike other men’s clubs, The Odd Set of Volumes required neither a title nor aristocratic connections. The requirements were a curious mind and a passion for all books. Her uncle retained both, and hopefully, would still fit in.
    She burst into the old brick building, home to the collection of odd books and the odd set of men who read them. A familiar musty scent assaulted her nose. Oblivious to the stares, she scanned the large room teeming with men and their books. No sign of her uncle. Flutters somersaulted in her stomach.
    The clerk began to move from behind his desk.
    She dodged the older man and skirted down the opposite aisle of tables. She nodded to the shocked gentlemen who looked up from their tomes to find a woman racing through their club. She headed to the rear of the library, where the oldest books were shelved.
    Turning a corner made up of tall shelves, she heard her uncle’s rambling speech. Relief surged through her whole being down to her toes. Her white-haired uncle, his waist coat teeming with his collection, chatted amiably.
    “Uncle Charles.” The high pitch and intensity of her voice reverberated in the narrow shelves of books.
    Her uncle greeted her as if they had just parted company. “Henrietta, I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve been having the most interesting conversation with this gentleman. He shares an interest in Egypt, especially hieroglyphics. I was beginning to tell him how I’ve applied the principals in my work.”
    “Uncle, I’m sure the gentleman must return to his own work.”
    An impeccably dressed gentleman in all grey, with a complicated cravat turned toward her. “Mademoiselle, I’m interested in everything from ancient Egypt, especially hieroglyphics.”
    Henrietta failed to recognize the gentleman who leaned on an ivory walking stick. His nonchalance belied the tension in the set of his shoulders and jaw. The perfect lines and planes of his face clashed with his round, sensual lips. His thick blond hair was combed back, as if the wind had blown it into disarray. The locks curled around his ears and one curl fell on his forehead.
    “Comte Lucien De Valmont, at your service.” He bowed.
    Henrietta curtsied. Their eyes locked when each straightened. His piercing gaze didn’t match his formal manner.
    “Your uncle was just beginning to explain the modern applications of hieroglyphics,” he said.
    She felt breathless, as if the room had lost all its air. Had Uncle Charles revealed anything critical about his code breaking?
    She forced herself to keep smiling. “Yes, my uncle is knowledgeable about many facets of Egyptian life. Did you also discuss your fascination with mummies, Uncle Charles?” Shifting to her uncle’s other obsession usually did the trick.
    “I’ve little knowledge of mummies. My interest has always been in hieroglyphics.” The comte turned toward her uncle, his face and smile immobile. “Lord Harcourt, as a linguist, your interest must be in ancient Egypt’s language?”
    The