“Aye, she is bonnie tae be sure.” Arthur felt an unexpected moment of protectiveness that he was not prepared for at hearing his companion’s words. In school, the heir to Dustshore had been considered to be a bit of a rogue where the ladies were concerned, and he did not wish such a thing for Henry’s daughter. “She has been through a great deal and should be allowed tae grieve in peace.”
Dustshore shot him a look but nodded. “Of course, but you must admit that one seldom sees such beauty.”
“Aye, it is a rare thing.” Before Arthur could issue another warning for Dustshore to be sure and stay his hand, they had arrived at the Wallace residence.
Mrs. McGrath met them at the front door greeting each and every guest before ushering them into the drawing room. Upon laying eyes on Arthur, she smiled. “It is good tae see ye again, My Lord.”
“And ye, Mrs. McGrath.”
“Come in, come in,” she beckoned and waved them into the drawing room with everyone else.
In spite, or perhaps even because of, the professor’s proclaimed method of death, the drawing room was filled with his former colleagues and students. The lack of a proper funeral due to the minister’s abject refusal to perform the rites had made for an awkward assemblage. Now, as the only person who had spoken out at the graveside, Arthur quickly became the center of attention. Several of the guests commented on his words, some positive, some cautioning better discretion.
Arthur worked his way through the crowd to Miss Wallace’s side. “Thank you for coming,” she murmured, tears in her eyes. She looked overwhelmed and at a loss for what to do. It was clear that the gathering of mourners had not been her idea, but a social requirement assembled by Mrs. McGrath at the request of her Aunt Caroline.
“Is there anything that I can do tae be o’ service?”
“Nay, Mrs. McGrath has thought of everything. She is channeling all of her grief into this tea.”
“Do ye have a moment tae speak privately? it is about yer faither.”
“Yes, of course, follow me.”
“Aye.” Arthur followed her into the next room, a smaller version of the bigger drawing room.
Once they were alone, she turned to face him. “What have you discovered?”
Arthur pulled the papers he had found hidden in the professor’s desk out of his coat pocket. “I found these in a hidden panel in yer faither’s office. They are addressed tae ye. I thought that as yer faither went tae such trouble tae hide them, I should respect that and see that they arrived in tae yer hands safely. I dinnae ken if this has anything tae do with yer faither’s passing, but he would nae have gone tae so much trouble tae hide it for nae reason.”
Miss Wallace took the papers from Arthur and scanned the first page. “What is this?”
“I dinnae ken. I hoped that ye would ken what it was.”
“It looks like a code of some sort. It is not Greek or any other language that I recognize.”
“I did nae recognize it either.”
“What could it be?”
“I dinnae ken, but I think it is a message. I cannae imagine yer faither going tae such lengths for nae.”
“Did he know he was in danger? Is this the key to discovering his murderer?”
“I dinnae ken, but I will help ye tae find out.”
“I want to see where you found this.”
“I thought that ye might. I have made an arrangement with the man who is cleaning out yer faither’s office for ye tae see it one last time. I convinced him that it was necessary for ye tae come tae terms with the loss o’ yer faither. It was while I was helping him tae pack yer faither’s things that I found these.”
“The university sent over the crates of my father’s books and papers earlier this morning. I have not had an opportunity to go through them yet, but I will.”
“There is an entire crate filled with items pertaining tae Arthur Pendragon that has something similar tae this in some o’ the margins o’ the books.”
“King Arthur?”
“Aye.”
“Father was obsessed with the legend, but I have never seen anything like these markings before. I cannot imagine how the legend of a long dead king would have anything to do with my father’s death. Perhaps these letters mean something else entirely.”
