Beyond a Doubt - By Felicia Rogers Page 0,56

Bryce.

“What?” Her pulse thumped wildly against her chest. A memory of her father returned. “Every answer you seek is in God’s word. Promise me you won’t forget.”

“Bryce, that’s it!”

Bryce shrugged.

“We need to get back to the house. I think I know what we need to do.”

The two of them rushed home. Winnie and Winifred confirmed no one had entered the Lombard house in their absence. Still, they approached using caution.

Lucy stifled a sob as she pushed open the door. The house was beyond recognition. One look at the place and she didn’t know if she even wanted to repair it.

Sucking in a deep breath, she stepped over broken furniture, smashed portraits, and torn tapestries to reach the study. The fate of this room mimicked the others. Pages of books lay torn and ripped upon the floor. Desk drawers had been pulled from the framework and broken into tiny slivers. Nothing was organized or in its place.

She sighed. “This will take forever.”

Bryce spun her around until she faced him. “Earlier we thought we would never find the key. Now look how much closer we are. Don’t despair. Together we will find what we seek. Can ye tell me where the book generally rested?”

She pointed to the shelf and Bryce followed her lead. He reached above her head and grabbed the Bible. He faced her with a smile on his face. “I believe I found it.”

He placed the book on the desk. The large Matthew’s Bible covered most of the surface. They found the chapter mentioned on the tombstone. As they read, Lucy pulled out the fan. Light projected through the thin material, causing the embedded message to appear on the wall. She compared the letters and words and matched them up. Once finished, Lucy collapsed in the chair. The message was clear and it wasn’t good.

****

At the meeting of the Huguenots, Admiral Coligny must meet his end. You must not fail.

Bryce's concern increased with Lucy’s changing demeanor. She had a forlorn look on her face and she sat stiff and straight. No doubt the message troubled her. Bryce knew little of the French Protestant movement, but what he did understand disturbed him.

First of all, the movement to convert Catholics to Protestants was not accepted by the French monarchy. In fact, King Henry II of France had slashed out tongues, burned people at the stake, and commandeered the property of many in this persuasion. Because of such atrocities, the people had begun to contemplate a move of the believers to a colony in Brazil. The Admiral mentioned in the encrypted note was leading this movement. The admission of the Admiral’s faith placed him in grave danger. Popularity with the people was probably all that currently kept him alive.

At the masquerade ball, private conversations he’d overheard had led Bryce to believe the Admiral had been warned about potential harm but refused to move the date of the colony’s announcement. Lucy knew this as well. Now that she knew the goal of the message was indeed to end the Admiral’s life, what would she do?

Suddenly Lucy broke from her stupor and ran upstairs. When she returned, she held a bag stuffed and overflowing with gowns and shoes. One foot from a pair of hose dragged across the floor. Undecipherable mutterings fell from her lips. Her gaze darted this way and that, not appearing to see anything. She clenched the small leather pouch tightly to her chest.

She had one foot out the door when Bryce caught her. One jerk and Lucy landed back inside. He closed the door.

Bryce held her in his arms, aware he might be causing bruises but unwilling to risk her escape. “Where are ye goin’?”

“To Caen, France.”

“Lucy, we need to talk.”

“What’s there to talk about? The Admiral is going to die if I don’t stop him from speaking at that event. And if he dies, we also lose our greatest hope of securing religious worship free from persecution.”

Bryce held back. Love for this woman filled him. Should he declare his feelings and whisk her away? Should he help her with this quest? He needed more time to think.

“Lucy, wait until tomorrow.”

“But—“

“Nothing good will come of rushin’ away tonight. Ye need a plan.”

Her shoulders relaxed beneath his fingertips and he loosened his grip. A rush of breath escaped his throat. Bryce led her to the living area and they sat. He removed the bag from her fingers and set it aside. Leaning over, Bryce touched her lips with his own.

The kiss lasted