Naughty in Nottinghamshire 02 - The Rogue Returns by Leigh LaValle Read Free Book Online Page B

Rider.
    Good enough to be wary of the highwayman.
    While he’d never been violent as the Midnight Rider, per se, neither had he been the romantic fellow the London papers had made him out to be. Revenge was an ugly thing with warts and broken teeth. Roane knew this now. Just as he knew revenge and justice were not of the same family, not even distant cousins.
    He didn’t regret his actions—the men he’d targeted as the Midnight Rider had been corrupt and evil—but neither did he wish to revisit the twists and turns of his past. A hard thing when his past was literally all around him. The Midnight Rider had frequented this cave before. In fact, it had been somewhat of a hideout for him.
    Roane shifted uncomfortably on the hard stone floor. He’d rather leave his past where it belonged—dead and burned. It’s ashes scattered somewhere between the rocky shores of England and the red sands of Australia.
    Indeed, he’d barely survived that ocean crossing. Had been violently ill, chained, and utterly broken. It had taken him the better part of three years to regain his full strength, not just of body but of spirit. Working on the land had helped, as had the cattle. ’Twas great fortune the majority of his sentence was served in the stables of a wealthy wool merchant.
    Now, he was free. He was returned to England. And he wasn’t about to allow some bold as brass blonde, or a shadow of his former enemies, to stand in the way of his future.
    “I studied the map while you were out. I think I have discovered another clue,” Helen said, interrupting his thoughts. “Here.” She pointed to a symbol.
    Roane shifted closer to peer at the map. Inconceivably, Helen still smelled like roses. He tried to ignore the scent and focus instead on the curved symbol she’d pointed to. It looked like an umbrella. “Something to do with rain?” he suggested. “Or water?”
    “No.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, a slight smile on her lips. She was close enough he could lean forward and kiss her. She would taste expensive, even here in the cave. He forced his attention back to the map. “It is the Egyptian symbol amenta ,” she continued, “and refers to the sunset. But James placed it here on the right side of the page, which would traditionally mean east.”
    “Hmm.” Roane’s skin prickled. He did not like talking about learned things, and James knew it. This was part of the joke, then.
    Helen turned the map upside down. “I believe this is the first clue. James drew the map in reverse. See, we are here.” She pointed to what he’d thought had been the top of the page, and was now the bottom.
    He traced the ‘∧’ shapes with his fingers. “I had thought the ‘∨’ markings were caves, but now, they are more like peaks.” He scanned the map over and over, looking for some recognizable pattern.
    “Are there so many caves in England?” Helen glanced around their damp and inhospitable hideout, seeming taken aback.
    “Hundreds.” A sharp laugh escaped him. Yes! “This…” He connected a line of symbols with his finger. “This is Mam Tor, and this is the Dark Peak. They are a hard day’s ride north of here.” He pointed to another recognizable mountain. “Kinder Scout is here, farther north. You’re brilliant, Helen.”
    She beamed at him. “There are still a number of symbols I do not understand. Like this squiggle here.” She squinted her eyes. “It looks like a pig. And the riddle makes no sense, but I really think we can do this.”
    Roane inspected the map, searching for more clues. The gold was to the north; that was certain. And, just as certain—there wasn’t going to be any we .
    He had enough trouble on his hands without Helen adding her own.
    He took the map from her and examined it more carefully. “Do you know what this is?” He pointed to a thick line with three prongs at the top.
    “It looks a bit like a fork. An oyster fork would have three prongs.”
    Oyster fork ? Was she