A Code of Joy Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  About the Book

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from A Code of Wonder

  Also by Jacki Delecki

  About the Author

  A Code of Love

  The Code Breakers Series, Book 10

  by

  Jacki Delecki

  About the Book

  Rejected by society, she finds what she’s been looking for. And more…

  Miss Joie James is a dangerous combination of inquisitive and innocence. After trusting one man she shouldn’t have, she’s caught up in a scandal. Being sent to stay with her elderly aunt seems a horrible way to spend Christmas, bored senseless at the country estate, when all she really craves is adventure. Alas, fate intervenes when the weather forces her carriage to layover at an inn in a small village. There, Joie gets much more than she bargained for when she’s incorrectly identified as a French spy.

  Driven to prove himself, forced to choose between his heart and his head.

  Lieutenant Reginald Talley cannot make a mess of his first real mission for the Crown. Tasked with convincing a beautiful female spy to help him gain Napoleon’s trust, he eagerly awaits the clandestine meeting in a smuggling town inn–too eagerly he realizes when he stupidly approaches the wrong woman. Now the mistaken young lady is a thorn in his side, following and watching his every move, as if this is some kind of holiday game instead of life or death. He must convince her to go away. Never mind that she makes his blood run hot or that she consumes more of his thoughts than she should. By being around him, she’s putting them all in danger.

  But when Joie overhears the French woman plans to kidnap Reggie, Joie suddenly becomes a target and Reggie must admit his feelings toward her have changed. She’s no longer an unwanted pest, but a woman he can’t imagine living without. When Joie is kidnapped, Reggie will risk everything—including his life—to save the woman he loves. But will he be too late?

  Copyright

  A Code of Joy

  Copyright © 2020 by Jacki Delecki

  Excerpt from A Code of Wonder © 2020 by Jacki Delecki

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-7355679-1-4

  Published by Doe Bay Publishing, Seattle, Washington

  Cover Art by The Killion Group, Inc.

  Digital Formatting by My Author Concierge

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my beloved readers.

  I hope this holiday story will bring you laughter and joy. And you’ll fall a little in love with Joie and Reggie as I did writing their adventure.

  Best wishes for a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

  XOXO

  Chapter One

  Lieutenant Reginald Talley paced outside of Lord Cordelier Rathbourne’s office. Sweat dripped down his back as his heart pounded and his boot heels hammered a rapid staccato beat on the oak floor. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He’d never been summoned like this before.

  Brompton had delivered the cryptic message upon Reggie’s early morning arrival. Over the two years that Reggie had been in charge of Lady Henrietta Rathbourne’s safety, the butler had never warmed toward Reggie, as if he, rather than the bloody French, were the cause of the threats against Lady Henrietta.

  Reggie’s highly trained senses alerted to the quiet shuffle coming from behind. He immediately recognized her ladyship’s footsteps. He turned to greet her. Unlike his most recent paramour, Lady Henrietta had no interest in fashion—evidenced by her hair that was in a simple knot at her neck and her morning dress that was unadorned. Her passions were her family and linguistics.

  “Reggie, I had hoped to speak with you before your meeting.” Her voice matched her sparkling smile, giving no indication of an impending disaster.

  He bowed his head to England’s best-kept secret weapon. Lady Henrietta was the country’s most gifted code-breaker and married to England’s Intelligence Division head.

  “My lady, has there been a problem that I’ve been unaware of?”

  He was the military liaison to the Intelligence Division and in charge of the men who guarded the entire Rathbourne household. But the highest priority was his responsibility for the lady. Lord Rathbourne had entrusted no one but Reggie with his wife’s safety after her harrowing pursuit by French spies through Hyde Park.

  “It is all my doing.” Lady Henrietta shook her head.

  Reggie braced himself—legs apart, shoulders pulled back, his chin tucked in a military posture. Her ladyship had been embroiled in some interesting and dangerous situations in the past—like at Hyde Park—but since Napoleon’s threats had heightened, she had been too involved with the code-breaking to be involved in direct espionage.

  “Nothing could be your fault, my lady.” His brain raced through the events of the past weeks, searching for any situations in which she might have placed herself in harm’s way without his knowledge.

  “Reggie, I want you to know that you’ll be sorely missed by everyone.”

  Her soft-spoken words registered like a fist to the gut. Was he being dismissed to return to his regiment? For what reason? He was part of the daily rhythm of Rathbourne house. He knew what it meant when her ladyship retired in the afternoon with her husband or when he was released in the early evening. The nights she was awakened when new missives arrived, and how Lord Rathbourne would release Reggie and sleep in the chair as her ladyship worked. Lord Rathbourne was devoted to his wife.

  “It’s about time that Cord finally listened to me.”

  Reggie stared at the woman whom he respected and would give up his life to protect. She spent long hours deciphering messages and devising codes for the English to outwit the French. She was a warrior waging her war from the library.

  “My lady, I’m sorry to hear that I’ve failed you.” His voice almost cracked at this unexpected turn. She had always treated him kindly despite her frustration when Reggie doggedly followed her everywhere on her husband’s orders. Lord Rathbourne would not be pleased by his wife’s unhappiness, and when his lordship wasn’t pleased, the skies thundered, and all hell broke loose.

  Reggie stared at the clear gaze of the lady whom he had gotten to know so well as he searched for a way to get clarification. Then the office door opened. Mr. Hewitt, Lord Rathbourne’s man of business—one of the many men who helped in managing Lord Rathbourne’s extensive estates—stood at the threshold. Mr. Hewitt was a humorless man who’d been inherited from the old earl, also a grim man. Reggie had never seen the man smile.

  “My lady, I didn’t expect . . .” The balding, bespectacled man stumbled over his words as a flush spread from his jowls, then engulfed his sagging cheeks.

  “Good morning, Hewitt.”

  The man kept his eyes averted and bowed his head. “My lady, I wasn’t aware . . . Lord Rathbourne directed me to summon Lieutenant Talley. Shall I tell his lordship that you wish an audience?”

  “Thank you, Hewitt. But I’m on my way to the library. I know that Lord Rathbourne has im
portant business with the lieutenant.”

  Lady Henrietta smiled at the devoted servant, gently dismissing him. Hewitt scurried away, his head bowed.

  She then patted Reggie’s arm before proceeding down the hallway, giving no hint of the nature of the crisis.

  He watched the lady disappear into the library before he squared his shoulders, preparing to face Lord Rathbourne. He made his face blank, as he had learned well from his encounters with his father. His father, whom he never referred to as anything but “the general,” couldn’t abide sniveling ninnies.

  “Talley, come in.”

  Lord Rathbourne barely looked up as he arranged a stack of paper among the many piles already covering his massive mahogany desk. Viscount Ashworth, Lord Rathbourne’s closest friend and brother-in-law, lounged in a chair. The men were a study of opposites. Dark and forbidding with an angular countenance, Lord Rathbourne demanded respect and obedience.

  Fair-haired to Rathbourne’s darkness, Ashworth was ready with a sardonic comment or a sarcastic jibe. The man never seemed to take anything seriously. With his rumpled clothes and disheveled hair, the viscount, no matter what time of day, always looked like he had spent the night at a gaming hell. He was the style of aristocrat that the general abhorred.

  From landed gentry with a large estate in Cornwall, General Archibald Talley couldn’t abide society airs and men without purpose wasting their days in clubs and brothels. A man of the land, raised by generations of the military, his father had been molded into a harsh, fierce man with little tolerance for “nonsense.”

  “Talley.” Lord Rathbourne motioned toward the chair next to Ashworth.

  Ashworth’s presence heightened Reggie’s concerns. It took all his discipline not to wipe his sweaty palms on his breeches. Usually, Reggie met alone with Lord Rathbourne on a weekly basis to review protocols and procedures to ensure the household’s safety. The purpose was to update Reggie on potential threats, and there were always many. Lord Rathbourne took his entire family’s safety very seriously, never leaving the task to his subordinates.

  Reggie nodded to Ashworth before sitting at attention.

  Ashworth slouched in his chair, his boots muddy from his early ride. Whatever had brought Ashworth to disrupt his morning routine? It couldn’t possibly be Reggie’s return to his battalion? Her ladyship must have stirred up something big.

  “I just spoke with Lady Henrietta about her wish for me to return to my battalion.” Talley stopped, aware of how defensive he sounded, as if he were reporting to his father.

  “On the contrary. My wife feels your talents are wasted on her protection at the estate. As I’m sure you have witnessed, Henrietta is a woman of strong opinions.”

  Reggie kept his gaze straight ahead to escape eye contact with the observant Lord Rathbourne, not wanting to give any indication of his knowledge of the heated arguments between husband and wife. Lady Henrietta was probably the only person in the country, including the king who regularly defied his lordship.

  “My wife has become attached to you. And once you enter Henrietta’s inner circle, she becomes very protective and decides what’s best for your welfare.”

  There was an awkward silence. Reggie was uncertain how to respond to Lady Henrietta’s protective feelings for him when it was his job to protect the lady.

  “This is about my father, isn’t it? He spoke with you and Lady Henrietta at the Brinsley ball.” Reggie had witnessed the general commandeering Lord Rathbourne and his wife’s attention at the recent ball. His father was vocal about his disapproval of Reggie’s assignment, but even his father had some sense of decorum not to bring his argument to the lordship. Of course, his father was not privy to the role that her ladyship played in the war effort.

  “Your father?” Lord Rathbourne shook his head. “Although it’s known that he’s displeased by what he assumes to be your lowly position, he would be hard-pressed to argue that my wife’s safety isn’t a priority to me.”

  Ashworth stretched his legs and crossed his ankles. “The general is a capable leader, but he isn’t aware of the nuances of our work. Although military decisions are based on the information we provide from Abchurch Office, our field is not held in the highest regard.”

  Spying was considered ungentlemanly behavior and frowned on by society. Only officers were considered worthy of praise with their standards befitting of a gentleman. After the French threats against the Rathbourne household, it had become evident to Reggie that the war against England’s enemies required effort on many fronts.

  “My wife is aware of your father’s disapproval, and it is one of the reasons she has been insistent that you take up a challenge worthy of your abilities.”

  Reggie was very aware that Lady Henrietta didn’t like the rift between his father and him.

  “However, the general will never approve of your new position, either. Not that he will ever be privy to your work with Abchurch, since it will remain a secret,” Lord Rathbourne added. “At least until the war is over.”

  Excitement buzzed around Reggie like a swarm of bees. He had watched with envy as men on dangerous missions would come and go at all hours of the day and night. Now he would be joining their ranks.

  “I don’t fully agree with my wife on this matter. But she has pointed out that each of us must sacrifice during this perilous time and that Ford is fully capable of leading the team you’ve trained. I promised her I would give you a critical assignment, which would use your talents and allow you to contribute to the fight against Napoleon.”

  A secret mission. He kept his back straight, and his hands relaxed in his lap. He called on his discipline to control his elation. He didn’t want to appear too pleased that he was leaving his current role. He would miss her ladyship and the entire Rathbourne household, but the chance for action made it almost impossible not to grin.

  “We want you to establish a relationship with a new contact. And if you’re able to persuade her, she will be very useful in embedding you in Napoleon’s inner circle.”

  “She?” Reggie hadn’t known that England used women to spy abroad. He knew that polite society would be shocked and appalled that Lady Henrietta and Mrs. Bonnington, another brilliant woman—performed critical work in the war effort.

  “Sir, I’m a soldier and highly capable on the battlefield, but I’m not trained in the intricacies . . . of your work.” He had never been privy to the inner workings of Abchurch Office unless Lord Rathbourne perceived there might be a threat against his family. But Reggie was ready to fight for England, whatever his assignment. “I’m ready to be of service to my country.”

  “It is the reason that I couldn’t argue with my wife’s logic. You will be using all of your training as a soldier in this new role—your developed observational skills, ability to make a rapid assessment of potentially dangerous situations and then formulate critical judgments of when to intervene and when to retreat. Your language skills are also excellent, as is your unique talent with women.”

  Reggie stiffened at the mention of his relationship with women. Did Lord Rathbourne know of his penchant for opera dancers? Of course, he did. Nothing got past his superior.

  “My wife, Mrs. Bonnington, and my sister are strong-willed women who don’t easily defer to men’s directions without first formulating their own assessments. But with you, they are willing to listen and follow your orders.”

  “Sir, you give me too much credit.” Reggie kept to himself that he thought his lordship did the women a disservice. The women were capable and weren’t naïve about the risks of their work and their associations.

  “You’ve won their confidence by your calm and steady presence. In addition, my wife says your boyish charm and good looks help your cause. Somehow, you’ve achieved what none of their husbands have—the women listen to reason when you make a suggestion.”

  Reggie held back any further comment to avoid offending his superior. Lord Rathbourne and the other men were used to commanding their wives,
not suggesting or recommending as Reggie preferred. Love appeared to make logical men act in illogical and primitive ways. He had seen over and again, even with the relaxed, flippant Viscount Ashworth, that the men turned into tyrants when their wives were involved.

  Ashworth pulled a cheroot out of his coat pocket. “You’ve won the trust and cooperation of the strongest women on the isle.”

  “Except for my Aunt Euphemia.” Cord raised an eyebrow.

  Both men chuckled.

  Aunt Euphemia was eccentric, but she was still warm and loving to the family. The maiden aunt basically lived on the Rathbourne estate. When she was in residence, she spent a great deal of time in Lord Rathbourne’s office, privy to the visitors ranging from the prime minister to the undercover street peddler who appeared on the doorstep. She was always friendly toward Reggie, with a twinkle in her eye as if she understood something about him that he might not grasp.

  “I don’t think my sisters would agree with your assessment. For years, I’ve been repeatedly referred to as ‘dunderhead’ by the fairer sex in my family.”

  His father had wanted his own full platoon, or at least a squad, of Talley-trained soldiers. But the poor man had only three sons and five daughters, and his second-born was a failure in his father’s eyes because he was on special assignment for Lord Rathbourne rather than training for the critical mission of invading France.

  “You must leave straight away. Horses are in place for travel. I’m sorry, but if this mission succeeds, you will miss celebrating the Christmas holidays and may not return home for a long time. Ash is in charge; he will brief you.”

  Reggie felt a wash of guilt spread through him that he was more excited by his assignment than by returning to his family. The soft sounds of the fire licking the logs in the fireplace were drowned out by the sound of his thundering pulse. His mind churned with possibilities for his Abchurch assignment.