The Medici Manuscript (The Glass Library Book 2)

THE MEDICI MANUSCRIPT THE GLASS LIBRARY, BOOK #2 C.J. ARCHER WWW.CJARCHER.COM CONTENTS About THE MEDICI MANUSCRIPT Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 A Message From The Author Also by C.J. Archer About the Author Copyright © 2023 by C.J. Archer Visit C.J. at www.cjarcher.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. ABOUT THE MEDICI MANUSCRIPT One book can change your life. Finding an old manuscript in the attic has always been a fantasy of Sylvia’s. She just never expected the fantasy to come true, or for it to lead her to answers about her mysterious family. The silver clasps binding the pages contain rare magic – the same magic that might run through Sylvia’s veins. To discover a link to her ancestors means understanding the book itself, but it’s written in a code that proves difficult to crack. The only thing she knows for certain is that it was once owned by the Medicis, the powerful family that controlled Renaissance Florence. With the help of Gabe and his friends, Sylvia investigates the book’s origins. But following the clues throws up more questions – questions they need help answering. Trusting others is not Sylvia’s strong suit, but with Gabe at her side, she becomes capable and confident. Until their trust is shattered when the book is stolen. Uncovering the thief proves dangerous, particularly when someone is also trying to kidnap Gabe. With his own mysteries to unravel, Gabe’s private life becomes more complicated. Sylvia tries to keep her distance but staying away from someone as magnetic as Gabe is impossible. With so many distractions, can they find the thief before the book is lost forever? Or will the secrets contained within its pages remain unsolved and will Sylvia’s past continue to be a mystery? CHAPTER 1 LONDON, SPRING 1920 “Moving pictures are the future,” Daisy declared, “and I want to be in one.” I slotted the book I’d been trying to read back into its place on the library shelf. It was no use continuing; Daisy was impossible to block out when excitement gripped her. She was like a child who’d been sitting at a desk all day and was finally allowed outside to play with the other children. I knew she wouldn’t leave until satisfied, and she wouldn’t be satisfied until I paid her more attention than the pile of books I cradled in my arm. Even so, I was supposed to be working. “Daisy, can we talk about your acting career later? I need to reshelve these.” “You can reshelve while I talk. All you have to do is listen.” “I want to read a few pages of each to get the gist of them. It’s the best way to learn about magic.” She plucked the topmost book off the pile and read the title out loud. “Superstition in the Tribal Cultures of Western Africa: A Brief History.” She hefted the thick book in her hand, weighing it. “Brief? The author isn’t fooling anyone.” I gave up attempting to read each book and decided to simply reshelve them. The sooner I listened to her, the sooner she would leave. “Since you spend as much time here as I do, you might as well help. West African superstitions occupy the second and third shelves. They’re arranged alphabetically by author.” She studied the spines of the shelved books, some with the title and author printed on them, others blank. With a sigh, she pulled out the blank ones to find the author names. “How do you know it goes on this shelf?” “Professor Nash’s cataloging sequence is based on subject, just like the Dewey Decimal System.” “The what?” “Never mind. All you need to know is, he created a system that shelves the books on a particular subject together. This entire area is where the books on superstition are kept. They’re sub-sorted by Africa which is then organized by region. All of those books are then arranged by author.” “So many books just on superstition in Western Africa! Fascinating.” “If you want to be an actress, you’ll have to sound more convincing than that.” “Actually, I won’t need to sound at all convincing since the audience can’t hear the actors. Moving picture acting is all in the facial expressions. Like this.” She mimed being fascinated by widening her eyes and ripping one of the books from the shelf and cradling it to her chest. She needed more practice, but I didn’t tell her that. Yesterday she wanted to be an artist, and today she was keen on acting. There was no point offending her; she would probably change her mind again next week. Daisy slid the book back into its place on the shelf. “You don’t have a list of cataloging numbers to refer to. How did you know the book goes here?” “I’ve memorized Professor Nash’s system.” “Already? But it’s only been just over a week since you started. It would have taken me months.” “When you enjoy what you do, it’s not a hardship.” She sighed. “That’s why I gave up painting. My art teacher told me to mine my soul for my innermost thoughts, fears and desires, but it was just so hard, Sylvia. Honestly, you have no idea how difficult it is to stare at a blank canvas and just think.” I was about to say something sarcastic about her idea of hardship, but she added, “The only things I could think of were the poor men who died in the war and those who came back damaged beyond repair. And then I felt guilty because I didn’t want to