Page 30 of A Translation of Desire (The Brazen Curators #2)

R ose peeked out the window and saw that Augustus and Lady Gillings were no longer in the gardens. Have they left together? she wondered She repeated her mantra over and over again. It doesn’t matter. Her work was what was important.

It didn’t improve her mood. She turned away from the blasted windows, insisting that she would not look out them again. Her eyes immediately met Mr. Abbas’s, who beamed at her excitedly.

“I just wanted to thank you again for introducing me to the club and helping encourage this partnership,” the solicitor said.

Over the last few days, he’d spent much time at Seely House, and he and Diana had been able to hammer out an agreement that he thought his clients would accept.

The Historical Society for Female Curators would partner with the village elders over the next five years on artifact preservation in their area of southwest Syria.

As part of that work, they would allow the club to display historical items and provide them with a percentage of all monies earned.

Rose was impressed. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Mr. Abbas had said he planned to suggest the model to other organizations that wanted the world to see artifacts from his mother’s country. She smiled. “I’m glad it has worked out.”

“Has the London Society of Antiquaries informed you on whether they will release the map? To have a fully completed epic would be wonderful.”

Rose shook her head. “You were in my presentation. Did it seem like they wanted to be helpful?”

Mr. Abbas frowned. “I tried to set up a meeting with them, and the soonest they will see me is in two months.”

Annoyance flared in her that Harston was doing everything he could to prevent them from succeeding. She hoped Hawley and Augustus could somehow turn it around, though she wasn’t sure how. Augustus may be a duke, but Harston was still the vice president of the club.

Sarah had mentioned being willing to talk to her father about it, and Rose suspected it might be time to play that card.

From the brief details Sarah shared about her father, it appeared that the President of the London Society of Antiquaries wasn’t very supportive of her intellectual endeavors.

Rose would first speak to Augustus and Hawley to see how their attempts were going.

“We will get the map,” Rose reassured Mr. Abbas.

“Will you be traveling back to Syria now that the grand opening has happened?” he asked.

She intended to leave after this event, but hesitated to say yes. So many things felt incomplete. Mr. Abbas tilted his head, analyzing her silence. “Are you waiting longer to see if you can find the tablets or obtain the map?”

Rose nodded, even though she knew those weren’t the only reasons. “I will wait a few more weeks. Hopefully, we will find them.”

“That makes sense. Where is the duke? Is he still here?”

Both she and Mr. Abbas looked around. Rose did what she had sworn she wouldn’t do; she looked out into the gardens again, but no one was there. The crowd had finally started to die down. Had he left?

Addie joined them, beaming. “Several ladies have inquired about joining the club. Can you believe it? Some have also asked if they can work with you?”

Rose and the board members discussed setting up a rotation for scholarly ladies to work with her at one of her father’s excavation sites. “I’m glad there’s interest. Have you seen the Duke of Sinclair? Mr. Abbas and I were looking for him.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot that he stopped me and told me to tell you he had to leave!” Addie exclaimed.

“Hopefully, it is nothing serious,” Mr. Abbas stated.

“I’m not sure. He seemed to be in a hurry,” Addie added.

Had he left with Lady Gillings? Addie and Mr. Abbas continued chatting, but she became lost in her thoughts. Thoughts about Augustus.

*

“Do we have any idea how serious it is?” Augustus asked Henry.

His assistant had tracked him down at Seely House because a telegraph from Willa had been sent to his London residence that his land steward had been hurt in an accident.

Tillerson worked for him and was a close family friend from childhood.

His father had been the steward before him.

He, Willa, Catherine, and Tillerson had all grown up playing in the fields together.

“No, the telegraph was brief. It simply stated that you should come as soon as possible.”

Augustus nodded as the carriage came to a halt.

He and Henry stepped out at the train station.

The ride to Watford, the town closest to his country estate, shouldn’t take more than three hours.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the train was still there.

Henry had been unsure if they would make it.

They rushed towards one of the first-class cars, stepping in just as the whistle blew, warning that they were about to depart.

No one else was in the car, and Augustus looked puzzled at Henry.

“Your Grace, I paid more so you could have a private car.”

He frowned. “You didn’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want someone to lose their seat.”

Henry shook his head. “You are a duke, Your Grace. It wouldn’t be fitting for you to travel any other way.”

Augustus nodded, deciding arguing with his assistant wasn’t worth it.

The man was just trying to help. He leaned back in the seat and let out a deep sigh.

The whole day had filled him with a variety of emotions.

He’d been so proud to watch Rose give her speech, shocked to see Catherine, and then very worried that Tillerson had been hurt.

He hoped to arrive and learn that his childhood friend was only banged up, not something more serious.

“How was Miss Calvert’s speech, Your Grace?” Henry asked.

He smiled. “Wonderful. The lady is truly talented.”

Henry shook his head. “Can you imagine traveling to all the places she’s been? What an adventurous life she has lived.”

“No, I can’t, as my assistant won’t even allow me to travel with others in a first-class car,” he said dryly.

Henry blushed. “Here in England, it is the way of things.”

It was.

Henry grinned at him. “Now, if you were traveling elsewhere, I would say travel as you like, Your Grace.”

“I wonder if it would matter if I were a duke in Syria or the Americas.”

Henry nodded. “Of course it would, but outside of England, it’s up to you whether that’s what you want people to see you as.”

He smiled. “Who else would I be?”

“Explorer, importer, or whatever you like.”

“That would be entertaining,” Augustus mused.

His assistant’s face turned serious. “Your Grace, you could step away from your duties if you wanted to. I do not doubt that your family would take care of your ducal responsibilities, and I would ensure that your import company continues as is.”

“You don’t think I would be asking a great deal of you and my family?”

Henry smiled. “If I may speak plainly, Your Grace.”

“Of course.”

“I have been with you for almost ten years now. It would be my greatest honor to ensure your company is well cared for.”

Augustus needed to give Henry a raise. In truth, he needed to offer him a part of his business. “You are a good man. Perhaps something to discuss down the road.

Henry beamed. “I shall put it on my list.”