Page 41 of A Translation of Desire (The Brazen Curators #2)

R ose stood in the large exhibit room at Seely House.

They were releasing the next portion of the epic today.

She had spent the last few weeks working on deciphering the text.

Lisbeth insisted that she was working too hard, but her work had been the only thing preventing her from falling into a pit of despair.

She’d not seen Augustus once since he’d left Lisbeth’s house weeks ago.

She missed him even though it had been her choice to let him go.

What if it was a mistake? Dread filled her, but she pushed it down.

It was the right thing to do. Once he spent more time with Lady Gillings, he would realize they suited better.

In the brief time Rose spoke with her, it became apparent how well-suited she was for the duke.

Rose didn’t doubt or discount any of her own accomplishments, but she was not a lady who could host a tea party or plan a ball.

Addie leaned in and said, “Lord Harston is here. That man has still not agreed to give us the map.”

“Did your discussion with Lord Hawley at your townhouse help at all?”

Addie winked. “He and Sinclair have come up with a spectacular plan. I think we are closer.”

Her mouth tilted up in a smile. It wasn’t very often that Addie bestowed a compliment on her husband. “Careful, I might think you don’t detest your husband.”

A loud giggle escaped the club president. “Nonsense. I’m simply saying that he can be of use at times.”

Rose grinned. “I must agree. He did review my work using his key and concluded it was accurate.”

“Yes, that was fabulous as well.”

She glanced around but didn’t see Hawley or Augustus. “What are they planning?”

Addie winked. “You’ll see, hopefully, today.”

While Rose was thrilled that they might obtain the map soon, she was hopeful that her words meant that Augustus might make an appearance. “If we get the map in the next few days, I can take it with me.”

Addie nodded. “Though I can’t believe Lisbeth offered to deliver it.”

“Neither can I,” Rose said but instantly felt guilty. Not everyone knew Thomas and Lisbeth’s history.”

“Rumor suggests there is an untold story about Lisbeth and Thomas Easton,” Addie mused.

“There seems to be one about you and your husband.”

Another loud laugh escaped Addie, drawing everyone’s attention. Rose flushed, and it deepened when her eyes met cool blue ones. Augustus had decided to attend. People swarmed around him, hoping to engage with a duke. His eyes stayed trained on her, and she nodded a greeting.

She craved to see his mouth tilt up in a smile or even down in a frown like it did when she was doing something he didn’t quite approve of, but there was none of that. His face was an emotionless mask. He nodded back at her and turned to the man beside him, who seemed to puff up at his attention.

“Are you ready?” Lisbeth said, appearing next to Addie.

Rose took a deep breath. “I am.”

They approached the front of the room, where a podium stood, joining Diana, Esme, and Sarah.

Rose turned towards the crowd that packed the room.

There were even more people here than at the grand opening.

They’d done it. The club had made London society fall in love with antiquities because of the epic.

She glanced to see Hawley joining Augustus.

He nodded to her, and she smiled back. A jolt of excitement shot through her that she was about to share the next section of the ancient story.

Ever the showwoman, Addie clapped her hands and grinned at the crowd.

“We knew you would all come back to hear what happened to our hero on his quest.”

“We want to know if he makes it back to his princess,” a lady in the crowd hollered.

“Miss Calvert will explain what is contained on the last tablet.”

The crowd applauded, and Rose stepped forward.

“Thank you, Lady Hawley. I’m thrilled to be able to share with everyone more of Sibri’s journey.

When we last spoke of him, he’d escaped a kingdom by solving a riddle.

The last tablet that we currently have indicates that Sibri encounters a monster protecting the golden fruit.

Instead of killing the beast, he befriends it.

This is the first time a human has done such a thing.

The monster provides him with a golden piece of fruit from a tree.

He makes Sibri vow never to return, and our hero agrees. ”

The crowd was hanging on Rose’s every word. She wished she had more, but that was the end of the last tablet.

“Does he make it back to the woman he loves?” another woman asked.

Lord Harston, the London Society of Antiquaries Vice President, smirked. Rose doubted they would ever get the map from this man. He enjoyed the fact that they couldn’t complete the epic too much.

“They don’t know because they can’t finish the tale,” Harston boomed.

Rose forced herself not to scowl at him. She wanted the map more than anyone but hated that they had to deal with him to obtain it.

Groans filled the room. Rose held her hand up to quiet the room. “We must find the other two tablets to finish the epic.”

Hawley and Augustus rose, and she frowned, wondering what they were doing.

They made a path for a petite woman who pushed through the crowd.

She beamed at Rose. “Lucky for them, the London Society of Antiquaries has a map that may be of assistance. Knowing how much I adore a love story, my husband has agreed to find it in the club’s vaults of artifacts.

Harston flew to his feet, spinning around to stare at his wife. Rose’s gaze flew to Addie, who was beaming at her husband and Augustus. There was no doubt they had somehow maneuvered this. They’d done it for the club.

Lady Harston looked pointedly at her husband. He shuffled back and forth on his feet before clearing his throat. “Yes, of course. It may take a great deal of time.”

“Dear, you said it could be found in under a month. Isn’t that correct?”

Harston frowned, unhappy but begrudgingly said, “Yes, that is what I said.”

Thunderous applause filled the room. Rose grinned and waited for the clapping to die down. She nodded to Augustus and Hawley, knowing they’d pulled off something even Harston couldn’t get out of.

She turned back to the crowd and beamed. “Now, please enjoy the exhibit.”

Pride welled in her that the Historical Society of Female Curators had accomplished something that the men’s-only London Society of Antiquaries hadn’t. The crowd’s attention shifted from her to the display. Addie wrapped her arm around her. “We did it!”

Rose laughed. “We still need the two other tablets.”

Lisbeth bumped her with her shoulder. “Take the win for now.”

Sarah, Diana, and Esme all nodded in agreement.

They were right. This was a win. As they split up to talk to the crowd, Rose’s eyes sought out Augustus.

She needed to see him—to see his face. But as she walked around the room, she realized he was gone.

Augustus hadn’t stayed. As much as this moment was victorious, there was a bit of hollowness in her chest that she wasn’t celebrating it with him.

“Where is Sinclair?” she asked, joining Addie and Diana.

They both shrugged. No, that wouldn’t do, Rose thought. She was set to leave in two days. He couldn’t just disappear. She had to see him before she left.

*

Augustus sat in his study, scowling into the fire, when a knock on the front door yanked him from his thoughts. Who the hell was at his door so late? His mother and sister had departed for a ball less than an hour ago, but it was far past normal hours to call on someone.

He heard the butler say he was out for the night and then heard her voice. Anger swelled in him. She’d said it was over, and now she was here. He strolled to the door, not bothering to put his jacket back on. He and Rose were past formalities.

“Benson, I will take it from here.”

Rose and his butler turned to him from where they stood in the foyer. It was scandalous that an unwed lady was at the door, but Rose did as she liked. She smiled. “Thank you, Benson.”

Augustus nodded toward his office and spun on his heel, forcing her to follow him.

He didn’t sit but leaned against a windowsill, watching her.

This woman had broken his heart, and he still wanted her.

She took a deep breath, and his gaze immediately dipped to her small, perfect breast. He itched to run his thumb over the peak of one and watch it respond to his touch.

Tearing his gaze away, he cleared his throat. “What are you doing here, Rose?”

“I thought we would speak at the talk today. I wanted to say thank you for helping with Harston.”

He and Hawley had worked on convincing his wife to support the Historical Society for Female Curators’ efforts to obtain the map, knowing that the man was not interested at all in helping. Augustus shrugged. “It was nothing.”

She pressed her lips together and seemed to be trying to figure out what to say. “I leave in two days.”

He nodded, trying his best not to show what a blow her words were. She walked to him. “Say something. Anything.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “What is there to say?”

“I had to see you before I left,” she whispered.

As much as he wanted to say he didn’t want her here, the words would not come out of his mouth. He grabbed her hips and pulled her between his thighs. “Why do you think that is?”

Her eyes widened, but they were also filled with desire. “I don’t want you to loathe me. It will be better soon. I promise.”

He nuzzled her neck, fury bubbling in him that she thought she could predict his feelings. “Are you a fortune teller now, Rose?”

She breathily said, “No.”

He softly bit and kissed her neck, reveling in the fact that even though she ended their relationship, Rose still wanted him.

He wanted to place her on his desk, spread her legs, and slide deeply into her. He didn’t though. If Rose wanted more, she would have to ask for it.

“Why are you here?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to feel my body against yours one last time?”

She frowned at him. “I want you not to be angry at me.”

He scowled and moved her back before walking away, needing some distance between them. “I’m not interested in talking, Rose. You made it clear that this was nothing more than an interlude. If you want me to fuck you, I will.”

His words shocked her, and he immediately felt like a cad. She looked at him woundedly, but then her expression became shuttered. “I now realize that it was a mistake to come here.”

He nodded. “I agree.”

She studied him but finally said, “Goodbye, Augustus.”

“Goodbye.”

Rose spun on her heel and hurriedly left the room.

He listened to her footsteps make their way to the front door and outside.

When he knew she was gone, he grabbed the first thing close to him and flung it at the bookcase.

It was a vase, luckily not priceless, but it still shattered into a million pieces.

Rose had accomplished the impossible. She’d made him wish he’d entered into a practical marriage sooner. At least that way, he would have never met her.