Page 6 of A Translation of Desire (The Brazen Curators #2)

R ose sat with Lisbeth in her carriage, headed to Seely House.

Today, she would meet the rest of the women in charge of the Historical Society for Female Curators and get her hands back on the tablets she’d been waiting to translate for weeks.

Anger still thrummed through her that her father had shipped them off without her knowledge—he was such a devious man.

Her eyes flitted to Lisbeth, who was staring out the window. She’d been quiet this morning. Both now and at breakfast. They weren’t close, so Rose didn’t feel right trying to delve into what made her host so lost in thought. Still, she seemed distracted or nervous.

Under Rose’s intense study, Lisbeth turned to her. “I’m thrilled that you’ll get to meet all the ladies today. They are a delightful group of rabble-rousers.”

Rose raised a brow at the description she used. “They are all proper London ladies.”

Lisbeth grinned mischievously, transforming her from a grand duchess to the impish, troublemaking girl Rose once knew. “Depends on what you consider proper. They are not your standard ton ladies.”

The carriage came to a halt, stopping any further conversation.

The driver opened the door, and they stepped out.

The Seely House wasn’t small but a stately building that several workers were actively working on.

Rose realized Lisbeth and her club had lofty plans.

The thought filled her with excitement and curiosity.

“Remember, this is all a work in progress, but your tablets will be our central exhibit for our grand opening,” Lisbeth said.

Rose nodded, and they stepped through the door into an expansive area that looked pristine, unlike the outside of the building. A grand staircase stood in the center, sweeping up to two mezzanines that overlooked the vast foyer, if one could call it that.

She walked to a display and identified French scrolls behind the glass.

They depicted representations of mythical creatures.

If Rose had to guess, they were fifteenth-century works.

Lisbeth joined her. “Those are from Le Conquet, France. During a leisure cruise, one of our board members formed a partnership to have them displayed at Seely House.”

Rose nodded. “I heard about the cruise being designed for ladies.”

A loud, high-pitched giggle erupted from one of the rooms upstairs, and Lisbeth rolled her eyes. “That is the president of our club. Come with me. I will give you a tour after you meet the board members.”

She followed the duchess up the grand staircase into a room housing multiple desks.

A striking woman sat on the corner of one, waving her hands dramatically in the air while three other ladies looked on amused.

One spotted them and stood, causing everyone else to turn.

Rose, for a moment, felt the urge to hide.

She’d not spent most of her life in the company of ladies.

The woman sitting on the desk hopped up. “You are here. We are thrilled to have you at our club.

Rose’s eyes darted to Lisbeth, wondering if these ladies knew she’d been essentially blackmailed into being in London. She didn’t mention that and said, “I’m very interested in working on the cuneiform tablets.”

“We will ensure they are available to you whenever you need them. Please come sit.”

All the women rose, making their way over to the most feminine sitting area Rose had ever seen. Once seated, the striking woman beamed. “I believe we should start with introductions first.”

Lisbeth nodded in agreement, and the woman said, “I’m Lady Hawley, but call me Addie. Everyone does. To your right is the Marchioness of Hensley. She is our vice president.”

The brown-haired woman smiled demurely. “Please use my given name, Diana.”

Addie took a deep breath and continued, “This is Lady Esme. Her interests are focused on ancient civilizations. She will also be helping with the display design of the tablets.

Rose smiled at the woman, excited that she might have discovered someone to discuss her work with. Lady Esme beamed, “Please call me Esme. I look forward to hearing more about your research. I’ve read several of your papers.”

The last lady, instead of allowing Addie to introduce her, said, “I’m Sarah Martin. Sarah is fine. No one here worries about formality within our group. I’m in charge of the research area of our club. I also manage the care of our artifacts, including your tablets.”

Relief coursed through Rose that they had considered the care of the tablets. Sarah grinned at her as if she could read her mind. Rose nodded. “Thank you.”

The president, Addie, smiled. “The Historical Society for Female Curators was stood up only last year as a way for women to have a role in antiquities and artifacts.”

“Is this because the London Society of Antiquaries still only allows men?”

Addie shrugged. “Partially.”

All the women looked around shifty-eyed, and Rose suspected there was a story there. When no one provided further details, she put it in the back of her mind. “When will the tablets need to be completed?”

“We plan to have our grand opening in November, just over a month away. Before then, in two weeks, we would like to have a brief talk introducing what attendees of the opening can expect. Would you be willing to speak at both events?”

She frowned. That didn’t leave her much time to decipher the tablets. She’d been working on the first one when her father shipped them off. “I doubt I will be ready for the talk, but everything should be complete for the grand opening.”

All the ladies smiled excitedly at one another. Addie chirped, “That is perfect.”

Rose believed her key was accurate enough to meet the grand opening deadline. It would be beneficial if she could reach out to Lord Hawley. Her gaze jerked to Addie. Were they related? “Are you the wife of Lord Hawley?”

The president sighed. “Yes, I am. We don’t spend a great deal of time together.

Rose suspected that the creation of this club had something to do with her husband. She nodded. “He has developed a key for deciphering cuneiform texts. I would like to have him review my work after I finish.”

“No,” Addie stated.

All the ladies turned to her, shocked. Lisbeth frowned at her. “While I don’t think we should be asking anyone from the London Society of Antiquaries for help, having someone like your husband validate Rose’s work may be beneficial. It is common in the field.”

Addie was quiet for a moment, but finally asked Rose, “You won’t be using his research?”

Rose shook her head. “No. However, showing that his key creates the same results will verify the quality of my interpretation of the text.”

“And you are confident in your abilities?” Esme asked.

Rose grinned triumphantly. “I am.”

“It makes sense,” Sarah emphasized to Addie. The rest of the board members nodded in agreement.

Addie sighed and said to Rose, “If you must, then. You will discover my husband and I are not on the best of terms.”

“Is that the reason for the club?” Rose questioned.

Addie glanced around at all the other ladies before turning back to her. “At first, but then it became so much more. I hope you find this to be a place for you as well. We would love for you to remain a member once you have completed analyzing the tablets.

Rose nodded. “Thank you for the offer, but I won’t be staying. I promised my father I would attend a few society events. I don’t plan on being in London past your grand opening.”

An amused smile flitted across Addie’s face. “Your dowry is a much-gossiped-about topic.”

Rose and Lisbeth sighed, and another loud, high-pitched chortle escaped the club’s president. She wouldn’t marry anyone, but Rose thought she would like these women and their club more than she had anticipated.

*

Augustus sat in the office at his warehouse in the London Dock area.

He glanced around the room at the plethora of goods from all over the world.

While he’d never traveled outside of England, he loved all the objects his business imported from across the globe.

Some were basic staples such as teas, herbs, and linens, but his true love was the antiquities.

Those items comprised a small portion of his import company, but one he worked hard to cultivate a respected reputation for. He ensured that the men and women he sent abroad to procure antiquities treated sellers respectfully and offered fair prices for the objects they sold.

This allowed him to establish the provenance of an item and, more importantly, acquire goods in a manner that respected all parties involved in the transaction.

In the early stages of his business, he’d witnessed too many shady deals that left na?ve sellers with nothing.

Augustus had too much respect for other cultures to treat people poorly.

He demanded that those who worked for his company follow his example.

Standing, he stretched and pulled his watch fob from a pocket. A visitor was expected to arrive shortly. Augustus frowned. He’d never heard of Michael Abbas. His missive indicated he was a solicitor involved with antiquities.

His assistant Henry stated he was looking for a specific type of item. It wasn’t unusual for someone to seek his help finding artifacts or more common goods, but it was odd that Augustus didn’t know him by name. He supposed he would learn soon enough what Abbas wanted.

Augustus walked out of his office and studied the shelves of goods sitting in his warehouse.

He had a perfect view from where he stood because his office was situated on a platform that rose fifteen feet above the floor.

It allowed him to see every corner of his building.

Henry continued to be appalled that, as a duke, he kept an office and apartment here, but Augustus didn’t give a damn.

He felt at ease in this building, even when the business had a bad day.

His thoughts were interrupted by the clacking of Henry’s shoes on the ground. Augustus saw him escorting a man in his thirties towards his office. His appointment had arrived. He returned to his desk to wait for them. A few moments later, a knock on the door came.

“Enter.”

Henry smiled. “Your Grace, this is Mr. Abbas. He is here for your meeting.”

“Thank you, Henry. Will you please bring us some tea?”

Henry started to nod, but the dark-haired man, while bowing, said, “That won’t be necessary, Your Grace. I don’t want to keep you. My visit should be brief.”

Augustus motioned to a chair across from his desk as Henry departed. “My assistant stated you were seeking a specific type of artifact.”

The man shook his head. “I apologize for any confusion. I want to compile a list of what cuneiform tablets are held in London and by whom.”

Such tablets were rare. Augustus had only seen a few, and those were housed at the London Society of Antiquaries.

Recently, Lord Hawley developed a key to decipher them but had yet to share it with anyone, even other scholars.

In truth, Augustus was somewhat skeptical that Hawley was as far along as people believed.

Until he published another paper, no one would know.

He shared drinks with the man from time to time, but the scholar never provided details on how his research was coming along.

“What is your interest in such tablets?” asked Augustus.

“I have a client who would like me to acquire certain ones. For now, he has asked that I create a list of what is available by discreetly asking around the city.”

A frown filled Augustus’s face. He didn’t like secrecy. It often involved something illegal. Still, Abbas’s question was simple, and he could at least provide that. “I haven’t procured any. Have you tried the London Society of Antiquaries?”

“I plan to, but I’m somewhat confident they don’t have the information I want. Is there another group that may hold such items?”

Augustus didn’t have anyone else he could direct the man to. Even if he did, he wasn’t sure he would be forthcoming with the secretive man. “I’m sorry, I don’t. If you leave an address with my assistant, I can send you a missive if I learn anything.”

The man rose and shook his head. “I’m sorry I have wasted your time.”

Why was he being so secretive? “If you provide more details, I may be able to help you.”

Abbas hesitated, and Augustus added, “I’m willing to assist, but I need to know how to get in touch with you.”

“I will reach out at a later date.”

Augustus rose and handed him a card. “You can find me here or at my house in Mayfair.”

The man nodded and departed. Augustus stared at the door, wondering what Abbas was about. He sensed it wasn’t nefarious, but Augustus supposed he could be wrong. Henry entered. “Were you able to assist him, Your Grace?”

“No. Do you know anything about the man?”

Henry shook his head. “No, but I found it strange that he wasn’t very forthcoming in his request for a meeting or why he wanted it.”

Augustus nodded. “Ask around and learn if anyone has purchased cuneiform tablets besides those from the Society of Antiquaries. It’s probably nothing, but now I’m intrigued.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”