“He is going on a quest for love,” Addie added with a wink.
Several of the ladies sighed. A gentleman in the back asked, “Are you using Lord Hawley’s work to decipher your tablets?”
Miss Calvert shook her head. “We have similar methods, but I have designed my own key. I hope to compare our findings eventually.”
“I would like that very much, Miss Calvert,” Lord Hawley said from the back of the room.
While Augustus wasn’t surprised to see Hawley, his wife appeared to be so. Miss Calvert smiled widely at the scholar, and annoyance flashed through him for some reason. The emotion was absurd. He barely knew the woman. She asked the crowd, “What are your questions?”
A lady asked, “How many languages do you speak?”
“Five, but the study of text isn’t only about translation. It also requires the ability to understand the sequence and patterns of the words.
“What do you mean?” another lady asked.
She went into a detailed explanation of how she did her work. Augustus stared at her in awe. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met a woman like her.
“How long do you plan to stay in London?” someone in the back of the room asked.
“Only a few months. Once the tablets are complete and displayed, I will join my father and Thomas Easton at another excavation site in Syria.”
Her father may want her to have a Season, but Miss Calvert clearly didn’t plan on becoming betrothed or staying. This lady was most certainly not what society envisioned as a proper duchess. She was an altogether different type of woman than the ladies who lined up every year for a Season.
He glanced around, knowing any of the women sitting in this room, listening to her exploits, would be a far better choice for him. Why did that thought fill him with disappointment? He reminded himself that he had obligations. While others had the freedom to pursue their passions, Augustus wasn’t one of them.
His attention returned to Miss Calvert as she explained the cuneiform in more detail. He frowned, wondering if Michael Abbas had contacted the Historical Society for Female Curators. Augustus would arrange an appointment with the club. It had nothing to do with the brilliant beauty speaking, he insisted to himself.
Chapter Six
Rose stepped throughthe doors of the Seely House, and her eyes widened in alarm. Two constables were talking with Addie. The club president’s hands flew back and forth as she pointed to the research room. Fear filled Rose’s stomach. She suspected their visit had something to do with the tablets.
Addie and the men headed for the research room. Rose followed behind them and gasped as she walked through the doorway. All the cabinets in the room were thrown open, and some were knocked over.
Sarah Martin was standing in the middle of the mess with a notebook. Her gaze met Rose’s, and she shook her head. Something had happened to the tablets.No.She pulled her satchel closer, grateful she still had her interpretations and drawings of the text. Why would someone steal heavy pieces of stone?
“Miss, have you looked over everything? Can you tell us what is missing?” one of the constables asked Sarah.
She glanced at Rose again, causing more dread to fill her stomach, before turning her attention to the man. “Two stone tablets are gone.”
The other constable nodded. “What is their worth?”
“They are priceless,” Rose said as she sank into one of the wooden chairs that had not been flipped over.
The men looked at each other and then turned to her. “While we understand you are upset, we need a realistic figure.”
Rose’s eyes flashed. “They are from thousands of years ago and perhaps contain a unique story that has never been seen in history before.”
Addie placed a hand on her shoulder as if to calm her. “Constables, say in the range of thousands of pounds.”
The men scribbled something in their notebooks. One asked, “Do you believe they were specifically looking for the tablets? Has anyone expressed interest in them?”
“We just hosted a lecture about them a few days ago. It was well attended.”
Frowns on both the constables’ faces as they wrote down more details. Rose suspected this theft would be labeled as a low priority for them. Alarm filled her that they would never see the artifacts again. The men spoke quietly to each other and then turned to Addie, Sarah, and Rose. “We have all we need. When we have information to share about your case, we will be in touch.”
The ladies watched them leave, and then Sarah plopped down on a chair. “We will never hear from them again.”
Addie sighed. “I agree. Constable Jackson and Constable Harris will do nothing more than file the report. The theft of ancient antiquities is likely not a priority for them, no matter their value.”
