He kissed her back. “So will I.”
Rose leaned back against his chest, and he stroked her hair. Clearing his throat, Augustus asked, “What should we do next?”
“We need to visit Seely House and speak with the board members about Mr. Abbas. For now, let’s keep Hawley’s association with the British Secret Service between us.”
Augustus nodded. “I agree. Will you not consider canceling your talk at all?”
She shook her head. Rose couldn’t do that. The Historical Society for Female Curators needed her to speak for the grand opening. She would not let them down.
“Rose, it could be dangerous.”
“The board will vote on it,” she said stubbornly, knowing they would want her to still present at the grand opening.
He sighed unhappily. Rose was shockingly okay with his mood change. A heartfelt Augustus messed with her emotions. She didn’t need that right now.
*
Augustus didn’t wantRose to give another talk. He’d thought about it more since she’d left him at the warehouse. It was an added danger that wasn’t necessary. They knew nothing about the thieves who had taken the tablets, and he still had concerns that they seemed fixated on Rose’s research.
Addie had asked him what his thoughts were on the grand opening after he and Rose had informed the club board members of what happened with Mr. Abbas. A delay was what Augustus had just suggested to the Historical Society for FemaleCurators—only until the tablets were recovered. He hadn’t warned Rose what his recommendation would be beforehand, and based on the anger emanating from her now, she wasn’t happy about it.
“I do not agree with Sinclair,” she bit out.
He frowned at her. “There is no need to be reckless.”
She glared at him. “I’m not being reckless. I think it is essential that the Historical Society for Female Curators has its grand opening, and the tablets are an integral part of that. If it is canceled, society will assume that the ladies in this room are incapable.”
“They will,” Diana concurred.
Two of the other ladies on the board nodded. Rose turned to Addie. “What do you think?”
Addie looked from Rose to Augustus. “If we cancel, it will negatively impact the club, but I also don’t want to dismiss Sinclair’s concern.”
“Right now, it is just speculation on his part that something will happen,” Rose pointed out.
Annoyance flared in Augustus that Rose was insinuating he was overreacting. He wasn’t, and said, “It’s your choice, Addie.”
The club president was quiet for a moment but finally said, “I think we should move forward, but also ensure that we have more guards stationed throughout Seely House during the grand opening.”
Concern for Rose flared in him that they were not taking his advice. He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from saying something he would regret. Lisbeth added, “We believe your concerns are valid, and we will address them by hiring more guards. We’ve come so far, we can’t give up now.”
He looked around the room at all the determined ladies. There was no stopping them from moving forward. Theywould make their club succeed, regardless of the circumstances. Augustus saw that in every single one of them, including Rose.
“Imagine being expected to fail. Wouldn’t you take a small risk to prove all those who doubt you wrong?” Rose said quietly.
He would, and he was asking them not to do the same simply because they were women. Augustus nodded. “I understand.”
Addie smiled. “Then it is settled. We will still have the grand opening.”
“You will hire more guards and make sure they know how to protect Rose?” Augustus questioned.
All the ladies smiled, amused by his protectiveness of her. He didn’t care, but her face turned a fierce shade of red. The club’s president beamed. “Of course.”
He nodded.
“Are we sure we have enough for the grand opening?” Sarah Martin asked. She was one of the board members whom Augustus didn’t know very well.
Rose nodded. “I have my translation of the first tablet, and we still have the second one I recently deciphered. We don’t even have to mention that the third tablet was stolen. We can highlight that the club plans to partner with Thomas Easton to recover the remaining tablets for the epic.”
