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 haveany 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.”
