Lisbeth begrudgingly nodded in agreement and said, “I promised Alice and Jeremy I would help them hunt for artifacts in the garden.”
Benjamin smiled. “I wanted to speak with Thomas, but I will join you shortly.”
Lisbeth kissed the older man’s cheek and then cast a glance at Thomas. “Stop worrying about things we can’t control.”
He sighed. “I will try my best.”
She shook her head and departed. Benjamin sat in the chair across from him. “You seem settled here.”
“I don’t see myself traveling outside of England, to be honest.”
The corner of Benjamin’s mouth curled up. “You finally married your lady, and now you plan to retire. I think I always suspected it was Lisbeth who drove your ambition. What will you do now?”
Thomas stretched and grinned. “I’m building an estate for us right out of London, and to start, I will be giving lectures at the Historical Society for Female Curators.”
His friend nodded. “I’m starting to sense we have become the old guard of antiquities, and it is our duty to help the new guard coming in.”
He smiled. “I like that. Is that why you agreed to have Lady Esme and her chaperone join you?”
Benjamin nodded. Thomas frowned. “Watch Keaton around her.”
“Keaton is a flirt, but he’d never mess with an innocent lady.”
Thomas nodded, agreeing. Benjamin stood and said, “I just want you to know, I’m proud of you and I’ve been honored to work with you.”
Thomas’s eyes flicked to his face. The man affectionately smiled at him, and he had to swallow, finding himself getting choked up. He’d worked side by side with Benjamin Calvert forover ten years. He was like a father to him. His own died before he could remember him. “Thank you. You mean the world to me. Both you and Rose.”
Benjamin nodded. “We know. You are stuck with us. At this point, we are all pretty much family.”
“Thank you, Benjamin.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lisbeth stood infront of the packed lecture room at Seely House with Rose and Addie. The chatter throughout the room was deafening. None of them had expected to have so many people. They had almost double what they had when they opened the exhibit for the cuneiform tablets. It was madness. Diana, Sarah, and Esme stood in the back of the room speaking with the Royal Commission for the Great Exhibition.
The commission seemed happy to be there, and Lisbeth hoped that meant they would be granted a space at the Great Exhibition. Excitement swirled in her.
“This is a bloody mess,” Rose muttered under her breath.
Lisbeth giggled. “This is exciting. You and the club have made it.”
Rose grinned at her. “I suppose you are right. It just feels cramped in here.”
“All these people are here to learn about the ending to Belit and Sibri’s tale. A story that is thousands of years old, and we only know because you were able to decipher the ancient text. It’s amazing.”
A blush formed on Rose’s cheeks. “Enough of that.”
It was true, but Rose would never be one to accept all the credit. A loud whistle from Addie caused the room to fall silent. She beamed at them all. “Please take your seats.”
People shuffled around quietly. Lisbeth looked around for Lord Harston and was shocked to discover he wasn’t inattendance. The man loved to attend their events and cause trouble. Perhaps this talk wouldn’t be as combative.
She noticed one of Benson’s associates standing with Thomas. They were both perusing the room for any dangers and watching her. Benson had arranged for a few more guards to be on hand, but nothing seemed amiss. Plenty of ladies approached Thomas to talk with him or obtain his signature. Lisbeth smiled, wondering how long he would be this famous. The hilarious part was that he didn’t have any interest in fame.
Addie motioned for her to start. Lisbeth looked out at the crowd. “Thank you for joining the Historical Society for Female Curators for this event. We are so excited to reveal the end of Belit and Sibri’s story.”
A woman sighed. “We can’t wait.”
The rest of the room giggled. Lisbeth and Rose smiled at each other. Another lady raised her hand, and Lisbeth pointed at her. “Why did we have to wait for the ending?”
