“Hello.” She nodded to him and Luke, then returned her gaze to the book in her lap.
“Luke asked me to come,” Ash said, feeling foolish now for doing so.
“I heard that you like Roman mythology. Here.” She thrust a book at him. “You will like this one then.”
He reached for the book before he could stop himself. Opening the cover, he read the first words and was lost. At some point he sat on the floor; Ash didn’t remember when.
She passed him things that may interest him, and he thanked her and read. Children came and went, and he read. It was freeing almost, and strangely comfortable sitting with his back to a wall reading, with her, while the children went through trunks, asking his opinion occasionally.
“What’s that word, Ash?” Luke asked him, thrusting a book in front of him.
“Terpsichore was the patron of dance, and terpsichorean means of or related to dancing.”
“I should have known that,” Luke muttered. “Thank you,” he added, wandering back to look through more books.
He felt her eyes on him but went back to his book.
“Does that have a lock on it?” Hannah said a while later.
Looking up from the book in his hands, Ash saw Dorset had risen and was looking at a small flat tarnished silver box Luke held. It was a few inches deep and inlaid with words and designs.
“Where did you find that, Luke? We have looked everywhere in this room, and I have yet to see it.”
“It was down behind that big trunk there, wedged against the wall, Aunt Dorrie,” the boy said.
“I can’t make out those words,” she said, moving the box closer to the light.
Curious, Ash rose and joined her.
“I’m not sure what language this is.” Dorrie traced her slender fingers over the surface.
It was old, Ash could see that, and the words were inscribed in gold. It had a few dents, and the lock on the front seemed large and solid for a box of this size.
It wasn’t big, but long, and to his mind could only hold a handful of papers. He leaned closer to look at the lettering. Some of it was almost rubbed away.
“It is Old French,” Ash said. “It was spoken from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries.”
She studied him. “Do you read it?”
“I speak French so given time I could decipher it as could Gus. He and I studied many languages and know a great deal about them.”
He could feel her looking at him, but he kept his eyes on the box.
“But those last few words are almost unreadable.” Her ran a finger over the lid of the box.
“Perhaps if we can decipher the first few, we can get an idea of what the rest say,” Dorset said. “I will ask the others, but I have no knowledge of anyone speaking or reading Old French.”
He nodded.
“We need to go now. It is past time for supper,” Luke said.
“Take the books. James will not mind,” Dorrie said.
“I—”
“For heaven’s sake. I’m sure you are not planning on stealing them, and they are your heritage too. Take them,” Dorrie said.
“I was about to say thank you.”
