Martha suddenly felt indignant for the viscount. She thought it was horrible of people of such high status to behave in such a manner. And she didn’t think that Lord Billington deserved it. She couldn’t cause a scene, as that wouldn’t help anything. But she could try to distract her future husband. Perhaps, that would help him to forget the rude gossipers around them and focus on the art, which he had seemed to be so enthusiastic about seeing. As they passed the Colossal bust of Ramesses II, she stopped and pointed.
“Isn’t that fascinating?” she asked. She blushed immediately, ashamed of her pathetic attempt at distraction. He would either know what she was doing, and feel all the worse for it, or he would think her silly and foolish. How could busts of ancient people, real or fictional, be fascinating?
But the viscount turned to her with a curious smile on his face.
“You like Ramesses?” he asked.
Martha blushed.
“I painted busts when I was a young girl,” she said. “I do enjoy the bust of Ramesses, and the history of it, as well. It just happens that I found busts easier to paint, while I learned how to paint all the human features.”
Lord Billington nodded, almost approvingly.
“I would imagine they are interesting to paint,” he said.
Martha smiled, glad that she had succeeded in distracting Lord Billington.
“They were, at first,” she said. “It didn’t take me but a couple months to get bored of them. I wanted to learn how to paint human limbs, as well. And human bodies.”
The viscount looked at her with a highly raised eyebrow.
“Is that so?” he asked.
It took Martha a moment to detect the teasing in his tone, and to understand why it was there. When she did, she blushed furiously, causing him to chuckle.
“Oh, heavens, no,” she said quickly. “Nothing like that. What I mean is…”
The viscount held up his hand, giving her an apologetic look.
“Forgive me,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just the way it sounded… but I understand what you meant.”
Martha wanted to glower at him and be angry with what he had just done. But she couldn’t help but giggle, even though she looked away shyly.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “And I forgive you.”
There was silence between them for a moment, then he spoke again.
“Are you aware of the story of Lord Elgin?” he asked.
Martha lit up, and she nodded.
“I have read the story of Thomas Bruce, the seventh earl of Elgin,” she said. “He was trying to create his own private museum of sorts. He had all kinds of relics brought to London from all over the world, including Egypt and the Far East.”
Lord Billington stared at her silently for a moment, his lips parted. She would have felt awkward, but his pale blue eyes were glimmering with pleasant disbelief. She blushed, but she couldn’t help smiling as the viscount continued looking at her.
“That’s correct,” he said. “And do you know who, among others, opposed his ideas, and his importation of such relics?”
Martha nodded again.
“Lord Byron spoke loudly against his unorthodox collection,” she said. “He said that it was little more than theft or looting, despite the fact that the earl bought the relics he had imported here outright.”
The viscount nodded again, but his eyes lit up. It seemed to Martha that he was thrilled to have an intellectual conversation. Best of all, he seemed to no longer care even a little about the people around them. And for some reason, Martha felt proud that she had impressed him in such a fashion. Typically, a woman who knew too much about things was considered odd and undesirable. But the viscount was looking at her like she had just given him a jeweled crown.
“Correct again,” he said. “Personally, I don’t know whether I like or dislike Lord Elgin. I know that many in London supported him, as he brought some fascinating exhibits here, including the Marbles. But others, apart from Lord Byron, felt like he was essentially dishonestly hoarding specimens that were crucial to world history all for himself. It’s a very complex situation, indeed.”
Martha shrugged. She knew that ladies typically weren’t allowed to voice their opinions openly. But she was trying to get rid of the viscount, right? She might as well enjoy the conversation at hand before it came to an abrupt end.
“I can understand that point of view,” she said. “But he paid for them. And, from what I understand, he paid the proper people for the relics. Surely, he cannot be blamed for having the resources for procuring such incredible relics.”
