Page 10 of A Translation of Desire
“And you are confident in your abilities?” Esme asked.
Rose grinned triumphantly. “I am.”
“It makes sense,” Sarah emphasized to Addie. The rest of the board members nodded in agreement.
Addie sighed and said to Rose, “If you must, then. You will discover my husband and I are not on the best of terms.”
“Is that the reason for the club?” Rose questioned.
Addie glanced around at all the other ladies before turning back to her. “At first, but then it became so much more. I hope you find this to be a place for you as well. We would love for you to remain a member once you have completed analyzing the tablets.
Rose nodded. “Thank you for the offer, but I won’t be staying. I promised my father I would attend a few society events. I don’t plan on being in London past your grand opening.”
An amused smile flitted across Addie’s face. “Your dowry is a much-gossiped-about topic.”
Rose and Lisbeth sighed, and another loud, high-pitched chortle escaped the club’s president. She wouldn’t marry anyone, but Rose thought she would like these women and their club more than she had anticipated.
*
Augustus sat inthe office at his warehouse in the London Dock area. He glanced around the room at the plethora of goods from all over the world. While he’d never traveled outside of England, he loved all the objects his business imported from across the globe. Some were basic staples such as teas, herbs, and linens, but his true love was the antiquities.
Those items comprised a small portion of his import company, but one he worked hard to cultivate a respected reputation for. He ensured that the men and women he sent abroad to procure antiquities treated sellers respectfully and offered fair prices for the objects they sold.
This allowed him to establish the provenance of an item and, more importantly, acquire goods in a manner that respected all parties involved in the transaction. In the early stages of his business, he’d witnessed too many shady deals that left naïve sellers with nothing. Augustus had too much respect for other cultures to treat people poorly. He demanded that those who worked for his company follow his example.
Standing, he stretched and pulled his watch fob from a pocket. A visitor was expected to arrive shortly. Augustus frowned. He’d never heard of Michael Abbas. His missive indicated he was a solicitor involved with antiquities.
His assistant Henry stated he was looking for a specific type of item. It wasn’t unusual for someone to seek his help finding artifacts or more common goods, but it was odd that Augustus didn’t know him by name. He supposed he would learn soon enough what Abbas wanted.
Augustus walked out of his office and studied the shelves of goods sitting in his warehouse. He had a perfect view from where he stood because his office was situated on a platform that rose fifteen feet above the floor. It allowed him to see every corner of his building. Henry continued to be appalled that, as a duke, he kept an office and apartment here, but Augustus didn’t give a damn. He felt at ease in this building, even when the business had a bad day.
His thoughts were interrupted by the clacking of Henry’s shoes on the ground. Augustus saw him escorting a man in his thirties towards his office. His appointment had arrived. Hereturned to his desk to wait for them. A few moments later, a knock on the door came.
“Enter.”
Henry smiled. “Your Grace, this is Mr. Abbas. He is here for your meeting.”
“Thank you, Henry. Will you please bring us some tea?”
Henry started to nod, but the dark-haired man, while bowing, said, “That won’t be necessary, Your Grace. I don’t want to keep you. My visit should be brief.”
Augustus motioned to a chair across from his desk as Henry departed. “My assistant stated you were seeking a specific type of artifact.”
The man shook his head. “I apologize for any confusion. I want to compile a list of what cuneiform tablets are held in London and by whom.”
Such tablets were rare. Augustus had only seen a few, and those were housed at the London Society of Antiquaries. Recently, Lord Hawley developed a key to decipher them but had yet to share it with anyone, even other scholars. In truth, Augustus was somewhat skeptical that Hawley was as far along as people believed. Until he published another paper, no one would know. He shared drinks with the man from time to time, but the scholar never provided details on how his research was coming along.
“What is your interest in such tablets?” asked Augustus.
“I have a client who would like me to acquire certain ones. For now, he has asked that I create a list of what is available by discreetly asking around the city.”
A frown filled Augustus’s face. He didn’t like secrecy. It often involved something illegal. Still, Abbas’s question was simple, and he could at least provide that. “I haven’t procured any. Have you tried the London Society of Antiquaries?”
“I plan to, but I’m somewhat confident they don’t have the information I want. Is there another group that may hold such items?”
Augustus didn’t have anyone else he could direct the man to. Even if he did, he wasn’t sure he would be forthcoming with the secretive man. “I’m sorry, I don’t. If you leave an address with my assistant, I can send you a missive if I learn anything.”
The man rose and shook his head. “I’m sorry I have wasted your time.”
