Page 41 of A Translation of Desire
Augustus couldn’t believeRose had been attacked at Seely House. He paced back and forth in front of the fireplace of the Derry Hall library. He took a sip of his brandy, impatiently waiting for her. She was likely waiting for more of the house to settle before venturing back to the first floor.
He scowled into the fire, not understanding why Rose hadn’t told him about the attack in the kitchen. The door of the library clicked, and he turned to see her entering, dressed in her wrap and nightgown. His hand tightened on the glass, and he pulled it to his lips.She is wrong for you, he reminded himself.
She smiled at him. “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”
“Would you like a drink?”
Nodding, she sat in one of the wingback chairs. Augustus poured her a glass and joined her, sitting on the sofa. “So, tell me about this attack.”
Rose rolled her eyes as if it were nothing, and he said, “Tell me.”
She took a deep breath. “I went to Seely House early one morning to work on the text and my decipher key. It was so quiet when I arrived, and the front door was unlocked.”
“You entered,” he said with steel in his voice.
“I assumed the guard accidentally left it unlocked. Anyway, I heard a window being broken in the research room, so I rushed upstairs. Once there, I saw a man running down the alley.”
Augustus couldn’t believe she had gone into the building. A surge of protectiveness raced through him.
“I know it was reckless,” she said, “but it’s my life’s work they’re destroying.”
He nodded. “Was he the man who chased you?”
She frowned and shivered. “No, once I found the guard, I had the strangest feeling I was being watched. The guard told me to go and find help. I left, but then I remembered my satchel, which contained my research. I ran back in and saw the other man. He was headed towards my bag. I reached it first and ran.”
Augustus hated that she’d gone through all that and been alone. She grimaced. “I know it sounds awful, but it isn’t the first time I’ve found myself in an unsavory situation.”
Her words reminded him of how different she was from any other lady he knew. He asked, “Did you see his face?”
Rose shook her head. “He had a scarf tied around his head.”
Augustus stood and walked back and forth. Hawley stated that the British Secret Service didn’t believe the thefts were connected to what they were working on, but Augustus wasn’tso sure. It was becoming increasingly apparent that it wasn’t the artifacts themselves that were of interest but rather how they could be deciphered.
Not once in the last year had anyone asked him to acquire a relic with cuneiform, and his customers’ interests were far more diverse than most. Still, the requested items were typically popular or made a more opulent statement than what Rose worked on. Cuneiform tablets were neither of those. He needed to speak with Hawley again.
“Something is happening that we are not aware of. The man who approached me about the tablets can’t be found, and Lord Hawley also seems to have a peculiar interest in them.”
“Do you think Hawley is connected?”
He needed to tell Rose the truth. “I spoke with Hawley. He informed me that the British Secret Service is interested in cuneiform text.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Augustus shook his head. “He wouldn’t say, insisting that he couldn’t because it was a matter of national security.”
A snort escaped her, and he added, “That is what he told me.”
“Do you believe him?”
He did. “Yes. Hawley shared the details with me because he wanted me to inform him when you and the Historical Society for Female Curators may find yourself in an unsafe situation.”
Outrage flickered across her face, and he held up a hand. “He said his interest was only in ensuring you were all safe. He also insisted that the British Secret Service thinks the theft of your tablets is not connected.”
“I need to tell Addie.”
Augustus shook his head. “I shouldn’t even be telling you this. I must speak with him first to determine if your missing tablets are connected. I would hate to interfere with something the British Secret Service is working on. Still, I’m struggling tounderstand why anyone in the espionage field would go to all this effort.”
“There are rumors that ancient text, not cuneiform specifically, is used to send coded messages.”
