Page 68 of A Translation of Desire
The amusement died from her eyes, and sadness filled them again. She added. “Strangely, I don’t want my grief to leave me yet. It makes him feel close by.”
Her husband had been her great love. She hadn’t made a mistake by refusing Augustus all those years ago. At another point in Augustus’s life, he would have been thankful not to have such a love as Catherine’s, but now he was jealous. Would his future wife mourn him in such a fashion? Again, his gazemoved to Rose, who was now surrounded by people, likely all congratulating her on her accomplishments.
“Your mother is foolish.”
Catherine sighed. “She just wants to see me happy again. And I will be someday, just not yet. I plan to return to my country estate in a few weeks. I think it is enough that I at least tried.”
“I agree. Grieve the way you want.”
She nodded. Her eyes shifted to the exhibit room windows. A shadow of a smile played upon her lips. “Miss Calvert is quite impressive.”
He felt himself flush. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You are interested in her.”
He didn’t deny it but said, “You haven’t seen me in over a decade, but think you know my preferences?”
She shrugged. “From everything I’ve read about your pursuits, she would be an ideal match.”
He glanced back at Rose and smiled bitterly. “I would not crush her spirit by making her a duchess.”
“Not everyone looks at the position as a prison sentence.”
“You did,” he shot back.
She sighed. “No. I wanted to be your duchess more than anything in the world, and then I fell in love with Eric. It wasn’t an attraction but an all-consuming feeling that he was my match. I just knew. I envisioned a life so drastically different from what was planned for me. I should have felt scared, but I didn’t. It was exhilarating.”
He said nothing. His heart was pounding. She stood and said, “Does your Miss Calvert make you feel that way?”
Augustus didn’t answer. She patted him on his arm and said, “If she does, don’t let her go. Find a way.”
He nodded and held his arm out, but Catherine shook her head. “I think I will leave and make plans to return home.”
“It was good to see you, Catherine. My mother and sister would love to visit with you before your departure. They returned to our country estate for a few days but should be back by the end of the week.”
She squeezed his arm. “I will be sure to visit them.”
Augustus nodded and sat back down on the bench. He watched as Rose showed someone something on the one-stone tablet the club still had. He wanted her—not just for now, but forever. What the hell was he supposed to do?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rose peeked outthe window and saw that Augustus and Lady Gillings were no longer in the gardens.Have they left together?she wondered She repeated her mantra over and over again.It doesn’t matter. Her work was what was important.
It didn’t improve her mood. She turned away from the blasted windows, insisting that she would not look out them again. Her eyes immediately met Mr. Abbas’s, who beamed at her excitedly.
“I just wanted to thank you again for introducing me to the club and helping encourage this partnership,” the solicitor said.
Over the last few days, he’d spent much time at Seely House, and he and Diana had been able to hammer out an agreement that he thought his clients would accept. The Historical Society for Female Curators would partner with the village elders over the next five years on artifact preservation in their area of southwest Syria. As part of that work, they would allow the club to display historical items and provide them with a percentage of all monies earned.
Rose was impressed. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Mr. Abbas had said he planned to suggest the model to other organizations that wanted the world to see artifacts from his mother’s country. She smiled. “I’m glad it has worked out.”
“Has the London Society of Antiquaries informed you on whether they will release the map? To have a fully completed epic would be wonderful.”
Rose shook her head. “You were in my presentation. Did it seem like they wanted to be helpful?”
Mr. Abbas frowned. “I tried to set up a meeting with them, and the soonest they will see me is in two months.”
Annoyance flared in her that Harston was doing everything he could to prevent them from succeeding. She hoped Hawley and Augustus could somehow turn it around, though she wasn’t sure how. Augustus may be a duke, but Harston was still the vice president of the club.
