Page 102 of A Translation of Desire
“You could have declared your feelings for her better,” Addie pointed out as if the woman could sense his mind’s direction.
“I’ve been a fool. I’m here to find out where she is so I can go after her.”
Lady Esme and Miss Martin smiled at one another before Miss Martin said, “I have her location. She will be in the middle of the desert, but if you go to the Syrian port, Latakia, there is a guide who can take you to the field site. We are tentatively planning for one of us to eventually join Calvert’s excavations. I will go retrieve the man’s information.”
“Thank you,” he said gratefully.
Addie asked, curious, “Sinclair, have you ever left England?”
“No.”
“This will be quite the journey for you. I wish the London Society of Antiquaries had already provided us with the map to find the tablets. I would join you,” Lisbeth said, amused.
Diana beamed, “You will do fine.”
He hoped so, but all that mattered was that he convinced Rose to marry him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rose paced backand forth on the deck of the ship. She’d been restless since they left Tuscany. Walking away from Augustus had been foolish. It was so painfully evident that Rose was often overcome with frustration that she couldn’t tell him she was wrong right away.
At night, when she lay in bed, crazy thoughts often filled her mind. What if he did fall for Lady Gillings? What if his feelings were not as strong as hers? He’d made no grand confessions of love before she left. Yet, she knew he was her match, and she was his. She didn’t know how but sensed it in her very being.
Once they reached Syria, she would only stay long enough to explain to her father everything that had transpired—well, not everything, but at a minimum, that she loved Augustus and was returning to London so they could marry.
The man had her heart and always would. The thought of being his duchess still made her nervous—nauseous might be a better word, but she would figure it out. They would figure it all out together. They would need to travel and be in London. She tilted her face up to the sky, letting the sun warm her skin.
A giggle escaped her at how absurd their life would be, but still, when she imagined them together, it felt right. She loved him. It was that simple.
“It is nice to see you smile. You’ve been impatient lately.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find Thomas joining her on the deck. The ship taking them to Syria was not large, so therewere very few people out and about. “I feel like I’ve made a decision, and now I’m in the wrong place.”
He stepped next to her, looking out at the Mediterranean Sea. “You will make it back to your duke.”
Thomas had become the brother she had never had as a child. She glanced at him and confessed, “What if he’s moved on?”
Her friend turned to her and smirked. “That isn’t how true love works. It burrows into you, and nothing can shake it free.”
Rose was tempted to press him about his words, but he would only shut her down. She wondered what he would do if Lisbeth showed up in Syria but said nothing about it, not wanting to cause unnecessary drama.
“So, tell me, what is your duke like? Who is the man that captured the great Rose Calvert’s heart.”
Augustus was quite simply everything to her, but she loved that he seemed to understand her. Even though her actions at times made him angry, he accepted her as she was.
“He is the perfect partner for me.”
Thomas snorted. “A duke?”
“He is so much more than a duke. He owns an import business. Father has even partnered with him on antiquities. Most would assume a duke would be pretentious, but he isn’t that way at all. He is wonderful.”
Amusement filled his eyes. “You are in love with him.”
She flushed. “I am.”
He beamed. “I’m happy for you.”
“I’m sorry that I will be leaving right away, and I’ve asked you to find the additional tablets for the epic.”
