Page 80 of A Translation of Desire
The man snorted, dismissing him. His gaze met Augustus’s. “We believe your lady is being held at a warehouse on the outskirts of London by the Thames. We will assist you in retrieving her, but the men holding her are ours. You will take Rose Calvert home, and we will deal with them. The actual events that transpired will never be thought of or discussed again. Is that clear?”
Augustus wanted to hit the man again. “What do we tell everyone when they ask who had her?
“You and your lady will share with your friends that the man turned out to be a smuggler who heard an outlandish rumor that anything cuneiform related could make him rich. Understand?”
Augustus nodded and reminded himself that retrieving Rose was all that mattered. The man swung back to Hawley. “Can we trust this Rose Calvert?”
Hawley nodded. A smirk filled the leader’s face. “I think we can confirm this test was a spectacular failure.”
“Agree. The London Society of Antiquaries is no longer interested in assisting you on similar projects after this debacle,” the scholar stated.
Augustus didn’t care about these men or the secrets they held. This wasn’t his world. All he wanted was to find Rose. “I’m done talking about this. Let’s go retrieve Miss Calvert. She and I will keep your secrets. Hopefully, these will be the last we ever deal with.”
“They will be,” Hawley assured.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rose skimmed overher notes. There was no way she would be able to decipher the text. Someone had developed their own language system and written it out in cuneiform. She would need the key they’d designed. That was the only way. The idea of using an ancient language for national secrets was both brilliant and ridiculous. Had Hawley suggested the outlandish scheme, or was it proposed to him?
She wrote down some words so Remy would think she was working on the symbols, but really, it was all nonsense. There was absolutely nothing she could do. Her eyes darted to the door where the driver stood. The man, acting now more like a guard, leaned against the doorway, half in and half out, with his eyes constantly darting outside to ensure no one was coming.
She’d been sitting here for almost two hours. As time passed, the room seemed to fill with an uneasy tension. The men clearly had a time when they needed this all completed. The sun was already up, and even though the road was fairly desolate, a handful of carriages had gone by, making them antsy.
Her gaze drifted back to the guard. He didn’t appear to have a weapon like Remy. Her eyes met the French man’s. He was studying her intently. Rose refocused her attention back on the paper and stared at it pensively, hoping he would think she was working hard.
“How much longer?” he barked at her.
She jumped at his frustrated tone. “It could be a few hours.”
The man leaned forward, across the table from her, causing her to scoot backward. She gulped. He bit out, “Work faster. I have a ship to catch soon.”
She was excited that they did have a deadline. Hopefully, that would benefit her. Rose had earlier concluded that she needed to escape and decided at some point she’d request to step outside to relieve herself. It was almost time. She nodded vigorously and said, “Yes.”
Time ticked by as she made a show of looking at her notes and continuing to scribble things down.Think, she told herself. The guard stepped out, and Rose concluded her window to flee was now. Remy’s frustration with her was only growing. She stood.
“What are you doing?” Remy asked.
“I need to stand up for a moment and perhaps have some privacy.”
He smirked at her. “Do you really think I would allow you to be alone?”
She explained, “I need to do womanly things.”
“You need to take a piss.”
Rose suspected he was trying to disconcert her, but she simply nodded. He sighed and motioned for her to walk outside. She did as he requested. The guard’s gaze turned to them, and Remy said, “Go back inside. The lady needs a private moment.”
As the man retreated into the building, Rose looked around to see if she could make a run for it. Dread filled her because she would have to leave her work. Almost all of her research was contained in the journals and notepads in the building.
Her eyes met Remy’s, and he pointed to a small outhouse. Rose wrinkled her nose, doubting anyone had cared for it in a very long time. “I think I will go behind those bushes over there.”
He lifted a brow, surprised. “Don’t go far. I’m watching.”
Rose nodded and made her way over to the greenery. Once hidden in the bushes, she hunted for a large branch. She grinned, feeling happy for the first time since being kidnapped when her hand connected with a hefty wooden stick.
“Don’t make me come and get you, Miss Calvert!” Remy yelled.
She peeked over the bush to see him peering out at the water. This was her moment. She could incapacitate him. Rose gripped the log tightly and charged at the man. The noise caused him to spin around. He reached for his pistol, but he had left it inside. Swinging with all her might, Rose cracked him on the side of his arm. He yelped in pain, stumbling.
