Chapter Two
A deline Amberley glanced toward her volume of Nebulae and Stars , which sat stacked with her other finds from her last trip to the bookshop. If only she could lose herself in the text instead of thinking about how terribly embarrassing this all was. Astronomy was her refuge, her passion. Mathematical calculations made sense, unlike the mysterious intricacies of courtship and love. Across from her sat her two best friends in the world, their faces alight with mischievous glee. She could not believe that she had allowed herself to be talked into this scheme.
“Listen to this one. I’m particularly proud of it.” Lucy read out loud from the gossip pages of the Piccadilly Press . “Lady Amberley stepped down off the shelf to utilize her dusty flirting skills this past Saturday evening at the opera house. She was seen strolling on the arm of a handsome rake, who is a well-known friend of her brother’s. Friends to lovers, perhaps?”
“Does it have to be so mean?” Adeline asked.
Lucy nodded. “Miss Harper said it must be somewhat disparaging; otherwise, it would look like it was planted. Besides, readers enjoy the drama.”
Violet nodded. “I agree. It’s awful but true. Lucy, it is terribly nice that you now have a friend in the scandal business.”
“She is in the newspaper business.” Lucy frowned at Vi, but the stern look didn’t last more than a moment before a grin replaced it. “It is rather nice to be creating the gossip instead of being the target of it.”
“Ahem, what about me? I am the one who is being written about,” Adeline said.
“But only well-curated tidbits. We will have the opportunity to see if our little bits of gossip have had any impact when we all attend the Holdens’s ball on Friday evening.”
Adeline wrinkled her nose. “But it doesn’t even say who I was supposedly flirting with.”
“That’s the genius of it. Your brother has many eligible bachelor friends. It could be any one of them. We took a risk before, naming Lord Danvers in our first published piece, but he is forever in the scandal section, so he probably took no notice. This is so vague it won’t make anyone suspicious.”
“Think of this weekend’s ball as an opportunity to collect data for our experiment,” Violet said.
Her friends knew her too well. She must have been mad to allow them to place tidbits of gossip in the paper about her being seen with gentlemen, flirting, riding out alone—things she would never do—in the hopes of stirring up some male interest in her by tarnishing her reputation, just a bit. Alas, anything that would help her find a decent husband at this point was worth pursuing. If she didn’t find a suitor soon, her father would have her married to Lord Bellamy. She had overheard her father speaking with her brother George about how he owed the man a debt and that Bellamy had his eye on her as payment.
Adeline hadn’t been surprised; her father held no affection for her. He simply saw her as another asset for him to use. But knowing this didn’t prevent panic from rising in her chest. He would marry her off no matter that Bellamy was three times her age. Thankfully, George had argued on her behalf and convinced her father to allow her a couple months until Christmastide to find a suitably wealthy husband before he promised her to Bellamy.
This was why when Lucy came up with the idea to create interest in her, Adeline agreed. As she was an inveterate wallflower, men never noticed her. She was no great beauty, and when she was thrust into conversation with the opposite sex, she never had any idea what to say. In general, a hopeless case.
Violet had thought the whole scheme a brilliant idea. Then, her two friends carefully chose men who were well-known rakes, men who made the gossip pages so often that they would hardly pay attention to one more rumor, as targets for their bits of gossip. Or at least that was the hope. Goodness, what if she encountered one of these men at the Holdens’s ball? She would die of embarrassment.
“Hmmm, maybe he should be next,” Violet said as she leaned toward Lucy and pointed to a name in the paper.
Lucy nodded. “Yes, he might be perfect.”
Adeline glanced back and forth between the two women. “Who? What are you looking at?”
Violet read out loud. “Newly returned to London, the Marquess of Kingsbury attended dinner at Lord and Lady Quinton’s home Saturday evening. My sources described the naval commander as tall and handsome, with a crown of thick, wavy blond hair. Lord Kingsbury is back on shore in search of a wife to secure his title with an heir. The titled naval officer will surely capture the attention of this year’s debutantes.”
“New to town, he’ll likely be reading the The Morning Post at first—everyone reads the Post at first,” Lucy said. “He has possibilities. We need to find out more about him. I will send a note to Elizabeth.”
Lucy’s good friend, Elizabeth Harper, was the editor of the Piccadilly Press . She had loved the idea of helping out a wallflower like Adeline, even though Adeline had never met the woman. Apparently, Miss Harper liked any intrigue that interfered with the status quo. She was a big believer in stirring the pot, so to speak. Adeline wished she was not the one trying to keep her head above water in said pot.
The description of Lord Kingsbury made her think of the handsome man from the bookstore. He had also been a tall, strapping naval officer. All week, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his strong arm banded around her waist or how his broad shoulders had stretched the fabric of his dark blue jacket as he leaned casually against the bookshelf. His cheeky smile and bright green eyes had left her feeling quite topsy-turvy. Or perhaps that was just because she had fallen off the stool.
She gave her books another glance before she straightened her shoulders. This was no time to hide inside her studies. She must find a husband. She cared not a whit how handsome he be, as long as he had some intelligence. In her most secret moments, Adeline longed for a partner with whom she could have long conversations about astronomy and classical cultures. Someone who would be interested in what she had to say about the world. She sighed. But she would take kind and decent at this point. Beggers be choosers.
“Addy,” Violet said. “Did you hear what I said?”
Adeline focused back on the conversation at hand. “Sorry, no, I missed it.”
“I said, don’t worry. We will find you someone wonderful.”
Lucy nodded. “I won’t let your father ruin your life.”
Adeline offered her friends a small smile. “I can do this. I don’t know if I have flirting skills, dusty or otherwise, but I can carry on a conversation, for goodness’ sake.”
A knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” Adeline called out.
Mrs. Hargrave, the housekeeper, entered. “Lady Adeline, your father requests your presence in his study.” The woman wrung her hands. “Immediately.”
Adeline shared a surprised glance with her friends. Their eyebrows rose high. Her father never invited her into his study. He never paid attention to her at all. What could this possibly be about?
She turned back to Mrs. Hargrave. “I will be along shortly. Could you gather the effects for Lady Hartwick and Lady Violet, please?”
“Yes, miss.” The housekeeper left, closing the door behind her.
“I’m sorry, ladies. It’s never wise to ignore my father’s summons,” Adeline said.
“No trouble, dear.” Lucy stood, looking worried. “Are you sure you don’t want us to stay in case it’s something dreadful?”
“Do you think he will go back on his word about allowing you time to find a husband?” Violet asked.
Adeline shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest idea. But I will be all right. I’ll send a note if it’s bad news. I promise.”
After saying goodbye to her friends, Adeline walked to the back of the house, where her father’s study had a view of the back garden. Outside the door, she sucked in a deep breath to calm the terrible nerves in her stomach. Had her father changed his mind?
Then her father’s voice rang out through the closed door. “He is a fool if he thinks he can bilk me out of my profits. I know he was the one to tell the authorities.”
“Father, I can’t believe you risked so much on this venture. What were you thinking?”
“It was foolproof, he said. Anyway, my man managed to get this off before the authorities raided the boat. I consider this my cut.”
“What if they find out?” George replied.
“How would they? We will sell it all discreetly.”
“If this stuff is worth anything at all.”
What in the world? Adeline glanced left and right, fearing someone would see her eavesdropping outside her father’s door. She quickly knocked on the door.
When it swung open, her brother stood at the threshold. “Good, they found you. Come in; we need your sharp mind.”
Adeline exhaled in relief. George wouldn’t be so cheerful if her father had changed his mind. George always looked out for her; he was the one person Adeline could count on. She knew her mother loved her, but Lady Rawlings’s severe melancholy carried her away for long periods where she couldn’t get out of bed or focus on even the most minor tasks of self-care, let alone focus on her daughter. When she was younger, Adeline had spent a lot of time alone, studying her books. But when George had come home from school, he always paid her attention and included her in his adventures.
George grasped her hand and pulled her into the room. Her father stood in the middle of the carpet in front of a large wooden crate. The top had been pried off, and straw stuffing spilled out from the crate. Mrs. Hargrave would have a fit at the mess all over the carpets.
“What’s going on in here?” Adeline asked.
George and their father exchanged a look before George turned to her. “A while back, father invested in a venture in Greece. An expedition of sorts. The ship has been many months delayed, but this week, it finally arrived in London.” He waved his hand over the crates. “This is our portion of the treasures found on this, um, expedition.”
“The trouble is we were expecting the treasure to be more in the way of coin. But this is what came,” her father said.
Adeline moved to peek into the crate. Inside, nestled in the straw, were what looked to be vases of varying sizes. She lifted one and gasped at its beauty. Made from porcelain-glazed terracotta, the vase depicted ancient Greek ladies lounging in a lush garden. Vines full of flowers wound around the neck and base of the vase.
“Your brother says you have extensive knowledge of ancient Greece. Can you identify if any of these items are valuable?” her father asked.
Adeline’s mouth dropped open. Her father required her help with something? She nodded. “Yes, I think so. I have several books that can also help me identify how old the items are.”
“Good. Let’s get started.” He began to dig through the straw.
George leaned into the crate as well and pulled out a smaller vase; no, perhaps it was a wine jug? He passed it to Adeline, and she crossed to set it on her father’s desk. Then her father handed her a small statue, perhaps twelve inches high, of the goddess Artemis. Adeline immediately recognized her by the bow and arrow she grasped. The story of Artemis and her lover Orion was Adeline’s favorite tale of love and loss. Two more painted vases came from the crate. All the pieces were clearly ancient. Adeline turned from examining the painted scenes when she heard her brother gasp.
“Now we are getting somewhere.”
George held up a gold cross. It gleamed in the sunlight. A large grin split their father’s face. “Look at that. It must be solid gold.”
George handed it to him, and their father admired the finely etched crucifix. At perhaps sixteen inches in length, the ornate cross looked like it belonged on a family chapel wall.
“Here is another one!” George pulled a second gold cross from the straw. Adeline and her father both gasped this time. This one was a bit smaller but dotted with gemstones. Their father snatched it up and peered intently at the stones. “They are both so heavy. That means they must be worth a lot, yes?”
Adeline shrugged. She had no idea what the value of an ounce of gold was, but she recognized the historical value of the two crucifixes. They were clearly Byzantine. The style of the etched carvings was recognizable. She dug through the straw, sinking her arm up to the elbow. Her fingers combed through and hit something hard. She reached her other hand in and felt the edges of a wooden box.
“I’ve found something else.” She gripped the box and pulled. It was not heavy, and she stumbled back a bit once she had freed it from the packing straw.
“What’s that?” George asked.
“I don’t know. Let’s see.” Adeline set it on the desk. The box was decorated with a beautiful wood inlay pattern. A woodland scene, with two deer brushing noses, was the centerpiece. Adeline ran her fingertip across the smooth wood.
“Addy, what’s inside?” George’s impatient voice came from behind her.
She slid the latch and lifted the lid. Inside, on a velvet background, was a gleaming diadem fit for a queen. Adeline studied the crown. Like the crucifixes, the diadem was made of gold, but the gold was not polished or shiny. Instead, it was burnished almost matte, indicating its great age.
“Look at that!” George’s excited voice was too loud next to her ear. Her father came to peer over her other shoulder.
Although not large, like the crowns worn by English kings and queens, the diadem was an intricate mix of natural elements carved in gold. Golden olive leaves interspersed with delicate engraved flowers. The centers of the flowers were set with round garnet gemstones. A rope of gold formed the base of the diadem, and from it, the vines and flowers rose to a gentle point; a large polished red garnet was the centerpiece. “It’s beautiful,” Adeline murmured.
She turned to find her father and brother grinning at each other like children on Michaelmas. “Where did these items come from? They look like they belong in a museum.”
Both men’s grins faded. George grasped her hands. “I told you—from an expedition. An archeological dig. Can you tell how valuable they are?”
Adeline arched one eyebrow. These items were not dug up recently. All the objects were in pristine condition. Was he trying to fool her, or had he been duped by the parties with whom they had invested? She had plenty of questions but could feel her father glowering at her.
She turned to give him a small smile. “The diadem is from the Hellenistic period.” At their confused look, she amended, “Fourth to first century BC Greece. It is older than the crosses. See the difference in the patina of the gold? Based on the shape of the crosses—see where the ends spread out—they look like they are from the Byzantine era. I can look at my books and narrow down the time periods. But based on their age, I would say all these are priceless.”
The men shared a look over her head. Adeline looked back and forth between them.
“What do you plan to do with them?”
“Never you mind about that.” Her father patted her on the arm. “Run along and gather your books and bring them back in here. I want to see if the crockery is worth anything as well.”
Calling the delicate hand-painted vessels crockery was shameful, but Adeline kept the thought to herself. This was the most interesting thing to happen in ages. It felt good to be needed. She nodded and hurried to her library.