Chapter Four
Lisbeth watched as Thomas joked with a man in perfect Arabic.
They’d just arrived in the small village of Al-Wā?a.
Mr. Abbas was speaking with the village elders in one of the houses with a courtyard, hoping to obtain their support in finding the tablets.
From what Lisbeth saw, she suspected it wouldn’t be a problem. Thomas seemed to know everyone well.
Rafe explained, “Thomas has been working with them for the last few months, exploring various caves, but having Abbas here will put them at ease even more. The elders of Al-Wā?a highly respect his mother’s village.”
Rose nodded. “Good. My club can’t wait to have the tablets, but I want to make sure we are working in a way that is respectful to the area and those who live here.”
“This time of year, there is a good deal of flooding. They can assist us in understanding when rain will be a problem and escape options if the caves and tunnels flood.”
She shivered, remembering that while this was all exciting, there was a danger to it. Rafe smiled. “Thomas will not let any harm come to you.”
“Thank you for the reassurance. I must admit I’d assumed my adventuring days were far behind me.”
Rafe explained, “The serials’ author likes to write Thomas as this cavalier explorer, but he is quite deliberate and thoughtful about how he handles excavations. He respects the artifacts too much to do it any other way.”
She smiled. “So deep down, he is still Serious Thomas?”
He raised a brow. “Is that what you call him?”
“I was always jumping into things when we were children, and he made sure we were considering the repercussions, so I bestowed that nickname on him.”
Amusement filled Rafe’s face. “Serious Thomas is still in there. He is no saint, but when it matters, he comes out.”
She laughed, and Thomas glanced their way, frowning. They both grinned at him. Rafe said, “Excuse me.”
Lisbeth nodded and watched Rafe join the conversation. She tried to make sense of what they were saying, but it had been too long. Thomas had always been better with languages. Her mind drifted back to when they’d been in Syria for almost a year.
*
“You have to learn. It is disrespectful not to try,” Thomas insisted as they sat on the pallet in his tent in the middle of the night.
Annoyance flashed in Lisbeth. “I’m trying. I’m sorry I’m rot at languages, unlike you and Rose. Perhaps the two of you can become dear friends.”
“Rose is my friend, and she is yours,” he insisted.
A scowl marred Lisbeth’s face, and Thomas, leaning on his side and staring down at her, wiped his thumb across her lower lip. “Don’t be jealous of her. I didn’t travel thousands of miles for her.”
Lisbeth glanced away and gulped, but Thomas grasped her chin, turning her back. “What is wrong?”
“You and she have so much in common. Rose is serious and studious like you. This world of antiquities suits you.”
He kissed her lips before releasing her chin. “It suits us. I wouldn’t be in this country without you. Never in a million years would I have boarded a ship for a place we’ve only read about and sought the famed Benjamin Calvert. We are lucky he hired us.”
She smiled at his reassurance. “I’m being petty about Rose. I should be nicer.”
He rolled his eyes. “You should. She is only sixteen.”
“I’m only eighteen, and you are only nineteen.”
Thomas laughed. “I feel much older than that. Regardless, I like the Calverts and hope we can stay with them for a long time.”
“I do, too.”
He kissed her nose. “Good. Now, back to practicing.”
She groaned.
He stated, “Antī jamīlah jiddan.”
Liseth shook her head. “I don’t know.”
He leaned down and kissed her neck. “I said you are beautiful.”
Happiness flared in her as Thomas’s lips trailed up her throat to her mouth. She smiled against his lips. “I think I will remember that.”
“Good,” he groaned.
*
Lisbeth shook the thought away as warmth flared in her body. She glanced at Thomas, who was staring back at her. She knew he couldn’t know her thoughts, but a sizzle of emotion sparked between them. She gulped and yanked her gaze away.
Abbas, just then, stepped outside, grinning.
She, Thomas, and Rafe made their way to him.
He said, “The elders seemed to adore you, Easton. I’m not sure I was really needed, but they are willing to help us while we are in the cave system.
They are excited that the map is back in Syria and have no problem with it eventually being stored in my mother’s village.
They plan to provide two or three guides to help us watch for the rain and explore the caves. ”
Thomas nodded. “Do they suspect rain will be a problem?”
Abbas shrugged. “It is the time of year for it, but they think they can assist so any potential flooding doesn’t catch us off guard.”
“Perfect,” Lisbeth said.
Thomas suggested, “Perhaps you should stay at the village while we explore the caves.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“I merely want to ensure your safety,” Thomas emphasized.
Abbas said, “The elders have assured me that they can make sure we are safe.”
Thomas scowled at him, and he went instantly quiet. Benson, who’d been sitting in the shade, joined them. “Your Grace, if it is unsafe at all, I must insist you stay here.”
An exasperated sigh escaped Lisbeth. “I’m not trying to put myself in danger. I want to help.”
Benson looked at Thomas. “Is she safe?”
Thomas’s eyes connected with hers. Lisbeth didn’t realize how badly she wanted to assist with the search until it was on the cusp of being taken from her. Thomas seemed to sense it as well because he begrudgingly said, “We should be fine as long as we listen to the guides.”
“Good,” Lisbeth said, excitement coursing through her.
Abbas nodded to the women, bringing out a plethora of food. “The village elders want to celebrate the finding of the map.”
Rafe grinned. “An excellent idea.”
*
Thomas stuffed himself with the food the villagers had laid out. He was so full that he felt as if he wouldn’t need to eat for days. One of the village elders, Omar Al-Sayed, sat next to him, and, in Arabic, he asked, “Who is she?”
“She is a titled lady from England,” he responded in the same language.
The man smirked at him. He shook his head. “Who is she to you?”
“We’ve known each other almost our whole lives.”
“Tarek says she is your Layla.”
Thomas sighed. Rafe was such a bloody gossip. He glanced at her. She was beaming and attempting to speak with one of the women in the village. “She is someone I care about, but not my Layla. She hasn’t turned me into a madman.”
The man chuckled as if he didn’t believe him, but didn’t say anything more. Rafe joined them, and the village elder left, going to speak with Abbas. He skewered his friend with a glare. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t spread gossip about me.”
Rafe sighed. “He is an elder. Did you want me to lie to him? He asked me about Lisbeth. He is curious because you’ve never brought a lady down here besides Rose.”
“Why would I?”
His friend shrugged. “Lisbeth is a beautiful woman.”
Thomas scowled. “When did you start addressing her so informally?”
“Benson said she is a widow. Why not pursue her?”
He looked at him in shock. “We have nothing in common and took very different paths. That is a preposterous idea.”
“Why? You are alone, and she is as well. What is in the way?”
He didn’t say anything but glanced at the woman he’d once thought would be his wife.
Maybe Thomas had lied to Lisbeth. The hurt should be long gone after a decade, but it flared within him.
“Today, I decided I can forgive her and hold no grudges about the past, but I don’t think I can ever open my heart to Lisbeth again. ”
Rafe didn’t argue with him. “Did she tell you why she left?”
“She didn’t want to discuss the past in detail.”
His friend glanced at her. “I think it would benefit both of you to talk through it. You may not want to love her, but there is something between the two of you.”
Thomas snorted, not wanting to believe anything existed between him and Lisbeth.
Rafe gave him a knowing glance. “Or you can continue to be the madman.”
“I’m not the Majnun.”
“And I’m not the imbecile.”
A chuckle escaped Thomas. “I may disagree. Who is the woman you haven’t moved on from?”
While Thomas had slept his way across the globe, Rafe had flirted but abstained as far as he knew. Rafe sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Perhaps you should take your own advice.”
Rafe grinned and smacked him on the back. “We are a bunch of melancholy fools. Enough of this. What do we really have to complain about?”
Thomas grinned. “Nothing.”
They both stayed silent. He watched Lisbeth.
She laughed at something the woman she was speaking with said.
His chest felt tight. Why did she leave Tuscany all those years ago?
Had she decided she missed London so much?
For years, Thomas had done his best to put it out of his mind, but now he felt as if he had to know.
Rafe wasn’t always right about everything, but he was correct in this instance.
Why did she leave? They’d loved each other, and that hadn’t been enough for her to stay.
Thomas needed those answers from her. Beyond that, he wasn’t sure if anything else could exist between him and Lisbeth.
Still, having the truth about what happened in Tuscany would at least allow closure.
Thomas would never admit it, but he still dreamed about Lisbeth almost every night—her touch, mouth, and moans. Now, she was here. Not a dream, but the real Lisbeth. He clenched his fist to control the urge to go to her and pull her against him. Christ! Why did Rose not bring the damn map?