Page 16 of Sacrifice

“Mmm.” He looked down at her thoughtfully and then slid around into the seat next to hers. Their knees touched under the table and Eve felt the electric thrill of contact. “TheTablet of Ashuris the first known reference to theAssyrian Codex of Dreams.”

“Is that right?” Eve took a sip from her glass and kept her eyes on him. It was flirty, she knew it, but what was this whole setup for?

“The ancient Mesopotamians took their dreams seriously. The Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, dreamed of a terrible natural disaster - rain storms that lasted thirty days and thirty nights and destroyed his lands. He sent messages to the highest in his court warning them of the wrath of their god, Ashur, and advising that sacrifices must be made to appease him.The Tablet of Ashuris the only known surviving bearer of that message. It is an artefact of great significance and central to the theme of our exhibition.”

Eve noted theour. She nodded at him with slightly wider eyes.

“We’re on a tight schedule. I would like to open in four weeks.”

Eve nearly choked on her champagne. “Four weeks?”

He nodded. “There is a rather special event I want to coincide with.The Transit of Venus. I’ve arranged for you to be transferred to my team full time. Rupert was keen for me to have help from existing staff, and we seemed to get on well.” He smiled wolfishly, clearly knowing that he’d acted presumptuously.

Something was making her giddy and if it was the champagne, it was the fastest acting alcohol she’d ever experienced. She put down her glass. “Maybe I should stick to coffee.”

Lucien tipped his head to one side. “Actually, I have another favor to ask. Another piece I want for the exhibition is coming into the country next week, with its owner, a Russian oligarch by the name of Konstantin Petrovsky. He is a littleostentatious.”

Lucien wrinkled his nose in a way that made Eve think he found him distasteful, “He wants to play host at a charity ball where he’s bought a table. I was going to attend alone, but a companion would make it all much more comfortable. Someone with knowledge of the era, such as yourself, would be immensely useful.” He briefly examined his fingernails then looked up to her through those luscious lashes. “Would you be free to accompany me?”

Eve almost laughed out loud.

Going to a ball with Lucien Knight? Now let me think…

“I could probably clear my diary,” she said, pretty much straight-faced, “as it’s for the exhibition.”

His face fell into a smile. “That’s very dedicated of you, thank you.”

“No problem.”

Lucien took another sip from his drink. “Your expenses will be covered, of course. It’s a function at the Dorchester, so I expect you’ll need something suitable. I’ll tell Philip you’ve graciously agreed to assist me, and he’ll make sure you get what you need.”

Eve blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“Isn’t it a universal truth that a woman can open the very fullest of closets and discover that she has nothing to wear?”

Eve laughed. He was saving her blushes. Sitting there in a faded museum polo shirt, it couldn’t have been clearer that she didn’t own a ball gown.

“Quite true,” she said and tried not to grin like a maniac.

Eleven

Philip,it turned out, was a man with connections. It was a fast ride from the museum to Mayfair and the Dior staff were both fantastically accommodating and weirdly good at guessing which gown would suit Eve best. It was the fastest she’d ever shopped for an occasion, let alone one as grand as a ball at the Dorchester, and she found herself fully outfitted and back in the car in less time than she might have taken to get a sandwich.

Eve returned to the gift shop feeling a little shellshocked. She hung the new Dior dress in the stock room in a daze and wandered out onto the shop floor, not quite knowing what to do with herself. What the hell had just happened?

Sienna sidled over, pretending to reorganize one of the bookshelves.

“Where’ve you been?” she hissed, “Gilbert’s spitting feathers.”

Eve couldn’t help but smile. “Lucien Knight just seconded me onto his exhibition team.”

“The one they’re starting to set up on the fourth floor?”

“I helped him pick up an exhibit a few days ago.” An insane grin spread across her face. There was nothing Eve could do to stop it.

Sienna raised an eyebrow at her. “And? What are you not telling me? What is this crazy smile?”

Heat spread through Eve’s cheeks. “I’m going to a charity ball with him next week. He just paid for a Dior dress, so I can look the part!”

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