Page 10 of The Butler and the Bluestocking
Chapter Six
Bess had spent thebetter part of the day tending to Jane, taking a small meal at the child’s bedside. Hours later, when her stepsister finally slept, Bess returned to the study. She found the desk cleared of her work and the key atop the empty surface. Quickly, she ascertained that all of her papers had been stored in the right-hand desk drawer. But how... ?
Kentigern.
He’d cleaned up for her, knowing she might be detained in the nursery. That had been very thoughtful of him. But had he read any of what she’d been working on? Did he even know how to read? Nonsense, she knew he was an intelligent man, and most butlers read at least a little bit. In addition, he spoke well, the absence of strong accent indicating an educated man.
So, he could have read her work? Would he understand it? He claimed he had no income. If he’d discovered she was the author of all the B. Biggs papers, would he reveal her secret to the gossip columns? Before Josefina, Iris and Ivy truly began their Season, disaster could befall them all.
Bess paced before the fire.What to do? Normally she might consult Patience, but her stepmother had far too much to worry about with her daughter ill and getting the girls ready for the York Season. In fact, their first important event would occur this coming Sunday. After Palm Sunday services, the family had been invited to attend an al fresco at an estate just outside of York. Bess had declined to go in favor of working on the Rosetta Stone project. Patience had been disappointed, but understood Bess’s motives involved more than dedication to her work.
Patience had trusted Bess when they’d discussed the decision to keep Kentigern on as butler. Heaven knew Bess wanted to believe the promises he’d given that he would not gossip about their situation. She had trusted Kentigern with the general truth of their circumstances when she accepted him. However, nothing specific had been confided. Now the strong possibility existed that he knew she worked for a living and could easily have surmised the same of her sisters, not to mention their lack of servants. A man without income could gain a large purse from selling gossip about the Dowager Countess of Seahaven and her daughters. Bess needed to be certain that Kentigern could be trusted. She hauled on the bell pull, setting her summons jingling below stairs. Then she moved to sit behind the desk and toyed with the key while she waited.
Minutes passed before the study door opened.
“You rang, Lady Bess?”
“Yes, Kentigern, I need to speak with you.” She gestured to the armchair on the other side of the desk.
Leaving the door open, he sat. “I am happy to assist you in any way.”
“Ahem, yes. You’ve already made life in this house much easier for all of us. However, I must ask you not to touch any papers left on this desk.” She studied him closely to see his reactions.
A flush rose above his neckcloth. “I beg your pardon, Lady Bess, but . . . I noted that you always lock your documents in the desk before leaving. Your concern for Lady Jane, caused you to neglect your usual procedure... I simply hoped to assist, by doing as you would do yourself.”
The flush and his hesitations gave Bess cause for concern. He could be lying. “Did you read any of the documents?”
“I could not avoid looking at some of them as I straightened them before locking them away.”
“Did you read anything of interest?”
That warm caramel gaze locked with hers. “I will not now, nor at any time in the future, lie to you, Lady Bess. I was fascinated to learn that you are involved in translating passages from the Rosetta Stone for Mr. Young of the London Royal Society.”
“I see. Did you note anything else?”
“Only that the facsimile of the stone from which you are working is a very good copy. A note on the back of the facsimile suggests it is the property of B. Biggs. I am familiar with that scholar’s work on the linking of hieroglyphs found on pottery in the tombs with similar glyphs on the doors at the entrance of those same tombs.”
She had to ask. “How interesting, that a butler would be familiar with both B. Biggs and Mr. Young, to say nothing of the various types of work being done with Egyptian hieroglyphs.”Will he tell me how he came by such knowledge?
“I’ve not always been a butler. Did you happen to notice that many of the symbols enclosed in cartouches within the hieroglyphic text closely resemble symbols found in both Coptic and Greek texts.”
She blinked at him. “Really? I had not progressed as far as the cartouches in my investigations. Please, you must show me.” Bess hurried to retrieve her work from the locked desk drawer, spreading the facsimile pages open across the desk and leaving the rest of the papers to one side.
“It is a theory proposed by Jean-François Champollion, several years ago, but has yet to be confirmed with other research.” Kentigern rose and sorted through the spread pages of the facsimile, setting the papers to the side until he found a specific text. “Here.” He indicated a symbol with his forefinger.
