Page 20 of Marigold and the Marquess
He certainly wished to do the same with hers.
She cleared her throat. “Some of these placements are just educated guesses. We have an idea of what this creature looked like from the cave drawings Adela found. A few of these bones,” she said, motioning to those still in the crate, “belong to another animal, one who does not fly. You will notice those bones are quite dense while the ones on this flying lizard are much lighter in comparison. But we don’t have enough pieces of this other creature to guess what it might be. That’s why Huntsford and Adela are still at the dig site. They are hoping to deliver more bones and an artist’s rendering or two, so that we might see the possibilities.”
Leo watched and listened, his admiration genuine for Marigold.
She was not yet twenty, but did not allow her age or considerable beauty to define her. It would have been so easy for her to preen for hours in front of a mirror, or expend her energy shopping for new gowns.
These idle pastimes were not for Marigold. She had no interest in using her looks to land a rich, possibly titled husband.
Well, he was rich and titled.
Marigold did not seem to care about that.
She had removed her pert hat and now had two pencils poking out of her silky hair.
She was on her knees, crawling carefully over the outline of a massive bird.
“The wings of this flying lizard are something like a kite,” Marigold said, her excitement obvious. “Or should I say, our kites are fashioned after these wings. A firm skeletal structure to support the skin– or cloth in the case of a kite– stretched over it to catch the air and lift it off the ground.”
“Have you heard of Leonardo Da Vinci?” he asked Marigold.
She nodded enthusiastically. “The Duke of Huntsford has several of his original drawings regarding this very thing on display in his private library. I’ll show them to you as soon as we are finished here. Leonardo was convinced man could fly, if only we could get the wing structure right.” She smiled at him. “He was a Leo, too.”
Leo emitted a short burst of laughter.
After taking precise measurements, Marigold and Mr. Smythe-Owens then put the pieces back in the crate, and Leo hammered in the nails to seal it.
He did not mind providing the necessary brawn.
Once done, the three of them went downstairs to the recently opened Hall of Dragons, leaving the Farthingale dragon, Hortensia, comfortably ensconced in the duke’s office. “I am too old to be running up and down stairs,” she remarked. “Marigold, I want your word that you shall not allow yourself to be alone with Lord Muir.”
“I hardly think we shall be alone, Aunt Hortensia. The museum is full of visitors and we are going to inspect its most popular exhibit. It is more likely we shall lose each other in the crowd.”
Leo was surprised Hortensia did not demand his promise. Then again, she did not trust him, so his word of honor held no value to her. In truth, it was insulting. However, he would get over this slight since this now left him free to do whatever he wished to do if he and Marigold ever did find themselves alone.
He would need no more than ten seconds to properly ravish those gorgeous lips of hers.
Bollocks.
He was doing it again, thinking of her when he should not.
He followed Marigold and the curator downstairs, marveling at the relics on display. Huntsford had done a magnificent job, obviously knowing what he was doing in putting together these exhibits. He brought these ancient worlds to life and fascinated the visitors who crowded through here.
Leo stopped suddenly at the entrance to the Hall of Dragons.
Why was it so dark in there?
Well, it wasn’t completely dark.
The so-called dragons were lit up from below, illuminating these creatures to make them appear larger and more frightening than they might be in bright light. Visitors were led along designated walking paths which remained in relative darkness, but there were ropes to guide them. Those ropes also served the purpose of keeping the onlookers from getting too close to the exhibits.
The effect of all this was to heighten the imagination of each visitor and make them feel the dangers of the past.
This was a little too successfully done, as far as Leo was concerned.
The walls suddenly seemed to close in around him.
He froze.
