Page 27 of Educated By the Earl (Second Sons of London 1)

“Why do you say that?” she asked, curious about his words. “You don’t truly know me. We argued for a brief time one morning and then shared a dinner with others present.”

Middlefield gazed down at her, causing her cheeks to heat. “I am a good judge of character, Lady Tessa. I have always been observant and carefully watched others. That talent, along with having to learn how to make instant decisions in the midst of battle, tells me you are intelligent, compassionate, and forthright—all qualities suitable for leadership within the ranks of the military.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “For seeing me. It seems for so long no one really has. They have looked upon me and only seen the dutiful daughter. Or the grieving woman. While I love my uncle and his family, they seem to place me in either of those categories. I would like to be seen for myself. Past being a daughter. Past my grief.”

His emerald eyes shone with intensity. “You are seen, Tessa. Have no fear of that.”

She swallowed and looked away. She should correct him for having used her Christian name but she couldn’t. It didn’t seem right after what had passed between them.

They continued on until they reached the Egyptian wing. Excitement filled her. She couldn’t wait to see what Lord Middlefield thought of the rooms devoted to such treasures, which were among her favorite within the museum.

“Let us make a quick pass around everything and then you may decide where we will start,” he told her. “I merely want to familiarize myself with what is here.”

They moved at a slow pace, not taking the time to read any of the information regarding the displays, but giving him time to at least view the many objects on display. When they had made an entire circle, he took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

“So much wonder here,” he declared. “You are right. This will be a place I will visit on a regular basis.”

“Have you decided where you wish us to begin?”

“Why not at the Rosetta Stone itself since we will be hearing about it in detail today? Because no one is present now, we can admire it at length.”

He led them to the stone and said, “Act as my guide and tell me about it.”

Suddenly self-conscious, she said, “You are a student of history, my lord. Most likely, you know as much as I do about it—if not more.”

A shadow crossed his face. “I have been at war for some time, Tessa. There was no time to talk about, much less think about, history.”

Again, he had used her name. It seemed to come so naturally to him. She really should say something but found she liked hearing it come from his lips in that deep rumble he had.

“All right.”

She turned to the Rosetta Stone, which stood almost four feet high and not quite two and a half feet wide. It was irregularly shaped and made of black granite. She had visited it often and knew its story well.

“The stone was found by a French officer. Some say his name was Pierre-Francois Bouchard, while others claim it was Boussard. This happened in 1799, during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt, near the town of Rosetta, north of Alexandria. Most likely it was carved during the Hellenistic period. Scholars believe it was used as building material while Fort Julien was being constructed in the Nile Delta.”

She paused and watched as he studied the stone and then continued.

“It aroused excitement in the intellectual community since it is the first Ancient Egyptian text recovered in modern times. Lithographic copies and even plaster casts of it have circulated through various museums throughout Europe. Scholars believe it will eventually prove to be the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.”

“If the French discovered it, how did it wind up in the British Museum?” Lord Middlefield asked. “After all, we are at war with them.”

Tessa didn’t know if he asked merely to be polite and actually knew the answer or if he was truly interested. It didn’t matter. This was a topic she loved and enjoyed talking about.

“Naturally, the British defeated the French in Egypt in 1801 when the two forces met.”

“Naturally,” the earl agreed, his smile again as heart-stopping as it had been last night. “Don’t they always seem to be surrendering to us throughout history?”

“Well, they did indeed surrender and thanks to the Capitulation of Alexandria, the Rosetta Stone was placed in British hands. It was brought to London and awarded to the British Museum, really the only place for it, in my opinion. Ever since then, it has been on public display and is known as the most visited object within the museum.”

“Anything else?” he asked cheekily.

Her hand remained tucked into the crook of his arm and she pinched him.

“Ow!”

“Behave,” she reprimanded and then continued. “There are three versions of a decree issued on it, traced to the Ptolemaic dynasty. Two are Ancient Egyptian texts, one using hieroglyphics and the other a Demotic script, neither of which we can read in this day and age. However,” she added, “the third version of the decree is in Greek. The first completed translation of this Greek text was published in 1803. To this day, scholars are studying the Greek text, comparing it to the other two. Many believe that using the Greek text, they will be able to decode the Egyptian writings, meaning that someday the Rosetta Stone will be the key to deciphering not only the decree chiseled upon it—but other Egyptian hieroglyphs which are discovered.”

“Do you believe we will see this in our lifetime?” he asked.

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