everywhere since he became involved with all these excavations. His tutor is well known in the field. You might have heard of him. Trevor Price.’
Without waiting for Alkmene to confirm or deny she had ever heard of Mr Price, the viscount continued, ‘Price’s health has never been particularly strong, but since a cold last Christmas, he has developed a lung problem and after a very difficult winter, his doctors have advised him to seek out a warm dry climate to recuperate for a few months. He is not allowed to travel to any place that might worsen his condition, so Duncan is now in charge of it all. I…’
The viscount hesitated a moment, then said, ‘I would very much like you to go see him.’
Alkmene almost dropped the viscount’s coffee cup. She envisioned herself sailing down the Nile, standing at the foot of the pyramids, walking through a narrow trapdoor into the secret burial chamber of some pharaoh of old. Jake would be so jealous!
Perhaps she could write up a travelogue, complete with pictures, and sell it to a paper, via Jake, under a fake name of course. Preferably a male pseudonym so she’d be taken seriously. If it was well received, others might invite her to write an engaging piece about their dig. Excavations cost a lot of money, and good publicity was the best way to attract funding. If they did not understand that themselves, she might open their eyes to it.
‘As you have just explained you get out so little,’ the viscount said, ‘you may have no wish to leave London…’
Appalled by this wrong conclusion, Alkmene hurried to say, ‘Oh, but I do. It’ll be no inconvenience at all. I do want to see Duncan again. I mean, see what he has been up to and all. In the past he already had this tendency to make exciting discoveries.’
The viscount grimaced. ‘We had hoped that he would pursue a career a little more…suited to his distinguished past. He could easily have become a diplomat in Vienna or Istanbul. This whole…pursuit of adventure is extremely aggravating to my wife.’
Alkmene handed him his coffee cup and smiled. ‘I’m sure that Delphine’s wedding will be a pleasant distraction for Lady Eleanor.’
The viscount sighed. ‘Not really. Alkmene, you have to understand how painful this all is. Delphine is ten years younger than Duncan. She is marrying while he shows no inclination at all to find a wife. But he’s my heir, and he will have to think about the future for our family name, the seat, the lands.’
Alkmene sat down with her own cup. She swirled the spoon round and round in the coffee even though she had not inserted any sugar. Duncan was older than she was, but she knew that people were also critically following her own life to see when she would finally find a husband and settle down, bear heirs that would ensure her family property would not one day fall to the crown.
Not just strangers were expecting her marriage, but her own father never stopped bothering her about it. She could imagine how Duncan felt, now in charge of his tutor’s archaeological empire and not willing to let a wife keep him from it.
The viscount said, ‘Delphine’s wedding has made it a matter of the utmost importance to us that Duncan also takes his matrimonial prospects seriously.’
‘He might meet someone on his travels,’ Alkmene suggested.
The viscount sat up. ‘That is exactly our worst fear. That he will meet someone unsuitable and marry on a whim. It must be prevented at all costs.’
‘I do not see how.’ Alkmene took a sip of the coffee.
‘We want you to go see him and rekindle your former friendship. We want you to uhm…present yourself to him as a suitable bride.’
Alkmene clenched the cup. Duncan had always teased her and emphasized how he disliked everything about her. How she could not compare to his elegant sisters who were real girls, while she was just a tomboy who tried to be brave and fell short. She had no intention of marrying, soon or maybe not ever, but even if she did, Duncan would be the last man alive she’d ever consider.
But voicing these thoughts out loud would be a grave insult to the viscount and indirectly to Duncan. She had spent many happy childhood summers with them and had no wish to offend anybody.
Besides, the prospect of seeing the pyramids beckoned. She would have to be mad to dismiss an opportunity to travel at another’s expense and see a fabulous place.
Still, it was impossible to act like she was going along with this scheme. She couldn’t let the poor viscount believe she would really throw herself at Duncan as his bride to be.
However, she might find a way to reconcile the two interests here: her own desire to travel and the viscount’s offer to fund it, if she helped persuade Duncan to think about his future.
Instead of offering herself as eligible bride, she could seek a moment of confidentiality, to speak with Duncan about his parents’ wishes and try to persuade him to look in earnest among the suitable young ladies of his mother’s acquaintance. There had to be somebody there whom he could like.
Someone not too young and too silly, with an interest in what he did and the desire to support him in his efforts. Someone who wouldn’t pine away while Duncan was travelling, but who would visit her own friends and show her face at the familial gatherings where Duncan’s mother could show her off.
Most men Alkmene knew had never been madly in love with their wives but had married them because they had a lot in common. Those marriages seemed to work.
Yes, if she played this wisely, she might see the pharaonic burial sites without having to marry for it. After all, Duncan would not want to marry her either. She could go see him, mention somewhere in passing his father had sent her to see if they were a match, but that was of course preposterous and she could go back home to tell the viscount and his wife that unfortunately there hadn’t been…enough of a connection to warrant a marriage. But that Duncan did intend to look for a wife in earnest as soon as he was back in town.
They’d have to accept that.
The viscount took her prolonged silence for consideration and continued in a rush, ‘We’re well aware of your position, Alkmene. You are not just a very well-bred, well-positioned young lady, but you are also intellectual. Your father has written to me several times that you will never marry a husband who is not as intelligent as you are, or if you did, you’d forever loathe him for it.’
Hmm, at least her father had understood that well. She was touched that he had taken the trouble to think about her ideas of the ideal man and actually cared that she would not marry someone she could not respect.
The viscount said, ‘I can assure you Duncan is very astute and has knowledge of those fields of science you find particularly fascinating.’
Alkmene nodded.
The viscount said, ‘He, if any, can satisfy your needs for intellectual discourse about a variety of topics. We believe that if you meet again, on site, can connect over his work and interests, there will certainly be a spark that can even convince Duncan to change his mind about not marrying. He’ll find a companion like you irresistible.’
It was very flattering to be considered an equal match for a man who was no doubt very smart and experienced in the ways of the world, who had travelled to all of those exciting places her father had refused to take her.
She said, ‘Have you asked my father if…’
‘My dear, this plan is his entirely! He wrote to me from India explaining it all. I agreed at once and so did my wife. I am here now to tell you that if you would like to try, you can leave as soon as you are finished packing for the journey.’
Alkmene said in a demure tone, ‘If my father wishes it, I have to consider it seriously.’
Inwardly she was grinning from ear to ear. At last Father understood that she needed to see places. Perhaps trying to pair her off in the same effort was a bit in bad taste, but she was confident Duncan would never fall for her, so she could safely go. That the trip did not yield the engagement both families were pushing for