“How marvelous,” she said.
He furrowed his brow. “I know it isn’t very exciting, but—”
Henrietta interrupted him. “I disagree,” she said. “Behind every relic you find is a story that goes along with it.”
Lord Charles looked over at her in surprise. “Do you mean that?”
“I do,” she replied. “Why do you sound so surprised by that?”
“Because most young women find my work to be rather boring.”
“Then they are fools,” she joked, repeating his earlier words.
He chuckled. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” he said. “It may interest you to know that last year we acquired a Gutenberg Bible.”
She gasped. “You did?” she asked. “I have only seen one in a museum, and it was behind glass.”
“Before we sold it, I was able to examine it,” he shared. “It was one of the few copies printed on vellum.”
“Who did you sell it to?”
“A Russian prince who had an extensive book collection.”
“I hope he knows what a treasure he possesses.”
“I am sure he does, especially since he paid a fortune for it.”
“I wish I had the funds to buy such a book.”
“As do I,” Lord Charles said. “But I did have the privilege of writing an article forThe Timesabout it.”
“Do you often write articles for the morning newspapers?”
“I do; quite frequently, in fact,” he replied. “I travel all over England to interview people who have discovered relics from the past. If it is a true find, we attempt to purchase it from them, which generally isn’t difficult, since they are usually poor farmers.”
“Are you writing an article now?”
“I am,” he confirmed. “It is about an antique ring that was sold at the market.”
“How fascinating,” Henrietta said. “Who found it?”
“A man found it while he was digging a hole in Kent.”
“Do you have any idea from whence it came?”
“The only clue is that it has a runic inscription engraved on it.”
Henrietta sighed. “How marvelous,” she said. “It makes you wonder how the ring ended up in the ground in the first place.”
“That it does,” Lord Charles agreed. “My brother said it was boring.”
“To each their own, but I wouldn’t give much heed to his words.”
“I rarely do,” he replied with a smile.
“How else are we to better ourselves if we do not learn from our past?” Henrietta questioned.
“Well said,” Lord Charles responded. “I couldn’t have said it better myself, but I’m afraid not everyone shares our views.”
