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“Nick!” Alice suppressed a smile.
“Well it’s all snakes and squiggles to me.”
Mr. Carey stared down his long nose disapprovingly. “Why do I feel as though you two planned this little episode?”
“I wasn’t planning to seek any credit,” said Alice. “The prurient content of the manuscript would bring scandal to my family if my connection were discovered.”
“We will only publish for a select group of the Friends of India,” Mr. Vidyasagar said. “Your work could remain anonymous.”
“Of course, we had no idea a female completed the translation. We’ll have to re-examine it,” said Mr. Carey, wiping his spectacles with a square of cloth and looking very uncomfortable about this turn of events.
“Why should you re-examine it?” Nick asked.
“Er, well... it throws a new light on everything,” Mr. Carey said. “The Kama Sutra was written by a man on the subject of desire. I hardly think an elegant lady would possess the vocabulary, much less the... inclination for describing some of the more... enthusiastic portions of the text.”
Drat! “May I remind you, gentlemen,” Alice said, “that you have already pronounced my translation to be erudite. You can hardly consider it worthless now.”
“You know, gentlemen,” Nick said. “My wife will be the Duchess of Barrington one day.”
As if they hadn’t considered that fact, the two professors drew themselves up in their chairs.
“And from what I hear, your college could use a new roof,” Nick continued. “Must be very damp here during the monsoon season.”
“Indeed,” said Mr. Vidyasagar.
“Let’s leave it at that, shall we?” said Nick.
A look passed between the three men, leaving Alice bemused.
The matter had just been decided, in the wordless way that gentlemen decided things. Her translation would be accepted. Her heart lifted.
“It was a pleasure and an honor to meet you, Lady Hatherly,” said Mr. Carey. “We are so very pleased to accept your gift of your grandfather’s manuscripts.”
“They belong in your library, for others to study,” she said. “They belong in India.”
Mr. Vidyasagar nodded emphatically. “And we will be pleased to take your translation into consideration when we begin the process of seeking to publish portions of the Kama Sutra for a small, select audience.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we be going, my love?” Nick said.
Alice rather thought they should. The two scholars still appeared shocked and dazed by the news that a woman had written about such enthusiastic subjects.
As they left, Nick reached behind her and squeezed her bum.
“Nick! We’re in a public building. There are learned professors about.”
“I forgot.” He leaned down. “I’m so completely and utterly in love with you, Dimples, that sometimes I forget I can’t make love to you whenever and wherever I please, and spectators be damned.”
They emerged from the cool, stone building into the humid heat. “I think we’ve shocked everyone enough for one day,” Alice said.
Nick threaded his fingers through hers as they walked along the banks of the River Hooghly.
“Why did you do it, Nick? It wasn’t what we agreed upon.”
“Because someone needs to know that the most brilliant linguist in the world decided to marry the likes of me.”
Later, lying in bed, with Nick’s arms twined around her, Alice dissolved into giggles.
