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Deo sighed and threw Emily a frown. “We did.”
“Along with the identification of his location, which appears in the cross inscription,” added Emily, defiantly. “So, we know it’s him. It has to be. He is from Caerlyr, which is Leicester, and Geoffrey, Wace, and Layamon all give him as Jugein of Leicester or some variation of the spellings we have on the cross. And Geoffrey says he was a commander at the Battle of Suesia. The inscription tells us that he fell at the Battle of Bedegraine. Which, according to Thompson’s translation of Mallory, was located in Sherwood Forest, just north of here.”
Emily sat back, beaming.
The duke and the viscount exchanged looks, and Emrys said with a grin, “And when were you going to tell us this, Deo? You didn’t breathe a word of it at breakfast. How could you sit on a discovery like that?”
Deo visibly squirmed and shook his head. “I’m still trying to make up my mind if I believe it,” he admitted. “It just seems too fantastical to me.”
“If it’s true, it’s the find of the century, surely?” said the duke.
“Potentially. But there is a lot more century left, Rob. I wouldn’t count chickens.”
“You’re a conservative old stick, aren’t you?” said Emrys, still grinning.
Deo shrugged. “With a scholarly reputation to protect, one tends to be.”
Emily squirmed at that. Have I gone too far? But surely there is no harm in sharing our discovery with Deo’s friends?
“So, it might be the Holy Grail after all?” said Kenrick.
“No!” said Deo. “There is no evidence for that.”
“I don’t know about that,” said Kenrick. “It was found in a Christian burial of a Knight of the Round Table. Sounds like the perfect candidate to me!”
“This is precisely why I didn’t want to talk about it!” said Deo, going almost as red as his hair.
“Steady on, old chap,” said Emrys, “Kenrick’s just teasing you.”
Kenrick chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”
“But is he, though?” asked the duke. “Seems to me there might be some truth to that?”
“Not you too!” said Deo.
“No, I’m serious,” the duke said. “You should consult Aberdeen, see what he thinks.”
“That’s the most sensible thing you’ve said yet,” said Deo.
“Good. We’ll write to Aberdeen then, after luncheon.”
Deo nodded reluctantly.
*
At the conclusion of the meal, Deo and the duke left the dining room together, heading toward the duke’s study. Emily, several steps behind them, faltered when Deo didn’t acknowledge she was there.
“Deo?”
He turned and looked at her soberly. “Keep working on the sketches, Emily. I’ll join you later.”
“Oh.” She swallowed, feeling like he had pierced her chest with a dagger. “All right.” She turned and walked with dragging steps back to the library.
It was the first time Deo had not included her in something to do with the excavation, and she was hurt and puzzled as to why he was so annoyed with her. There was no doubt he was annoyed, quite angry in fact, and Emily entered the library to sit and stare at the artifacts, but she had no heart for the work. Her throat tightened and tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks and she sobbed into her handkerchief.
Annis found her a few moments later. Emily hadn’t heard her enter, being too engrossed in her own misery. “Oh, my dear,” said Annis, drawing up a chair and putting an arm around her.
Emily was startled and embarrassed to be discovered crying. She generally did so in private, for her tears were never tolerated by her mother. She stiffened and tried to stem the flow, but the sobs kept coming. She couldn’t get Deo’s expression of disappointment out of her head, and it was breaking her heart.
