Eros Element Read Online Free

we need.”
    â€œWhat kind of legend?” Miss McTavish asked. “And what are your sources?”
    She startled Edward every time she spoke. His mind tried to ignore her in spite of her sitting beside him, but he couldn’t help but appreciate her questions.
    â€œAncient scripts and tablets, of course,” Cobb told her. “A lot of them have been lost to time, but enough survive with tantalizing hints. There have also been rumors of this element referenced in classical works through the Renaissance. The question is how to get to those artifacts and works of art without tipping off my competitors to the project.”
    â€œHence where you two come in,” Chairman Kluge said to Edward and Johann. “It is a dying custom, but young men of means still take a Grand Tour through Europe, ending in Italy, Greece, or the Ottoman Empire.”
    â€œYou wanted us to pose as tourists?” Johann asked.
    â€œYes, your musical and artistic backgrounds will be invaluable in recognizing clues and in gaining entree to private collections.” The dean poured a second cup of tea for himself. “But the original idea was for Professor McTavish to accompany you under the guise of looking for artifacts to bring back to the University for our museum. I don’t know how we could include an unchaperoned female.”
    â€œI’ll have Miss Smythe with me to serve as chaperone,” Miss McTavish said. “And women take the tour as well. I could accompany them and pretend they are family friends protecting me and my virtue.”
    â€œI don’t like all this deception,” Edward said. “If you want an aetherist to play this game of ‘let’s pretend,’ you need to find someone else.”
    â€œYou are the one whose specialty is the closest to the purpose of this quest. Plus, there is no one whose research shows the brilliance yours does, and I would hate for us to have to shut it down over lack of funds,” the dean said. “Or are you so eager for that appointment to Geology?”
    Edward sat back with a huff, although his ego did inflate at the compliment. “No.”
    â€œLet the young lady go,” Cobb said. “What’s more innocent than a group of young people?” Something about the way the American looked at Miss McTavish disturbed Edward. There wasn’t anything lustful or inappropriate, but rather a sense of cold calculation. It reminded Edward of the expression he felt on his own face when he was in the midst of an experimental manipulation— let’s make this adjustment and see what happens.
    But Miss McTavish isn’t aether or an experimental material. She’s a female. Granted, she’s a bit talky, and she needs clean gloves, but…
    â€œSo are we decided?” Chairman Kluge asked. “That Professor Bailey and Mister Bledsoe will pose as Grand Tourists and Miss McTavish and her assistant will pretend to be a young lady and her maid, also on the Tour?”
    â€œThat should be easy enough,” Miss McTavish said with a look at Miss Smythe, who bit her lip.
    Ugh, females. Edward didn’t want that kind of complication, but he also desired to keep his job and his department.
    â€œWhat say you, Professor Bailey?” the dean asked.
    â€œVery well,” Edward told them, making sure to sound very unhappy about it.
    â€œExcellent, gentlemen and ladies,” Cobb told them. “I’ll have my people make the travel arrangements so we can keep as much of this out of the university gossip circle as possible. You’ll be hearing from them soon. Be sure to pack and set your affairs in order. You’ll depart for Europe on Friday.”
    Chairman Kluge looked at Edward with a huge smile. “I’ll have Miss Ellis circulate a note that you’re taking a research sabbatical on the continent for the summer.”
    â€œAnd how much do you propose to compensate us for our time and