"Darling" John Grey spoke to his wife. Elaine looked up from the task at hand, balancing the plate of canapés in one hand and juggling a glass of red wine in the other, the challenge that a buffet lunch always presented the attendants. The event was a fund-raiser being held on the Bard College Campus outside of Red Hook in New York State. John was a tenured Professor of History, and she worked in the administrative office as well as been a full time wife and mother. The function suite was in one the colleges Palladian style buildings, whose classic interior décor lent gravitas, and the tall spacious room was teeming with people, connected directly and indirectly to the College.
"I'd like to introduce you to Lyta Themis. She has just joined our Classics department."
"Oh, yes." Elaine smiled she turned as John spoke her name. "I'd shake your hand Lyta, but mine are full." Pausing Elaine let the fact Lyta Themis was a stunning sink in. As she looked up at the much taller woman facts from memory dropped into place. "You must be Carolyn Curtis's replacement?" Adding as an after thought. "So good of you to step into her place, and at such short notice. Carolyn was so fortunate that the opportunity to study the Alexandria Texts came her way."
"Indeed." Lyta agreed. "The discovery of these forgotten documents has certainly caused great excitement."
Her accent was hard to place, she sounded classically English, but an occasional word, an inflection hinted at something else, another more exotic accent, suggesting that the Queen's English wasn't her first language.
John smiled enthused. "An understatement Lyta, if you don't mind me saying. Unknown works by Homer, Sophocles, Herodotus, Elucid, the list goes on, and all in an incredible state of preservation. They are already calling this find the Classical equivalent of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
"Discovery? It seems to me they were just abandoned." A younger voice noted. "Left in a old sack outside the Acropolis Museum in Athens."
"This opinionated teenager is my daughter." Lyta noted.
"Is there any other kind of teenager?" Elaine replied. Again she found that she had to look up. The young woman who had joined Lyta Themis was dark haired rather than blonde, but every inch her mothers daughter.
"Diana, this is Professor Grey and his wife Elaine."
Diana smiled. "Like a trick. Just stuffed in a bag, left like a thief in the night might. Wouldn't you say Professor. Worthy of Hermes himself?"
Lyta frowned at her daughter. Elaine smiled to herself, but at self same time felt sad. She was reminded of her own absent daughter, her own troublesome and troubled teenager.
John meantime laughed. "Well I don't know about that, but whoever it was bequeathed something incredible to the Greek nation and the world. Of course the circumstances are strange. Clearly they were in the hands of private collector – and of course that can be a murky world at times."
"How old are you Diana – will you be going to college yourself?"
"Diana is fourteen Mrs Grey." Lyta responded.
"Oh please call me Elaine, and Diana my apologies, you struck me as older."
"Don't worry." Diana replied. "I get that a lot, because I'm tall, people think that I'm older." She smiled again. "While mom here, they think she is waaaay younger than she really is."
Lyta frowned again. Diana continued. "Of course if she'd acted her age, I wouldn't have been born."
"Now Diana, that is quite enough for today." Lyta commanded. Elaine was taken aback somewhat, it wasn't so much the tone come volume of her words, but something else about Lyta's bearing, and attitude, it was almost military, as if this was a woman accustomed to being obeyed. Hardly fitting the usual the stereotype of a Classics Professor in any way shape or form.
Elaine Grey was intrigued. She determined to get to know the stunning Lyta Themis and her daughter Diana better.
Diana responded to her mother's instruction, and the fire in her eyes was only dimmed because she looked down at the floor. The teenager acquiesced. "Forgive me mother. I think I still have some unpacking to do."
As Diana left Elaine said. "Daughters that age, they can be troublesome."
"You have children?"
"A house full. Liam, Sara and Julia." Elaine replied. "And there's Jean, she's away at school at moment, but they are all a handful – and Jean especially. She's Diana's age."
Lyta appeared interested. Elaine continued in order to bond. "It's because Jean has special needs, things that made her act out – this is why we felt a residential school was best in the circumstances."
Lyta nodded. "That must have been difficult." She looked at John. "For you both." Then the taller woman added. "I have Diana."
Elaine understood that meant there was no one else. Just the two of them. What seemed to be an uncomfortable silence followed. She put her thoughts into words. "There's just the two of you?" She asked, and it felt clumsy, but the spell was broken even if Elaine glimpsed as she spoke John's disapproving stare.
However Elaine felt sure she had already built a rapport with Lyta, even though they had just met. It was not the first time she had connected with another person quickly, it was a talent of sorts, she thought of it as her gift. Something that Jean Grey had inherited in spades.
"Yes." Lyta answered her smile was broad enough to dispel any discomfort. "Just the two of us. I am as you say, a single parent, but at home I had an extended family, here we're very much alone. Strangers in a strange land."
"Not now." Elaine said extending her hand touching Lyta's arm. "If you ever need anything, we're just a couple of minutes outside the campus." She was sure there was a bond now. "And I know what it's like when you move – you misplace things, and any advice too; local services, where best to shop, anything. Just ask."
"So kind of you." Lyta said. "You must forgive Diana, she is not quite herself."
"Moving is always hard, to another country only more so." John Grey noted.
"Yes, that is true." Lyta agreed. "However it is more than that." Ms Themis shook her head, as if unsure what to say. "Diana only recently learned certain things, personal matters," Lyta paused again still undecided; she sighed, "it was the identity of her father. Something that I had for very good reasons kept from her, but before coming here to Bard, circumstances changed at home, and we had a frank discussion. She is still coming to terms with this."
"Oh Lyta, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." Elaine answered.
Lyta shrugged. "Nor did I intend to over share."
"Then let's say we're new best buddies, and not worry about it." Elaine added. "Forgive me, but I don't think you said – where in Europe are you from?"
Lyta paused. "Oh one of the many Greek Islands, a remote place, you won't have heard of it."
"Am I interrupting." A man's voice interjected.
Elaine turned away from Lyta, and saw the speaker approach; he had crossed the busy room to join them. The stranger stood next to her husband, tall but thin, he lent on a rustic looking walking cane, naturally twisted, chosen for the accidental artistic worth. He was very fair, Scandinavian descent, she was almost certain, but thoroughly American given his accent.
"Donald Blake." He told her, she took his hand.
"Doctor Blake is attending as my guest today." Lyta explained.
Elaine thought to herself, not entirely alone then Lyta, she wasn't surprised by that, as Themis was a striking woman it stood to reason that she would have no problem finding a date. Elaine reminded herself that this kind of attention did not automatically translate into meaningful companionship. Besides Doctor Donald Blake wasn't an Adonis, rather her first impression was of frailty, but there was a hard edge to this man. A grumpy demeanour of someone in pain. Yet she felt drawn to Blake nonetheless. Perhaps it was this hidden strength that had attracted Lyta to the Doctor. On reflection Elaine recalled reading about Doctor Donald Blake, he was a surgeon of some note, his work ground breaking enough to be reported in the Newspapers."
"I rather twisted the good Doctor's arm." Lyta explained. "As yet I know so few people here, I asked Blake if he could attend."
"And lend some support." Professor Grey suggested gesturing to the fund-raiser banner above the buffet table.
"It's all in a good cause no doubt." Blake said as he reached out to John Grey in greeting. "You don't have the hands of desk jockey." The Doctor noted as he shook hands with her husband.
John nodded. "I'm still hands on when it comes to digging up the past. It pays to keep the callouses. In fact I'm fresh from the field."
"Interesting – any where exotic?" Blake asked, leaning both hands on his cane.
John Grey shook his head. "Local enough, but I won't say any more, we try to keep a lid on things to discourage treasure hunters."
"Is there a problem with that?" Lyta asked.
"Well it's a sensible precaution to keep sites secret where possible. Even a well meaning kid with a little knowledge and a budget metal detector can do a lot of damage to an archaeological resource; but there are individuals; thieves, who know exactly what they are doing – robbing artefacts to sell on the black market."
Blake shrugged. "So I've heard, people huh?" He lent forward. "Actually John we've a shared interest." The Doctor added as he tapped John on the arm. "In fact I've read some of your work – you could almost call me a fan."
Elaine felt there was something going on here, Blake appeared good humoured but she sensed an undercurrent of another agenda.
"Really, that's always flattering to hear," John smiled, "which papers, which subject do you mean?" Her husband asked.
Blake lent on his stick. "Mainly your stuff on the earliest Europeans in New York State."
"Ah. Vikings on the Hudson." Grey chuckled. "There is a certain romance about the voyages to Vinland."
"The Saga's are certainly written that way." Blake agreed, asking. "What do you make of Erik the Red's mission?" He added emphasis to the last word.
"Ah." John Grey coughed. Elaine noted this, she knew her husband well. Grey cleared his throat a nervous tick, before shaking his head in a belated denial. "Mission?" John laughed. "You make it sound almost – well conspiratorial."
"But you mention this idea more than once, albeit in passing?" The Doctor persisted, still gentle, and no audible edge to his voice, but Elaine knew there was more to this. Could it be about her husband's exciting secret. Could Blake have heard about what they'd uncovered at the dig site?
Her husband folded his arms, and stared blankly, before Elaine could break the silence, Lyta Themis spoke.
"Of course Blake breaking new ground in any academic discipline is challenging," Lyta interjected, "whether you are arguing for the existence of Troy in the face of great scepticism like Calvert, or Munn for Vinland – there is resistance from orthodoxy, men are invested in their reputations, and protecting what they have long held to be true – even if it isn't."
Elaine understood that, but Professor Themis seemed to imply this was now true in John's case – and it was. Professor Grey had made a significant discovery in the dank earth alongside the Hudson river, one traditional academia would find very troubling indeed.
"While I have found references to Erik the Red having a vision during his voyage," Grey admitted, "and that's interesting, most writings do suggest he was blown off course, and came to Vinland accidentally."
"Thor blew him to what would become know as America." Blake said.
"Yes, that's the crux of the vision myth." John grunted in surprise. He recovered his cool quick and said. "And it makes sense to a primitive people to ascribe chance events to a higher power. That doesn't diminish what Erik the Red and his people went on to do – the exploration of the North American Coast-lands from Newfoundland and south."
"Sailing up the Hudson to find a suitable resting place for the Souls of the fallen Vanir." Blake said in a quiet but deliberate tone.
John Grey frowned. "Forgive me Doctor Blake. Just what is your interest in this?"
Elaine recognised her husbands mood. He was angry and even a little scared. The silence was now very uncomfortable.
"I fear I've mentioned something that your husband is currently working on, something which he has yet to make public." Blake said.
Elaine nodded. That much was evident.
"Based on finds I've only just made." John agreed his arms folded. "I'm just intrigued to know how this information leaked. How a wealthy New York Surgeon with a interest in archaeology came to know about it?"
"You're worried I'm one of those individuals who play the Black Market in antiquities?" Blake asked. "You needn't be, but what you've found – what you are holding in storage, does place you – or whoever is close to the stones in danger."
Professor Grey's eyes narrowed at the mention of the word 'stones'. Elaine understood too - Blake did know about John's recent finds.
"I'm sorry, but that almost sounds like a threat." John replied.
"Rest assured John we're your friends." Lyta told him. "It's also a matter of some urgency, whatever security measures you have in place, won't be enough."
John Grey shook his head. "Believe me, I have friends who have friends, security isn't a problem."
Elaine was struck by Lyta's sincerity. It was understandable that John was guarded given they had only just met Blake and Lyta, yet Elaine felt for certain that this warning was real. "John perhaps you should here them out. I feel it's for the best."
Elaine watched John's deep frown relax a little. Mrs Grey expected her husband to trust her feminine intuition, they had after all nearly twenty years together, most of them married, long enough for John to learn that she was almost always right.
"Hmm. Well perhaps I should," Professor Grey said, "but let's have this talk somewhere less public." He gestured to Lyta and Blake towards the door. "I suggest we continue this in my office."