Chapter 52Georges V Hotel, ParisThe great and the good gathered in the Salon Vendôme of
the hotel. The presentation was scheduled to begin at eleven o’clock but
we were inevitably running late.
Having written down my opening and closing remarks, I
tried to snatch a few moments to rehearse them before the event. But
authenticating the replacement artefacts, and finalising the substance of
our combined report, had left little time. Peering into the Salon from a
vantage point, I felt nervous as many of my archaeological peers filled the
first few rows. Leah came up behind me, her arrival masked by the buzz of
conversation, growing louder as the room filled.
“We’re about ready I think, Matt.” She looked at
me quizzically. “Are you alright?”
She took my hand and stared at me. “I kno
