Over here Lady Viola Just one question In front of the crowd of journalists stood a tall woman in her early thirties with short black bobbed hair She wore a khaki shirt and shorts the kind that would not be out of place on an explorer in a dark jungle It certainly looked exotic in central London Peeking out from the front doors behind her Lottie Lipton stared at the woman fascinated by her every move Uncle Bert called Lottie It’s so exciting Imagine Lady Viola Kirton in our museum Honestly Lottie dear I don’t see what all 2
the fuss is about Who exactly is this woman Uncle Bert harrumphed He tore open a package that had just arrived for him and found some ancient Roman belt buckles Oh goody They’ve finally come Uncle Bert who was the Curator of Egyptology at the British Museum had been looking after the Ancient Roman department ever since Cedric the usual Curator of Roman 3
Artifacts had gone on an archaeological dig What said Lottie turning to face her great uncle You’ve never heard of Lady Viola The famous treasure hunter The woman who unearthed the Jeweled Skull of Marrakesh She’s in all the newspapers Ah I see I haven’t read a paper since 1918 so I must have missed it said Uncle Bert still admiring the belt buckles However if she’s a trained archaeologist I very much look forward to meeting her Lottie raised her eyebrows and turned 4
back to Lady Viola and the reporters She still couldn’t believe that Uncle Bert had never heard of Lady Viola She was one of Lottie’s heroes She was the daughter of a nobleman and went on daring expeditions to recover lost treasures Her adventures were always in the papers and Lottie had cuttings of every story she could find about her She crept forward to hear what Lady Viola was saying Gentlemen calm down Lady Viola smiled I have returned home to my beloved London as I am on the trail of one of the most 5
