Free Guilty Series by Laura Lee Guhrke Page B

of my eyes.”When he did not reply, she turned away. Over her shoulder, she added, “Whatever you wish to discuss, I hope you don’t mind if I work while we talk.”
    Daphne took his silence for acceptance. She did not make any attempt to guess why he wanted to speak with her. It could be about her resignation, or something to do with the excavation. She really did not care. She just wanted him to go away.
    She walked to the table where the mosaic the workmen had brought in lay waiting for her to begin repairs. She examined the pail of resinous cement she had mixed a short while earlier, stirring it with a wooden paddle to make certain it was the right consistency. Satisfied, she lifted the lid of the large wooden tile box that rested on the table to the right of the mosaic. All the loose floor tiles that had been sifted from the excavated ground of the villa where this mosaic had been found were sorted into the various sections of the boxes by color. Now she needed to begin selecting the ones she would use to fill in the missing places of the mosaic.
    As she pulled out various half-inch cubes of blue and green marble and compared them to the oceanic background of the mosaic, she waited for Anthony to speak, but when he did not, she looked over at him to find he was still watching her. “You said you wanted to talk with me,” she prompted.
    â€œYes, of course.” He seemed to come out of his reverie and walked to her side. “My sister has left Tremore Hall for Chiswick.”
    â€œYes, I know,” Daphne answered as she selectedtwo tiles of serpentine green and cobalt blue from the box. “She said good-bye to me a short while ago as her carriage was being brought round.” She could not resist adding, “I shall see her again in a month.”
    â€œThat is why I wanted to speak with you.” He paused, then said, “Miss Wade, despite the fact that you are a woman, I have come to have a high regard for your abilities as an antiquarian and a scholar.”
    Daphne thought of all the hours she had worked to prove herself and gain his respect. And now, when it was too late, he was finally giving her a tiny scrap of that respect. Was she supposed to be impressed by such condescension? “Thank you, your grace. And despite the fact that you are a duke, you appear to have some actual knowledge of antiquities.”
    This time, he did laugh, making no effort to smother his amusement. “Yes, you have a tongue, indeed, for now that you are leaving, you are not attempting to curb it for my sake.”
    No reply was required of her, and she did not make one. Instead, she kept her attention on her work. She began comparing the tiles in her hand to the ones already set in the mortar by the gap she would fill in, choosing those she felt made the best match. As she worked, she tried to ignore the man standing beside her. She wished he would say whatever he had come to say and then leave. It seemed an eternity before he spoke.
    â€œI would like you to stay.”
    Her left hand tightened around the tiles in her palm, but only for a moment. What he wanted did not matter to her any longer. “No.”
    Hoping the matter was now resolved, Daphne bent down for a closer comparison of two tiles. “A bit too green, I think,” she murmured as she straightened and set the discarded cube aside. She reached toward the box, but before she could select a new tile, Anthony’s fingers curled over her wrist, stopping her.
    â€œYou cannot refuse to at least give me the opportunity to change your mind,” he said.
    â€œIt would be a waste of time. I am leaving.”
    â€œWhat has prompted this sudden desire to go?” His thumb caressed her wrist, and Daphne felt her pulse quicken in response. Angry with herself, she pulled her wrist free of his grasp.
    â€œMy reasons are not your concern.”
    â€œViola told me about your grandfather. If you wish him to acknowledge