Free Double Deceit by Allison Lane

of the temple, but test holes indicate a larger structure nearby – possibly a villa.”
    “A rich site, then.” His eyes gleamed. “I’ve found less than this on entire digs. Any coins?”
    “A few, all fitting the parameters elucidated in your treatise on using coins found at military encampments to date the stages of the Roman conquest.” She opened the trunk, thrilled when his eyes blazed a brilliant green. If the great Torwell was excited, then she hadn’t exaggerated the importance of her work.
    Squatting beside her, he picked up a seated clay figurine. “A Celtic mother goddess.” His finger stroked gently over the babe in the woman’s lap. “A rather archaic form, so it probably predates the Roman era by several centuries.”
    “There is an earlier structure beneath the temple. I thought it was Druid until I found this last week. Now I wonder.”
    “Druids served as priests for all the gods. And more. They formed the upper class of their society, acting as rulers, lawmakers, and judges – or so I believe. The few references from Roman times indicate that Druids held absolute authority over every aspect of life.”
    “My references say nothing of that.”
    “I’m not surprised. Few people care what preceded the Normans, let alone the Romans.” He scanned her small shelf of books. “Quite an extensive collection.”
    “It is?” She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.
    “Interest in ancient societies arose very recently. Even today, most people care only for treasure.” His eyes narrowed as he picked up a gold coin from the reign of Diocletian and Maximian. “Most money was issued locally, like these—” He pointed to a few worn bits of silver. “—so only an officer would have owned Roman coins. Minerva is also of Roman origin. Whoever lived here had to be high ranking.”
    “This area was one of the designated retirement centers.”
    “But outposts like Britain were rarely commanded by men from Rome itself. Most came from Gaul or the German states. Or Spain.” He stood. “You’ve an exceptional site. I am amazed that a man of Sir Winton’s reputation has allowed a female access to it, and more amazed that he has not sold the better artifacts.”
    “It is Miss Vale who allows me to excavate,” she said carefully. “Sir Winton is unaware of my activities. He is rarely at home and ignores his daughter when he is.”
    “An interesting problem. What do you plan to do with this?” He gestured toward the trunk.
    “Study the artifacts. Since nothing is mine, my only motive is to learn as much as possible about the site and the people who lived there – which is why I do not wish to inform Sir Winton. He would destroy anything he could not sell in his search for what he could.”
    He nodded, then turned briskly to business. “What do you know of excavation techniques?”
    The abrupt question startled her. “I read your paper on the subject, and I studied everything I could find on the period. So far, I’ve exposed only the temple, which I suspect was deliberately sited atop the earlier shrine.”
    “Interesting hypothesis.”
    “I thought so. Replacing existing priests would shift power into Roman hands, reducing Druidic influence while allowing people to visit the site. Perhaps they mixed elements of various rites, making it easier for the locals to accept the new order. Pilgrims could pretend to worship the new gods while actually following the old. Within a generation or two, it would no longer be pretense.”
    He raised his brows. “I’ve heard that suggestion before.”
    “From Lord Mitchell, perhaps?” She enjoyed his jump. “But I doubt expediency played a role here. A villa owner would care nothing about local beliefs. The site is large enough to indicate wealth, so he probably built a temple for his personal use. Locating it there might have been a convenient way to erase the older gods.”
    “Technique?” he repeated, his eyes drilling into hers.
    Mentally