by Gill, Tamara
“You do not need to do that, my lord. I’m more than capable of walking myself back to Baron Bankes’s estate.”
He came over to where she sat, and pulling up another chair nearby, he sat. “I know you are more than capable, but I wanted to come and see what the whole house party has been talking about all day. You’re quite the latest on dit.”
Hallie inwardly cringed. She didn’t want to be anyone’s talking point and nor did she want society looking in on her life. If they found out that she had birthed a child outside the sanctity of marriage, she would never work again. No one hired a strumpet. At least, that is what they’d call her.
“This is merely an archaeological dig, my lord. Unless we find something of significant historical value, I fail to see how the ton will be very much interested. As you can see,” she said, gesturing to the stone wall soaking up the last of the summer rays after centuries of being buried, “this is merely stone. Not gold or jewels or some ancient artifact made of jade.”
He glanced at the wall, a small smile playing about his mouth and she watched him a moment. Allowed herself to enjoy his handsome face. A face that from the moment she had picked him up on the road heading back into Felday she’d thought too good-looking to be noble. And that was exactly what he was.
A little voice chided her in her mind. You were not exactly noble either…
Her friend Ava had told her numerous stories of his lordship’s escapades in town. The gentleman was a jokester and did not take anything serious. Why the day they had met, the man had been thrown out of his friend’s carriage, and all for a lark.
Not that she had found it amusing. To be expelled out of a carriage to face the freezing temperatures of an English winter was the embodiment of stupid.
“Bankes mentioned it may be Roman. Do you think that to be the case after finally seeing some of the ruins?”
She nodded. “I do. Fourth century and from looking at the ground prior to starting this trench I do believe the theory that this was a fort is correct. It could turn out to be a villa, but it does not seem to be big enough to be one of them.”
He looked at her and she fought not to fidget under his scrutiny. “You’re a wealth of information, Miss Evans. I do not believe I’ve ever met a woman who is as educated as yourself.”
“My education abroad was a good one, not to mention working with Mr. Shelly in Egypt has supplied me untold information that you can only learn while on site. Textbooks can only teach a person so much.”
“May I help tomorrow?” he asked, pulling his gaze back to the half-dug trench. “I wanted to come up today, but I was waylaid.” She sighed in relief at not having him look at her any longer. The man had the ability to unnerve her and she was much more her educated, quick-thinking self when he was gazing elsewhere.
“It’s dirty work. I never took you for a man who liked to get his hands dirty.” In fact, glancing at his gloveless hands, she noted his nails were well kept and perfectly clean. His skin soft and unmarked by the sun. Hallie glanced at her own chipped and dirty nails. The man was better kept than she, and she was a woman.
“I would like to. Between you and me, Miss Evans, a day up on the top of this hill digging in the dirt is a lot more enticing than being at the estate and having to pretend to want to be there.”
She glanced at him. Why the sudden dislike of house parties and socializing? He was renowned to enjoy such events. Or at least, he used to be. Had he changed in the three years since she’d seen him last? “You may help if you wish, I will not stop you. But you need to dress with a little less finesse. I’d hate for you to ruin your superfine coat, not to mention those lovely cream breeches, my lord.”
He glanced down at his pristine coat that was cut to his every measurement, the highly starched, perfectly tied cravat and buckskin breeches. He looked ready for a ball and not a day out in the woods or the tops of hills digging in the dirt.
He chuckled and the sound made her skin prickle in awareness. Would she ever be free of his pull? “I shall be dressed appropriately. What time do you leave? I shall walk with you.”
“Be at the front doors by seven, my lord. We’ll leave then.”
The following morning, Arthur was ready and waiting for Hallie when she stepped from the front doors, a heavy woollen cloak about her shoulders and what looked to be a knitted hat covering her hair and ears. Her cheeks were flushed pink from her morning toilette. She looked adorable and sweet enough to nibble on.
He shook his head at his recklessness. Here he was, about to trek to a hilltop and dig in dirt all day, and all so he could try to sway her to like him back. He was a besotted fool.
He could understand why she was wary of him and kept him at a distance. His reputation preceded him everywhere he went, and for years his family was known to be at a loss to his inaction toward marriage. Granted, some of the stories circulating town about his escapades were true. The friends he’d had the day he’d first met Hallie had given him a wild reputation, but he’d parted ways with them years ago. He was a different man now and he needed to show her that.
He caught little glimpses of her as they walked through the forest they passed through to make the dig site. Her freckled nose that was a little red from the cold morning. Her lack of self-awareness of how exquisite she was humbled him. Her skin had been kissed by the sun and she had a lovely golden hue, nothing like his pasty-white self who had never traveled out of England.
Her indifference to him quite literally drove him to distraction. She was one of the very few women who didn’t seem interested in his person. A dilemma that kept him up half the night, but would please his family to no end.
The Duncannons were famous for grand matches, either in relation to wealth or position. He was a viscount and Miss Evens was a gentleman’s daughter with little means. He had no doubt that Ava had told Hallie that his family would expect him to continue on the tradition of marrying well. That did not mean that at times, like today when he walked beside one of England’s most intelligent, beautiful women that she did not tempt him to throw all of his family’s expectations aside and do whatever the hell he wanted.
Namely choose her.
“What is the plan for today?” he asked, pulling his greatcoat closed farther to keep out the chill, morning air. Birdsong had commenced in the trees as the dawn broke and from here he could see a few deer grazing on the estate’s lawns.
“We’ll finish the trench and then start troweling the soil, looking for buried artifacts. I’ll have the other men sift through the soil we dig out to ensure nothing is missed. I’m sure there will be some mosaic or cobblestone flooring buried. One never knows how elaborate these Roman ruins are going to be until we start digging deeper. Either way, I do hope to find some pieces which would at least date the fort and also give the baron some information about the site.”
“I’m looking forward to being put to work,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
She scoffed and he glanced at her. “You find such a statement amusing, Miss Evans?”
“A little. It will be the first time that I’ve seen a viscount wrist deep in mud.” She threw him a small smile. A little crumb of kindness that he’d lap up. “Please, call me Hallie or Miss Hallie as the workmen do. We’re about to dig in the dirt all day together, formalities be damned.”
So bold and different. He stood in awe of her a moment, unsure of himself and how he should go about getting her to see him for more than what opinion she’d formed in her mind. He may know how to have a good time, certainly, he knew how to bring pleasure to the women he bedded, but that did not mean he could not be genuine or care for just one person.
He wanted her, he wasn’t fool enough not to admit it. But she was also completely wrong for him. Opinionated and brash were not traits usually associated with a Duncannon bride. His family would never recover from such a shock. A Duncannon did not marry a commoner and certainly not one who enjoyed digging in the dirt all day long. History showed those who marrie
d into his family to be meek and sweet natured. Mollycoddled society princesses that even thinking about, made his teeth ache.
Arthur’s lips twitched. Hallie was none of those things. He liked her in spite of this knowledge and as she jumped down into the trench, kneeling before an odd-shaped rock, oblivious to the dirt that stained her breeches, that affection grew. He could not picture his last mistress ever doing such a thing or those of his set back in London.
“Please call me Arthur in return,” he said, kneeling down beside her and picking up his own tool to remove the soil about the circular stone in the ground. “What do you think this is?” he asked, ignoring the fact she remained businesslike and professional around him, while his own insides were in turmoil. To be this close to her, the sweet scent of rose in the wind, drove him to distraction.
“I believe it’ll be a pot of some kind. Probably one that housed wine.” She dug a little of the dirt away. “See,” she pointed, “it’s not rock, it’s terracotta.”
He ran his finger over the smooth edge, thinking of those who had used it last and when. “All these years it’s been buried, and now here we are, bringing it back to the surface for others to see and enjoy.”
She smiled at him, and his gut clenched at the pure joy he read in her vibrant, green eyes. This was the love of her life. Digging in the ground and finding hidden, lost worlds. He would have to work hard to make her see anything else other than the artifacts she was determined to find.
“My thoughts exactly, Arthur. I may make an archaeologist out of you yet.”
He chuckled, doubtful of the fact, but enjoying his day out with her in any case. This life was not for him, but he could see the attraction to being so carefree. With his many estates this type of existence would never be a course open for his feet to tread.
“For today at least you will.” He paused. “Now, let’s see how big this pot actually is,” he said, continuing to chip away the dirt from their find. “Anything to do with wine and you have my full attention.”
Chapter 6
The following evening Hallie was invited to dine and take part in after-dinner entertainments Baron Bankes was holding. She paced her room, continually going back to her wardrobe as if it would miraculously produce the latest designs from London for her to choose from. All of the gowns she had brought with her were pitiful and not at all suitable for dinner. Some she really ought to throw away, they were so tattered and worn.
She worked her bottom lip with her teeth. Maybe she could ask a maid to procure a dress from another female guest. If she asked nicely enough, maybe they would take pity on her and lend her a gown.
A light knock at the door sounded and she opened it, gasping at the sight of her friend. “Willow!” she said, pulling her into a fierce hug. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“We arrived this afternoon, you know my aunt the Viscountess Vance was invited and when Baron Bankes mentioned that you were working on his Roman fort excavation, well, I almost fell over myself to see you. Aunt wouldn’t let me walk up the hill however, and I had to wait until tonight, but as soon as I’d heard you were home and preparing for dinner, I had to come see you.”
Hallie pulled her into her room, marveling at Willow’s beautiful gown. She was sent away to school in France just like her and their friends, and it was at Madame Dufour’s Refining School for Girls that their friendship had been solidified. Of all of them, Willow had been the most fortunate. Her aunt had taken her in after her parents’ deaths and her aunt happened to be wealthy, childless and titled.
Hallie devoured the sight of her friend, and the beautiful light-blue silk gown she wore, the long, elbow-length gloves and pretty pearl necklace. Willow was as beautiful inside as she was on the outside and a pang of hopelessness swamped her.
“You’re not dressed yet, my dear.” Willow walked over to her wardrobe, searching through her minuscule selection of gowns, a small frown settling between her eyes and marring her normally perfect visage. Willow turned toward her, shutting the wardrobe doors behind her with a decided snap. “Would you like to borrow one of my dresses? I have more than enough.”
Hallie nodded in relief, only too willing to accept help. With the attire she had she would not be fit to be seen downstairs, nevertheless the dining room. “Thank you so much, dearest. I did not even think that I would be invited to dine and did not pack accordingly.” Not to mention she was loathe to spend her funds on anything other than keeping Ammon clothed and well-kept at her cousin’s. A new fashionable gown from London could keep her son clothed and fed for months on end, and so her attire had suffered and her lack of bother with it.
She supposed she would have to purchase at least one gown if such situations like tonight came before her and there was no Willow Perry to save her the next time.
“Come, we’ll go to my room and you can choose. I gather you’ve bathed already?”
“I have, and this dress is clean, although it’s a day gown and not dinner appropriate, nor the latest in fashion.”
Willow linked their arms and pulled her toward the door. “I have the perfect dress that’ll suit your coloring. And you must tell me everything that you’ve been up to. I feel I did not see you enough in London and you escaped from there as soon as you were able. Please tell me that you’re to stay in England from now on. I know Ava, Evie, and Molly along with I missed you dreadfully. What about your dig here? Have you been enjoying it?”
Hallie fought to remember every question Willow threw at her. She answered as best as she could, but also removed any mention of her child and the real reason she was so determined to escape London for employment. Not even Ava knew that she’d birthed a healthy and happy boy. Of course they knew of Omar, but not the child she’d birthed to him.
Nerves fluttered in her stomach at what her oldest and dearest friends would think of her should they find out she’d had a child out of wedlock, that her child was not only a bastard in society’s eyes but also one of mixed race.
“You know London society has never suited me, and I wanted to visit my cousin before coming here. I’m going to stay in England for the foreseeable future, and this work, such as what I’m doing for Baron Bankes is what I want to do.”
They made Willow’s room and she ushered her inside, closing and locking the door behind her. “Well I for one am absolutely thrilled to have you here with me. I had thought this month-long house party would be a bore. Just my aunt catching up with her old friends, but it isn’t so. Did you see Lord Duncannon is here? Has he seen you?”
She nodded, seating herself on the settee before the fire. Willow’s room was more opulent than Hallie’s, but that was to be expected when Willow was part of their set and Hallie was not. “He helped me out on the dig site yesterday in fact, but I have not seen him today. I believe some of the gentleman were riding about the estate today, getting themselves out of the house and into some fresh country air.”
“Aunt said the same thing,” Willow said, her words muffled as she searched through the abundance of gowns lining her wardrobe. “Ah, here it is. I found it.”
Hallie gasped at the sight of the dress Willow held up before her. It was simply the most beautiful piece she’d ever beheld. The empire-style-cut gown was a deep emerald green silk with a cream, very fine tulle overlaying it. Decorative cream satin bands and lace embroidery about the hem and bodice completed the ensemble to perfection. She went over to where Willow held it up for her to inspect it, letting the silk and tulle run over her hand. It was so fine and soft, Hallie wasn’t sure she should be allowed near such perfection.
“This will suit your coloring perfectly. It’ll compliment your beautiful green eyes and lovely olive skin,” Willow said, laying the gown on the bed and ringing for a maid. “I’ll have my maid do up your hair for you and with this gown on you’ll not feel the least out of place amongst the baron’s guests.”
Hallie clasped her friend’s hands, so thankful she was here. Her eyes smarted with unshed tears and s
he sniffed. “I’m so glad you arrived, Willow. I had hoped to excuse myself from such entertainments. I certainly did not pack for anything other than clothes suitable for working in the fields. You have saved me this night, my friend.”
Willow chuckled, bidding the maid entry when a light knock sounded on the door. “What are friends for if not for such things? Now sit, my dear and let Jane do her magic.”
Hallie did as Willow asked and watched with fascination how Jane was able to set her hair to the latest style and with very little trouble. Tonight may not be so terrible after all.
All through dinner Arthur fought to keep his mind on the conversation that Lady Portman was whispering to his left. The young countess recently married was hard of hearing and spoke very lightly in fear that she would be too loud. She was a delightful dinner companion, and yet his attention kept being pulled to another part of the table where Hallie sat beside a gentleman he’d never met before, and also Lord Hood, an earl and old Eton school fellow. Both of them were rogues if their less-than-hidden infatuation with Hallie’s lack of gown around her bodice area were any indication.
When he’d first seen her in the drawing room prior to dinner he’d almost choked on his own tongue. Of course he’d seen her in London at balls and parties, but after seeing her yesterday, grubby and disheveled out at her dig site, tonight she was perfection. A woman who turned heads and could hold her own conversations with her wit and quick mind.
He’d wanted to go up to her and speak to her, but she seemed to be a little of an oddity here at the party and everyone wanted to converse with the woman who was researching the Roman ruins on Bankes’s property.
Arthur welcomed the distraction of his friend and marquess, Noah, Lord Capell who came and stood beside him.
“The archaeologist among us is dreadfully attractive I must say,” Capell said, his attention coursing over Hallie.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at his lordship’s observation before looking back at Hallie. Warmth spread along his skin when she laughed and spoke to her companions who flocked about her. “She has always been, as you well know. If only she would throw me a crumb or two of that kindness I’d be most pleased.”
