Read Online Double Deceit by Allison Lane - Free Book Online Page A

he keep the site a secret? Would leaving Minerva in the drawing room last night bring her luck or unmitigated disaster? So wrapped in thought was she that his voice made her jump.
    “What else have you found?”
    “Bits of tile. Worked stone that was probably part of the walls. Some chips that may have been pottery bowls.” She wanted to show him her workroom, but she could not leave Sarah alone with the lecherous Linden. Especially since she was supposed to be Sarah’s companion. “Miss Vale has provided a small room in the old wing as work space. Perhaps you would care to see it before you leave.”
    “After breakfast. And I would appreciate a look at the temple.” His crooked smile nearly melted her bones. What the devil was a vicar doing with a smile like that? And why was a vicar digging up ruins?
    She had heard of Anthony Torwell long before she found the temple. He was considered the foremost authority on Roman England, his stature so great that she had thought him the same age as Lord Mitchell. If Mitchell had not been tied to his estate by gout, she would have approached Torwell with her questions. But despite avoiding public appearances, he remained active in the field.
    “How does a vicar find so much time for excavation?”
    Shock flashed across his face so quickly she nearly missed it. But another of those devastating smiles drove the memory from her mind. “Curates can be quite useful. But how much time does a companion have for digging?”
    “As much as I need. We rarely have callers. The valley is rather isolated. In fact, the lane terminates at a tenant farm only a mile past the gate.” She raised her brows to show him that Linden’s ruse was more than obvious.
    His eyes blinked, proving he got the message. “We took a wrong turn.”
    “Then I must be grateful. Would you mind answering a few questions in the morning?”
    “Not at all, if you will answer mine.” With a final caress down Minerva’s spine, he returned to the others, murmured something in Linden’s ear that brought an unlikely flush to the rake’s cheeks, then resumed his seat, turning that magical smile onto Sarah.
    Alex caressed Minerva in turn. He was fortunate to have a curate – as was his parish, if the curate was interested in his calling. Too many men took holy orders from necessity rather than choice. It was obvious that Torwell was one of them. Her own vicar was another. He spent most of his time contemplating Greek philosophy, offering little help to his flock.
    Sarah’s flaming cheeks cooled under Torwell’s influence. Only then did Alex realize that temper had raised that vivid color.
    She berated herself. In the excitement of identifying him, she had left Sarah at Linden’s mercy. What devilment had he been up to while her back was turned? Torwell might know – whatever he had said had turned Linden quiet as a church mouse – but she could not ask without drawing attention to her dereliction of duty. After setting Sarah up as a supposed heiress, she must protect her.
    As for Linden, it was obvious that he had little contact with well-born ladies. No wonder he was barred from the strictest drawing rooms. Between his boorish manners and lecherous inclinations, she had grave doubts about accepting him. Never had she met anyone who could change so quickly from dull to obnoxious and back.
    You haven’t really given him a chance, her conscience pointed out.
    Which was true. She’d actually encouraged some of his wilder tales at dinner. And her eyes had kept straying to Torwell. Had she unconsciously suspected his identity even then?
    Murch carried in the coffee tray.
    Abandoning Minerva, she returned to Linden’s side. Torwell continued a humorous story, distracting Sarah’s attention. Linden had fallen asleep, an occasional snore emanating from his open mouth.
    What a lout.
    Torwell flashed another of those smiles, drawing a matching response from Sarah that deepened her dimples. He touched her hand in a