Guilty Series Read Free Page A

Viola her heart’s desire, and the resulting union had been a disaster. He had no intention of making his sister’s mistake and marrying for love only to be made miserable by the union.
    â€œI beg you to at least consider my opinion,” she went on. “You deserve better than Lady Sarah. You deserve a wife with a kind and generous nature, a woman filled to her fingertips with passion for you, a woman who cares for you more than your rank or your fortune.”
    All this high-blown sentimentality was bordering on the ridiculous. He jerked his hands free of hers. “God, Viola,” he said with some impatience, “I do not require passion of a wife.”
    â€œWell, you should. Besides, Lady Sarah doesn’t love you. I doubt she is capable of the emotion.”
    â€œSo what?” He met his sister’s dismayed gaze with a hard and determined one of his own. “Since when has love ever been necessary to matrimony?”
    Viola stared at him for a long moment, then she sighed. “Perhaps it is not necessary,” she said, and rose to her feet. “But it would be nice.”

Chapter 2
    â€œS o these are his grace’s latest treasures?” Sir Edward smiled at Daphne over the pieces of jewelry she had laid out on the library table. There were armbands of gold, several pairs of pearl earrings, a few cameos, and an exquisite necklace of emeralds set between hammered gold leaves. The jewels glittered in the morning sunlight that poured through the windows of the library. They made a dazzling display against the white cloth that protected the table.
    â€œVery fine emeralds,” he pronounced, studying the necklace through his monocle.
    â€œThey are not so fine as the ducal emeralds, I daresay,” Mrs. Bennington pronounced as she leaned her short, stout frame over the table a bit to have a closerlook. Her rubicund face scrunched with disappointment. “When Bennington told me about these Roman jewels, I was so excited to see them, but now that I have, I find them rather a letdown. So crudely made. Why, no young lady would wear these!”
    Daphne laughed. “But Mrs. Bennington, these are not to be worn. They are for the duke’s museum. His grace intends that museum to be open not only to the wealthy and privileged, but to everyone. Is that not a noble goal? All British people, rich or poor, shall be allowed to see their history.”
    â€œShe sounds just like Tremore, does she not?” A feminine voice floated to them from the doorway.
    All three of them turned to see the woman who entered the library. Daphne pushed her spectacles up the bridge of her nose to have a clearer view and recognized her at once from the portraits in the gallery. This was Anthony’s sister. The portrait did not do her justice, for on canvas she seemed only a pretty blond woman with hazel eyes like her brother. But in reality, one could imagine that her face had launched the thousand ships at Troy.
    Lady Hammond smiled at her and Mrs. Bennington in a friendly way, then nodded to the man at the end of the table. “Sir Edward,” she said, her hands outstretched in greeting as she walked toward him. “What a pleasure to see you again so soon.”
    â€œLady Hammond,” he answered, taking the woman’s hands into his own. “I so enjoyed dining here at Tremore Hall last evening, and your presence made it especially delightful.”
    â€œI enjoyed it as well, Sir Edward. I was fascinatedby your discussion with his grace about this excavation of his.”
    Daphne would have loved to participate in such a discussion, but that was unlikely to happen. Being an employee of the duke, she never dined with Anthony or his guests. She took her meals with the Benningtons in a separate dining room, but it would not have mattered in any case. She had spent her evening fulfilling a request Anthony had made of her just before dinner.
    Would you be able to have those