Page 6 of Marigold and the Marquess
She nodded. “I am, my lord.”
His own twitched ever so slightly at the corners, as though he found her comment amusing. “May I ask why?”
She had to be truthful with him. “The seats of your coach are of the finest black leather, but they have been quite scuffed by the rough wood of my crate. It is all my fault. I should have thought to lay a blanket atop the seats first. I would gladly repay you for the damage…but, I do not have the funds at my disposal at the moment. In fact, I am not likely ever to have the funds available at any future moment either.”
He cast her a soft smile.
Why was he not angry?
“Um, I shall apply to the Duke of Huntsford since one could say this damage is a legitimate cost of delivering these artifacts to his museum. In fact, I shall write to him as soon as we return to Chipping Way. However, if he refuses, which I do not think he will do because he is exceedingly kind and generous, I shall endeavor to pay you back even if it takes me a lifetime. You will not charge interest, will you? That might be a problem because I–”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t?” She stared at him, not certain she had heard right.
“I do not need you to involve Huntsford nor do I require repayment from you. The cost is mine alone.” He frowned lightly when she opened her mouth to protest. “Do you hear me, Miss Farthingale?”
Oh, there really was nothing soft about this man.
“I do hear you quite clearly. I merely disagreed with your conclusion. You needn’t bark at me.”
He sighed. “I did not mean to come across as harsh. You are putting all the blame on yourself when it is as much mine. I saw at once the condition of your crate and suspected this might happen.”
“But if you knew, then why did you permit me to load it into your beautiful carriage?”
He arched an eyebrow and cast her a gentle smile that melted her insides. “Is this not the risk one takes when one is on an adventure? Besides, I can easily afford the expense of any repairs. Many of the scuffs were there already. At worst, your crate added one or two more. You are not to concern yourself. All right?”
“All right.” However, it did not sit well with her. Should she not accept some of the blame?
“Tell me about the contents we are delivering to the Huntsford Academy. Is it an entire shipment of skulls?”
“This is exceptionally kind of you, my lord.” She emitted a breath of relief. “No, not only skulls. In truth, it is mostly bones. The Duke of Huntsford and his wife, Adela, think this trove is one of their most important discoveries ever. This is why it is imperative to get the crate securely under guard as soon as possible.”
He leaned forward in his seat. “Seems I missed a lot while I was away. I would like to see what is in the crate. Am I permitted?”
“Yes, of course,” she said with an eager smile. “I’ll have it opened as soon as we arrive. It shouldn’t be long now. The contents will all have to be entered into the inventory immediately. We cannot risk a single bone being lost or misplaced, or worse…stolen.”
“Who would want to steal bones?”
Her eyes widened. “Relic hunters, of course. I would not be surprised if they were lurking nearby just for the purpose of grabbing this crate and looting its contents.”
“I see.”
“Lord Muir, I do not think you believe me. But do keep alert, for they are scoundrels and cannot be trusted. This is why it is so important for me to inventory the contents immediately upon arrival. Do you mind? I will work as fast as possible.”
“Do whatever you must, Miss Farthingale. As I said, I do not have any commitments this evening. I am entirely at your service.”
“Oh, that is excellent.” She tried not to sound too pleased to have him all to herself for the next few hours. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach, but she ignored them. “I mean, this will also give me the chance to give you a tour of the museum displays, the library, and lecture halls. You will be amazed, not only by the contents of this crate, but by the entire museum itself. That skull you saw tearing across your garden earlier happens to belong to an ancient, flying lizard-like bird. It will be added to the Hall of Dragons displays. I am the one who found this skull and dug it up. Well, I dug up some of it. Professionals took over once we realized what we had.”
He smiled once again with genuine warmth. “That must have been quite thrilling for you.”
“It was the most exciting moment of my life. Tingles shot through me.” To emphasize her point, she lightly rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “My heart raced wildly so that I could hardly catch my breath. But I expect others must have felt the same exquisite pleasure in a first discovery.”
“A first time is always special.” He seemed to catch on to her excitement, for his eyes glittered. Yet, he managed to look dangerous even though he was being quite pleasant. His smile was one of the most appealing ever bestowed on her.
She was glad he understood her rapture, the heightened pleasure of it all.
She smiled back at him.
