The taproom was quiet, all but unoccupied. Dom didn’t relish stopping to speak with them at all, but they’d positioned themselves in front of him as if they’d tackle him bodily if he tried to escape.
“Very well. I can spare a few minutes.”
Van Arsdale’s brow jumped at that.
Once they were all seated, Mrs. Randall appeared with a tea service and a serving girl deposited a tray covered in pastries. None of it boded well for Dom’s hopes for short conversation.
“Do you miss London, Prince?” Van Arsdale asked after taking a large slurp of black tea.
Dom frowned. “Not particularly.” Anytime he thought of London, it brought back memories of the day he’d met Tess, but Tess was here, so Wiggenstow was where he was content to be. “Why?”
Miss Van Arsdale leaned both elbows on the table and propped her chin on her hands, beaming at him. “We’re departing today and want you to join us.”
A flicker of pleasure lit in his chest. They were leaving. No more meddling. No more ridiculous social events. No more suffocating oversight of the dig.
“I’ve spoken to Mrs. Randall,” Van Arsdale added, “and she’ll retain your room. I’ve paid up for the next fortnight. If the dig takes longer, I’ll extend it.”
Dom narrowed his eyes. “Retain my room?”
“You’re coming with us, dear Mr. Prince,” Miss Van Arsdale gushed. “Oh, can I call you Dominic? And will you call me Sofia? Papa says he approves.”
Dom offered the young woman a tight smile and picked up his cup, swigging down tea rather than letting loose the curses that were threatening to spill from his mouth.
“It’s not a good time to leave the dig.” He managed to keep his voice even. “It’s a crucial moment. My departure now is impossible.”
Van Arsdale raised a finger, stabbing into the air. “Already assumed as much. Already have a solution.” He yanked a slip of paper from his pocket and slapped it onto the battered wood of the inn table.
Dom leaned in to see a telegram from his sister:Will arriveWiggenstowMon PM as requested. Eveline Prince
She hadn’t written him. Dom suspected she hadn’t had time and that the Van Arsdales had sprung this on her much as they had him. He only hoped they hadn’t forced her to abandon something important at her Berlin conference.
“I need to speak to my sister.”
“Surely you can when we return.” Miss Van Arsdale tipped her head. “It’s only a couple of days, Dominic. Papa has engaged several reporters. You must meet with them and explain the marvelous discovery of the buckle.”
Dom stared at her a moment intently. She knew exactly who’d found that buckle and the last time she’d encountered Tess.
“This is in your contract, Prince,” the American titan reminded him. “Your availability, at our pleasure, to speak with the press about the dig, its progress, and its finds.” Van Arsdale pointed a beringed finger at the tabletop. “We must do this now before rumors about what we’ve found begin to spread. Never let whispers get ahead of you.”
For a brief, reckless moment, Dom considered ending it all. Breaking his contract with the Van Arsdales. Walking awayfrom the dig. Reshaping his life into something new. A life with Tess at the center of it.
But would she want that?
Her own scandal haunted her. Could he drag her into another? Because he felt certain the Van Arsdales wouldn’t just let him go. They’d make it ugly. They’d pull her into it. How could they not? She had found the buckle they prized so much.
He ran a hand through his hair, gripped the back of his neck, forming the words. Deciding how he’d tell them he wanted nothing more to do with their brand of treasure seeking.
Then he dropped his gaze to the telegram staring up at him from the center of the table.
Eve.They’d been partners for years. Any choice he made would touch her reputation too. And she deserved the chance to be a part of this excavation. It was already proving to be exactly as valuable as she’d suspected it would.
“I need time to prepare before I depart.”
Van Arsdale scoffed. “Do you have so very much to pack for two days away?”
“I want to visit the site. Speak to my foreman—”
“Make it quick, Prince,” Van Arsdale put in before Dom could finish. He gestured for his daughter to hand over a ticket. “We’ll see you at the station in an hour.”
