Daisy and the Duke Read Online Free Page B

here to steal the family silver. And I suppose there’s no harm in letting you poke around. But why on earth are you staying in a hostel? Surely the Wolffs could have sprung for more upscale accommodations.”
    Guilt etched her expressive face. “I’m trying to save money. When I’m done here, I hope to take a few days and visit Scotland. Do you know if it’s true what they say? That the men go naked beneath their kilts?”
    His lip curled in exasperation. “What is it with you women and Scotsmen? An Englishman is worth two of those barbarians any day.”
    Daisy grinned at him, the sparkle in her eyes making him want to kiss her again…urgently.
    “Nevertheless,” she said primly. “I cancelled my original reservations and I’ve been spending as little cash as possible. I guess a man like you couldn’t understand that.”
    He lifted an eyebrow. “A man like me?” They had played this verse before.
    “You know. Rich.”
    He decided to let that comment pass. “Why are you so determined to see this through? Most people would have cut and run the first time I told you to leave.”
    Vulnerability shadowed her face, and he sensed that what she was about to say wasn’t something she told just anyone. “I grew up in a children’s home, knowing very little about my birth family, so genealogy has become a passion of mine. I have a few leads about my great-grandfather, a faint possibility that I hope to follow up in Scotland, but without being hired by the Wolffs, I could never have managed to get here. I owe it to them to uncover the answers they seek. And hopefully I can find some of my own.”
    “I see.” He admired her spunk and independence. Daisy Wexler was as determined to steer her fate as he was to steer his. And despite the strictures of his upbringing, he was a man accustomed to action.
    Suddenly, a shocking idea came to Ian, one that guaranteed him more time with the delectable Daisy and at the same moment offered a possible solution to a very awkward situation. “I have a proposition for you, Daisy. In exchange for my cooperation on the research front, you could do me a favor.”
    She looked suspicious. And rightly so. “What kind of favor?”
    He stood up and rounded the desk, propping his hip on the priceless antique. Daisy shrank back in her seat, her eyes wide.
    Leaning forward, he took her hand and drew her upward to stand beside him. “Tell me, Ms. Daisy Wexler. Do you know how to dance?”

Chapter Thirteen
    Daisy found herself in danger of swooning like a Victorian miss. The Duke of Wolffhampton at close quarters was an impressive figure. She was fairly certain that the buttons on his worsted wool suit were made of sterling silver imprinted with a coat of arms…no doubt the crest of the mighty Wolffhampton dynasty.
    But as beautiful as the garment was, Daisy couldn’t help thinking he would look better naked.
    She nibbled her bottom lip. “Dance?”
    He played with a strand of her hair, his crooked grin lazy and sexy. “A man. A woman. Romantic music. You know the drill. Saturday is Valentine’s Day…and it also happens to be my grandmother’s ninetieth birthday. We’re having a little soiree here at the castle to celebrate. Nothing too fancy. A hundred people or so. I’d like you to accompany me as my date.”
    Daisy might not have had a speck of aristocratic blood in her veins, but she knew a scam when she saw one. “It’s a little hard to believe that a duke has to troll for female companionship a few days before an event.”
    “I’m in a bit of a pickle. My sainted nana has invited a young woman who Grandmother hopes will agree to be my bride.”
    Daisy’s heart plummeted to her feet. “You can’t find your own girlfriends? Seriously?”
    Ian drew her across the room to the one piece of furniture that actually looked cozy…a low, cushiony love seat. They sat hip to hip, his big, hard body warming hers. “In case you haven’t noticed, this monstrosity of a house is a