Of Silver and Secrets by Michelle Griep

Book 2 of Time's Lost Treasures

Summary: 

Buried underneath are truths bent on keeping them apart. . . .

In 1889 Victorian England, Eva Inman is haunted by guilt over her parents' deaths while struggling to care for her blind sister and manage her family's crumbling estate. With the tax deadline looming, Eva's situation looks dire until an ancient silver ring is unearthed on the property. Despite superstitions warning against disturbing the supposedly cursed acres, Eva's need for funds ignites her curiosity about the potential of finding more buried relics.

Cambridge professor Bram Webb must prove a legendary Christian Roman settlement exists, or he'll risk exposing his uncle's deteriorating memory and they'll both lose their positions. Then Eva steps into his office with the prospect of an archaeological dig that might lead to the very evidence Bram requires--provided he and Eva can set aside painful memories of a time they would rather forget. As the dig forces the two to confront their pasts, the work becomes fraught with challenges that threaten Eva's and Bram's hopes, as well as the growing attraction between them.

Opening Lines:

The end of Eva's world started with a window she never should have left open. A small neglect, yet twelve years later, one that had culminated in a leaky roof, a ledger that refused to balance, and a blind sister. Not to mention her dead mother--for Eva wouldn't. She kept that memory locked tightly in a closet.