Chapter 7
The crack of an ivory ball against another filled the billiards room, sharp against the murmured conversations of men ensconced with newspapers and pipes in the far corners. This room was a bit of a masculine escape, and although it wouldn’t have been Phin’s first choice, he’d really had no choice.
After his talk with Ash L’arbre, he’d been hurrying past when he’d heard Max’s rather desperate, “Phineas! There you are!” and he’d turned in to rescue his new brother.
It turned out that Max—who had a standing invitation to the house party, although he felt far more comfortable staying at the Oliphant Inn—had stopped by, only to be roped in to playing billiards.
When Phineas entered, he was holding a stilted conversation with two older men, who seemed more interested in asking him questions about the wilds of the American west than actually playing the game.
So Phin had pasted on a smile and pretended this had been his destination all along. “Oh, excellent, I knew ye would hold a spot for me. Gentlemen, ye dinnae mind if I steal Mr. DeVille away for the game he promised?”
The two men agreed that yes, they could be persuaded to continue their day without Max’s influence, and Phin’s brother blew out a relieved breath as he moved to a new table and began to set up the balls.
“Thank ye for the rescue,” he said under his breath.
“One of them was an earl. Don’t ask me which one, though, or his title. They all blend together.”
Chuckling, Phin agreed. “In the Highlands, Earls are a thicker than two-year-auld wool.”
“I’m new here. Does that mean there’s a heap of them, or that they’re all idiots?”
This surprised a bark of laughter from Phin, and he grinned as he held out a cue for Max. “Considering our father is an earl, and our auldest brother will hold the title one day, I think I should be diplomatic and go with there’s a heap of them. Yer Americanisms are so quaint.”
“You think I’m the quaint one?” Max shook his head as he studied the table. “If that don’t beat it all.”
“Aye, that’s exactly the sort of thing I mean.”
Although Phin had intended to return to collect Olive to go over the excavation maps once more in the library and see if she recalled whatever it was that had been nagging at her, he could admit that he enjoyed Max’s company, and the man needed rescuing.
“So what brings ye to Dumpkins, Max?” he asked as his brother lined up his first shot.
Max didn’t answer until he’d straightened.
Damn, it seemed as if cowboys knew something of billiards.
He studied the table as he explained, “I needed to ask someone about the roster of men employed by the factory. I could write to your cousin, the one who hired me, but it’d take days to get a response.
I was hoping your—Da could tell me who was who.
” His gaze—so much like their father’s—flicked up to meet Phin’s briefly. “Half of them are named Oliphant.”
Phin chuckled in agreement. “We have plenty of Barclays, Kinlochs and Oglivies, but aye, every time ye turn around, ye’re running into another Oliphant. And there’s usually nae relation, other than the fact that someone’s fourth-great-grandda pledged to the laird at some time or other.”
It was his shot, but he didn’t step up yet.
“I would offer to look at the list, but I confess I dinnae ken everyone in the clan as well as Da would.” He liked that Max had taken to referring to their father as Da, and knew the old man did as well.
“I havenae been around as much as I should, and one of the first purchases I made with my investments was my own manor.”
“I can understand the draw of not having to live with your father, yeah.”
Remembering that Max had grown up with a complete asshole whom he’d thought was his father, Phineas nodded. “Dinnae get me wrong, Da’s nice. But ye need yer own space, ye ken? Lysander has his estate from our maternal grandfather, and Leonidas spends his days in the auld castle.”
“The old one? How many castles does this family own?”
“Only the two.” Phin lined up his shot. “And the auld one isnae truly habitable—almost seven hundred years auld, and showing its age.”
“Only the two,” his brother parroted with a snort. “This is like a different world. I met a duke earlier today.”
“Then ye’re either lucky or unlucky, depending on yer view.” Phin missed, but shrugged as he straightened. “Cashard’s rarely out of the study he commandeered for his use here at Dumpkins. He’s a cold one, focused only on his family and his estate.”
“Maybe he’s just keen on doing his duty.” Max frowned as he studied the balls. “I guess I need to be getting back, as well.”
“If ye cannae find Da—he’s likely to be wherever Lady Dumpkins is, by the way—ye should ask Leonidas. He has no’ spent much time with the clan since the fire, but he used to ken everyone.” He would be the laird one day, after all.
“Leonidas hasn’t seemed interested in getting to know me,” Max murmured, bending over his shot. “After your—our father called you together for that introduction, he shook my hand, grunted something about the family, and stalked off.”
“Aye, there’s a reason they call him the Beast of the Oliphants. It’s no’ kind, but he’s built the reputation himself, with hiding himself…” Phin sighed. “If no’ for Keith, he’d no’ have anyone.”
Max had continued his run, and now grunted in approval at his next shot.
“I don’t want to bother him—or Da, if he’s…
wooing? I suppose that’s the politest way to put it.
” The smirk he sent Phin’s way left no doubt that he was aware of their sire’s reputation.
“I’ll leave him a note with the list, and let you all get back to your courtship. ”
“I dinnae think—” Phin began, thinking to correct his brother on Da’s intentions, when Max made a particularly good shot. “Bloody hell, ye’re good at that.”
“It’s all angles and momentum, yeah? There’s a reason I’m the one running a factory.” He pointed the tip of the cue at Phin. “And don’t bother denying it. This whole place is buzzing about how you’re courting Miss—shoot, what’s her name? Olive something-or-other.”
“Olive L’arbre,” Phin supplied with a grin. “And I suppose I must be.”
“You like her?”
How like an American, to get right to the point. “I do,” Phin admitted. “Very much so.”
And not just because the taste and feel of her had him spilling in his smalls, although that encounter had been perfection in itself.
After he’d returned to his room and cleaned up, Phin had realized why he felt so guilty; he’d had to resort to subterfuge to be with Olive, and that hadn’t felt right.
Which meant that he did want to court her, legitimately, so he had to make his intentions clear to Ash L’arbre.
So on his way back to her room, Phin had taken a detour to the gaming room to find the young man, which had resulted in him spending hours learning to play vingt-et-un.
Ash hadn’t taken too much of his money, and Phin had been surprised to discover he liked the man’s easy-going humor, almost as much as he liked Olive’s.
But it meant he hadn’t had the chance to send word to her yesterday, or even this morning, because Ash had cornered him after breakfast once more.
Max finally missed his shot, and straightened with a shrug.
“I’m happy for you.” When Phin glanced at him in surprise, his brother offered a little smile.
“I’ve spent the last decade watching all my friends fall in love and find their happily ever afters.
I was getting a little itchy, being the only single one left, so I jumped at Mr. Prince’s offer of this here job. ”
He jerked his chin toward the distant window. “The fact that it came with a new family was just about the best thing to ever happen to me.” Max clapped Phin on the shoulder. “And I’d be honored to watch you get started on your forever, as well, assuming that’s what you’ve got planned.”
To Phin’s surprise, he realized his throat was tight with emotion. This brashly spoken new brother of his was special, and nothing like the cowboys in the books. “Thank ye,” he managed with a jerky nod of his own. “I—” He cleared his throat. “Aye, I’ve spoken with her brother.”
“But have you spoken with her?” Max winked and stepped back. “Where I come from, we figure the girl ought to have something to say about it, eh?”
Phin grinned. “I’m working on it. I was on my way when I stopped in here to rescue ye.”
“Well, shit, I’m doing fine on my own.” Still smiling, Max tipped his head toward the door. “But why don’t you escort me to the front so I don’t accidentally end up chatting with another earl or duke, and then you go on with your wooing?”
Chuckling, Phin deposited his cue. “Deal.”
But at the front of the manor house, the butler was waiting with a letter. “Mr. Oliphant, I was just about to dispatch a footman to deliver this.” The stately man handed over the envelope. “It was delivered in this morning’s post.”
Phin unfolded the letter and was soon engrossed.
“Good news?” Max’s voice eventually broke through.
“I’ll say!” Phin slapped the letter against his open palm. “The Society has another offer for me. I’ll have to pop down to London soon to get the particulars…”
He trailed off as he skimmed the rest of the letter.
As always, the members of the Board of Directors for the Society of Archaeology offered him a decent reward for fetching a particular artifact for their collection.
This one was a certain chalice of Roman origin, which sources indicated could be found in a ruined city in the Holy Land.
Phin was soon absorbed in considering the logistics, even as Max retrieved his hat and took his leave.