Chapter 7 #2
Da would forgive him for abandoning the house party early, surely.
The Board would give him the rest of the details, and then he’d have to head back to the Highlands to gather the rest of his equipment and notes.
He’d been to the Holy Land before and was confident in his knowledge.
He wasn’t as much an expert on Roman antiquities as Olive—
Olive!
Rushing off on this adventure would mean leaving Olive!
It would mean giving up the opportunity to find the matching golden sphaera to the one in his collection, but it would also mean giving up on the chance of a future with Olive.
If he ran off on an adventure, knowing how desperately she wanted to experience the same, he’d be a cad.
But perhaps…
After yesterday’s chat with her brother, Phin was feeling rather certain of his chances at a future with Olive. Perhaps he just needed to dangle the offer of an archaeological trip in front of her.
His lips curled upward at the memory of her term for what he did: combat archaeology. Only his Olive could come up with something so ridiculous, yet so perfect.
“Phineas!”
As if thinking of her had conjured her, Olive burst into the foyer. When every single head turned her way, she blushed a deep pink and drew her bottom lip between her teeth.
That sight sent twin spikes of arousal and jealousy through Phin, and he glared at the footman who had the audacity to appreciate her beauty.
When she released her lip with an audible pop—Phin managed not to groan at the sensuality of the sound—and lifted her chin, he had to grin. Despite her embarrassment at having used his first name, she didn’t hesitate to step into the room and march over to him.
“Mr. Oliphant,” she began properly, “I have some information for you, but I need to see the charts again.”
“Absolutely.” Without hesitation, Phin crammed the letter from the Board of Directors into the pocket of his tweed jacket and held out his arm for Olive.
When she took it, he swept her from the billiards room as regally as he could. But once in the hall on the way to the library, he hesitated.
“Olive, about yesterday—”
“You had better not be about to apologize, Phineas Oliphant.” She was staring straight ahead, her cheeks still bright pink. “Unless it is to apologize for disappearing on me for the rest of the day.”
He grinned, pleased to know she didn’t regret their intimacies. His free hand closed over hers where it rested on his arm. “Love, that’s exactly what I was planning on doing. I’m sorry I disappeared on ye like that. I was unavoidably detained.” By yer brother. Asking about yer future.
If he hadn’t been watching her, he would’ve missed the way her nostrils flared, and her shoulders relaxed slightly. He hoped that meant she forgave him.
“So, can I take this welcome intrusion to mean ye’ve remembered what was nagging at ye?”
She glanced at him, and slowly, her lips curled mischievously.
She glanced left once, then back to him, before giving him a slight nod.
She just looked so damn pleased with herself, he couldn’t resist the grin that burst free, before he stopped them in the middle of the hall, leaned over, and dropped a quick kiss to her lips.
When he straightened, she blinked up at him, looking a bit bemused, and he couldn’t resist stealing another kiss.
But he wasn’t a complete bounder, and he didn’t want her reputation ruined, so he cleared his throat and tugged her toward the library doors. “What did you remember?”
“I was playing croquet with the girls this morning, and I happened to be thinking about the ornamentation of roof ridges in the Roman empire…”
“Aye.” He could understand her thought process. “Dumpkins Manor has some elaborate examples of similar ornamentation. I remember thinking the section of yer paper on them was really quite fascinating.”
They stopped in the library in front of the large table, and Phin bent over to begin unpacking the charts from the box they’d stashed in one of the cabinets.
It wasn’t until he stepped back to the table that he realized she hadn’t responded.
Instead, she stared down at her twined hands, as if not really seeing them.
He stood there, juggling all the rolled charts, and realized something he’d said had bothered her. “Olive?”
“My paper…” She took a deep breath, then looked up to meet his eyes. “They accepted my paper. The Society. I mean, my paper will be published in the Journal,” she finished in a whisper.
Phin, on the other hand, let out an ecstatic whoop and dropped every damn chart and map, reaching instead for her. His hands clamped around her shoulders, and he gave her a little spin before pulling her into his arms and squeezing her tightly.
“That’s wonderful, Olive! I’m so pleased!” She was blushing again, but made no move to pull away, so he squeezed her again and gave them both another spin. “Ye’re going to be a published author!”
“I never imagined…”
When she trailed off, he snorted, then set her down. “I did.” He kissed her upturned nose, not caring that her spectacles were knocked askew. “I never doubted ye, no’ after I read yer work. Ye’re a brilliant scholar, Olive L’arbre, and perhaps now ye’ll admit I havenae been bamming ye.”
She was blushing again, but he loved that she held his gaze when she twitched her brow teasingly. “Well…perhaps.”
Chuckling, he glanced toward the wide-open double doors and decided he couldn’t risk showing her exactly how much he admired her. Instead, he stepped back to pick up the fallen charts.
“Well, lass, dinnae leave me in suspense. What did ye come up with?”
She reached over to pluck a particular map from the pile, and he abandoned the rest to focus on that one. With her help, he anchored the corners with books and followed her finger as she traced out the excavation trenches.
“The golden sphaera was found here, correct?” She didn’t give him time to answer, before continuing.
“The second was not found, despite expanding the dig in all four directions. We assumed its presence meant this building was an important official building, and I think that is still correct, based on its size.”
“And the fact it was divided into several rooms,” he tossed in, tapping at the floorplan sketched onto the excavation map.
She nodded. “Exactly. Due to the presence of the columns, we assumed the roof slanted this way”—she brushed the side of her hand along the front half of the building—”which is why the sphaera ended up here in the courtyard.
Since the second was not found, the archaeologists concluded it was missing from the site. ”
“Correct.” He loved the way she could be so serious, even as her voice brimmed with excitement. He sent her a teasing grin. “But can I assume they were wrong?”
“You can hope at least.” She moved her fingers to what would be the rear of the building. “This was the area that was not excavated. We were standing here yesterday morning, remember?”
“The river rocks,” he breathed, bending over the map. “Do ye think the river flowed behind this building at the time, which is why the archaeologists dismissed the need for excavation?”
“I think…” Olive’s words were slow, as if she were considering each one before uttering it, “there is a possibility the ridgeline of the roof ran parallel to the front of the building.” She shifted the side of her hand so it was aligned side-to-side.
“If there were a pair of matching sphaerae along the ridgeline of the roof, and the building was destroyed…”
When she trailed off, Phin slowly straightened, eyes wide as he considered the implications. “Then the second golden ball could’ve rolled down the opposite side, to the rear of the building,” he finished in a whisper.
Holding his gaze, Olive nodded, her barely contained glee gleaming behind her glasses. “They were digging in the wrong place.”
Part of him wanted to whoop in excitement again and drag her into his arms. But he needed to be certain.
“Ye think it’s possible the matching sphaera is still here?” He tapped at the map. “Behind the back wall? Just waiting to be excavated?”
“I think, if the river flowed along the rear of the building while it was occupied, then not only could the sphaera have rolled from the ridge down the back of the building, but it would have hit the water and sunk.”
He didn’t think it was possible for his heart to speed up any more, but it did.
“It could still be there, buried under layers of riverbank mud!”
She must have been as excited as he was because she reached over and grabbed his hand. “Just waiting for you to find it!”
The words gave him pause.
“Nay, lass,” he corrected, shaking his head. “Waiting for us to find it!”
When he squeezed her hand, she squeezed his back.
“When do we start?”
The thought of embarking on this adventure filled him with a kind of excitement he’d never felt before. Aye, he’d faced death and dismemberment, and even—shudder—boredom on his travels before. But today, now…?
The thought of sharing an adventure with her, even if it meant a gentle stroll to the nearby ruins with a set of spades and a notebook, well, that was somehow far more exciting. Perhaps it was the glint in her eyes, or the knowing quirk of her lips, but whatever it was, Phin couldn’t wait to start.
He glanced at the window, noting the clear skies. “It looks as if we’re having a break in the weather. Go change into yer auldest gown and meet me near the maze in thirty minutes with a notebook and some pencils. I’ll see if I can find some equipment.”
Her grip hadn’t loosened. “Are we going to do some archaeology, Phineas?”
“Aye, lass.” His smile bloomed. “We’re going on an adventure!”