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 spotfor 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 anearl. 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 withthere’s a heap of them. Yer Americanisms are so quaint.”
“You thinkI’mthe 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 Phinhadintended 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—Dacould 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 adukeearlier 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.” Hewouldbe the laird one day, after all.
“Leonidas hasn’t seemed interested in getting to know me,” Max murmured, bending over his shot. “After your—ourfather 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.”
