“The bend in the river,” she blurted, glancing up at him, then away once more. “If thesphaeradid fall off the backside of the roof and into the river, there is nothing to say it sunk immediately.” She slowly raised her eyes to his. “Gold is heavy, of course, but if it did not sink into the mud, that meant it was swept downstream.”
Phin’s eyes widened.
“To the bend in the river,” he whispered.
Nodding eagerly, she pulled one hand from his to point as she turned slightly.
“See? We knew where the river turned, but we just did not know why it was relevant. There could be all sorts of artifacts buried in the mudthere, instead of along the backside of the ruins.”
“And if thesphaeraisnae among them, that means?—”
“Either it did not fall into the river, or it is somewhere along the bank between the two!” she finished excitedly.
“And we’ll just excavate the entire riverbank until we find it!”
She was beaming. “It will not be too difficult, because we know exactly how far down we need to dig, and?—”
He didn’t give her time to finish, but swept her up in his arms with a loudwhoop, and spun her around. Luckily, she began to laugh before pounding at his shoulders to be released, and his grin threatened to shear his face in two.
The toes of her boots touched the ground, but he didn’t release her. Instead, he kept her there in the circle of his arms, and he beamed down at her.
“Ye really are brilliant, love. A real archaeologist.”
This time she didn’t look away.
“I owe it to you.” The blush started again. “You have taught me so much.”
It was near impossible not to waggle his brows and comment on whatsortof things he’d taught her, but he tried to keep the moment serious.
“I’d like to teach ye more,” he said gently, “as a partner.”
“A…partner? What kind of partner?”
He had to grin at the suspicious tone in her voice.
“Oh, in all sorts of things. But I need a dig partner to start with.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Ye see, I’ve been invited to look for a particular artifact?—”
“The Roman chalice in the Holy Land,” she said flatly. “I read your letter.”
“Oh good, then ye ken as much as I do.” He tried to keep his tone light and teasing. “Will ye help me, Olive? Will ye go to London with me, to the Society, and meet with the Board? I ken they’d be thrilled to meet their newest author, and I want ye to have all the information I’ll have before we leave on our adventure.”
She was quiet for a moment, before repeating in a small voice, “We?”
“Aye, lass,” he whispered. “I want ye to go with me. I want ye to be my archaeological partner. I want—Ineed—yer help and yer brilliant mind. Please come adventuring with me?”
Something sparkled behind her spectacles. He wasn’t sure what the emotion was, but it was intense, and her hands closed around his forearms.
“You want me to be your partner? To—to go on an adventure with you?” She sounded breathless. “I would be adventuring with Aberdeen Jones?”
“Well…” He winced. “I’d rather hoped ye’d consider adventuring with Phineas Oliphant. I ken ye have a bit of a favorite?—”
“Nay— I mean, no.” She apologized for the interruption with a smile and a shrug, her grip turning softer, almost caressing. “I mean, I like Phineas Oliphant far more,” she finished softly, her cheeks still pink.
But her gaze was direct, and he felt his cock respond to the frank admiration in her gaze.
“I thought…” Now it was time for him to stumble over his words, to bite his tongue while he tried to get his thoughts in order, his gaze still on her lower lip. “I thought, perhaps, if ye were amenable…we might stop at the church on our way to London.”
Her eyes had widened. “The church?”
