Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

They were scheduled to leave the castle after lunch, in part because Perrin needed time to pack up his tools, as well as what he needed from his office, as he didn’t know when he’d be back. He hoped he was coming back.

Alice had texted to say that Dad was okay, though furious, and that it would be best to stay away—Mum was apparently telling him not to act rashly—which meant she may not hate him, but it was too soon to talk to his mother. Though he hoped she’d call him sooner rather than later. Perhaps once Oliver settled in, it would be a good time to take three months to travel and hope his father cooled down.

He could deal with questions from contractors while away and have one of his guys do inspections. But he should be able to take leave without worrying about everything falling apart. There was never going to be a time when the castle, or one of the estates, didn’t need work, so it didn’t make sense to put off traveling until it was more convenient, as there was no such thing. That didn’t stop him from feeling guilty and selfish for thinking about taking off for three months .

He wasn’t used to security following him around. It made him feel as though he were in trouble, and they were waiting for him to stuff up and arrest him. However, they just kind of stood around and appeared to pay very little attention to him—which was a lie because as soon as he had his tools boxed up, they were ready to walk with him to the vehicle and help load them in.

It was an illusion of privacy. And a taste of how the royals lived. He didn’t like it. And if it was the same treatment Oliver was getting, he understood Oliver’s frustration.

After last night, Perrin hadn’t slept well, even though he should have. It was his need to feed, or at least that’s what he blamed because wanting Oliver in his bed was ridiculous. He didn’t need people in that way. He was quite happy on his own…although when he had agreed to be Oliver’s boyfriend, it had been for Oliver, not himself.

He expected Oliver to move on once he’d finished experimenting and playing. But like the scavenger he was, he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for easy sex.

It had been a surprise to end up in the same vehicle as Oliver, but that probably made protecting them much easier. With two security guys in the vehicle, there was no chatter, and as much as Perrin wanted to reach for Oliver, he kept his hands to himself.

Oliver glanced at the guards, then Perrin, then sighed and pulled out his tablet to study. Perrin took the opportunity to reply to emails and return a couple of calls that he hadn’t been able to do while packing.

When the three security vehicles arrived at the estate, it was buzzing with people and deliveries.

The house looked grand enough, though the entrance needed work. The stone archway over the gates had toppled, though the wrought-iron gates still worked fine. The driveway was a mess, as was the yard.

“This is mine?” Oliver peered out the window.

“This is the Manor house. There are several outbuildings and a farmlet. Though they aren’t in good condition. I have a map of the land, so if you want to walk it, we can check out the buildings and assess what can be salvaged.” When he hadn’t been able to sleep, he’d pulled up the old records of the estate. There had been a large greenhouse filled with fruit trees, and the little farm had once had goats. The last report he had on them was that they had gone feral. No one had worried about protecting the environment a couple of centuries ago.

He hoped those feral goats were still roaming nearby because one of them would suit his hunger fine.

Oliver nodded, staring out the window. “It looks so magical and old.”

“It’s both of those things…I’m not sure about the magic. I think the wards that were once in place have disintegrated without maintenance. Can you confirm?” Perrin asked the two security guys in the front. They may be pretending not to listen, but they were.

The witch guard nodded. “There are currently no wards protecting the estate. I will create some.”

Oliver tore his gaze away from the window to stare at Perrin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“They are a type of magic used for protection. You’ll learn.” Perrin was able to sense them but couldn’t create them. He wasn’t really magical; in the same way, he wasn’t a shifter. When people only dealt with witches and shifters, they didn’t quite know what to do with him.

Oliver knew exactly what he wanted to do with Perrin, but then he hadn’t been raised with the same prejudices and beliefs around magic that everyone else carried. Neither of them fitted into the place that had been carved for them.

Could they carve their own place?

He smiled as he got out of the vehicle, biting back on the wince as his damaged calf took his weight. He needed to find out who was doing the hunting.

“What am I supposed to do?” Oliver stared up at the three-story house. “I haven’t learned the first thing about running a house like this.” He turned to Perrin with wide eyes. “Maybe this is a mistake.”

Oliver really didn’t get it.

“You don’t run the house; you have staff who do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly that. The people here have come from the king’s hunting lodge. You have a groundskeeper, as well as cleaners and cooks. They will have an allocated budget but will ask for approval on extraordinary expenses.” Had none of Oliver’s brothers explained this to him? How could they skip something so basic?

Because they didn’t think about it. They’d grown up with it.

Oliver tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “How do I do that?”

Perrin had no answer because he was always on the other side. He was the one telling them what needed to be done, how best to do it, and the price. While he guessed they had a lot of money, one didn’t accumulate wealth by being frivolous.

This wasn’t the kind of conversation one had in front of staff. Perrin stepped closer and lowered his voice. “These are questions for private. Your staff, on loan from the king until his lodge is repaired, know what they are doing. The person who you need to discuss this with is the chief of staff…and one of your brothers. Because I can’t help you with this.”

Oliver gave him that look that said he didn’t want to be alone in figuring this out. But he nodded. “Where do I start?”

Perrin noted the guards standing around the vehicle, waiting for them to do something. “I need to unload my gear and set up my office. You should greet your chief of staff.” Perrin inclined his head at the front door, where several people now waited. “And then look around. Let him be your guide.”

Perrin hoped the chief of staff recognized Oliver was in over his head.

“I can’t do this on my own.”

“It would be inappropriate for me to accompany you.” This wasn’t his estate.

Oliver glared at him and hissed. “You’re my boyfriend.”

Perrin bit back a groan, sure that every shifter in the area heard. “Yes, but I’m staff and a commoner.” And while no one said it, some would be thinking it—he was also a ghoul.

Confusion flickered over Oliver’s face. “This is one of those stupid rules, isn’t it?”

It was more than one stupid rule. A guard smothered a laugh.

If he didn’t do something, they were going to lose respect for Oliver. Even though they were aware he’d only recently rejoined his family, there was still an expectation.

“I don’t know where my office is.” Or if he even had a room set aside. “Why don’t I walk over with you? And that way you can direct me where to go. And you can ask for a tour of the house and the immediate grounds, and then when I am done unpacking, you can tell me of any immediate concerns that need my attention.”

Oliver’s gaze narrowed as he caught on that this was the only way Perrin could help him at the moment. “And then what?”

“Then I will inspect, and if it can be repaired immediately, I will give instructions. If it’s a bigger job, I will arrange quotes and tradespeople and ensure it’s done in a timely and efficient manner.” Did Oliver think he was there just to fix tap washers? Did he not understand the scope and scale of some of the repairs that happened on these old buildings?

Even though the main house had been maintained so that it was sound and watertight, he could already make a list of a dozen things that needed to be attended to, and they were all cosmetic.

Oliver bit his lip in a way that made Perrin want to kiss it better. “Okay…will the staff speak English?”

Perrin bit back a laugh. “Oh, they will all speak English and at least two other languages.” Most people in Monte de Leucoy spoke French and English and more than enough German to get by. Italian was also taught in schools, and for those who enjoyed the challenge, there was the option of studying ancient Greek or Latin.

“Right.” Oliver gave another nod as if shoring up his resolve. “Do you know my chief of staff’s name?”

“Marc Allard.” He didn’t know all the staff at every estate, but he always learned the chief of staff’s name.

“Thank you. I’m also going to have some words with Dalmon.”

Perrin smiled, glad that Oliver was going to take some action to sort this out himself. “Good idea.”

His brothers should have given him a memo or something. Their common knowledge was not the same as everyone else’s.

Oliver gave him that bright smile as if those simple words made his day. Watching Oliver become more confident, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon where it had slept too long, made his heart ache with joy and sadness. Because it wouldn’t be long before his beautiful phoenix took flight.