Mark Antony and me! Ramses, don't turn away from me.' Her long nails had scratched at his arm.
In a rage he'd turned, slapped her, knocked her backwards. Astonished, she'd fallen, then crumpled into sobs. How frail she'd been, almost haggard, with the dark circles beneath her eyes.
The bird was gone over the London rooftops. The sun grew brighter, a shocking white light behind the rolling clouds.
His vision blurred; his heart was pounding thickly in his chest. He was weeping, weeping helplessly. Ye gods, what had made him think the pain would not come?
He'd wakened after centuries in a great luxurious numbness; and now that numbness was thawing, and the heat of his love and his grief would soon be wholly his once more. This was but the first taste of suffering, and what was the blessing, that he was alive, heart and soul, again?
He stared at the vial in his hand. He was tempted to crush it, and let its contents drip from his fingers into this foul and rutted street. Take the other vials out someplace far away from London where the grass grew high surely, and only the wild flowers would witness; and there pour all the liquid into the field.
But what were these vain fancies? He knew how to make it. He had memorized those words off that tablet. He could not destroy what was forever engraved on his own mind.
* * *
Samir left the cab and walked the remaining fifty yards to his destination, hands shoved in his pockets, collar turned up against the driving wind. Reaching the house on the corner, he went up the stone steps and knocked on the peeling door.
A woman draped all in black wool opened the door a crack, then admitted him. Quietly he entered a cluttered room where two Egyptians sat smoking and reading the morning papers, the shelves and tables around them covered with Egyptian goods. A papyrus and a magnifying glass lay to one side on the table.
Samir glanced at the papyrus. Nothing of importance. He glanced at a long, yellow mummy, its wrappings still quite well preserved, lying carelessly, it seemed, on a nearby shelf.
'Ah, Samir, don't trouble yourself,' said the tallest of the two men, whose name was Abdel. 'Nothing but fakes on the market. Zaki's work, as you know. Except for that fellow. . . .' The man pointed to the mummy. 'He's real enough, but not worth your time.'
Nevertheless Samir took a closer look at the mummy.
'The dregs of a private collection,' Abdel said. 'Not in your class.'
Samir nodded, then turned back to Abdel.
'I did hear, however, that some rare Cleopatra coins have surfaced,' Abdel said, a bit playfully. 'Ah, if I could get my hands on one of those.'
'I need a passport, Abdel,' Samir said. 'Citizenship papers. I need them fast.'
Abdel did not immediately answer. He watched with interest as Samir reached into his pocket.
'And money. I need that too.'
Samir held up the glittering Cleopatra coin.
Abdel reached for it before he was out of his chair. Samir watched him without expression as he examined it.
' 'Discretion, my friend,' Samir said. ' 'Speed and discretion. Let us discuss the details.'
* * *
Oscar was back. Now that might be a problem, Julie thought, but only if Rita said something foolish, but then Oscar never listened to Rita. He thought Rita was a fool.
As Julie came down the stairs, she found her butler just closing the front door. He had a bouquet of roses in his arms. He gave her the letter that had come with them.
'Just arrived, miss,' he said.
'Yes, I know.'
With relief she saw it was from Elliott, not Alex, and hastily she read the letter as Oscar waited.
'Call the Earl of Rutherford, Oscar. Tell him I cannot possibly come tonight. And I shall call later myself to explain.'
He was about to go when she took one of the roses out of the bouquet. 'Put them in the dining room, Oscar,' she said. She sampled the fragrance, then felt the soft petals with her finger. What was she going to do about Alex? Surely it was too soon to do anything, but every day only made matters worse.
Ramses. Where was he? That was really the first order of business. The door of her father's room had been open, the bed untouched.
She hurried back through the hall to the conservatory. Even before she reached the door, she saw the magnificent bougainvillea laden with red blossoms.
And to think that yesterday she hadn't noticed these beautiful blooms. And look at the ferns, magnificent. And the lilies that had opened early in their pots throughout the room.
'What a miracle,' she said.
She saw Ramses seated in a wicker chair, watching her. And already dressed splendidly for the day's adventures. And this time he'd made no mistakes. How ruddy and beautiful he looked in the streaming sunlight; his hair fuller, richer, and his great blue eyes filled with a somber melancholy as he looked at her, that is, before he brightened completely and gave her that irresistible smile.
For one moment a shock of fear passed through her. He seemed on the edge of tears. He rose from the chair and came towards her and lightly touched her face with his fingers.
'What a miracle you are!' he said.
A silence fell gently between them. She wanted to reach up and throw her arms about his neck. She merely looked at him, feeling his closeness, then she reached out and touched his face.
She should draw back, she knew it. But he surprised her. He drew back and then, kissing her almost reverently on the forehead, he said:
'I want to go to Egypt, Julie. Sooner or later, I shall have to go to Egypt. Let it happen now.''
How weary and raw he sounded. All the gentleness that had been in him yesterday was mingled now with sadness. His eyes seemed darker and larger. And she'd been right-he was near to weeping, and it sent the fear again to her soul.
God, how great must be his capacity for suffering.
'Of course,' she said. 'We'll go to Egypt, you and I together. ...'
'Ah, that was my hope,' he said. 'Julie, this age can never belong to me until I say farewell to Egypt, for Egypt is my past.'
'I understand.'
'I want the future!'' he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. 'I want . . .' He stopped, clearly unable to go on, Flustered, he turned away from her. He reached into his pocket and removed a handful of golden coins.
'Can we buy a ship with this, Julie, that will take us across the sea?'
'Leave everything to me,' she said. 'We are going. Now sit down, eat your breakfast. I know how hungry you are. You don't have to tell me.'
He laughed in spite of himself.
'And I shall see to things at once.'
She went into the kitchen. Oscar was just setting the breakfast tray for them. The room was full of the good smells of coffee, and cinnamon, and freshly baked muffins.
'Oscar, telephone Thomas Cook for me immediately. Book a passage for Mr. Ramsey and me to Alexandria. See if you can arrange for it straight away. We'll leave today if possible. Do hurry, and leave these things to me.'
How amazed he was.
'But, Miss Julie, what about-'
'Do it, Oscar. Make the calls at once. Hurry, There's no time to lose.'
Carrying the heavy tray, she came back out into the sunlight, and once more the great lovely flowers startled her. The purple orchids and the yellow daisies, equally beautiful.
'Why, look at it,' she whispered. 'And to think I scarcely noticed it before. Everything in bloom. Oh, so lovely. .
