Curse of the Kings (17 page)

I laughed; but this assumption that my marriage would be a perilous adventure was beginning to irritate me.

On a rather misty October day I was married to Tybalt in the church I knew so well. Oddly enough as I came down the aisle on the arm of Dr. Gunwen, who had offered to ive me away,there being no one else to perform this necessary duty, I was thinking of how my knees used to get sore from kneeling on the mats which hung inside the pews for that purpose. An extraordinary thought to have when I was on my way to marriage with Tybalt!

A fellow archaeologist and friend of Tybalt was his best man. He was named Terence Gelding and was accompanying us to Egypt. On the night before the wedding I had not seen Tybalt. He had gone to the station to meet his friend and bring him back to Giza House where he was spending a few days. Tabitha told me on my wedding morning that they had all stayed up too late talking. I felt that vague tinge of jealousy which I had begun to notice came to me when others shared an intimacy with Tybalt and I was not present. It was foolish of me but I supposed I had dreamed so long of this happening that I could not entirely believe that it was true; there had been covert remarks about my marriage from several directions and it seemed that these insinuations had penetrated even my natural optimism. I could not help feeling a twinge of uneasiness and distrust of this sudden granting by fate of my most cherished desire.

But as I made my vows before Oliver, and Tybalt put the ring on my finger, a wonderful happiness surged over me and I was more completely happy than I had ever been.

It was disappointing that as we came into the porch the rain should begin to pelt down.

ou can walk out in that,said Dorcas at my elbow.

t nothing,I said. ust a shower and we only have to go over to the rectory.

el have to wait.

She was right, of course. So we stood there, I still holding Tybalt hand saying nothing, staring out at the rain and thinking: I really married to Tybalt!

I heard the whispers behind me.

hat a pity!

hat bad luck!

ot wedding weather by any means.

A gnome-like creature came walking up from the graveyard. As it approached I saw that it was Mr. Pegger, bent double with a sack, split down one side, over his head to keep him dry. He carried a spade to which the brown earth still clung. So he had been digging somebody grave, and was, I supposed, coming to the porch for shelter until the downpour was over.

When he saw us he pulled up short; he pushed the sack farther back and his fanatical eyes took in Tybalt and me in our wedding clothes.

He looked straight at me. o goodll come of such indecent haste,he said. t ungodly.

Then he nodded and walked past the porch with the self-righteous air of one determined to do his duty however unpleasant.

ho on earth is that old fool?said Tybalt.

t Mr. Pegger, the gravedigger.

e impertinent.

ell, you see he knew me as a child and no doubt thinks I still one.

e objects to your marriage.

I heard Theodosia whisper: h, Evan, how unpleasant. It like an omen.

I did not answer. I felt suddenly angry with all these people who for some ridiculous reason had decided that there was something strange about my marriage to Tybalt.

I looked up at the lowering sky and I seemed to hear Sarah Sloper reedy voice: appy be the bride the sun shines on.

After a few minutes the rain stopped and we were able to pick our way across the grass to the vicarage.

There was the familiar drawing room decked out with chrysanthemums of all shades and starry Michaelmas daisies. A table had been set up at one end of the room and on this was a wedding cake and champagne.

I cut the cake with Tybalt help; everyone applauded and the unpleasant incident in the porch was temporarily forgotten.

Hadrian made a witty speech and Tybalt responded very briefly. I kept saying to myself: his is the supreme moment of my life.Perhaps I said it a little too vehemently. I could not forget Mr. Pegger eyes peering at us in that fanatical way from under that absurd sack. The rain had started again in a heavy downpour which made itself heard.

Theodosia was beside me. h, Judith,she said, so glad wee sisters. Here you are marrying Tybalt and this is what they wanted for me. So Father got his wish that his daughter marry Tybalt. Hasn it turned out wonderfully?She was gazing across the room at Evan who was talking to Tabitha. so grateful to you

rateful ?

She floundered a little. Theodosia had never been able to express her thoughts gracefully and often landed in a conversational morass from which she found it difficult to extricate herself.

ell, for marrying Tybalt and making it all come right so that I need not have any conscience about not pleasing Father and all that.

She made it sound as though by marrying Tybalt I had conferred some blessing on all those who had been saved from him!

sure youl be very happy,she said comfortingly. ou always knew so much about archaeology. It a struggle for me to keep up with Evan, but he says don worry. He perfectly satisfied with me as I am.

oue very happy, Theodosia?

h blissfully. That why I so She stopped.

rateful to me for marrying Tybalt and making it all work out smoothly. I can assure you I didn marry him for that reason.

Sabina joined us.

sn this fun. The three of us together. And now wee all married. Judith, do you like the flowers? Miss Crewe arranged them. Most of them came from her garden. Green fingers, you know. And she always makes such a success of the decorations in the church. And here we all are together. Do you remember how we used to talk in the schoolroom? Of course dramatic things would happen to Judith. They always did, didn they? Or perhaps you made it sound dramatic and then you did turn out to be Sir Ralph daughter Wrong side of the blanket of course but that makes it more exciting. And now youe got Tybalt. Doesn he look wonderful? Like a Roman god or something He was always different from everybody else and so are you, Judith in a way. But wee sisters now, Judith. And youe Theodosia sister. As I say it is wonderful!

She gazed at Tybalt with that adoration I had seen so many times before.

ancy Tybalt being a bridegroom! We always thought he would never marry! He married to all that nonsense, Nanny Tester says. ike your father ought to have been.I used to point out to her that if Papa had married all that nonsense I wouldn have been here nor would Tybalt because archaeology, wonderful as Papa and Tybalt seem to find it, does not produce people, living ones anyway. Only mummies perhaps. Oh, do you remember the day when you dressed up as a mummy? What a day that was! We thought you killed Theodosia.

They were all laughing. I knew that Sabina would restore my spirits.

nd you said Tybalt stooped and wore spectacles and when you saw him you were struck dumb. You adored him from that moment. Oh yes you did, you can deny it.

making no attempt to,I said.

nd now youe married to him. Your dreams have come true. Isn that a wonderful fairy tale ending?

t not an ending,said Theodosia soberly. t really a beginning. Evan is so pleased because he been invited to join the expedition.

as he really?cried Sabina. hat a great honor. When he away you must come and stay.

going with him,declared Theodosia fiercely. ou don think I let Evan go without me.

as Tybalt said you may? Papa never liked wives around. He said they cluttered and distracted, unless they were workers themselves and quite a lot of them are but youe not, Theodosia. So Tybalt has said you may! I daresay that as he now a married man himself he has sympathy for others. Youl be company for Judith. Tabitha going. Of course she very knowledgeable. There she is talking to Tybalt now. Il bet you anything you like theye talking about Egypt. Tabitha beautiful, don you think? She always seems to wear the right things. Elegance I suppose. Different from me. That silver grey now It just right! Youl have to be careful, Judith,she added playfully. was surprised that you allowed Tybalt to go off with her to Dorset. Oh I know you had to stay behind, but she young really. About a year, possibly two years older than Tybalt, that all. Of course she is always so quiet, so restrained, but it the quiet ones you have to be wary of, so they say. Oh, Judith, what a way to talk to a bride on her wedding day.

Youe quite disturbed, I believe. As if I meant it. Tybalt will be the most faithful husband in the world! He too busy anyway to be anything else. The wonder is that he married at all. I sure youe going to be wonderfully happy. Your being interested in his world and all that and quite rich so there won be money problems and Sir Ralph leaving all that money to archaeological research. Wasn that wonderful! Youe married the most wonderful man in the world with one exception of course. But even darling Oliver isn grand and distinguished like Tybalt although he more comfortable and I wouldn change him for anyone in the world

h doesn she run on,I said to Theodosia. o one else gets a chance.

t revenge for your domineering attitude in the schoolroom and youe only so silent because it your wedding day. If you weren thinking of Tybalt, you would never have allowed me to have the floor for so long.

rust you to make the most of your opportunities. Look, here Hadrian.

ello,said Hadrian. family gathering. I must join it.

e were talking about the expedition,said Sabina. mong other things.

ho isn?

id you know Evan and Theodosia are coming?I asked.

had heard there was a possibility. We shall all be together all except you, Sabina, and your Oliver.

liver has the church and parish besides, he a parson not an archaeologist.

o youe going too, Hadrian.

t a great concession. Gives me a chance to escape my creditors.

ou are always talking about money.

e told you before I not rich enough to ignore it.

onsense,I said.

nd now, Judith, youe joined the band of plutocrats. Well, it will be good experience for us, Tybalt tells me. Wel have to keep together in case this irate god rises from his lair to strike us.

o gods have lairs?asked Sabina. thought that was foxes. There a big red one raiding Brent Farm. Farmer Brent lies in wait with a shot gun.

top her someone,said Hadrian, efore she flies off at a tangent.

es,I said, e don want to hear about foxes. The expedition is of much greater interest. I so looking forward to it. Itl soon be time to leave for Egypt.

hich is the reason for the hasty wedding,said Hadrian. hat did you think of the weird character in the porch?

t was only old Pegger.

alk about a prophet of doom. He couldn have appeared at a less appropriate moment or from his point of view I suppose a more appropriate one. He seemed so delighted to be the harbinger of misfortune.

wish everyone would stop hinting at misfortune,I complained. t most unsuitable.

f course it is,agreed Hadrian, nd here comes your reverend husband, Sabina. Hel probably say a blessing or exorcise the evil spirits conjured up by that old ghoul in the porch.

el do no such thing,said Sabina, slipping her arm through Oliver as he came up.

ust in time,said Hadrian, o prevent this inconsequential wife of yours from giving a dissertation on the duties of a parish priest and where that might lead to Heavenand Sabinanly knows. I going to take the bride away from you for a cozy tete-a-tete.

We stood alone in a corner and he looked at me shaking his head. ell, well, Judith, this is so sudden.

ot you too,I protested.

h I don mean it as old Pegger did. I mean coming into a fortune and marrying at the batting of an eyelid or the twinkling of an eyeo keep the metaphors facial.

I laughed at him. Hadrian always restored my spirits.

ad I known that you had inherited a fortune I would have married you myself.

hat a lost opportunity!I mocked.

y life is full of them. Seriously, who would have thought that the old man would have left you half his fortune. My pittance was a bit of a blow.

hy, Hadrian, it a pleasant income, and is in addition to what you will earn in your profession.

ffluence!he murmured. ybalt is a lucky devil. You and all that money. And there what my uncle left to the Cause.

ow I wish I could stop people talking about money for a few moments.

t money that makes the world go round or is that love? And lucky Judith to have both!

can see my aunts making frantic signs.

suppose it time for you to depart.

hy yes, the carriage will be taking us to the station in less than an hour. And I have to change.

Dorcas came hurrying up. udith, do you realize what the time is?

was just mentioning it to Hadrian.

think it is time you changed.

I slipped away with Dorcas and Alison and we went to the room which Sabina had set aside for me. There hung my silver grey grosgrain coat and the skirt of the same material and the white blouse with many frills and the little grey velvet bow at the neck.

Silver grey. So elegant. Yes, when worn by a woman like Tabitha.

ou look lovely,cooed Dorcas.

hat because you see me through the eyes of love,I said.

herel be someone else who will be looking at you in the same way,said Alison quickly. There was an almost imperceptible pause before she added: e hope.

I went out to the porch. The carriage was there and Tybalt was waiting for me.

Everyone crowded round; the horse was whipped up. Tybalt and I had started on our honeymoon.

What shall I say of my honeymoon? That it fell short of my expectations? At first it was wonderful and the wonder lasted for two nights and a day. Then Tybalt was all mine. We were very close during that time. We had broken our journey to Dorset and spent the night, the following day and the next night at a little inn in the heart of the Moor.

efore we join the Dig,he told me, thought we should have this little respite.

t a wonderful idea,I told him.

thought you were so eager to see this mosaic pavement theye discovered?

more eager to be alone with you.