Seeing a Large Cat (36 page)

I cut his attempt at a greeting short. "As you see, Colonel, we are not in a fit state to entertain guests. Will you excuse us?"

"I beg your pardon." He stood aside as I started for the stairs. "I wanted to speak to you. And... to see this place."

If I had been a little less exhausted, dirty, and out of breath, I would have felt sorry for him. It did not improve my temper to find Dolly primly seated on a stool someone must have brought for her. The look on her face when she saw Ramses was some compensation, however. He was quite an unpleasant sight, though not much worse than the rest of us.

By the time I finished cleaning my face and hands, I had got my breath back, and my composure. The same was not true of Emerson. Tossing his grimy towel aside, he whirled round and glared at the Colonel.

"Inconvenient as your presence is, sir, you have saved me the trouble of calling on you. What the devil-no, curse it, Peabody, I will not apologize for my language! What the devil are you up to, Bellingham? If you are such a poor marksman you cannot hit your target, you ought not use a firearm."

The Colonel flushed angrily, but he kept his temper. "I came to express my regrets for that unfortunate incident, Professor Emerson. I did not recognize your son. I took him for a native"

"Ah, well, that makes all the difference," Emerson said.

Dolly had recovered from her shock at seeing the grubby, dripping dishevellment of Ramses. Rising, she shook out her skirts and swayed toward him. Proffering a dainty lace trimmed handkerchief, she cooed, "I cried all night after Daddy told me you had been hurt, Mr. Emerson. You are so gallant! I don't know what would have happened if you had not been there watching over me."

Ramses looked at the minuscule square of cambric and then at his hands, dripping with water and covered with bleeding scratches. "I am afraid, Miss Bellingham, that your handkerchief is inadequate for the purpose, though I thank you for offering it. You had better not come any closer."

"Sit down, Dolly, or go back with Saiyid to the carriage," her father said brusquely. Dolly glanced at Saiyid, who had remained at a discreet distance, and lifted her shoulders disdainfully. She returned to her stool and arranged her skirts.

Ibrahim started down the stairs, accompanied by several other men carrying large pieces of wood. Emerson gave them a longing glance, and Ramses said, "I will go with them, Father."

"Yes, yes," Emerson said. "Tell Ibrahim I will be along shortly. No, Nefret, stay here, you will only be in the way. Colonel, I have only one more thing to say to you, and that is this. Apparently you have decided to take the law into your own hands instead of asking for the assistance to which you are entitled from your government and mine. If your own safety means nothing to you, think of your daughter, whom your reckless behavior endangers."

He was turning away when the Colonel spoke.

"You will allow me a statement of my own, sir?"

"Well?"

"I am not unappreciative of your concern and that of your son, Professor. The fact is, however, that if he had not interfered last night, I would have put an end to this business, and to Mr. Tollington." Emerson's surprised reaction brought a grim smile to his lips. "Oh, yes, Professor, I saw him clearly in the moonlight and recognized him. I could have hit him if my aim had not been spoiled by the abrupt appearance of his pursuer. Now he has made good his escape. If you know where he may have gone, you owe it to me to tell me."

"Wrong," Emerson said calmly. "You have every right to defend yourself and your daughter, Colonel, but you do not have the right to track Scudder down in order to kill him. You have other options. You know what they are as well as I do."

"I see." The Colonel's cold gray eyes measured my husband, from his resolute face to his broad shoulders and folded arms. "Well, Professor, I admire your principles. And I admire you, sir; you are a man after my own heart, even if we do not agree. May I ask one more favor?"

"Ask," was the curt reply.

"I want to go down there with you. Only once," he added quickly, for he could see Emerson was about to object. "I must see the place. I have thought about it, dreamed about it... Do you understand why I must go?"

"Not entirely," Emerson said dryly. "But I admit your right to do so. Come, then, if you are determined. You will not find it easy or pleasant."

"It cannot be worse than Shiloh," the Colonel replied with a smile.

"Some battlefield of his war, perhaps?" I said to Nefret after he had followed Emerson down the steps.

"Perhaps." She lowered her voice to a whisper and gestured at Dolly. "I should speak to her, I suppose. She looks rather forlorn sitting there alone."

"Bored would be more accurate," I said. "Do so if you like. I wonder if your true motive is not courtesy but the desire to offend. You smell rather strongly of bat, my dear."

She laughed and left me. They made quite a funny picture, Nefret cross-legged on the ground, Dolly on the edge of the stool, as far from Nefret as she could get without standing up.

They were still talking-at least Nefret was-when the Colonel returned, accompanied by Ramses. I offered the Colonel a damp cloth, which he accepted with a bow whose formality contrasted ironically with his bedraggled appearance.

"Thank you, Mrs. Emerson," he said, returning it after removing the worst of the dust from his face. "We will not linger. I have seen what I came to see." An involuntary shudder ran through him.

"She was never down there, you know," I said gently. "You saw where ..."

"Yes, your husband indicated the spot and described its original appearance. I have come away with a greater respect for archaeologists," he added as we strolled toward the two girls. "I did not realize their work was carried on in places so unpleasant and so dangerous."

He had changed the subject, neatly and courteously, and I accepted it. "It is not often as bad as that," I said. "Have you changed your mind, then, about taking up Egyptology as a hobby?"

"I shall not return to Egypt again. Well, Dolly, are you ready to go?"

Realizing there was no hope of capturing Ramses, who had immediately retreated into the tomb, Dolly stood up. "Yes, Daddy."

"Run along with Saiyid, then. I will soon catch up; I want to say a few words to Miss Forth."

"Oh?" She gave Nefret a look of pure, solid dislike, but obeyed.

The Colonel was as brief as he had promised. "I fear I may have inadvertently offended you last evening, Miss Forth. If anything I said or did conveyed a false impression, I apologize profoundly."

"It is forgotten," Nefret said.

She was unkempt and sweat-stained, but she held herself in a way that reminded me she had once been High Priestess of Isis, and she met his gaze with unsmiling dignity.

The Colonel bowed. "You are most gracious. Good day to you, ladies."

"What was that about?" I asked curiously.

"He has decided my fortune is large enough to compensate for behavior unbecoming a lady." Her voice was as hard as her set face. She hesitated for a moment and then shrugged. "I will tell you if you promise not to lose your temper-or tell the Professor. All he actually said was that he had not known I was there; it was the way he looked when he said it, at me and then at David and at the Amelia, as if he thought we had been .. . The apology only made it worse. How can people have such evil minds?"

I suppose I ought to have pointed out that most people do have evil minds, and that it was precisely this sort of unpleasantness I had wanted to spare her when I forbade her to stay with the boys on the dahabeeyah. I could not bear to do it, though. She was such a strange mixture of worldly wisdom and innocence! As Emerson had so pithily put it, she walked in two worlds and always would, for the beliefs and values of that strange society in which she had lived so long would never be entirely eradicated. The degree of her distress made me I wish I had not been so polite to Colonel Bellingham. Her cynical assessment was probably correct, though I thought it was not only her fortune that he wanted. He had, I remembered, expressed approval of "spirited young ladies."

I determined on the instant that I would put an end to the Colonel's insane expectations. Old-fashioned gentleman that he was, he would probably ask Emerson's permission before paying his addresses to Nefret, and then Emerson would toss him out the window, which would be quite satisfactory. There was no need for Emerson to take so much trouble, however, or for Nefret's being affronted by further contacts. I would speak to Bellingham myself.

Under those circumstances Emerson was graciously pleased to agree, and in return I allowed him to ramble on about his tomb. We had a happy hour together before the young people returned with the good news that Abdullah's recovery was proceeding as I had hoped.

"I suppose Daoud smeared that loathsome green salve of his all over Abdullah," I said.

Nefret chuckled. "How do you know these things, Aunt Amelia? Daoud asked us not to tell you about the salve. Now he will believe you can read his mind at a distance."

"He suspects me of darker talents than that, my dear," I said with a smile. "I expect the horrid stuff cannot do Abdullah any harm so long as he doesn't eat it. Now you had better run along and change. Cyrus is sending his carriage for us."

"I was under the impression ...," Ramses began.

"You need not put yourself through the torture of wearing a suit," I said. "Just tidy yourself, you are very dusty and hot. We are dining with Cyrus because he has invited another guest."

Ramses raised his eyebrows. "Ah," he said, and went inside.

"I wonder what he meant by that," I said to Emerson.

"You ought by now to be able to interpret Ramses's enigmatic remarks," replied my husband. "He suspects who the other guest is. As do I."

Emerson's hints had prepared me. The fact that Cyrus did not meet us at the door as he usually did was another clue. When we entered the drawing room we found him deep in conversation with no other than Mrs. Jones.

The warmth of Cyrus's welcome made up for any earlier failure of hospitality. He pressed us to take seats and refreshment. It was all very pleasant and conventional, but I have never seen any advantage in shilly-shallying, so when we were settled in Cyrus's comfortable armchairs, with glasses in our hands, I began the conversation.

"Perhaps you can tell me, Mrs. Jones, how the Frasers are

336 getting on? I had hoped to hear from Enid today, but have received no communication."

"That is because she designated me as her messenger," was the suave reply. Reaching into her handbag, the lady removed an envelope, which she passed to me.

It was addressed, not to me, but to all of us, including "Miss Forth" and "Mr. Todros," so I did not hesitate to read it aloud.

My dearest friends, The cure has begun, I believe. He is still rather in awe of "Princess Tasherit," but no woman, I suppose, should complain of being worshipped! I have taken your words to heart, dear Amelia, and I hope-I believe-that we will do well enough in future.

We leave for Cairo tomorrow on our way back to England. I felt it best I should not see you again, for parting would be more painful than I could easily bear. Rest assured that when I call you "dearest" the word comes from my heart; you have done for me what no one else in the world could have done at this juncture of my life. I will never forget you. Believe me, I am your most devoted, Enid.

A long silence followed my reading of this touching epistle (which I am able to reproduce verbatim since I have treasured it among my papers ever since). They were all moved, I believe. Emerson cleared his throat noisily, David looked away, and Nefret's eyes shone with even greater luster. As usual, it was impossible to know what Ramses was thinking.

"Well, that's just fine," Cyrus said cheerfully. "It makes it easier for me to propose a little scheme I have worked out."

It was necessary for me to clear my own throat before I

spoke. Enid's affectionate thanks had touched me deeply. "Does this scheme involve Mrs. Jones?" I inquired.

"You are always right on top of things, Mrs. Amelia," Cyrus declared. "Yes, ma'am, it does. You see, it occurred to me that Mrs. Jones would be without employment if matters worked out as we hoped, and that she might be willing to do us a little favor in return for-er-"

"Not sending me to prison," said Mrs. Jones calmly. "Mr. Vandergelt has discussed the matter with me, Mrs. Emerson. It is the least I can do in return for your help in rescuing me from an awkward situation, but the final decision is up to you and the Professor, of course."

"What is this favor?" I asked.

"Taking charge of Miss Bellingham," Cyrus said. "I believe the Colonel is having considerable trouble finding a chap-erone for that young woman. He'd jump at the chance of getting a lady like Kath-like Mrs. Jones here."

"How much does she know about the situation?" I asked.

Cyrus looked self-conscious. "I guess you could say she knows as much as I do. Everybody in Luxor is talking about the business, of course, and if you remember, Mrs. Jones was there when you folks brought the mummy out. She asked me about it and we got to chatting, as you might say, and so- well-er."

"Quite natural," said Emerson, nodding. He appeared amused, though I could not think why.

"I have seen Miss Bellingham at the hotel," Mrs. Jones said in her cool, well-bred voice. "She is a shockingly spoiled young woman who certainly needs a firm hand."

"And you are the woman who could do it?" inquired Emerson, even more visibly amused.

"I have been employed in a number of situations, Professor, including that of governess. I believe I can deal with Miss Dolly. What the girl really needs, of course, is a husband."

The statement in itself was one any unenlightened female might utter. I detected another, less conventional meaning, however; and when I met Mrs. Jones's ironical green eyes she gave a little nod, as if to say, "You understand me, Mrs. Emerson."

And of course I did.

"However," Mrs. Jones continued as smoothly as if no unspoken message had passed between us, "if I understand Mr. Vandergelt correctly, a more important consideration at this time is to keep her out of harm's way long enough to acquire one. I am willing to take that job on too, but in fairness to me and Miss Dolly I ought to know how great the danger is and from what direction it may come."