Soul and Shadow (5 page)

"
Would you mind translating that into American?
"
I asked with a smile.

"
Do you have a favorite club, bar, place where you go to drink and get food?
"

"
Yes I do, and that
'
s a great idea,
"
I said.

"
Let me just stop at the house on the way and check on a couple of things. Is that all right? Gram did express an interest in saying hello to you. I think she feels badly about the other night.
"

"
I don
'
t mind at all,
"
I assured him. Secretly though, I couldn
'
t help but wonder what his grandmother might come up with this time.

Chapter Six

Kent
'
s family was staying at the home of the University
'
s president while he was traveling in Europe. It was a beautiful turn of the century stone house with a big wooden front door that reminded me of a drawbridge.
A fitting residence for a prince
, I thought.

Dame Ursula was sitting in the living room and she greeted me with enthusiasm.
"
What a pleasure to see you again, Lily. I trust my grandson is being good company?
"

Kent smiled at me, and I was afraid that I was blushing.
"
Excellent company, thank you,
"
I replied.

"
I
'
m glad to hear it. I wonder if I might speak with you alone for a few minutes. I promise I won
'
t intrude on your evening together for long.
"

I sensed Kent
'
s discomfort and hastened to say reassuringly,
"
Of course, Dame Ursula. I
'
d love to talk.
"

Kent began backing out of the room.
"
I
'
ll just make a couple of phone calls, then.
"

"
Fine, dear.
"
Ursula waited until he had fully retreated, then sighed.
"
Those boys are two of the best men in the world, and I adore them. But I don
'
t believe they
'
d understand this particular problem.
"

"
You haven
'
t told them about the Amisihathor puzzle?
"
I queried.

"
Well, no, not the whole story. They
'
d think that the Egyptian sun had addled my wits. You are the only person I am going to reveal the secret of the necklace to.
"

In spite of my trepidation, I was strangely touched.
"
I
'
m honored, Dame Ursula, but—
"

"
Please, there
'
s no need to be formal, Ursula will do. And you
'
re wondering why I
'
ve chosen to confide in you. It wasn
'
t an arbitrary decision. I visited the local gallery the first day we came into town. I do that whenever we travel. Your paintings caught my eye right away. You have a great deal of talent. I asked several people about you, and they all sang your praises. Particularly Peter Briggs. He and I have known each other for a long time. He used to date my daughter, you know.
"

"
Kent
'
s mother?
"
I asked in surprise.

"
That
'
s right. Peter was a student of mine at Oxford. He and Cassandra became great friends. But then he returned here, to America, and Cassie married Kent
'
s father. Her life was very different after that.
"

Ursula sighed, then seemed to push a sad memory away.
"
We were very fond of Peter, and thrilled with his success. He speaks highly of you, Lily. He says you have a good mind, and I think you also have a good heart.
"
She smiled at me.
"
Then there
'
s your kinship for ancient Egypt. I recognize an insider
'
s view. Tell me, do you have any Egyptian blood?
"

"
On my mother
'
s side,
"
I replied.
"
But it
'
s many generations back, and I
'
ve never been there. I simply love the culture. I always have.
"

Ursula nodded.
"
Physical and spiritual DNA. That
'
s why you are able to draw the things you do. Like the scene in this painting.
"

To my surprise, she rose and went over to a heavy teak desk in the corner of the room. Opening a drawer, she produced one of my pictures.

"
I purchased it as soon as I saw it. Tell me, what inspired you to do this particular design?
"

It was my favorite creation. A garden surrounded by palm trees, with a pool in the middle. Lotus blossoms were floating on the water, and brightly colored fish swam among them. I could not remember any one thing that had made me draw it. It just seemed to be a very special place that existed in my dreams.

"
I wonder,
"
Ursula said when I told her this,
"
if you
'
ve ever seen pictures of Amisihathor and Kahotep
'
s tomb?
"

"
Some, of course. It was a very important find. I loved the chance to study them at the exhibit.
"

"
Well, this scene is not included in the exhibit. There aren
'
t any published photographs of it, as far as I know. Not outside of my own documentation. The paint is damaged, so it doesn
'
t make for good copy. But it
'
s on the west wall, after the depictions of her duties in the temple. You
'
ve drawn it down to the last detail. Even the turtle sunning itself on the rock is there.
"

An odd feeling came over me, as if a distant memory was trying to gain purchase in my mind.
"
I suppose I must have seen it, then,
"
I said,
"
and I just don
'
t remember. I
'
m flattered that you liked it enough to buy it.
"

This, then, was her reason for singling me out. An image that I
'
d stored in my subconscious and painted, which happened to be from Amisihathor
'
s tomb. At least there was an element of logic in her fancy.

"
I think you will be the one to discover what happened to Amisihathor and put her soul at rest,
"
Ursula stated.

She said this so reasonably, as if discussing my qualifications for an ordinary job. I answered in the same tone.
"
And how am I supposed to do that, Ursula?
"

"
You already have a connection with Amisi. You proved that with your painting. I would like to look at all of your work, to see what else I may recognize. And then, of course, there
'
s the necklace.
"

"
You
'
ve mentioned it before,
"
I said.
"
It is lovely, but what makes it so special?
"

"
It is an object of great power,
"
Ursula asserted solemnly.
"
I believe it to be infused with psychic energy.
"

"
What—like magic?
"
I asked, stunned.

"
Magic.
"
She repeated the word in a thoughtful way.
"
Some might call it that. But to the ancients, magic did not exist as a separate concept. It was a part of their religion, the way we say prayers and perform symbolic ceremonies. Nowadays, it
'
s even come under the scrutiny of science. Studies are being done on the power of faith in healing. The ways meditation and hypnosis affect your brain waves. The nature of consciousness. There are even instruments being used to measure ghostly phenomena.
"

"
Yes, I
'
ve heard of them. Spectrometers and such.
"
I
'
d seen a few episodes of
Ghost Hunters
.

"
Some researchers believe that we are all made up of living energy, which may change forms, but can never be destroyed. They say that we can leave an imprint of that energy in the atmosphere, or on certain objects. I admit, in the past, I would have found the notion ridiculous. But I have become more open-minded in my old age. The willingness to explore new ideas and look for evidence is how we develop knowledge, after all.
"

"
I agree.
"

"
Personal experience has convinced me that magic, religion, spirituality—whatever you want to call it—is a potent force. It unleashes tremendous energy, and that energy can take many forms. Some of it is left in Amisihathor
'
s necklace. I only felt a trace of it, but I
'
m not very sensitive. I think that you will see more. Are you willing to look, Lily?
"

I was silent for a moment, debating how to answer her. At last, I said carefully,
"
Ursula, I
'
m not a medium. The painting was just a coincidence. I have no special gifts. The evidence you
'
ve gathered about the mystery surrounding Amisihathor is certainly intriguing, but I don
'
t know how I can help you.
"

"
You
'
re not convinced that a magic necklace will give you answers?
"
Ursula replied mildly.
"
Don
'
t worry. I am continuing traditional research as well. All I ask is to examine your artwork and for
you
to examine the jewelry. That will not be a burden on you, will it?
"

I was reluctant to turn her down flat.
"
Well, I would like to see it. I didn
'
t notice it at the exhibit. I gather it
'
s not on public display.
"

"
Not yet. Some pieces will be rotated. I
'
ll take you over and we
'
ll have a private viewing. You
'
ll enjoy that.
"

"
I certainly would,
"
I replied.
"
Thank you, Ursula. And you
'
re welcome to come and have a private viewing of my work also.
"

At that moment, Kent came back into the room.
"
Well, have you two solved the riddle of the Sphinx yet?
"
he teased.

His grandmother smiled at him.
"
One thing at a time, dear,
"
she said sweetly.
"
Right now, we are discussing Amisihathor. Lily has agreed to help me with my research.
"

"
Oh?
"
Kent
'
s eyebrows lifted slightly.

"
Yes, isn
'
t that nice? I
'
m in need of a new perspective. Away with you two now. I
'
ve monopolized Lily for long enough. We
'
ll talk tomorrow and make arrangements, if that
'
s all right?
"
she asked me.

"
Of course. Thank you, Ursula,
"
I said, rising to my feet.

She gave me a pleased smile.
"
Goodnight. You children enjoy yourselves.
"

Kent kissed her on the cheek.
"
Goodnight, Gram. Sleep tight.
"

We went into the library and settled ourselves on the couch. Kent sat very close, and our knees touched pleasantly.
"
I thought perhaps I
'
d better come and see what was up,
"
he said.
"
Was it all about Amisihathor?
"

"
Yes.
"
I hesitated.
"
You know how Ursula
'
s—preoccupied with her.
"

He nodded.
"
And it doesn
'
t usually matter. It
'
s her life
'
s work. But she
'
s never done anything like she did with you before.
"