Soul and Shadow (6 page)

"
Well, there
'
s a reason for that. She
'
s convinced Amisihathor needs her help. I think she wants to reunite her with her true love in the afterlife.
"

"
Her true love? You mean the scribe in the second tomb?
"

"
The same. She must believe they got separated, and she wants to find out what happened to them.
"

"
But the evidence is so fragmented she may never be able to do that.
"

Now came the difficult part. Feeling a sense of responsibility, but an equal one of reluctance, I searched for the right words.
"
Actually, she has a backup plan. An alternative method, so to speak.
"

"
Which would be...?
"
Kent prompted when I showed no sign of going on.

I cleared my throat.
"
She has an idea... she seems to think that... perhaps the necklace found in the tomb might be helpful.
"

"
How, exactly?
"

"
Well—um—do you believe in psychic energy, Kent?
"
I asked.

"
What do you mean?
"
he questioned.
"
Like bending spoons with your mind?
"

"
More like fingerprints being left behind. The residue of your energy, your emotions, after you
'
ve gone. Sometimes it lingers and that
'
s why places seem haunted. Places, or—things.
"

He stared at me as if he was mentally measuring me for a straitjacket.
"
Are you telling me that the necklace is haunted?
"

"
No. I
'
m simply saying that Ursula believes it is.
"

"
Oh, well, that
'
s all right then,
"
he said sarcastically.

"
I know, it sounds crazy,
"
I conceded.
"
But to Ursula, and a lot of other people, it makes sense. She thinks that it
'
s possible to see the past in the necklace. At least, for me to see it.
"

"
And where on Earth did she get that idea?
"
he asked.

I told him about my painting.
"
Once she saw it, and learned who I was, she became convinced that I could help her.
"
I paused.
"
You haven
'
t had any reason to think she
'
s—well—troubled, have you?
"

"
I would have said
'
no
'
before tonight,
"
Kent replied morosely.
"'
Eccentric
'
is the word I
'
ve always used.
"

"
Yes,
"
I reflected.
"
She reminds me of my great-aunt Elizabeth. She used to talk to the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. He told her which horses to bet on at the track. Other than that, she was completely normal. Since she almost always won, the doctor said not to worry about it.
"

Kent merely gazed at me, and I suspected that this did not comfort him.

"
Look,
"
I said,
"
why don
'
t you just keep an eye on her and see what you think? Maybe you can convince her to see her own doctor, have a checkup. Then you can discuss your concerns with him. But please don
'
t let her know that I talked to you. This was supposed to be in confidence.
"

Kent sighed. After a while, he said,
"
Thank you, Lily. I
'
m sorry you had to get involved in this. It
'
s wonderful of you to care. But please realize that you
'
re under no obligation.
"

I could not tell him that I did indeed feel an obligation. Not just to Ursula, whom I liked tremendously, but to him. I felt a connection that I knew was dangerous on such a short acquaintance. However, the knowledge did nothing to lessen its intensity. I was caught up with this family, practical or not.

Chapter Seven

"
Oh man, this just keeps getting better and better,
"
Katy said with glee. We were sitting in a bagel shop on Sunday morning, and I was filling her in on the weekend
'
s events.
"
Let
'
s see.
"
She began ticking items off on her fingers.
"
A mysterious old woman. Ancient magic and restless spirits. A tall, dark, and handsome stranger. English aristocracy. Money. Madness. What are we missing? Ah, danger. I don
'
t suppose there was a deranged servant lurking around their house?
"

"
No, Katy. I didn
'
t catch a glimpse of a Mrs. Danvers.
"

"
Too bad. Well, maybe brother Philip will turn out to be a homicidal maniac. We can always hope.
"

"
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Philip is a highly respectable businessman. His company makes dental equipment.
"

Katy scrunched her face.
"
How awful. But never mind. The prestige of Kent
'
s job more than makes up for that.
"

"
He
'
s very young to have such an important position at the British Museum,
"
I said proudly.

"
Good for him. You have hit the jackpot, haven
'
t you? This makes a story you
'
ll be able to look back on in your old age. Congratulations.
"

"
What? You
'
re not going to tell me that I
'
ve gotten myself into a bizarre situation with people I barely know and I had better be careful?
"

"
Why on Earth would I do that? What you
'
ve got yourself is an adventure, and they don
'
t come along every day. These aren
'
t shadowy underworld figures. This is a well-known British family that shares an interest in the love of your life—ancient Egypt.
"

"
I know that, but still...
"

"
You say that Kent is gorgeous and you really like him, right? So stop worrying. Even if he
'
s gone in a couple of weeks and you never hear from him again, it will have been great while it lasted. You
'
ll hardly pine after him for the rest of your life, not after so short a time. If you ask me, this is just what you need.
"

I couldn
'
t help but laugh.
"
I can always count on you to be the voice of reason, Katy.
"

"
At your service.
"
Katy lavished her bagel with cream cheese.
"
Honestly though, Lily, do you like this Dame Ursula? She doesn
'
t give you the creeps?
"

"
No, she doesn
'
t. It
'
s not like she
'
s a raving lunatic. There
'
s a kind of logic in her scenario. It doesn
'
t seem so strange to me that she would need to wrap up the work on the tomb in her own mind. The idea of the necklace having magic powers is a little odd, of course.
"

"
A little,
"
Katy agreed.

"
But the Egyptians believed in magic, and Ursula has studied them for so long that it
'
s not surprising she might believe now too. She
'
s not threatening in any way, if that
'
s what you mean.
"

"
Okay. And you trust Kent?
"

"
Kent,
"
I replied decisively,
"
is what the Brits term
'
a thoroughly decent chap.
'
No worries there.
"

"
Heaven help us, you
'
re already beginning to talk like them,
"
Katy mocked.
"
Well, I say go with your instincts. If they seem all right, then they probably are. To reduce it to the crassest level, if nothing else, you
'
ve sold some of your paintings. It will get you noticed in wider circles. How can that hurt?
"

It couldn
'
t. But on one point, Katy was wrong. I already knew that I would pine for Kent, even after so short a time. Living in the moment was all very well, as long as that moment was not the one in which he left.

I took a sip of my iced tea and changed the subject.
"
You won
'
t believe who
'
s come to town,
"
I said.

"
Right now, I
'
d believe anything as far as you
'
re concerned. A government official who wants you to be a spy? A long lost relative with a terrible secret? Maybe the heir to some throne, hiding from assassins?
"

"
Actually,
"
I said,
"
it
'
s Stephen. He called my Mom on Friday night. She got the idea that he wants to move back here, but I don
'
t know if that
'
s true. I haven
'
t spoken to him yet.
"

Katy
'
s animated face went uncharacteristically flat.
"
Oh, Stephen,
"
she murmured.
"
I thought he was gone for good.
"

"
It
'
s all right,
"
I said.
"
We
'
ve broken up, so you can let your true feelings show.
"

"
You already know what I think of him.
"
Katy stirred her coffee.
"
He was always a little too arrogant for my taste. What
'
s he doing back here anyway? Haven
'
t they made him president of the AMA yet?
"

"
I
'
ll be sure to give him your love when he calls.
"
Which turned out to be that very evening.

I had just come in from grocery shopping when the phone rang. Hoping that it was Kent, I snatched up the receiver.
"
Lily?
"
asked a familiar voice.
"
It
'
s Stephen.
"

"
Oh—hello. How are you, Stephen?
"

"
Fine. And you? It
'
s been a long time.
"

A long time, and a lot of tears. It felt good to be able to tell him,
"
I
'
m doing great. Yeah, it has been a while. Mom told me you were here in town.
"

"
I just got back last week. I
'
m going to be working at Hope. I missed New York, you know? You don
'
t realize it until you leave.
"

I refused to see any double meaning in his words.
"
I don
'
t blame you,
"
I said.
"
I love the change of seasons and all the different scenery we have. Hope
'
s a great hospital. I
'
m sure you
'
ll do well there.
"

"
My old stomping grounds. It
'
ll be nice to have a handle on everything.
"

Yes, that was what Stephen always wanted.
"
Well, congratulations on becoming a resident,
"
I replied.
"
You worked so hard, and it
'
s a tremendous accomplishment.
"

"
Thanks, Lily. You of all people know how much I had to sacrifice. But when you see the difference you can make, it keeps you going.
"
His voice cracked with emotion and there was a long pause.

"
Talk to me, Stephen,
"
I prodded.

"
Last month, I assisted in a spinal operation on a six-year-old girl. I was there when she took the first steps of her life. Her mother was crying and took my hand to whisper,
'
Thank you.
'
I had tears in my eyes too. It
'
s hard to describe how that makes you feel.
"

"
I
'
ll bet.
"
My admiration was sincere.
"
You
'
re a wonderful doctor, Stephen.
"

"
Enough about me. I want to hear what
'
s happening with you. Will you come out and have a drink with me? I
'
d love to catch up.
"

He seemed to feel no awkwardness about this situation, but I did.
"
Well, I
'
m not sure when I
'
m free. Can I get back to you?
"

"
Of course. Got a pen? I
'
ll give you my number.
"

I reflected as I wrote it down that I was bound to be running into him soon. The hospital adjoined the university and it was not a big city. Perhaps it was best to get it over with. But I wasn
'
t going to give up any time with Kent.

"
Maybe we can meet for lunch. I
'
ll let you know in the next couple of days,
"
I said.

"
Okay. It will be great to see you again, Lily. I
'
ll talk to you soon.
"

Katy was right
, I thought as I hung up. My life was getting to resemble a romantic novel of late. Here I had a brand new love interest, and right on his heels, the old one was returning.
But it
'
s all over with Stephen
, I reminded myself. From now on, we would meet only as friends, if indeed we managed that.

Cleocatra was rubbing against my ankles, waiting to see if I had brought her anything home from the store.
"
Yes, I remembered your treats,
"
I told her.
"
Just wait a minute until I can get this stuff put away. Cleo, can you believe everything that
'
s been happening lately?
"

My pet meowed as if to say that she, like Katy, could believe anything.