Soul and Shadow (8 page)

Chapter Ten

In spite of only four hours of sleep, I sailed through the next day. Katy looked at me suspiciously as I sang while typing up a report.
"
What have you been up to, young lady? I
'
ve never seen you so cheerful this early in the morning.
"

"
Just full of the joy of life. It
'
s a beautiful world, Katy.
"

"
Is it? I suppose so, as long as there
'
s coffee in it. At least Briggs seems calm these days.
"

Thankfully, he was. He had a paper due for a meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in New York, and the pressure of getting it done had made him quite irritable lately. He was a private man with a somewhat prickly personality, but in months of working together, we had developed a certain affinity.

He was a brilliant scholar, and I had been very lucky to get a job with him. I earned money as well as credit towards my degree, and at the same time, I was gaining invaluable experience. Even on the professor
'
s worst days, I had nothing to complain about.

"
His paper is coming along nicely,
"
I told Katy.
"
I even got a little reward for all my hard work.
"
I took a plastic Starbucks card out of the drawer.
"
Here, I want you to have it. Splurge on some ventis.
"

"
I couldn
'
t take your hard-earned gift,
"
Katy protested as she did just that.
"
I could not possibly go out at lunch for the largest size caramel macchiato. Would you like me to bring you anything while I am
not
doing that?
"

"
I
'
m fine. You drink to your heart
'
s content.
"

"
Thank you! I only accept because I know you now have a rich Brit wining and dining you, so you won
'
t go without. Of course, you
'
re keeping me updated on that front, aren
'
t you?
"

"
Of course,
"
I replied. But in reality, it was too personal to share just yet. I wanted to savor this wonderful feeling privately for a while.

Kent came to get me after work. He looked good enough to eat, dressed in a pair of brushed cotton pants and a crisp white shirt that settled nicely across his broad shoulders.
"
We
'
re giving you a proper English meal,
"
he teased as we drove over there.
"
Beans on toast, a packet of crisps, and digestive biscuits for afters.
"

"
What, no Cock-a-Leekie soup?
"
I inquired.

"
Wrong nationality, my dear girl. Have to get yourself a Scottish boyfriend if you want food like that. He could serve you haggis and oat cakes as well.
"

"
Sounds tempting, but I
'
m satisfied with you for now,
"
I smiled.

He leaned over to kiss me, but I pushed him away.
"
Watch the road, please. I
'
d hate to die before I could taste a digestive biscuit.
"

In fact, the dinner contained no such fare. It was an excellent soufflé that tasted like something you
'
d get in an elegant restaurant. There was also some delicious butternut squash soup, fresh steamed vegetables, and Sally Lunn bread. It was so far above my usual microwaved standard that I felt as though I
'
d wandered into Buckingham Palace by mistake.

This was intensified by the presence of the cook who had prepared the whole repast. His name was Winston, but I had to bite my tongue to keep from referring to him as
'
Jeeves.
'
He came out with each course, and hovered anxiously until someone said
"
Wonderful, Winston!
"
Then he would retire with a self-effacing nod. He saved the best for last, a raspberry trifle. He watched as I put the first spoonful to my lips. There was no need to feign enthusiasm.

"
Winston,
"
I said with a sigh,
"
this is absolutely heavenly.
"

"
Hear, hear,
"
Kent seconded.
"
You
'
ve outdone yourself. Cheers.
"

The chef modestly accepted his due, murmuring,
"
Too kind,
"
and
"
it was nothing.
"

Dame Ursula looked after him fondly as he retreated.
"
Such a talented man. And yet he
'
s certain that every dish is going to be a disaster. He
'
s been with us for many years and we
'
ve never been able to dispel that notion.
"

"
Does he come with you whenever you travel?
"
I asked, imagining such a luxury.

"
It depends on where we go. He adores America,
"
Ursula answered.

"
He likes to find little diners and eat things like hot dogs and home fries,
"
Philip said.
"
His favorite is called
'
the disaster plate.
'"

"
Another local specialty,
"
I supplied.
"
A hotdog, a hamburger, bread, and potato salad, all covered in onions and barbeque sauce.
"

"
Well,
"
Ursula said tactfully,
"
I suppose our food might seem strange to other people.
"

"
What
'
s strange about bangers and mash, or bubble and squeak?
"
Kent winked at me.
"
Or toad-in-the-hole?
"

"
Aside from the fact that they sound like rock bands, nothing, I
'
m sure.
"
I turned to Dame Ursula.
"
It
'
s been such a lovely dinner. Thank you so much for asking me.
"

I really had had a wonderful time. In spite of their advantages, the family was not in the least pretentious. Our conversation was easy and wide-ranging, and they encouraged me to talk without being overt about it. Above all, they made me feel welcome.

"
My dear, we are so glad to have you here. The pleasure is all ours.
"

Winston brought out a bottle of wine, completing my fantasy meal. We didn
'
t actually adjourn to the drawing room, but the library was just as good.
This
, I thought,
I could get used to
.

After a while, Ursula announced,
"
I
'
m afraid that Lily and I must talk shop for a few minutes. Would you boys excuse us?
"

When Kent and Philip had departed, I handed over the portfolio I had brought with me.
"
I did these sketches last night,
"
I said.

I had drawn the temple at Edfu, the revelries of the Feast, and the meeting of Amisihathor and Kamenwati. Ursula studied the pictures for a long time, then looked up with a smile of sheer delight.
"
These are wonderful, Lily. You
'
ve captured the scenes perfectly. Is it the Feast of the Beautiful Reunion?
"

I nodded.

"
Ah, so that
'
s where she met Kamenwati. He was a scribe in the temple of Horus. This is more than I dared hope for, to have you see so much so soon. You are a very powerful medium, my dear. Soon, you will know how to help.
"

Exactly how she expected me to send two souls into the blessed afterlife, I didn
'
t know. But at least she seemed happy. Perhaps a few more pictures would satisfy her that the couple was headed towards the Field of Reeds.

Ursula continued to pore over the sketches.
"
You have a wonderful eye for detail. Look at Amisihathor
'
s earrings. So small, yet one can make out the interlacing wires inside the hoops and each little dangling bead. May I look them over until you leave?
"

"
Of course,
"
I replied.

She patted my hand.
"
You
'
re a special young woman, Lily. I
'
m glad that Kent is getting to know you. He
'
s very fond of you already.
"

"
I
'
m fond of him too,
"
I said.
"
I think he
'
s the nicest man I
'
ve ever met.
"

She beamed at me, not seeming to find the simple statement trite at all.
"
I
'
m sure he
'
s waiting for you now with bated breath. You won
'
t mind if we leave you two alone, I hope. I
'
m a little tired, and Philip has an errand to run. But I
'
ll see you again before you go.
"

She took my drawings with her and summoned Kent from somewhere in the huge house. He came back into the library with an expectant look.

"
She loved them,
"
I said, answering the unspoken question.
"
They made her happy.
"

Kent sat down, slipping his arm around my shoulders.
"
Good. But remember, anytime you want to stop you only have to say so.
"

"
I know. But it
'
s fine.
"
I lay my head on his chest.
"
I
'
ve really had a good time tonight. Dinner was fabulous.
"

"
Winston is a marvel, isn
'
t he? He came to live with us ten years ago, after his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. At first he drank a lot, but then Gram got him to attend AA. I can
'
t imagine the strength it took, but he
'
s been sober for a long time now. I like to think he
'
s found some peace.
"

My stereotype of the loyal family retainer was properly shattered. I reflected on how you could never really tell about other people
'
s lives.
"
What a horrible thing to happen. Death is bad enough in any form, but something like that—
"
I shivered.
"
Poor Winston.
"

We were silent for awhile. Then Kent said softly,
"
My parents died together. They were in a small plane coming home from one of Dad
'
s assignments. They got caught up in a storm and lightning struck the plane. It went down in the mountains over Spain. To this day, I get edgy when I hear thunder. It
'
s the sound of disaster.
"

I raised my head to gaze into his face, running my fingers down it tenderly.
"
I
'
m sorry,
"
I said.

He took my hand and kissed it.
"
I was six years old. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn
'
t going to see them again. They were gone often, so I wasn
'
t used to having them around. I thought they were just on another trip.
"

"
It must have been hard for you,
"
I said, my heart aching at the image of the little boy grown used to neglect.