Виктория Холт: Curse of the Kings

"And you've accepted?"

"Not yet. But I think I shall."

"You'll be happy, Tabitha. At last."

"And you will be happy too. I never saw Tybalt work so hard or so fervently as when they were pulling down that door which separated him from you, not even when he believed himself to be on the verge of the biggest discovery of his career. No, I have never before seen that purpose, that desperate need . . ."

I laughed. "I do believe I must be of greater importance to him than a Pharaoh's undisturbed tomb after all."

"I am sure of it," said Tabitha.

Tybalt was by my bed.

"As soon as the doctor has seen you we are going home. I have asked Dr. Gunwen to come out and make sure that you are fit to travel."

"You have sent for Dr. Gunwen! And we are going home. Then is the expedition over?"

"Yes, it's over for me."

"My poor Tybalt."

"Poor. When you are here, alive and well."

Then he held me against him.

"At least," I said, "I found happiness that I never dreamed possible."

He did not answer but the way in which he held me told me that he shared my joy.

"Where is Hadrian?" I said. "Why doesn't Hadrian come to see me?"

"Do you want to see Hadrian?" asked Tybalt.

"But of course. He is all right, isn't he?"

"Yes," he said, "I'll send him to you."

I saw the change in Hadrian at once. I had never seen him so sober before.

"Oh, Hadrian!"

"Judith." He took my hands, kissed me on both cheeks. "That! To happen to you. It must have been frightful."

"It was."

"The swine!" he said. "The utter swine. Better to have put a bullet through your head than that. Judith, you'll forget it in time."

"I wonder whether one ever does forget such an experience."

"You will."

"Why did he do it, Hadrian?"

"God knows. He must be a madman."

"He seemed sane, an ordinary merchant who was excited to come across an expedition like ours because in a way it was a link with his business. What could have been his motive?"

"That we shall have to find out. Thank God, the conference ended when it did, about the time you and Harding entered that place. They had agreed that there was to be an extension of a few more weeks and when we came back to the palace, Tybalt wanted to tell you this. One of the servants had overheard Harding telling you that Tybalt wanted him to take you to him on the site and that you had gone off with him. Tybalt was alarmed. I think he has been more uneasy than he has let us know about a lot of things. We went to the site. We searched for you. We thought it was hopeless but Tybalt wouldn't give up. He kept going over and over the same ground. And finally we heard the knocking."

"What could have been his motive? I believe he tried to kill me in the Temple one day."

"But how could your death possibly profit him?"

"It's so mysterious."

"There was Theodosia. Do you think that was Leopold Harding?"

"No, that was the Pasha and his servants."

"The Pasha!"

"One of the workmen . . . Yasmin's lover . . . warned me. Yasmin was discovered in the tomb and they killed her. She was there on the day the Pasha came to us. You remember the Feast of the Nile."

"Good God, Judith. We're in a maze of intrigue."

"Theodosia's death could have been anyone's death. She was the unfortunate one. The bridge had been tampered with because the Pasha wanted a victim. It didn't matter which."

"But the Pasha has helped us."

"He wants us out of this place. It may well be that he will attempt to kill another of us."

Tybalt came in and sitting on my bed regarded me anxiously.

"You've been tiring Judith," he accused Hadrian.

I reveled in his concern but insisted that I was not tired and that we had been talking of Leopold Harding and the Pasha and once again looking for a reason why this attempt had been made on my life.

Tybalt said: "In the first place Harding must have known something about the layout of the ground."

"He had been there on several occasions," I reminded him.

"He knew too much. He must have acquired the knowledge from somewhere."

"It is certain," I said, "that Leopold Harding was not what he seemed. Tybalt, I wonder if that boy, Yasmin's lover, knows anything. It was he who told me that the Pasha wanted to drive us away."

"We'll send for him," said Tybalt.

"On some pretext," I warned. "No one must know that he is suspected of helping us. How can we be sure who is watching us."

The boy stood before us. We had decided that I should be the one who questioned him because I had won his confidence.

"Tell me what you know of Leopold Harding," I said.

The manner in which he looked over his shoulder assured me that he knew something.

"He comes at times to Egypt, Lady."

"He has been here often then? What else?"

"He is friend of the Pasha. Pasha give him beautiful things."

"What beautiful things?"

"All beautiful things. Jewels, stones, furniture ... all kinds. Leopold Harding goes away and comes back to the Pasha."

"He is a servant of the Pasha then?"

The boy nodded.

"Thank you," I said. "You have served me well."

"You very good lady," he said. "You good to Yasmin. You were shut in the tomb." His big dark eyes filled with horror.

"But I came out," I said.

"You very great wise lady. You and the great Sir will go back to the land of the rain. There you will live in peace and joy."

"Thank you," I said. "You have done me good service."

Dr. Gunwen arrived. He sat by my bed and talked to me. I asked how Dorcas and Alison were and he said: "Making preparations for your return."

I laughed.

"Yes, I'm going to prescribe an immediate return. I've spoken to your husband. I want you to be back there . . .a nice long rest in the country you know well. Help the rector's wife with the bazaar and jam-making sessions."

"It sounds wonderful," I said.

"Yes, get away from these foreign parts for a bit. I think then I shall be able to pronounce an immediate cure. There's nothing wrong with you, you know. Only that sort of incarceration can have a devastating effect. I think you're strong minded enough to suffer fewer ill effects than most."

"Thanks," I said. "Ill live up to that."

"Tybalt," I said, "we're going home."

"Yes," he answered. "Doctor's orders."

"Well, the expedition was over, wasn't it?"

"It's over," he said.

I lay against him and thought of green fields. It would be autumn now and the trees would be turning golden brown. The apple tree in Rainbow Cottage would be laden with russets and the pears would be ready for gathering. Dorcas and Alison would be fussing about the size of the plums.

I felt an inexpressible longing for home. I would turn Giza House into the home I wanted it to be. Darkness should be banished. I never wanted darkness again. I would have bright colors everywhere.

I said: "It will be wonderful to be home with you."

Now that I was well and we were making our preparations I learned more of what had happened.

Mustapha and Absalam had disappeared. Had they heard my explanations of how I suspected the Pasha? There was more than that. There was great excitement because in that narrow passage, which I had stumbled into and which they had entered when they broke the wall of the alcove in which Yasmin had been discovered, there was evidence that there was something beyond, and that the passage was not a blind alley after all.

It was the greatest discovery of the expedition and it was clear that Sir Edward had been aware of this on the night that he died.

Tabitha told me that Terence was taking over the leadership because Tybalt had decided to come home with me.

I said: "No. I can't allow it."

I stormed into our bedroom where he was putting some papers together.