Amanda Grange & Jacqueline Webb (20 page)

Mr and Mrs Darcy did and were thrilled by the hieroglyphs embedded in the steps already uncovered, as was Paul, who had been hard at work.

“We found a chest in the first chamber,” Edward continued.

Sophie congratulated him, but he hurried into the gaping hole without a word of reply.

It was left to Sir Matthew to lead them across to the awnings by the new tomb. The fantastically coloured canvas stretched far beyond the mouth of the tomb and gave much needed shade to the entrance. They descended the steps, and at the bottom they saw the final steps give way to a vast portal through which the workmen streamed continuously, carrying baskets of stones and rubble.

“Sir Matthew was right, then, when he said the entrance to the true tomb would be blocked with rubble,” Darcy remarked.

“Indeed, sir. Come, you should see what has been uncovered so far. Perhaps the children should remain behind at first,” Paul added. “The tunnel is quite cramped and will admit only a few at a time.”

Immediately John and Laurence began to complain, but it was clear to Darcy that there would not be enough room inside for the entire family, and it was promised to the children that they would be allowed to return later. Instead, Saeed offered to take them to the false tomb with many promises of gruesome drawings, and they left eagerly enough.

“This way,” Sir Matthew said, lighting a torch near the entrance.

Slowly Darcy and Elizabeth made their way down the steps, with Sophie and Paul close behind them. They stopped to stare at the doorway. It was covered with fabulous designs of bird-headed men and slaves carrying priceless possessions. Above it all was the golden face of the sun with rays spilling away and covering all around with its life force. Against the flickering of the torch it made an eerie picture, and Elizabeth could not suppress a shudder.

They could see straightaway that the workmen had been busy. The tunnel was long and dark, barely high enough to accommodate the average man and no more than four feet wide. As they followed Edward, squeezing continuously to the side to allow the workmen to pass by them with their baskets, they saw more drawings. These seemed more intimate in nature, depicting what were clearly a man and a woman hand in hand in some designs and seated opposite each other in several frames, on boats and on land. The smell was a curious mixture of damp earth and stale air.

At the end of the tunnel were several torches and they could see, and more importantly hear, Edward talking excitedly to his mentor. He turned as they caught up with him, his eyes feverish and his words very fast.

“Darcy and Elizabeth! Is this not wonderful? And you have arrived at the most opportune moment. Sir Matthew thinks we have reached the door to the tomb itself and I am sure—yes, I am sure—he is right!”

“Is this true, Sir Matthew?” Darcy asked.

But even as they reached their friends and Paul held up his torch, he could see that they were indeed looking at another door with even more fabulous exotic drawings. As Sir Matthew nodded, the workmen removed the last few pieces of rubble and the doorway stood in front of them, at last ready to be breached.

“I am hopeful that we will find something of great historical interest here, gentlemen, ladies,” he said as he examined the door seals, brushing specks of dirt away and tracing the designs reverently. “As you can see, the hieroglyphs are much more intricate and elegant than at the false tomb—and still intact, which strongly suggests no one has ever broken through. Well, well. Now let us see what is beyond.”

He took a chisel and, working slowly and with infinite patience, began to break the seal. Behind him it was almost possible to see steam coming from Edward's ears as he fought to control his own impatience. But Sir Matthew seemed unaware of his young protégé's eagerness and continued to work with a calm unhurried air.

At last he had worked his way round the entire door, and they were ready to proceed. Darcy and Elizabeth moved back to allow the
fellahs
, along with Edward and Sir Matthew, to push against the door. It seemed to take a long time and Elizabeth thought the door would never budge, but finally there was a sound of stone moving against stone and Sir Matthew's eyes widened in surprise for a moment. Then they all felt it—a waft of hot air against their faces. The tomb was open.

The
fellahs
moved back, muttering to themselves, clearly not eager to be the first into the tomb in case of some potent curse. But Edward suffered no such inhibitions. He strained against the door one last time, pushing it wide open, then picked up a torch. At the last moment he hesitated a second, then with a glance at Sir Matthew, who nodded, he put a foot past the doorway and disappeared from their sight.

“Mr Darcy, Mrs Darcy, wait here a second,” Sir Matthew cautioned. “You too, young Inkworthy. I would like to…”

He got no further. There was a shout of unbridled pleasure from within the tomb and then Edward's face appeared round the door again, covered in cobwebs and eerily flushed in the flickering orange flames of the torch.

“It is fantastic!” he cried. “You must come see immediately. But take care, the flooring seems rotten in places and some of the Nile has crept in over the aeons. Do you see?”

He held up his left foot and they saw his boot was soaking wet well up to his ankles. He disappeared again almost immediately. More cautiously, the others followed. The workmen did not.

As Elizabeth and Darcy entered the tomb they could not help but give gasps of amazement. It was as unlike the false chamber as it was possible for two spaces to be, and they both understood straightaway why Sir Matthew had been so skeptical when he saw it. This new tomb was vast, cathedral-like in its dimensions, stretching what must have been fifty feet up above them and away beyond their sight. Their footsteps echoed along the walls and back again. And in between were vast stores of possessions—chests and boxes, all gaily bedecked in the most brilliant oranges and yellows and reds, all the colours of the rainbow. A boat stretched out across the centre of the room and as they turned and surveyed the tomb, the light from their torches constantly set off hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights from jewellery that littered the whole place. It was like an exotic fairyland.

But like all stories of fairyland, there was a sinister twist. As they moved farther in, unable to take their eyes off all the treasures in front of them, Edward lurched forward suddenly. He gave a sickening cry that set Elizabeth's heart racing and then seemed to disappear right before their eyes. At the last moment Darcy caught him by his arm and dragged him back to where they were standing. Sir Matthew and Paul swept their torches down to the floor and they all gasped. The entire chamber was ringed with a moat which was invisible to the naked eye in the gloom. It needed the merciless illumination of fire to make it detectable and as they peered into its depths, Paul's foot dislodged some stones which fell into the abyss. It was at least ten seconds before they heard the sound of the pebbles hitting the floor.

“And that, gentlemen, is how the ancients kept grave robbers on their toes,” said Sir Matthew dryly. “My dear sir, you must take far greater care in here.”

Edward said nothing. His face was parchment white, and for a moment the excitement that had been almost tangible in his face disappeared. Then he nodded and took hold of Darcy's arm.

“My profound thanks, cousin,” he said, passing his hand over his eyes.

Darcy nodded in reply and gripped his cousin's arm tightly. Then he turned to Elizabeth.

“How are you, my love?”

“Very well, Darcy,” she replied, only slightly disconcerted by the wobble in her voice. “But I fear we must disappoint the children. They cannot be allowed in here now.”

“Indeed not,” Darcy replied fervently. “In fact I do not see how anyone can get past this obstacle.”

“I have heard of this device before, Mr Darcy,” said Sir Matthew, walking slowly along the moat. “It merely needs the application of some sturdy walkways to act as a temporary bridge. The moats are deep but not usually very wide. I think we will be able to accommodate such needs and then we will be able to touch these sumptuous treasures. This is truly a magnificent find. Well done, young Fitzwilliam. I confess that when you first came to me back in London with your plans, I expected that I had heard nothing more than a colourful fairy tale. But this is outstanding.” He shook Edward's hand vigorously, looking very pleased.

They spent a little more time examining the treasures that were tantalisingly out of reach, taking care to keep well away from the moat. Then gradually, curiosity overcoming their fears, the
fellahs
started coming in and soon the chamber was alive with the sound of human voices for the first time in thousands of years.

There was much rejoicing at the camp that night. The children were allowed to stay up late and even join in at dinner, and many toasts were made to Edward and Sir Matthew, and Ammon and Husn. Edward seemed to have lost some of his obsession now that the tomb had been found, and he paid Sophie several compliments. Mrs Bennet was beside herself with joy and became tipsy early on and had to be helped to bed by Elizabeth and Sophie.

“Well, my dear,” Mrs Bennet said to Sophie as she removed her bonnet. “You must be very excited. Mr Fitzwilliam is a fine young man and he will be set for life with this magnificent find. Your dear mama will be very pleased.” Try as she might, Mrs Bennet could not help but allow a little envy creep into her voice as she thought once more how tiresome it was that all her daughters were already married.

But Sophie looked uncomfortable at the intimation.

“Everyone will be pleased when they hear this,” said Elizabeth. “Edward's parents as well, and I am glad. Edward has had to endure a deal of teasing over his passion for Egypt but now it has proved successful. I am glad that Sir Matthew thought to send messengers to the British Embassy straightaway. The sooner people at home know of Edward's good fortune, the better.”

“Oh indeed,” replied Mrs Bennet, yawning.

As they returned to the others, Elizabeth put a hand companionably through Sophie's arm.

“Take no notice of my mother,” she said lightly. “She has spent so long conspiring for good marriages for her daughters that she cannot stop now. I daresay she will be the same before long with Beth and then Jane and Margaret.”

“Your mother only said what was on her mind, Elizabeth, and in truth I cannot blame her for her curiosity. Sometimes I wonder myself what Edward's intentions are. I thought, at first, that he liked me, but ever since reaching the dig he has been so distracted he has barely spoken two words to me. I do not blame him,” she said hurriedly. “Of course it is a wonderful find and I know that what you say is true—he
has
had to listen to a great deal of discouraging comments about his love of ancient Egypt. But even so… Sometimes on this trip he has been a charming and attentive companion and I have enjoyed his company a great deal—but at other times…”

She trailed off and Elizabeth nodded.

“At other times it has been as though you barely exist. And Paul is much more consistent in his attentions.”

Sophie looked up at the inky black sky with its fabulous blanket of stars. A warm night breeze ruffled the curls of her blonde hair and she looked delightful.

“Paul is also very charming, and apart from a few awkward moments at first, he has never been unpredictable. And that is a virtue I find very attractive, Elizabeth. Perhaps it is because of my misadventures last summer, but I do not intend to let anyone use me so badly again. I will not give my heart to someone who treats it as a toy to be played with—to be picked up in an idle moment and put aside when something more interesting offers itself.”

If Elizabeth had believed that Sophie felt more for Paul than Edward, then she would have said no more. But she was convinced it was Edward that Sophie really wanted.

“Well,” she said, “now that he has found his treasure he will have more time to spend with the living, and once his obsession has burned itself out, you will be able to discover if he is of an inconstant disposition or if this was a once in a lifetime distraction. Come, let us return to the party. The night is not yet old, and I believe Sir Matthew has many more toasts in him!”

They both laughed and returned to the table in a merry mood to see that the younger children had been escorted to bed but that William and Beth had been accorded the privilege of staying up later. Elizabeth was pleased to see her two oldest children treated with this new dignity, especially Beth, who was looking very grown-up in a long dress, with her hair in a grown-up hairstyle. Paul was talking to her gravely now, his forehead wrinkled in concern, and Beth was nodding seriously too.

“You seem very solemn,” Elizabeth said. “What can Mr Inkworthy be saying?”

“Forgive me, Mrs Darcy, I did not mean to bore Miss Darcy with my problems. I was simply explaining to her about the many sketches I have managed to make over the past few weeks. I did not expect there to be such an abundance of inspiration in an arid desert and now I am running out of paper. And yet there is still so much to document, especially when we return to the tomb tomorrow with the equipment and we will be able to see up close all the marvellous treasures the tomb has to offer. I believe I will have to return to Cairo to buy some more paper, but I am loathe to leave the dig at this exciting time, and I was asking Miss Darcy if she had any paper to spare. She has already given me some pages out of her sketchbook, but I fear there is no more paper to be had.”

“Hmm. A grave problem,” Darcy said. “One that I had not anticipated. I admit that even I thought you would only have to make a few sketches of palm trees and camels out here.”

“This is indeed a problem,” Edward interrupted, looking up from his own conversation with Saeed and Sir Matthew. “But maybe one that I can solve, at least temporarily. William, would you be so good as to go to my tent and find my documents case? I think I have some spare paper there.”

William jumped up from the table, returning a few moments later with the battered leather satchel Edward used to file all his documents. He pulled out a wad of papers and began sorting through them.

“There you are, Paul. I knew I had some paper to spare.”

So saying he handed Paul a thick notebook. It was very old and bound in battered red leather.

“You're most kind,” Paul said, taking the book and skimming through the pages. “But are you sure about this? It seems to have some writing in it.”

“It belonged to my father. He gave it to me years ago when I was a boy and he thought my interest in Egypt was just a passing fad. I think he hoped I would become bored by his notes, and indeed some of them make dry reading. My father was very interested in the agricultural innovations of the farmers here. You remember the problems we have always had draining the lower fields at our estate?”

Darcy nodded. “It never seemed to improve no matter what he did.”

“Well, he wrote a great deal about the yearly Nile floods, and to be honest, I nearly did throw that notebook away. But further in he talks about the journey he and your father made, and some of the entries are fascinating reading. I thought they might be useful to us and so I brought it along, but I am happy to sacrifice the empty pages to Inkworthy's art.”

Even his animosity to Paul had vanished, now that the tomb had been discovered.

“Thank you,” said Paul. “If you will excuse me, I will make a start. I want to make some further sketches while the images are still fresh in my mind.”

He made them a bow and then left them.

The conversation returned to the magnificent find. But just as Darcy was about to refill Elizabeth's glass, one of the Egyptian servants appeared next to her with a broom in her hand.

“Apologies. I see a rat in your workbasket.”

Elizabeth jumped, horrified at the idea of a rat inside her embroidery silks. Seeing her distress, Saeed walked over to the workbasket himself and felt inside.

“There is no rodent in here, Mrs Darcy. The girl is just being overzealous.”

“Thank you, Saeed, you're very kind,” Elizabeth said, but she felt a strange uneasiness. She, too, had thought she had seen the workbasket move, but there had been nothing inside it. Then, dismissing it as a trick of the light, she turned her attention back to the dining table, for Sir Matthew had just risen.

“I will wish you all good night, ladies and gentlemen. It's been a long day and I'm not as young as I once was.”

Elizabeth thought he looked pale in the candlelight and felt another unaccountable stirring of unease. She asked him if he felt all right but he smiled as he took her hand and said, “Perfectly healthy, my dear. Just the rigours of the day catching up with me. Please stay and enjoy the rest of the evening with your family. I'll see you all in the morning and then we will see what other wonders the tomb of Ammon and Husn has to offer us.”

Elizabeth watched him leave, waiting until he was safely in his tent before seating herself back at the table. She joined in the lighthearted conversation, as there was still a great deal of laughter after the excitements of the day, and soon her feelings of disquiet were put aside.

***

Paul had his own moment of unease on his way back to his room. As he passed the girls' room, he heard murmuring coming from inside and stopped to listen, wondering if anything was wrong. He heard Margaret crying out, and although the words were indistinct he thought he caught the words, “No,” and “…ware.”

“Meg, be quiet,” he heard Jane say.

He wondered where the girls' nursemaid was. She was meant to be sleeping with them, after Margaret's sleepwalking episodes, but his question was answered a minute later when the nursemaid appeared, carrying a bowl of water.

“Miss Margaret was rather hot,” she explained. “I just slipped out for a minute and went to get some water to bathe her forehead. Is anything wrong?”

“No, not really. I heard Miss Margaret calling out in her sleep and I was concerned, but she seems to be sleeping again.”

And with that, he passed on and returned to his own quarters. He opened the book Edward had given him and for a time he was distracted by the account of Edward's father's excursion. The ink was somewhat faded now, but the words were still legible, and they told a fascinating tale.

“…today, George and I entered the tomb of the seven priests… the guides were against the visit from the start and refused to accompany us even after we offered twice the going rate… scorpions…” Here the writing became obscured by water damage, but he could make out enough of it to interest him. The tomb they had entered was unsafe but they were determined to explore it, as they were certain it was the tomb they sought. He managed to decipher the next bit: “…there was a landslide in the tomb, and as we had foolishly entered without guides we thought we were doomed. But luckily Wickham had remained behind as he was feeling a trifle unwell, and becoming alarmed at our absence he set out in search of us. Thank God he did! He worked tirelessly to free us, bloodying his hands raw and breaking a couple of bones tearing the stones away to leave an airway for us before going for help.”

Paul frowned. Wickham. The name of the third man. But Edward had never mentioned that he knew the identity of the third man.

Now
why
would
he
keep
it
a
secret
? Paul wondered.

But the lure of the empty paper was too strong, and telling himself that it was impertinent of him to interest himself in Edward's honesty—or lack of it—he set about capturing the memories in his head and setting them down on paper.