Scoundrel (30 page)

“It says,
Lily, I must leave Holybrook House for a few hours this morning. While I am gone, stay close to Miss Stanhope, preferably in your room. I will see you when the Antiquities meeting begins at two o’clock
. It’s signed,
R
.” She glanced up at Lily, the look in her eyes apprehensive. “What do you think it means?”

“I’ve no idea.” She tried not to think about what it sounded like, but Sophie wouldn’t let her ignore the possibility.

“Do you think he intends to come back?”

“Of course he does. I’m his latest assignment. Remmington would never shirk his duty.”

Sophie shot her a wry look. “Let us hope he is more conscientious about that duty than he is of others.” She held up one hand when Lily started to object. “Forgive me. I could not help myself.”

At two o’clock, the members of the Society gathered in the foyer outside the billiards room. Lily leaned as close to Sophie as possible. “Do you think people are acting any differently toward me?”

“You are the only one acting differently,” Sophie whispered back. “Stop craning your neck. Remmington is so tall that we shall see him the moment he arrives.
If he
arrives.”

Lily straightened her shoulders. “I just thought Lady Orwell’s greeting seemed a little stiffer than usual.”

“Lady Orwell is so stiff with gout that she can barely walk. Do
not
jerk your head around when you hear what I have to tell you, but I see Remmington off to your left. He is headed our way.”

Lily’s heart began to pound a frantic beat, but she managed to keep her gaze focused on Sophie long enough to compose herself before she turned to face him. She forgot to curtsy,

His gaze swept over her then returned to her face, the look in his eyes intense. He nodded almost imperceptibly, as if he’d just confirmed something in his mind.

“Lily,” he murmured, as he lifted her hand for a kiss. He nodded toward Sophie. “Miss Stanhope. Are you ladies ready to attend the meeting?”

“Where were you?” Lily blurted out. She felt a blush stain her cheeks.

Remmington shook his head. “I will tell you later. Miss Stanhope, will you lead the way?”

He took Lily’s arm and they followed Sophie into the billiards room. The stone sarcophagus now rested on its back where the billiards table once stood. Most of the remaining furniture in the room had been pushed aside. Chairs were set up in semicircular rows around the sarcophagus to allow guests a better view during the opening.

Harry waved to them from across the room. He gestured toward several chairs in the second row and Sophie headed toward him.

“The senior members claimed choicest seats,” Harry said, “but I believe the four of us will manage well enough from here.”

“That was very kind of you to think of us, Lord Gordon.” Sophie pointed toward the chairs. “I believe the best view will be from the chair closest to the center, Lily.”

Sophie managed to wedge herself between Lily and Remmington as they filed into their seats.

As Lily took her seat, she glanced at Remmington to gauge his reaction to Sophie’s snub, but he didn’t appear the least concerned. Perhaps he was glad that Sophie sat between them. Nothing good ever seemed to happen when they were any closer. She released a small sigh.

The meeting of the Egyptian Antiquities Society began almost immediately. Lord Holybrook made his way to the center of the room to address the members. After a brief greeting, he began to read an article about the Society that recently had appeared in the London
Times
.

Lily couldn’t concentrate on a word. She longed for just a moment of privacy to speak with Remmington, to tell him that she would accept most of the blame for The Incident. They would have to agree on a few of the details if she had any hope of convincing anyone other than Remmington of her guilt. His reputation would do little to persuade her family that he wasn’t at fault. Of course, Remmington would likely laugh in her face if she suggested another private meeting.

At last Lord Holybrook introduced Dr. Alexander and she tried to pay attention to the meeting at hand. The leading authority on Egyptian antiquities didn’t look much like a rugged adventurer. His deeply tanned skin reflected the hours spent under a desert sun, but otherwise the good doctor looked unaccustomed to hardship of any sort. There was a frailness to his slender build that made one suspect a sickly childhood.

Dr. Alexander presented a short discourse about the historical significance of the site where he found the sarcophagus, then a chisel and mallet were brought forward to break open the seals. Murmured conversations began throughout the room.

Sophie clasped Lily’s hand as Dr. Alexander set about his work. “Now it will start.”

“You look as if you expect demons to fly forth from the seals,” Lily said. “Calm down, Sophie. The curse was meant for tomb robbers. Dr. Alexander is a scholar.”

“I don’t think Ameana Re will view this any differently,” Sophie whispered back.

Remmington leaned toward them. “Who is Ameana Re?”

“The princess who is inside that sarcophagus,” Sophie answered.

His gaze moved to Lily. “You told her?”

“I saw no reason not to.” Lily frowned. “Sophie is worried about the curse. We finished translating it this afternoon and it’s just as lurid as I suspected.”

One dark brow rose. “Don’t tell me that the two of you put any stock in that nonsense?” The women remained silent. He rolled his eyes. “For two modern, educated females, a belief in ancient curses seems remarkably backward.”

Cries of excitement arose in the audience and they turned their attention toward the front of the room. Six burly footmen inserted long poles through openings on the sides of the sarcophagus lid. With a great deal of strain and effort, the footmen lifted the stone lid then slid it away to reveal the contents of the sarcophagus. Other guests began to crane their necks and a few stood up. Sophie’s grip on Lily’s hand became painful. Lily freed her hand as they stood up and waited for the footmen to move aside. Her breath caught in her throat when they did. The mummiform still lay inside the sarcophagus. It was the most magnificent piece of artwork she’d beheld in her life.

The full-sized image of a woman covered the top of the case, so lifelike that she did indeed look as if she might speak. Surveying the mummiform as a whole, Lily realized that the entire thing appeared made of solid gold. Dr. Alexander stepped forward and reverently touched the face of the image.

“Congratulations, Lord Holybrook.” Dr. Alexander tore his gaze from the figure. “Do you wish to open the mummiform?” When Lord Holybrook continued to stare at the Egyptian princess in silence, Dr. Alexander repeated the question.

“Eh, what?” Lord Holybrook said, with a distracted glance at Dr. Alexander. “Open her up? I don’t think so, my good man. This is quite enough excitement for one day. What say we have the footmen hoist her out of the sarcophagus so you can do a more thorough examination, then we’ll open it up tomorrow? Have to save some mystery for the closing meeting. Biggs,” he called out, motioning to his steward. “Serve the refreshments, then see to our Egyptian friend here. We’ll need some sturdy straps, I should think. Try the stablemaster.”

The abruptness of Lord Holybrook’s orders seemed to shake everyone from their fascination with the princess. While Lord Holybrook set about organizing the mummiform’s removal, servants began to circulate among the guests with glasses of ratafia and cider. Remmington and Harry led the women away from the activity around the sarcophagus and found a seat for them in one of the bay windows of the billiards room.

“Perhaps you are right after all, Remmington.” Sophies gaze moved past Remmington toward the sarcophagus. “The curses don’t appear to have any affect.”

“What curses?” Harry asked.

“There is a curse on every sarcophagus,” Sophie said. “Our underbutler is an Egyptian fellow, and he says the curses are carved into those seals along the sides. They promise all manner of vile fates to whoever opens the sarcophagus.”

“Gads!” A twinkle of humor lit Harry’s eyes. “If that’s true, Holybrook will soon need a company of new footmen. And here those poor chaps were already put through their paces, what with maneuvering Lady Farnsworth through her faint last night. What a scene she made! I could hardly keep a straight face when Holybrook explained what had happened.”

“I was curious about that myself,” Lily said. “What did Lord Holybrook have to say about Lady Farnsworth?”

Harry caught sight of Remmington’s scowl and his smile faded. “Oh, this and that. Nothing the least edifying to Lady Farnsworth’s character, you may be sure. She and Farnsworth departed first thing this morning. Holybrook thought Farnsworth should take his wife to London where an expert in the field could treat her nervous condition.”

“Oh, there’s Dr. Alexander,” Sophie interrupted. “He doesn’t look busy at the moment. I must ask his opinion of the find.”

Lily caught her arm. “I don’t think you should tell him about your underbutler’s curses, Sophie. Why worry the man unnecessarily?”

“I won’t,” she promised. “I just want to know if he’s opened any other
sealed
sarcophagi. It might make a very
interesting
story.”

Harry excused himself as well. “Been meaning to ask Rumford about those scrolls he purchased. They sound amazingly similar to my own.” He gave Remmington an uneasy look, but his smile came back in force when he bowed to Lily. “If you will excuse me, my lady?”

“What was that business about a
sealed
sarcophagus and
interesting
story?” Remmington asked, when Sophie and Harry left. “It sounds as if she very much intends to tell Alexander of the curses.”

“Not at all,” Lily assured him. “Sophie merely intends to ask Dr. Alexander if he opened any other sealed sarcophagi. If he did, she will find a way to ask if anything unusual happened to him around the same time. Sophie really does have an Egyptian underbutler named Samir, and he’s filled her head with tales of tomb curses. She might not believe every word of them, but she staunchly believes it is bad luck to open a sarcophagus.”

“Then why on earth did she agree to attend an opening?”

“I asked her that question myself.” Lily shrugged her shoulders. “She said that curiosity will eventually kill the cat.”

“I find your friend extremely odd at times, Lily.” The faint amusement faded from Remmington’s eyes and he clasped his hands behind his back. “As interesting as I find tomb curses, we have a much more serious matter to discuss. I asked Holybrook for permission to use his study for an hour after the meeting, and he agreed to ensure our privacy there.”