“Hmph,” said Emerson. “Well, but if it is only a matter of a few days—”
“Do you remember a night on the dear old Philae —the night you asked me to be your wife?”
“Of course I remember. Although,” Emerson said musingly, “there is still some doubt in my mind as to who asked whom.”
“Am I never to hear the end of that?”
“Probably not,” said Emerson, holding me close.
“Do you remember what happened later that night?”
“How could I ever forget? You made me the happiest of men that night, my love. I would not have had the courage to come to you.”
“So I came to you. Did you think less of me for that?”
“Are you blushing, Peabody ?” He put his hand under my chin and raised my head. “No, of course you aren’t. I loved you with all my heart that night, and I have loved you more every day we have been together, and I will go on loving you… Er, hmph. Did you lock the door?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” said Emerson.
From Manuscript H
Nefret pushed Seshat out onto the balcony. For a breathtaking moment she stood silvered by the moonlight before she closed the shutters and came back to him. “First thing tomorrow morning I am going to speak to Reis Hassan about having the Amelia ready for us when we return in April,” she announced.
“Is it Mother or Seshat you want to avoid?”
“Both of them. All of them!” She laughed softly and turned her face into his shoulder. “I’m afraid the poor dears were scandalized when I shut them out; people of their generation would never violate the conventions in this way.”
His voice muffled by her hair, Ramses murmured ambiguously. He had learned never to make a dogmatic pronouncement about either of his parents.
“I don’t care,” Nefret whispered. “I don’t care about anything except being with you, always, forever. We’ve lost so much time. If I had only—”
“Nefret, darling.” He took her face between his hands. It was too dark to see her features, but he felt the wetness on her cheeks. “Never say that again. Never think it. Perhaps we had to go through the bad times in order to earn—”
“Good Gad, you sound just like Aunt Amelia!” She kissed him fiercely on the lips. He tasted blood, and so must she have done, for she lifted her head. “I’m sorry! I hurt you.”
“Yes, and you’re dripping tears all over my face. Stop it at once. Mother would also say that the secret of happiness is to enjoy the present, without regretting the past or worrying about the future.”
“I know she would, I’ve heard her say it at least a dozen times. Does this seem an appropriate time to talk about your mother?”
“You were the one who—”
“I know, and I wish I hadn’t. I love her with all my heart, but I won’t let her or anyone else come between us now.”
“My dearest girl, she’ll hustle us into a church as soon as she can make the arrangements—not more than two days, if I know Mother.”
“Oh, well, in that case perhaps you would prefer that I leave, and not come back until after—”
“Just try it. I’ve learned my lesson, too.”
“Someday I will, so you can crush me in your arms and overpower me,” Nefret said dreamily. “I think I’d like that.”
“So would I. Give me a few more days.”
She let out a little cry of distress, and pulled away. “I keep forgetting. Your poor face, and your poor back, and your poor hands and—”
“I keep forgetting too. Come here.” She moved lightly into his embrace, and he smoothed the silky hair away from her face and kissed her temples and brows and closed eyes. “Uh—you did lock the door, didn’t you?”
“Yes, my love.”
“Good,” said Ramses.
From Letter Collection B
Dearest Lia,
We will be with you shortly after you receive this. We sail from Alexandria in two days’ time. I have so much to tell you I’m fairly bursting with it, but I can’t do the subject justice in a letter. So why am I writing? It’s because I want you to be the first to whom I sign myself
With fondest love,
Nefret Emerson
FB2 document info
Document ID: 1de289a1-bd38-4939-a3cf-7f01eb6745d8
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 2004-09-17
Created using: FB Tools software
Document authors :
Stranger
Source URLs :
http://www.greylib.align.ru/library/DET/ElizabethPeters.HeShallThunderintheSky.rar
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He Shall Thunder in the Sky taps-12 Page 50
