by Cheryl Holt
Someone was hovering at his elbow, and he peered over to discover that Susan Wallace and Preston had tagged along. He couldn’t guess if Edna was there too and didn’t bother scanning the crowd.
If Fenton was among them, he was probably hiding. Once Soloman had a free moment, the boy would face a serious reckoning.
“We exited here,” Susan Wallace said. “I peeked back just as we stepped outside. She was right behind me.”
“With Fenton?” Soloman asked.
“Yes, and she was carrying the lantern.”
Preston added, “I saw them too, Soloman. She couldn’t have been but thirty or forty feet behind us.”
“You didn’t glance back again?”
Preston had the grace to look abashed. “No, I’m sorry. I escorted Miss Wallace to her tent, and I simply assumed Lady Theo was behind us.”
The camp was quite a distance away from the pyramid. In all that expanse of paths and sand, how could they not have noticed she wasn’t with them?
Soloman wondered where Preston and Miss Wallace had really gone. They likely had a secret trysting spot, for he was convinced they hadn’t returned to camp, and clearly Theo hadn’t crossed their minds again.
When the people who should have fretted over her displayed such scant regard, it made him glad he had no family.
Cedric was dividing his men into teams. Soloman hastened over and explained what Miss Wallace and Preston had told him.
“Then she’s not far,” Cedric said. “There are no steep drops in this section. If she stayed put after realizing she was lost, we’ll locate her very soon.”
“But she could have been disoriented and wandered into the tomb,” Soloman pointed out, raising his worst fear.
“It’s possible,” Cedric agreed, “but let’s not worry about it at the moment. I’m betting we’ll stumble on her with little difficulty.”
They mustered in groups of three. Cedric entered first, then Soloman, then others. The men knew the maze by heart and probably could have waltzed through in the total darkness, but Theo couldn’t.
They sidled down a short incline, then the tunnel split in two directions. Cedric went one way and Soloman the other. Sound behaved oddly in the enclosed environment, so they had to listen carefully. It was possible to hear someone talking and think they were nearby, only to learn that the person had been on the other side of the pyramid.
“Theo!” he said, and they would stop and wait for a reply. Then they’d take several more steps, and he’d hail her again. “Theo! It’s Soloman. Where are you?”
After many torturous minutes, her voice echoed by. “Soloman! Soloman!”
They had to shout and walk dozens of times before they actually found her. He rounded a corner, and there she was, seated on the floor. Her gown was filthy and torn, her bonnet askew, and her hair had fallen from its combs. He was most disturbed by her pretty hands. They were scraped and bleeding from her grappling for purchase on the rough walls.
On seeing her, he was so relieved that he could have fainted. He collapsed to his knees in front of her.
“Are you all right?” He stroked his palms across her torso, checking for injuries. “Tell me you’re all right.”
“I’m fine.” She flashed a trembling smile. “I’m hungry, thirsty, and quite scared, but I’m fine.”
He was anxious to keep his tone teasing, so she wouldn’t recognize how terrified he’d been. “You’re going to be the death of me, Theo. I can’t abide many more of these accidents of yours.”
“I was hoping you’d realize I was missing and that you’d search for me. I didn’t imagine anybody else would. I’ve been calling to you and calling to you in my mind.”
“I wasn’t sure what had happened until Cedric started supper without you.”
“What took you so long?” she asked, and she burst into tears.
“Oh, Theo,” he soothed. “Don’t you dare cry. I can’t bear it.”
He drew her onto his lap, and he sat with her, the two men with him easing away to give them some privacy. She snuggled herself to him and might have had a lengthy bout of weeping, but he wanted her out of there as quickly as he could manage it.
He glanced up at the men. “Can you let Cedric know we’ve located her?”
“We can’t leave you, Mr. Grey. We have to remain together. I’m sorry, but it’s the rule when there’s trouble.”
“I understand.” He pulled Theo away from his chest so she had to look him in the eye. “It’s obvious you’re distraught, but I’d really like to get you out of here. Are you game to try?”
“Yes, yes of course.”
He stood and helped her to her feet, and she swayed so intensely that he was worried she might swoon. He scooped her into his arms, and it was a sign of her exhaustion that she didn’t complain. The tunnel was very narrow, and it was difficult to maneuver through it while carrying her, but he wasn’t about to put her down.
They were swiftly guided out into the fresh air. The sun was setting, the desert painted in soothing shades of pink and lavender. The temperature had cooled considerably. When people saw it was Theo, they clapped and cheered, but she buried her face against his shirt as if embarrassed to be the center of attention.
Miss Wallace and Preston dashed up, Edna Wallace too. Fenton was nowhere in sight, and Soloman imagined him up on a rock ledge in the shadows where he’d have a perfect view of the consequences of his dirty deed.
“Is she all right?” Miss Wallace asked.
“Yes,” he replied, “although she’s weary and hungry and very frightened.”
Miss Wallace rubbed Theo’s back, and Theo winced as if it hurt to be touched or as if she couldn’t stomach her cousin’s concern.
“I apologize, Theo,” Miss Wallace said. “I had no idea you were missing.”
Theo didn’t respond, and Soloman said, “We’ll discuss it later, Miss Wallace—when she’s feeling more herself.”
Edna Wallace blustered forward. “You can release her, Mr. Grey. I’ll deal with her. You needn’t involve yourself further.”
“I don’t think so,” he muttered, and he stomped off. Theo was still snuggled to his chest and gripping his shirt as if it was all that tethered her to the Earth.
“Mr. Grey!” Mrs. Wallace snapped, but he didn’t heed her.
He continued on, hastily marching to the camp, and servants raced ahead of him, lanterns held high. Night fell rapidly in the tropics, with very little dusk, so it was nearly too dark to see.
He was bellowing orders: to fetch blankets, hot food, water, wine, laudanum, clean clothes, bandages and ointment for her scrapes and bruises. The servants were gracious and competent, and they rushed off in various directions to retrieve what he’d requested.
He could have taken her to her own tent where she’d have had to spend hours by herself after Susan snuck off to be with her lover. Or he could have taken her to Edna’s tent where she’d have been scolded and blamed for causing the mishap. No doubt Fenton would have been there too, waiting for yet another chance to endanger her.
He wasn’t about to abandon her to her despicable kin, so he proceeded to his own tent. Without hesitating, he entered, walked over to the bed, and laid her down.
As he moved away, she reached out to him and asked, “Where are we?”
“In my tent.”
Again, he deemed it a sign of her fatigue that she didn’t chastise him for bringing her to the inappropriate spot.
“Don’t leave me,” she said.
“I won’t. I swear.”
“And could I have the lamp burning? Maybe a candle too? I don’t want to be in the dark for a single second.”
“You won’t be in the dark, and you won’t be alone. Don’t you fret about anything.”
Female servants bustled in and took charge. She was tucked in and covered with a soft blanket. One of them had a warm bowl of water, and she began sponging Theo, washing off the dirt and grime.
Theo was so run down that she d
idn’t even flinch.
He was holding her hand, and he tried to slide away to give the women more room to maneuver, but Theo said, “Don’t let go. Please?”
“I won’t let go, Theo.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss on her lips, not caring who witnessed it. “You rest now. I’ll watch over you all night.”
He squeezed her fingers, but if she felt the gesture, he couldn’t say. She shut her eyes and was out like a light.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hold it right there!”
Fenton saw Mr. Grey marching toward him, and he spun and ran in the opposite direction.
He didn’t have to wonder what Mr. Grey wanted. Ever since Theo had been carried out of the pyramid, he’d been peeking over his shoulder, positive Mr. Grey would be there.
Typically, Fenton would have tarried and protested his innocence. There had been so many incidents at school, and he’d become adept at lying. But Mr. Grey wasn’t like any of the other stupid adults who populated his world. From the first moment they’d met, Mr. Grey had recognized Fenton’s true nature.
People were upset about Theo, which was silly. Except for her scraped palms, she was fine. If she’d been injured, he’d have felt a stab of guilt, but since she hadn’t been, there was no reason for a big quarrel with Mr. Grey.
He scooted around a bend in the path and slid into the ferns, waiting for Mr. Grey to pass by. Then he’d sneak the other way, to his mother’s tent. Mr. Grey wouldn’t dare accost him there, so he’d be safe.
Yet Mr. Grey never went by. Had he quit the chase that easily?
Suddenly, he was seized from behind as Mr. Grey lifted him off his feet and shook him.
“I’m been looking for you all morning so I could kick your ass,” Mr. Grey muttered.
“You can’t talk to me like that,” Fenton blustered.
“You don’t think so? What will you do about it? Will you tattle to your mommy?”
He tossed Fenton out onto the path so he landed with a thud. Luckily, all the ground was sand so it wasn’t that painful.
“Get up,” Mr. Grey commanded. When Fenton didn’t move, Mr. Grey yanked him up.
“Leave me alone,” Fenton said.
“How about if I take you out on my boat? I’ll sail to the middle of the river and drown you, and guess what, Fenton? No one will worry if you don’t come back.”
“I’ll tell my mother you said that.”
“Yes, tell her, you miserable turd.”
“You can’t use bad words around me. I’m just a boy.”
“You’re not a boy. You’re a dangerous menace, and if it was up to me, I’d sell you to some Bedouins and let them have you as a slave. You’d never see your precious mother ever again.”
Mr. Grey was so furious that Fenton was actually a tad frightened. He’d been threatened many times at school and other places—with whippings and various chastisements—but no man had ever followed through. Fenton was Colonel Wallace’s son, so he always escaped any genuine penalty.
But he was certain Mr. Grey wouldn’t be deterred by Fenton’s surname or sire. Especially when that sire was deceased. And he’d already determined that Mr. Grey wasn’t afraid of Edna and held her in no esteem at all. Mr. Grey could very well hand him over to native savages, and his mother would never know what had happened.
“If you sold me,” he declared, “my mother would never stop searching.”
“You’d vanish so fast and so completely that she’d have no idea where to look.”
“Bastard,” Fenton mumbled, kicking at him with his feet and managing a particularly solid jab on his shin.
He thought Mr. Grey might wince or stumble back, but the accursed villain simply walloped him alongside the head so hard that he saw stars.
“Watch your language in my presence,” Mr. Grey warned.
“Or what, you prick?”
Mr. Grey hit him again! He couldn’t believe it!
“You’re a slow learner, Fenton.”
“Can you imagine my mother’s reaction when she discovers you hit me?”
“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Fenton? I don’t give a shit about your mother.”
“When she bites into you, you’ll be sorry.”
“I doubt it. Haven’t you realized how we’re just alike? I’ve never been sorry about anything my entire life.”
“You’re an adult. You can’t hit a child!”
“Who says I can’t? Would you rather I paddled your bottom like the spoiled brat you are?”
“Mother!” Fenton hollered. “Mother, help!”
“You really are a crybaby, aren’t you?”
Mr. Grey was gripping him by the neck, by the hair too. They started off, and Fenton kicked and fought, but couldn’t get away.
“Why do you do it?” Mr. Grey asked. “Theo’s kind to you. Why hurt her? Why be so cruel?”
Fenton knew he should stick to his usual method of denying responsibility, but he loathed Mr. Grey and his smug arrogance.
“I do it to her because I can,” he boasted, “because she’s stupid and gullible, and I’m never blamed.”
“What if she’s truly harmed someday? What if she’s maimed or killed? Yesterday, she could have tripped over a ledge and broken her leg. Don’t you care?”
“Why are you making such a big fuss? She spent a few hours in the dark. Boo-hoo. Everyone’s fawning over her as if she’s dead.”
Mr. Grey grabbed Fenton’s ear and twisted it. Fenton shrieked with outrage.
“You’re the most unlikeable person I’ve ever met, Fenton.”
“No matter what, I’ll always be better than you.”
“After you get older, you’ll recognize what a low bar that is.”
“I am Fenton Wallace. My father was Colonel Winthrop Wallace.”
“Your father was an asshole. People hated him, and I’m predicting you’ll grow up to be just like him. People will hate you too.”
Fenton was shocked that Mr. Grey would denigrate the Colonel. Fenton had never heard his father disparaged. He might have lit into Mr. Grey for his disrespect, but they’d reached the area of the camp where their tents were located. When they should have turned toward his mother’s tent as he’d expected was their destination, they turned the other way.
“Where are you taking me?” Fenton nervously asked.
“To Cedric Webster. We’ll let him decide your penalty. After this mischief, he’ll probably send you and your mother packing.” Mr. Grey leaned in and hissed, “And if he doesn’t, you’d best keep looking over your shoulder. The minute a caravan of Bedouins travels by, you’re history.”
Fenton began to struggle in earnest. He didn’t want to explain himself to Mr. Webster, didn’t want the grumpy, famous man glaring and accusing. He simply wanted to be with Edna where he’d profess his innocence, listen to a short lecture about his behavior, then scoot away as soon as he’d offered sufficient excuses to be forgiven.
“I’m not going to Mr. Webster,” he fumed.
“It’s not up to you.”
“You can’t make me!”
“Shut up, you little monster. We’ll talk to Webster, then we’ll visit Theo and you’ll apologize. You’ll sincerely apologize, and if I ever—ever !—catch you playing a prank again, it will be the last one you ever manage.”
Fenton increased his struggles, being keen to escape, when—like magic—his mother appeared down the path.
She saw how Mr. Grey was manhandling Fenton, and she barked, “Mr. Grey! What are you doing?”
“I’m taking this fiend to Cedric. You can’t control him, so I’ll have Cedric mete out the proper punishment. If it’s a sound whipping, I will be happy to administer it.”
“Put him down!” she shouted, but Mr. Grey didn’t heed her. She stamped her foot. “Mr. Grey! Release him!”
Fenton flashed his most woeful expression, tears flooding his eyes. He was really good at crying on cue. It had gotten him out of so many jams. “Mother, he’s scaring me! He plans
to drown me in the Nile.”
“It would be what you deserve,” Mr. Grey muttered.
Fenton started bawling, and his mother marched over and yanked him away from Mr. Grey. She hugged Fenton to her bosom as if he was a precious piece of jewelry. It was all too humorous, and he barely tamped down a laugh.
“How dare you, sir!” she said to Mr. Grey, and she was shaking with umbrage.
“He could have killed Lady Theo!” Mr. Grey retorted, and he was shaking too.
“Theo was fine when I left her,” Fenton wailed. “I have no idea how she was lost in the pyramid. I was as worried about her as everyone!”
“There’s your answer, Mr. Grey,” Edna seethed. “This is none of your affair. I’ll speak to Theo about what occurred, and I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“Like you did after he pushed her in the river? Or how about like you did after he abandoned her in the market in Cairo? Your son isn’t funny, Mrs. Wallace. He’s destructive and dangerous, and I can’t wait to learn what your excuse will be when he truly injures her.”
“I love Theo,” Fenton claimed. “I would never hurt her.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” Edna soothed. “Now that’s enough, Fenton. Go to my tent. I’ll finish with Mr. Grey, and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
“Yes, Mother.” Fenton sagged against her, eager to seem small and meek.
He dashed away, and at the last second as he slipped out of sight, he made a rude gesture at Mr. Grey that Edna couldn’t see. Mr. Grey picked up a rock and hurled it at him, but Fenton dodged away, so he missed.
Edna shrieked with offense, and Fenton smiled and hurried off. She had several bags of candy hidden in her travelling trunk, and he was forbidden to so much as peek at them. He wondered how many pieces he could eat before she arrived.
“Don’t touch my son ever again!”
“If you don’t want me touching him, then for God’s sake, woman, get him under control.”
“I’ve explained to you that he’s spirited. A brute like you could never understand.”
Theo was searching for Soloman when she heard the heated quarrel in progress. She recognized both voices immediately. Aunt Edna and Soloman.
