"You must be Ben. We've been expecting you," she said, grabbing Ben's suitcase before he could say a word. "Come in, come in. Get the weight off your feet. You must be knackered after such a long journey. Oh, I'm Charlie. We spoke on the phone."
She showed Ben into a double-height drawing room with exposed stone walls on two sides and a galleried walkway that stretched around the other two. The gallery, heavy with bookcases, was an ideal vantage point to gaze down into the room from the upper level. Oak beams and a white-washed ceiling complemented the golden stone work and the simple, comfortable oak furniture.
"This house is enchanting," Ben said to her in awe.
"Yes, it's gorgeous, isn't it? But it’s hell on earth to clean," she replied with a laugh. "Still, I shouldn't complain. How else would I keep this heavenly bod in order otherwise?" she added with a cheeky wink. "I've got your room all ready and cosy. I'll just pop your suitcase up and then bring you a nice cup of tea."
Before he had a moment to protest, she'd gone in a flurry of bouncing blonde curls.
As Ben studied the room, his mental image of Ellie changed from struggling business owner to an affluent aristocrat flirting with commerce. Sam had been unusually vague about Ellie. When Ben had asked him for more details, Sam had mumbled she was his best hope and then closed down the conversation. Now he wondered why his normally verbose buddy had been so strangely taciturn about Ellie Bendall.
The Test
Charlie returned laden with a heavy tray of sandwiches, cakes, and tea. "Wow, is that all for me?" Ben exclaimed. "I'll be as large as this house if I eat all that."
Charlie fidgeted. "Sorry – I've never been to the States, but on the telly, the food portions are huge, so I served accordingly."
Feeling guilty he'd embarrassed her, Ben beamed and said, "Ah, that it explains it. Just so you know, I don't pack a gun, I hold a well-used passport, and I can talk quietly – well, by American standards." He winked at her.
She laughed and flashed him her teeth. "And I have excellent teeth, we haven't had rain in over twenty-five days, and I've never said 'gosh' in my life. Anyhow, I'm afraid Ellie isn't around today, but she left you a load of material to get started on," she said, crossing to the table and lifting a mound of books and a large folder.
A flash of embarrassment crossed her face, which she cleared with a deep breath and a lift of her chin. "Actually, Ben, she's rather annoyed with me for booking a solo client. As I said on the phone, she only teaches groups, and she didn't take the news well. I don't know how to put this, so I'll just spit it out. Ellie's left you pre-class study material with a test, and she said she will only continue with the training if you pass with ninety percent or more."
She laid the books on a small side table and said, "She's given you until nine tomorrow morning to finish it." Her cheeks flushed redder as she continued. "If you fail the test, she will refund your course fees in full and provide a return ticket to the U.S. I am so, so sorry. She's an excellent Arabic teacher. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have booked you without checking with her, but she really needs-"
Ben raised his hand. "Stop, stop. I understand. She's a spoiled old tartar used to having her way in everything. Don't worry, Charlie. I've got a phenomenal short-term memory. It'll be easy."
Ellie whistled a perky tune as she white-washed the bedroom wall in the first accommodation unit. She'd extricated herself from having to spend the next four months with a strange man, and the world was a whole lot better than it'd been yesterday.
"You're wrong, lassie," Shannon said from behind her.
"You frightened me," she said, whirling around with the paint roller dripping in her hand. "And for your information, I am not wrong. Charlie is. She had no right to make that booking without consulting me. There's an order of command for a reason. I own Scarab's Rest, not her!"
"You're wrong and you know it, but you're too damned thick-skulled and stubborn to admit it, just like your old Grannie. Never in me life did I meet a more difficult woman when she got an idea in her head, and you, my love, are the same."
Ellie threw the roller into the tray and moved to leave, but Shannon blocked her exit.
"Don't go running away again. Listen for once. I have known you your entire life, lass and lady, and spent a good part of mine helping your Grannie. You need this client. You're going under otherwise, as sure as bees collect pollen. I know you've been hurt more times than any wee lassie should ever have been, and it's created deep scarring, but don't let fear cast its shadow over your whole life. You have an opportunity here, and God knows you are the first Bendall in a long time with a business head - grab your dream. Restore Scarab's Rest to its former glory."
Ellie stared in shock at Shannon, who flicked a gentle finger under her chin and left, his footsteps whispering softly on the hardwood floor.
Ben glanced up as another cup of black coffee appeared next to him. Smiling at Charlie, he stretched and said with a yawn, "You still here? What time is it?"
"Gone three a.m.," she answered.
"Don't you have a home?" he asked.
"I'm here with you till the bitter end. It's my fault, and I will help in any way I can. Although, Arabic grammar is not my forte. Far from it."
"Did I say this would be easy sometime in my stupid past? Jeez - this stuff is so complicated. She's determined to get rid of me, isn't she?"
"Yep."
"Then let's blight her opportunity. Ready to test me again, partner?"
"I'm all yours," she yawned.
Blinking at the screen in disbelief, Ellie registered the test result from her computer upstairs.
"Ninety-seven percent - you did it!" Charlie shrieked at Ben. She grabbed him and whirled him around just as the grandfather clock in the atrium struck nine clear chimes.
"Nope, Lady Charlie," Ben said with a deep bow from his waist. "We did it. What a dynamite team! You've shown me I can crack this language, and thanks almost whole heartedly to you, I will." With that, he planted a loud kiss on her cheek and swung her around until they collapsed in a fit of giggles.
Lifting her head from the keyboard, Ellie peered at the screen again. She heard screams of excitement from downstairs and flopped her head back down in despair. The gods are against you, Ellie, she thought to herself, as always.
Five minutes later, a jubilant Charlie knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer, she entered and deposited a tray on the desk. Finding Ellie slumped on her keyboard, she pinched her between the shoulder blades and bustled around the room, tidying as she went.
"Ouch! Was that necessary?"
"Sorry. Did it hurt?" Charlie replied innocently. "I was just testing to make certain you hadn't died from a case of the terminal grumps. Glad to know you are still alive and well."
"For your information, I was practising dhyāna meditations."
"And I have been polishing the floor with a broom up my ass whilst singing ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ with our guest. Move your bum, girly. You've got a student to teach downstairs, who, I might add, just passed with ninety-seven percent," she boomed into Ellie's ear. "Here's your breakfast. Eat, wash, and come greet our visitor. And pronto!"
The First Meeting
Ellie shrugged into a charcoal grey poloneck and matching tailored trousers, then searched for something to tie back her hair. She yanked open drawers and rummaged until she found a bobble.
These cupboards need sorting, she thought as she pulled her unruly mane into a severe ponytail.
Turning to inspect herself in the full-length mirror, she twisted from side to side and smiled at her spartan appearance. She took a deep breath, smoothed the invisible creases, and moved to the door, ready – albeit reluctantly – to face her foe.
Shifting as the kitchen door opened, Ben stared at the woman who entered. She was not the dried-up old spinster of his imagination. Facing him across the kitchen island was a titian-haired beauty of around thirty, with glowing peachy skin, generous rosy lips, and a voluptuous figure.
Long black eyelashes shielded her eyes as she glided towards him.
She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath, extending her hand, and glancing up at him, her green eyes guarded. As they reached across the island to shake hands, Ben noticed her eyes had amber crescents, which curled around the pupil on the outer edge of each iris.
Then their fingers met. A blue spark arced between their hands, fizzing as they touched. They jumped back as they got a huge static shock.
"Ouch…" she said through gritted teeth as she shook her hand in the air. "Sorry. You must be Ben. I'm Ellie Bendall. Welcome to Scarab's Rest."
"Figured out who I was when you felt pain, eh?" Ben replied with a grin.
"Not precisely, no," she said. "You're the only man in my house. It made the deduction elementary."
Cold. No, icy, Ben mused. Arctic fronts are warmer. I'm going to need a heavy dose of charm.
"Your eyes are amazing, Ellie. Heterochromia is rare; it occurs in only one percent of the population."
"Heterochromia?" she asked with a frown.
"Sorry. I'm so interested by it, I forget others aren't. It's a variation in colour of the iris, i.e. green eyes with amber crescents."
"Fascinating," she said pointedly.
"Well, having the same condition, I'm always excited to meet someone else with it. I've seen people with two different coloured eyes or splotches of a colour on one of their eyes, but until today, I've seen no one with two matching crescents other than myself. What're the chances of us both having the same coloured eyes and patterning? A fraction of one percent – that is fascinating!"
"Ben, whilst most women may be flattered by your overstated charm, I am not. I want to be unequivocal... you are a student in my school. Should you step over that delineation, I will not hesitate to cancel your course, which Charlie assures me is of the utmost importance to you. I hope I've made myself clear."
"Crystal-clear, Ms. Bendall. You've an over-inflated ego. I am here to learn Arabic and only Arabic. I like women as much as the next man, but my taste goes for warm and friendly, rather than glacial and arrogant. Sorry to disappoint you." Standing, he pointed towards the door and said, “I've paid your school a packet for my tuition and would appreciate if we could start. You are late."
The Catch-Up
"Habibti azayik? Wahashtini habibti. Darling, how are you? I missed you. It's me, Mama Aida. My Elena, can you hear me?" an old, croaky voice shouted down the line in Arabic.
"Mama Aida! Yes, I can. No need to shout. It's so good to hear your voice. I've missed you."
"Al Hamdulillah, Al Hamdulillah. Praise be to God. Elena, habibti, speak. Something's wrong. It's in your voice, my darling. Is it that wretched man? Is he harassing you again? Oh, I knew it! Didn't I tell you 'marry in haste, repent at leisure'? That's it. I'll get the Omda to book me a flight, and I'll come to you."
"Mama, calm down. I'm fine. You don't need the Omda. I haven't had any contact with Sam since the divorce. I'm just tired and a touch over-wrought. It's work stuff, I promise."
Ellie smiled to herself at the thought of Mama Aida rushing as fast as her little old legs would carry her, black galabiya flying, to the local Omda, the government-appointed village mayor, to get him to book her airline tickets. The tiny hamlet of mud houses she lived in had only gotten electricity two years before, and the Omda was a village elder of around seventy who couldn't speak English and had never seen a computer, much less used one. He'd won the appointment as he was the only person universally respected in the village. He was a wise, stern but kindly old man, but air-ticket agent he was not.
"My Elena, as Allah is my witness, and may He burn out my eyes if I lie, I sensed your unhappiness deep in my heart. A shadow blotted out the sun today, and I said to myself, 'Aida, your little Elena needs you.' So, I went to the market and I called. Now tell me all about it, my little one. Mama Aida has the answer, you know."
"Yes, you always have," Ellie said with a long sigh. "It's silly, and I shouldn't let it get under my skin, but this student has an uncanny ability to just wind me up the wrong way. It wouldn't matter if he was just one in a class, but he's on his own with me for four months, and he's driving me to distraction and back in a hurry."
"He? On his own? Ya, Elena, your reputation! Do you have a chaperone?"
"Mama, it's not like that here in England, I told you. Anyhow, I've moved into one of the accommodation units. It's more a building site than a house, but that's better than living under the same roof with him."
"Why did you accept a solo male student? Didn't I always tell you men bring us nothing but hardship and heartache? Didn't that terrible man prove my words true? Why am I on my own? I had plenty of offers. It's better to find your own way in life, to depend on yourself. Men grow with a good woman's love, but women wither. It's a common truth, Elena, habibti."
"I didn't accept him. I would never have accepted him. Things are a bit tight at the moment, so when he called and offered to pay for a full-time, ten-person course for four months, Charlie accepted, and I'm stuck with him. I've tried everything to wiggle out of it, but he's too smart."
"Yanhar esswed. What a black day. A maid decided your business's direction. Are you crazy? Did I teach you nothing, girl of mine?"
"She is not a maid. She's a friend of mine, and she was only trying to help."
"If it has four legs, pulls a cart, and brays, it's a donkey. She cleans your house, so she's your maid. Where did I go wrong? I tried so hard to raise you well, when your mother was more interested in old, broken pots. I was there loving you, teaching you. I failed! Oh, what a black day. A black day," she wailed.
"Mama Aida – stop! You raised me with more love and more human insight than anyone could ever hope for. I'll be fine, really. I promise. It'll be okay. Calm down. Please don't stress your heart. Please..."
Aida replied with new vigor, "Elena, my darling, I've been saving, and I have just over five hundred dollars. I'll invest it in your school, and you can pay me back when God grants your school sunshine days. Then you can get rid of this male parasite. Al Hamdulillah, we have a solution. God be praised."
Smiling gently at Aida's offer, Ellie declined as tactfully as she could. She ended the call with a promise to call Aida at her neighbour's house the following day on the only telephone line in the hamlet.
Egypt
Aida returned the handset to the boy running the tiny kiosk in Abusir. The telephone line was stolen from the nearby exchange and rented out by the call. The dusty streets swarmed with children and cars, sheep and water buffalo, all bustling to get home as the sun set. The hawkers selling homemade flatbread and the stall owners selling street food called out to attract the passers-by, but the cacophony of car horns blasting and brakes squealing drowned them out.
Through this chaos, she plodded back home, not feeling the two miles. She rolled her prayer beads through her fingers in an obsessive and worried manner. She chewed her bottom lip and muttered passionate entails to God to protect her ward, her heart's child.
Aida had been with Ellie's family for over sixty years and had been Ellie's nursemaid, then her nanny and, to all intents and purposes, her mother. It was Aida she'd run to when she'd woken from a bad dream. It was Aida who'd guided her through adolescence with all that involved, and Aida who'd provided stability and love throughout her childhood. Though only the house help, she'd been more knowledgeable and wiser, more curious and self-aware, and infinitely more compassionate and loving than anyone else in Ellie's sphere.
Now she was suffering from Ellie's self-inflicted exile from Egypt. Fast approaching eighty-two, her eyes failing and her limbs weakening, she felt the loss of her life's one love. She desperately wanted her to come home, but she was deeply proud of Ellie's success with the house renovation and the establishment of the school.
Despite Ellie's pleading and bullying, Aida refused to move to England. Her bones formed from the sands of Egypt and would return to those sands, not the cold, wet mud of a c
ountry unknown. Yet, if Ellie needed her, she'd go. She'd have to go. Her vow was sacrosanct.
"My Elena, my sweet girl, I'll find a solution. I'll not let them hurt you again..." she muttered as she continued her long walk home.
An Outing
"I'm bored. I've been here for two months and barely left this house. 'You’ll practise immersive language courses' – that’s what the brochure says," he said, waving it in front of her. "Come on, Ellie. It will be fun, and where better to practise the academic Arabic I need? I'm the top of the class! Don't I deserve a reward for that?"
"You're the only one in the class, so you're also bottom," she answered, slamming her coffee cup down and opening the newspaper with a snap.
Charlie reached across them to clear the breakfast dishes. "Ellie, he's right. Normally, you'd have had a shed-load of outings by now. Give the guy a break." Turning her back on Ellie, she gave Ben a cheeky wink.
"So, whatcha say, Ellie? We could take the bikes. It's only a couple of villages away. If we use the cycle path next to the canal, we'd cut a click or two by going cross-country. Please. I'll let you test me on grammar the whole ride," he said, trying to tempt her.
Raising her hands in surrender, she said, "Okay, pass today's test and we'll go. I've put the Bible in Arabic on your desk. If you can read me Genesis and Exodus without making a mistake, you're on. Otherwise, we stay and study."
Lifting his eyes to the heavens, Ben lurched out of his chair. "Fantastic. Nothing like a little Bible studies to cheer a guy up,” he grumbled.
How in the name of God did he pass that test after only two months? Ellie wondered as she puffed along the cycle path. He was the most talented student she'd ever taught. He absorbed information with almost no effort. Normally, she'd be happy teaching someone of his abilities, but Ben Ellis was easily the most arrogant and insufferable man she'd met. He was her antithesis in every way.
House of Scarabs Page 3
