“If he wants them to remain in Egypt, why is he so eager to find them?” Kat demanded.
Hunter arched a brow. “It’s the knowledge, the discovery, the understanding of a people who could create such great monuments…it’s what they’ve left for today, what we can learn from them, that’s so important. And the desert is so vast! There are endless discoveries to be made. And as far as the treasures go, the point is this. There are those that can be legally obtained and are not one-of-a-kind pieces. There are fantastic monuments that belong here. At the Cairo museum. There is a small fortune to be made in the relics, even when all is legal and right. Museums across the world covet fine Egyptian mummies and artifacts—they draw people. People eat in the cafés, they purchase books and trinkets, all based on what they see. So while the entry to a museum may be free and the museum may get financial support from the government, as we do, great exhibits such as those provided by fresh discoveries are of the utmost importance to an institution’s growth. Some exhibits come on loan. And some pieces, as I said, are legally obtained. But…again, it’s the discovery that is so significant. Seeking information, solving puzzles, finding that you have followed ancient clues correctly—there lies real treasure.”
He ceased to speak, realizing that she was watching him with serious contemplation, the slightest smile curling her lips.
“This is amusing?” he asked.
Her smile deepened. “No, Sir Hunter. Actually, I am impressed with your passion. And I am truly sorry I do not know more about this subject that so enthralls you. But I promise, I will do my best to serve your needs.” She blushed, realizing the awkwardness of her words. “To be a good secretary. Taking notes…working.”
There had been many times in his life when he would have followed such a statement with teasing repartee, often to make an older, less attractive woman feel that she was comely and appealing. Banter and sexual innuendo had been his specialty. But at the moment, he had no such urge.
“I have the strangest feeling that you will do whatever you have set out to do,” he told her. “Let’s move on to a faster gait, shall we?”
He kicked Alexander’s flanks with his heels, that day refraining from spending too much time at a trot, teaching Kat to move into a smooth lope straight from a walk.
She was an excellent student.
When asked about her comfort, she did not tell him that she was in pain, or that she was doing fine. “I am learning, and I believe I shall do quite well.”
“Yes, I am sure you will.”
And so, at last, he led her through the streets, and they wended their way back to Kat’s home. But no matter what her words, he was certain that her limbs were sore. After he dismounted Alexander, he lifted her from her saddle.
She was ever so slightly shaky. Her hands fell on his shoulders, seeking support. He felt the pressure of her fingers as he set her down.
And there were seconds there when she clung to him, finding her feet. He smelled the subtle scent of her perfume, felt the warmth of her body and the slim strength of her midriff. He held her, waiting, until she balanced on her own, and let go her hold on his shoulders.
“Sore?” he asked, annoyed at the huskiness of his voice.
She looked up, still so close to him. “I will be fine,” she said firmly.
“I suggest a very warm bath.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes touched his without faltering. “I’ll give it consideration.”
He smiled, stepped back. “Tomorrow, then.”
“Will we go back to the museum?”
“Yes. Be ready by nine,” he said, striding back to Alexander.
“You’re a dictator, you know!” she called after him.
“Nine,” he added, annoyed now that his voice was curt, and that he was oddly eager to be away.
He didn’t look back, but led Alexander with the mare in tow. The scents of the city rose around him. Horses, food being sold by hawkers, refuse…
But underlying all that was the subtle and unique scent that was hers. And it seemed to follow him all the way home.
AGONY! SHE WAS IN AGONY, Kat decided.
Eliza wasn’t home, as she had gone off to buy fabric, filled with excitement over the task of designing for Lady Margaret.
Her father, too, was gone. He was somewhere with Lady Daws, something to do with the sale of his art. According to Maggie, he, too, was in high spirits.
She must have looked a little lost because Maggie made clucking sounds, wound her arms around her and said, “Poor thing! All that riding. But we’ll get you into a hot tub and all will be well. Why, that Sir Hunter! The fellow isn’t at all what I expected, but a hard taskmaster. Handsome man, he is. Adventurer, explorer! Not at all indecent, such as I expected. But ’tis hard for you, darlin’, being the one to pay for all the good that’s come!”
“Maggie, I’m not paying for anything, really. I’m a bit sore, that’s all.”
“Well, we be fixing that. Ah, with all the good fortune, Lady Daws is still about, playing the grand dame! Well, your father be a fine and smart-enough fellow, but he does believe that she’s been behind him, that she’s the one got his work out where it’s been seen, and he’s still listening to the witch! And don’t you go telling him what I call the woman, though like as not he will be marrying her, and I’ll be the one to get the boot!”
“Maggie, never!” Kat assured her. “Why, my father might be a bit under the witch’s spell, but he knows that you cared for Mother, and that you’ve been a pillar of strength to all us, indeed staying on when your pay wasn’t coming! Papa will not forget that.”
“Ah, well, strange it may be, but true, when folks are in love, they do strange things,” Maggie said sagely. “They do…ah, well, they may do anything, risk all!”
Kat offered her a weak smile. Was she herself willing to do anything for love? So far, it seemed that she had indeed sold her soul!
And the worst of it was that it seemed the rest of her world so easily saw David, while she had always to chafe at the bit, so to speak, to be at the fellow’s side!
“Soak, moppet,” Maggie told her. “Soak in the hot water and you’ll feel better, I swear it!”
They did have fairly modern plumbing and a decent-enough bathtub, and so she was left upstairs. But when the water began to cool, Maggie added more that she had heated herself over the open flame in the girls’ room. When the doorbell rang, Maggie bustled off to get it.
She returned excitedly to the bathroom several minutes later. “Up, child! ’Tis David Turnberry downstairs, anxious to take you out for a spot of tea. He says he has photographs of his father’s expedition a decade ago, and he’d like you to see what you’re up against!”
Kat was so surprised and pleased she feared that she’d give away her absolute infatuation for the man.
“David Turnberry?” she managed to say casually. “And…is he with the Lady Margaret?”
Maggie shook her head, frowning and then tsking again. “He’s alone. Perhaps I’d best go back down and tell him that you’re not to be going off with any man alone, even for so much as a spot of afternoon tea!”
“No!”
She was out of the bath in the wink of an eye, grabbing a towel, already wondering what she would wear. “Um…he’s a most decent young man, Maggie. And tea! Surely, there’s no harm in my accompanying the fellow. He’s trying to be kind, of course.”
“I don’t know…I don’t know. Such a thing has never occurred before!” Maggie said worriedly. “Oh, I should have sent him packing!”
“Good heavens, Maggie! We are living in the eighteen-nineties!” Kat decided to wheedle. “Oh, please! If he came for Eliza in order that she might purchase some fabrics, you’d think nothing of it. And, Maggie, I sat upon that stupid animal, and on the floor in the museum, working, learning. Surely a brief spot of pleasure would not be an ill thing!”
“Perhaps your father will return while you’re dressing,” Maggie murmured.
Perhaps he would. Kat meant
to be ready in seconds. “Please, Maggie, don’t let David leave. Please go and entertain him while I dress.”
Maggie, still uncertain, left her. Kat nearly flew from the bathroom and all but tore the wardrobe apart in her effort to quickly find the right clothing.
He’s come for me! He does care for me. He looked up at me with such adoration when I saved him. He just needed to be reminded of it…
Perfect. A slim skirt with the slightest bustle, a chemise and overblouse, decorous, almost prim, and a little jacket over the skirt. Perfectly presentable and respectable.
She fought with her thick red hair, seeking to pin the wild tresses with the same respectable appeal. But she thrust the last pin in with a certain defiance; she had to leave. Her father could return.
Worse. He could return with Lady Daws.
She raced down the stairs. And there he was, amusement and appreciation in his eyes, casual but elegant in his gray waistcoat and deerstalker cap. He was listening to Maggie’s chastisements, and his bright eyes rolled as they met Kat’s.
“Miss Adair,” David said, bowing slightly. “I have been warned that we must stay on main streets, and that I may have you out for no more than two hours.”
“Thank you, Maggie,” Kat said, frowning slightly. In David’s house, she was certain, the servants were servants. Maggie was much more than a servant.
“Tea, David, how lovely of you to think to come to offer me some refreshment. I’ve had a busy morning, learning to ride.”
“Ah, Sir Hunter!” David said, his eyes sparkling so that she remembered exactly why she had fallen so head over heels for the man, even from a distance. “Well, he can be a tough fellow, eh? Soldier and all, wounded, knighted, ever at the front! Don’t be dismayed—he will be as hard on every student who joins the expedition. Hands in the dirt, and delicately so, and there will be so much done per hour and a quota of work to be met by nightfall. We’ll all suffer from his rigid schedule, I’m afraid. But then, we’ll learn much, eh? Shall we go? Maggie, dear woman, thank you for allowing Miss Adair to go out with me for tea, and I will return her within the allotted time, I do so swear!”
Maggie arched a brow in warning, and Kat again offered her a frown, slipping to the door ahead of David.
Maggie was quickly forgotten.
“Are we to… Oh!” Kat said. No, they weren’t to ride, or to walk, or to take public transportation. An elegant carriage awaited them.
“To the Tarlington Club, please!” David told the driver, who was waiting to help them up the steps to the body of the vehicle, emblazoned with the illustrious coat of arms of David’s family.
She was seated across from him, quite appropriately. But as he joined her, his knees brushed with hers. And when he sat across from her, he took her hands in his.
“I’m delighted that you will be joining us in Egypt!” he said passionately.
“Thank you. I’m delighted to be going.”
She thought that, strangely, he shivered slightly. “Sad to say, you are something of my champion, my lady in shining armor!” he teased.
“Please, David,” she said, relishing the sound of his given name, spoken to him, on her lips. “I swim well, and I’m sorry to say, it was not such a heroic gesture. As my father says, it was merely an act of human decency.”
“Yes, but…” Sadly, she thought, he released her hands and sat back, looking out the window of the carriage. “But I was there with all those strapping fellows.” He stared at her again. “Alfred, Lord Daws was there, as well, you know.”
“Alfred, Lord Daws?” she repeated.
“Mmm. The stepson of Lady Daws,” he said, as if she didn’t know.
“I don’t believe that they are…close,” she said carefully.
David was not so careful. He let out a brief laugh. “To say the least! I was quite startled to realize that Lady Daws was a part of your household.”
“She is not a part of my household!” Kat said.
Again, David laughed, eyes warm as they touched hers. “Such passion, Kat! So lovely, and you are a fierce lady in shining armor, ready to do battle for all those weaker around you.”
It was her turn to look out the window. “My father is not weak,” she said a bit curtly.
“Dear, dear Katherine! I’ve offended you. I did not mean to do so. All men can be…weak. She’s an enchantress, I think.” He leaned forward again, and he was so close to her that she longed to reach out and touch his dear face! “Alfred—Lord Daws—is not so kind or careful when he speaks of the woman. And yet…he says that he knows why his father was so bewitched! She’s not much older than Alfred and I, you know. Around Sir Hunter’s age, actually. She was far too young for Alfred’s father, and that is, of course, the rub. Alfred is quite convinced that she married the old fellow for his money, and he can only be grateful that half the family riches came from his mother’s side, and therefore, all was in trust for him, and his father’s widow could not wrest his inheritance from him. Oh, dear, Maggie would be wretchedly distressed. I’m hardly being proper.”
“Maggie isn’t here,” Kat reminded him. And she was grateful! She never wanted the ride to end. He was confiding in her. Taking a risk, curious, perhaps, to see what she knew about Lady Daws and the situation, but whatever he was actually seeking, she didn’t care. Their knees touched, he held her hands in his earnestness, and his face was so near…
“It’s quite all right. Since we’re being woefully improper, I can only say that she is a friend of my father’s, and not, I repeat, not a part of my household.”
“But lovely to look at,” David said.
“I suppose.”
He laughed again, truly enjoying their time together, and perhaps even the curtness of her tongue.
“Not,” he said, and his words were husky, “not at all as you are lovely. She has an appeal, of course, which she has used, but…you are like the beauty of a wild fire! Truly, Kat. And I find that I am fascinated, as man is fascinated by fire, drawn ever closer to the flames, red, orange, blazing, ever tempting…”
So close…the two of them. She could feel him, feel the sweet rush of his breath, his lips, almost upon her own, and she knew that she wasn’t breathing. She was waiting, and it was truly and ridiculously improper….
The carriage came to a halt; the door swung open. They jerked apart.
“We have arrived,” the driver said.
“Indeed! Well, time for tea,” David announced.
Then he appeared flushed and a bit uneasy. As if he had been lured by a spell himself and been awakened. He jumped up, hitting his head on the roof of the carriage. He managed the few steps down, reaching back to assist Kat himself.
“The afternoon tea is quite lovely here,” he said. “I pray you’ll enjoy it.”
“You needn’t pray,” she said lightly. “I promise you, I shall.”
And on his arm, she entered the elegant tea room.
“TELL ME MORE OF THE STORY about your little fire goddess!” Camille said, sitting back in her chair in the outer office.
He had been quite serious, discussing business. Camille, at the moment, was not interested in the subject that was usually dearest to her heart.
They were awaiting Brian’s arrival to go over a few of the last of the packing details. There was much that could be hired or purchased once they reached Cairo, but since Camille, though a splendid Egyptologist, had as yet to go on an actual dig, they were doing their best to assure her that everything was set just as it should be.
Hunter waved a hand in the air. “Camille, there is nothing else to tell. The story is simple. When others were fools, she was actually a bigger fool, risking her life for the lad. Her father is a very proud man—”
“An amazing artist,” Camille interjected.
“Yes, a truly amazing artist, and it’s quite incredible that his work hadn’t come to be properly appreciated.”
Camille arched a delicate brow. “Not so difficult to see, since Isabella Daws has appar
ently been using her ‘influence’ and ‘managing’ his work.”
“Oh, I’ve heard her explain how she has sold pieces—then seen them appear in the homes of men with greater incomes. She does have a certain charm, and she’s been able to talk her way out of every question put her way. She also pretends to be greatly enthused that he has now come to the attention of members of the aristocracy. I believe that she’s been selling his work for a great deal more than she’s told him.”
“That’s likely. You know, in the past year, she’s tried to sell several pieces of her husband’s Egyptian collection to the museum.”
“Oh? I thought that Alfred inherited the estate.”
“He did,” Camille said. “But apparently, a number of his personal effects were left in her hands. She is extravagant, and in need of an income constantly. Actually, she was in the museum not long ago. On a day when Alfred happened to be in, as well, filling out papers, since he is part of the expedition. I saw them run into each other by the Rosetta Stone.”
“And no blood was drawn?” Hunter asked.
Camille laughed softly. “No, they appeared to be quite civil. I remember everyone’s shock when Lord Daws married her. Rumors flew fast and furious. His first wife had been ill for quite some time, so I didn’t believe the whispers that suggested Isabella had murdered him. Of course, I didn’t really know them at the time. I knew that Lord Daws did some work with the museum, and contributed some artifacts. Apparently, however, he had known Isabella years and years before.” Camille sighed. “Well, she must be a happy woman now. Apparently, she has had a relationship with William Adair for some time.”
“She would never marry a poor artist, but a rich one makes possible marriage material?” Hunter asked dryly.
“Precisely,” Camille agreed. “So, I must say, however you managed it, I’m delighted that William’s daughter will be along. What a quick study she is! I gave her a book, and she learned to read so many hieroglyphs in such a short time I barely believed it.” Then Camille shook her head and a frown furled her brow. “Things are a bit chaotic right now, what with benefactors and students about, but I have seldom had so much trouble keeping track of all the maps and itineraries. They’re on a desk one minute and disappear the next. In fact, I’ve lost any number of papers lately.”
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