Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters [31]
He did turn to me, his hand on his heart and a broad smile on his lips. I couldn’t help smiling back, although it was a rather sour smile.
“I can hardly prevent you from enjoying the society of your cousin,” I said. “But you will have to work fast, Mr. Lucas; we leave tomorrow morning for a trip down the Nile. So you have only a few hours in which to press your suit.”
“Tomorrow morning,” Lucas exclaimed. “I have no undue modesty about my powers of persuasion, but really—!”
“I am sorry,” Evelyn said, in her gentle voice. “Lucas, I cannot encourage you. I will never change my mind. But I regret that we will not enjoy your company for a longer time.”
“Really, Evelyn, we must discuss this,” Lucas said. “I am as stubborn as you are, and much louder; I do not intend to abandon my hopes. But my dear girl, you don’t suppose that I am making marriage a prerequisite to the enjoyment of the rights that are morally yours, even though they have not been established legally. Half of our grandfather’s fortune belongs to you. I will settle it upon you immediately when we return home. That is where you belong, at home. You can have your own establishment, anywhere you like—if the Dower House at Ellesmere does not suit you, we will find another—”
He stopped speaking. Evelyn was shaking her head.
“My grandfather had the right to dispose of his property as he chose. I cannot take what is not mine, Lucas, and if you try to give it to me, I will give it back. Further, I have agreed to spend the winter with Amelia. One companion has already deserted her; I will not do so, she is depending on me.
“Then in the spring… ?”
“I do not promise that.”
“No, but… I see your argument with regard to Miss Peabody; it would indeed be a poor return for her kindness to abandon her now, at the last minute. Altogether, it is a good idea. Winter in Egypt, recover your health and spirits; in the meantime we can work out a good lie with which to confound our friends at home when they wonder where you have been all this time.”
“No, Lucas, really—”
“A good lie is absolutely essential, my love. Never mind what they suspect; together we will outface them.”
“Lucas, you bewilder me,” Evelyn exclaimed. “You pay no heed to anything I have said—”
“I do, I do. But I do not take it as final. No, my dear cousin, Egypt is a splendid place in which to spend the winter; I have always wanted to come here. If I cannot convince you of my sincerity by spring, I will abandon my hopes. Come, Miss Peabody, you are our Minerva, our font of wisdom; what do you say?”
“Oh, I am to be allowed to say something? Well, my dear Lord Ellesmere, then I must confess you have some justice on your side; and you, Evelyn, cannot refuse your cousin’s desire to assist you. If you will not accept all the money he wants to give you, you can in clear conscience accept a respectable annuity. If you wish to go home—”
“Oh, Amelia, how can you say so?”
“Very well,” I said, sniffing to conceal my pleasure. “Then we will carry out our trip down the Nile. When it is over, you will consider your cousin’s offer. Does that seem fair to both of you?”
Lucas snatched my hand and shook it enthusiastically. Evelyn nodded. She was not favorable to the idea, but was far too fairminded to object.
“However,” I continued, “Mr. Lucas will have to conduct his courtship from a distance. I can hardly offer him a room on our dehabeeyah. It would not be proper.”
“I had not thought you the sort of lady who worried about propriety,” Lucas said, with a meaningful look. “However, I shall hire my own dehabeeyah and be on your trail as soon as possible. You shan’t escape me so easily, ladies. I shall sail where you sail and moor where you moor!”
“That sounds very romantic,” I said coolly. “I hope you will not be disappointed; it is not so easy to arrange these things in Egypt.”
“So I have been informed.’ Lucas rose, squaring his shoulders. “Therefore I must get at the business immediately.”
“You