Guardian of the Horizon - Elizabeth Peters [4]
“That may be so, Emerson, but it is water over the dam. Do you intend to sit here in Kent all winter sulking like Achilles in his tent? What about the rest of us? It’s all very well for David; I am sure he would prefer to remain in England with his betrothed, but will you condemn Ramses—to say nothing of me and Nefret—to boredom and inactivity?”
Ramses put his cup down and cleared his throat. “Uh—excuse me—”
Emerson cut him short with an impetuous gesture. A benevolent smile wreathed his well-cut lips. “Say no more, my boy. Your mother is right to remind me that I have obligations to others, obligations for which I will sacrifice my own principles. What would be your choice for this season, Ramses? Amarna? Beni Hassan? I will leave it to you to decide.”
He took out his pipe, looking very pleased with himself—as well he might. I had given him the excuse for which he yearned. It was what I had intended to do, but a certain degree of exasperation prompted me to reply before Ramses could do so.
“I believe the Germans have applied for Amarna, Emerson. Why cannot we return to Thebes, where we have a comfortable house and many friends?”
“Because I swore never to work there again!” Emerson moderated his voice. “But if it would please you, Ramses…You know your opinion carries a great deal of weight with me.”
“Thank you, sir.” Ramses’s long dark lashes veiled his eyes.
Nefret had brought several of the new kittens. Like Horus, they were descendants of a pair of Egyptian cats we had brought home with us years before. One of Horus’s few amiable attributes was his tolerance of kittens, and he endured their pounces and bounces without protesting; but when one of them knocked over the cream pitcher, he was first at the puddle. Emerson, who is fond of cats (except Horus), found this performance highly amusing, and he was wringing out one of the kittens’ tails with his napkin when Gargery appeared with a hand-delivered note.
“Well, will you listen to this?” I exclaimed. “The Carringtons have asked us to dinner. Or—such effrontery!—they will be happy to come to us, at our convenience. Ha!”
Emerson growled and Ramses raised his eyebrows. There was no response at all from David, who probably had not even heard me. Nefret was the only one to respond verbally.
“The Carringtons? How odd. We’ve had nothing to do with them for years.”
“Not since Ramses presented Lady Carrington with a moldy bone from the compost heap,” I agreed. “It seems they wish us to meet their niece, who is visiting.”
Nefret let out a shout of musical laughter. “That explains it! Ramses, do you remember the girl? She was at the reception we attended last week.”
“The reception you forced me to attend.” Ramses’s eyebrows, which are very thick and dark and expressive, took on an alarming angle. “I cannot say that the young woman made a lasting impression on me.”
“You obviously made a lasting impression on her,” Nefret murmured.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ramses snapped.
Nefret gave me a wink and a conspiratorial grin and I considered my son thoughtfully. His curly black head was bent over the kitten he had picked up, but his high cheekbones were a trifle darker than usual. Another one, I thought. He had pleasing looks and nice manners (thanks to me), but the persistence of the young women who pursued him was unaccountable!
“You must remember her,” Nefret persisted. “Dark-haired, rather plain, with a habit of tilting her head to one side and squinting up at you? I had to detach her by force; she was hanging on to your arm with both hands—”
“May I be excused, Mother?” Ramses put his cup down with exaggerated care and got to his feet. He did not wait for a reply; holding the kitten, he left the room with long strides. After a moment David, who had followed the exchange with furrowed brows, went after him.
“You shouldn’t tease him, Nefret,” I scolded. “He does nothing to encourage them…does he?”
“Not this one.” Nefret’s laughter bubbled out. “It was funny, Aunt Amelia, she thought she was being soooo adorable, and poor Ramses looked like a hunted fox. He was