He Shall Thunder in the Sky - Elizabeth Peters [72]
Seshat followed him to the balcony. I heard a faint, fading rustle of foliage, and after a few moments the cat returned.
“Bed now,” I said, rising.
Ramses rolled his eyes heavenward.
From Letter Collection B
Dear Lia,
I’m sorry Sylvia Gorst’s letter upset you. She is an empty-headed, vicious gossip, and you ought to know better than to believe anything she says. If I had known she was writing you, I would have had a few words with her. In fact, I will have them next time I see her.
How could you possibly have given any credence to that story about Ramses fighting a duel with Mr. Simmons? I admit Ramses is not popular in Cairo society these days. The Anglo-Egyptian community is war-mad to the point of jingoism, and you know Ramses’s views about the war. He’s even collected white feathers from a few obsessed old ladies. But a duel? It’s pure Prisoner of Zenda, my dear.
As for my new admirers, as Sylvia calls them, I cannot imagine why she should have singled out Count de Sevigny and Major Hamilton; you would laugh if you met them, because neither is your (or my) idea of a romantic suitor. I find the Count’s pretensions quite amusing; he stalks about like a stage villain, swirling his black cape and ogling women through his monocle.
Yes, Lia dear, including me. I ran into him at an evening party a few days ago and he favored me with his undivided attentions; told me all about his château in Provence, and his vineyard, and his devoted family retainers. He’s been married three times, but is now, he assured me as he ogled, a lonely, wealthy widower.
I asked about his wives, hoping that would put him off, but he made use of the inquiry to pay me extravagant compliments.
“They were all beautiful, and naturellement of the highest birth. Though none, mademoiselle, was as lovely as you.” He was so moved the glass fell from his eye. He caught it quite deftly and went on pensively, “I have never married a lady of your coloring. Celeste was a brunette, Aline had black hair—her mother, vous comprenez, was a Spanish noblewoman, and Marie was blonde—a silvery blonde, with blue eyes, but ah! ma chère mademoiselle, your eyes are larger and deeper and bluer and . . .”
He was beginning to run out of adjectives, so I interrupted. “And all three died? How tragic for you, monsieur.”
“Le bon Dieu took them from me.” He bowed his head, giving me an excellent view of a suspiciously shiny black head of hair. “Celeste was thrown from her horse, Aline succumbed to a wasting fever, and poor Marie . . . but I cannot speak of her, it was too painful.”
That gives you a taste of the Count, I hope. I don’t believe in his wives or his château or his protestations of admiration, but he is very entertaining, and he does know something about Egyptology.
The Major isn’t entertaining, but he is a nice old fellow. Old, my dear—at least fifty! He’s taken a fancy to me, I think, but his interest is purely paternal. He is the uncle of the child I told you about, and I was curious to meet him.
Sylvia’s other “bit of news” is really the limit. I have not been “seeing” Percy, as she puts it. Oh, certainly, I’ve seen him; one can hardly avoid doing so, since he is now on the General’s staff and quite popular with his brother officers and the ladies. I have even spoken with him once or twice. I would appreciate it if you would not pass on that bit of gossip to the family. It would only cause trouble. And don’t lecture me, please. I know what I’m doing.
:
Our holiday celebrations were happier than I had expected, possibly because I had not expected very much. But there was cause for rejoicing in that we had pulled off our deception without being detected, and that Ramses was making a good recovery. I believe I may claim that my medical skills were at least partially responsible, though his own strong constitution may have helped.
At Emerson’s request, he had spent most of the day before Christmas writing up his report on Zawaiet. It was based on the notes David and I had taken and on a certain amount of what I would term logical