The Falcon at the Portal - Elizabeth Peters [92]
“Oh, yes,” Maude said. “Imagine my surprise when Lieutenant Peabody introduced himself and told me he was your cousin. You don’t see much of each other, do you?”
“Percy has his duties,” Ramses said. “And we our work. He’s not interested in Egyptology.”
“Now, old chap, you know that’s not true. I came to the conclusion that I could be of more use to my country in the military, but there were personal reasons why I had to abandon the study of Egyptology.” Percy sighed. “My dear aunt and uncle don’t care much for me.”
“Really?” Maude exclaimed. “Well, I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn. I surely don’t want to bring up a painful subject.”
“It is painful to me,” Percy said softly. “But you couldn’t know that, Miss Reynolds. I fear Aunt Amelia has never forgiven me for certain boyish pranks. Mothers are like that. God bless their dear, prejudiced hearts!”
Nefret made a rude noise.
“It was a long time ago,” Ramses said.
“I felt sure you didn’t hold a grudge, old boy.” Percy clapped him on the shoulder. “But they are playing a waltz, and I don’t see Uncle Radcliffe anywhere about. Nefret?”
“This one is mine,” Ramses said. “Excuse us.”
They circled the floor in silence, to the saccharine strains of the waltz from The Merry Widow. Nefret was the first to speak.
“Uncle Radcliffe! He wouldn’t dare call him that to his face.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“He was suspiciously polite to me. And he’s obviously gone out of his way to make Maude’s acquaintance.”
“They’re part of the same ’set.’ Idle, superficial snobs.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m tired. Will you take me home?”
“Of course.”
When they went to his mother to announce their departure they found Emerson had already declared his intention of leaving: “And if you don’t come along peacefully, Peabody, I shall pick you up and put you in a carriage. Carter is arriving at some ungodly hour in the morning, and we have two dozen people for dinner. And what is more … Oh. You are ready? Oh. Well, why the devil didn’t you say so?”
Even the indefatigable Vandergelt was yawning, so they all left together. While they were waiting for the servants to bring their wraps and hats, Maude and her brother caught them up.
“Hey, you aren’t leaving so early?” Jack exclaimed. “It’s the shank of the evening, and you haven’t given me a dance, Nefret.”
Nefret made her excuses. Maude said nothing. She just stood there looking mournful. There was no sign of Percy.
Howard arrived in time for breakfast Christmas morning, and afterward we all sat down round the rather spindly tree in the sitting room to open our family gifts. Evelyn had sent a parcel and so had Lia and David, so we were quite some time about it. I had not expected Ramses would be enthusiastic over my Christmas gift to him—a dozen nice shirts, the buttons reinforced by my own hands—but any other offering would have paled by comparison with the one Howard brought him.
The contents of the wooden box would certainly not have roused many people to rapture—two battered, broken tablets of wood covered with a thin layer of plaster on which a hieratic text had been written—but Ramses flushed with pure excitement after he had removed the cotton wool and unwrapped the layers of paper.
“Are these the tablets Lord Carnarvon found a few years ago? Does he want me to … Will he allow …”
“He wants you to translate and publish them if you are interested.” Howard burst out laughing. “I gather the answer is yes. Well, well, I feel like Father Christmas! I wish I could please all my friends as easily.”
“I suppose he is calling them the Carnarvon Tablets,” Emerson muttered. “Such vanity!”
“One must call them something,” Howard said tolerantly. “It is a delicate attention to name a text after the person whose money financed the discovery—and it may inspire additional contributions!”
It was a very sensible attitude. I don’t know why I should