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By Root 1425 0

certain of the reasons, which are in any case irrelevant to this discussion. The discovery of the grisly mummy may have been a factor, or the mysterious disappearances of certain men of Gurneh, or fear of Sethos. After his death the Gurnawis decided it would be safe to renew their activities. You learned of this through your connections with the followers of Sethos, but you were not the only one who wanted to replace the Master Criminal. Riccetti, driven from his position by Sethos, determined to regain it. He knew there was such a tomb, but he did not know its location. He sent Shelmadine to us with a story he hoped would arouse the competitive instincts of my husband, and inspire us to find the tomb for him. He had already conceived the ingenious idea of allowing us to clear it and then steal the treasures.

‘You had been watching Riccetti. You did not know how much he knew, and you were afraid Shelmadine would be able to direct us to the tomb. You were staying at Shepheard’s; you sent one of your people – our friend Matilda here? – to kill Shelmadine. You dispatched the suffragi on an errand, and Matilda carried the body to your room.’

She gave me neither yea nor nay; her unblinking blue eyes remained fixed on my face.

‘You were less subtle than Riccetti,’ I went on. ‘At first you intended a straightforward robbery of the tomb. We fought off several such incursions, and then you had intelligence enough to revise your plans.

‘You had a spy in Riccetti’s camp – Abd el Hamed. His desire for revenge – and the persuasions of the female person in the next room – made him a ready ally. You knew where Riccetti was staying in Luxor and what he was doing; but you wisely refrained from challenging him directly. You waited, with that serpentine patience of yours, and finally Riccetti made the mistake you had prayed he would make, by kidnapping Ramses. It was your men, who had Riccetti’s house under constant observation, who seized David. Riccetti (being a man) assumed we would not care about the boy’s fate. You knew better. But then you had another idea. You made use of Ramses’ disappearance to get your hands on Nefret, and once you had her, you no longer needed David. So you freed him, hoping he could lead us to Riccetti’s headquarters, and that we would rid you of your most dangerous rival. It was a brilliant improvisation, worthy of a woman’s superior intelligence. Riccetti learned of Abd el Hamed’s treachery and –’

I broke off. It had only been a fleeting glance, at the curtained doorway behind me, and a faint smile; but something in that smile chilled my blood. Abd el Hamed had been horribly mutiliated. Surely no woman would . . .

Clearing my throat, I continued.

‘The cleverest thing you did was to make use of poor stupid Miss Marmaduke. Hoping to enlist a spy in our camp, you had talked with her and about her while you stayed at Shepheard’s; you knew of her belief in reincarnation. Lurking on the balcony, Matilda overheard the story Shelmadine told us. She took the ring – with no ulterior motive in mind at the time – it was gold and it was valuable. Later, when she repeated Shelmadine’s story to you, you realized how it could be used to seduce Gertrude. You were not the only one to observe the coincidental resemblance of Nefret to Tetisheri; Gertrude was a willing believer when you made something more of it.’

At last she broke her silence. ‘Is that all?’

‘Yes, I think so. Oh – one more thing. It was you in the garden of the Luxor Hotel that night with Sir Edward, was it not? I ought to have known it was not Miss Marmaduke, but you spoke so softly and so briefly, I did not recognize your voice.’

‘Is that all?’ Bertha said again.

I nodded. She leaned forwards, her eyes brightening.

‘Very clever, Mrs Emerson. So clever that I am amazed you would make the fatal error of coming here alone.’

‘What would it profit you to harm me?’ I asked calmly. ‘The game is up, Bertha. You cannot hold me captive, not here in the heart of Gurneh.’

‘Is it a stalemate, then? You wouldn’t send me to prison, would you? In my condition?’