The Hippopotamus Pool - Elizabeth Peters [88]
‘Emerson, for pity’s sake! Why must you take such unnecessary chances?’
‘It was not unnecessary.’ He pushed my hand away and finished buttoning his shirt. ‘It’s a narrow squeeze just there, as you know; aside from the inconvenience to ourselves, we cannot lower any large-sized object, not even a basket, through that crack. It had to be widened and I was the obvious person to do it. The cursed sledgehammer bounced back at an unexpected angle, that is all.’
He was out the door before I could reply. I followed him into Ramses’ room.
‘Why don’t we have tea brought here?’ he inquired. ‘Ramses seems comfortably settled.’
‘Too comfortably,’ I replied, studying the scene with dismay. It looked more than ever like an orgy. Nefret was sitting on the side of the bed, Selim had waked up and was looking hungrily at the biscuits, which the laws of Ramadan prevented him from eating, and Bastet’s head was in the bowl of chicken soup. Anubis sat in the window watching Bastet and licking his whiskers.
‘He will have to get out of that bed for a while,’ I continued. ‘It must be remade and various bits of food removed from it. Besides, it would be discourteous to ignore Gertrude.’
‘Hmph,’ said Emerson. ‘If you say so, Peabody. But first . . .’ He turned to David, squatting at the foot of the bed, and addressed him in Arabic. ‘Hamed told me that the man who came here last night meant no harm to the maiden. He came for you, because Hamed had bought you.’
‘He lied.’ But the boy would not meet Emerson’s eyes.
‘There is no buying and selling of human beings under English law,’ Emerson agreed. ‘But there are older laws that some hold higher. Hamed has no claim on you unless you believe he does. Do you?’
The last two words cracked like a slap. The boy flinched – and so did I. Why had I not seen the implications earlier? There is a loyalty based on servitude – resented, hated, but admitted by those who believe in that code. For them it might supersede all other obligations.
‘Father,’ Ramses began.
‘Be still, Ramses. David?’
The boy shook his head. ‘No. No, Father of Curses. I swear by Sitt Miriam, by her Son, by the Saints –’
‘It is good,’ Emerson said. ‘I accept your word. Did you ever make for Hamed a statue of the hippopotamus goddess?’
He did not know he was being unkind. Emerson is incapable of deliberate cruelty to a child. But the brusque questions fell hard on a boy who was accustomed to blows and curses, and who had yet to learn trust. David’s eyes fell, and his mumbled answer was barely audible.
‘Aywa. I did not know . . .’
‘Stop bullying the child, Emerson,’ I interrupted.
‘Bullying?’ Emerson swung round to face me, blue eyes bright with indignation. ‘The devil, Peabody, how can you suppose I would do such a thing?’
David was no more appreciative of my intervention. With a resentful look at me, he straightened his shoulders and spoke up like a man.
‘I made it. I made two. Taueret, the lady of childbirth. They were good work.’
‘Excellent work,’ I exclaimed. ‘So that statue we found in the tomb is also a fake?’
‘Quite,’ said Emerson, reaching for his pipe. ‘I had a close look at it this afternoon. Do you know how it got there, David?’
The boy shook his head, and I said, ‘How could he? He was here, too ill to move, when the cursed thing was placed there. Emerson, don’t smoke that pipe. Take it and Ramses up to the deck. Tea will be ready.’
Ramses insisted he could walk – which was true – but since Emerson was determined, he submitted with ill grace to being carried. He had to endure further fussing from Nefret, who would have bundled him in afghans from feet to chin if I had allowed her, and from Gertrude.
However, after the appropriate expressions of interest, Gertrude turned her attention to Nefret. That her concern was genuine I could not doubt; it was also exasperating and unnecessary, and finally I was forced to cut her short before Nefret exploded