Tomb of the Golden Bird - Elizabeth Peters [80]
“No wonder, sitting in the heat and dust all day,” Nefret said.
“It must be done,” Callender said nobly. “To keep vultures like that one away.” He directed a scowl at one of the spectators who had pushed his pith helmet back to expose several locks of red hair.
“Has the press been annoying?” I asked sympathetically, congratulating myself for ordering Kevin to keep his distance.
“That fellow especially. He claims to be a friend of yours.”
I laughed disdainfully. “He is no friend of mine, Mr. Callender. You know these newspaper persons, they will say anything to gain an advantage.”
“They are wasting their time,” Callender said. “As you see, nothing of interest is going on.”
“When is Mr. Carter due back from Cairo?” Cyrus asked.
Callender hesitated. “Any day now.”
“So then you will be reopening the tomb?” Cyrus persisted.
I gave him a little poke with my parasol. Direct questions put people on the defensive.
“We must be getting on,” I said. “Come to tea one day, Mr. Callender. You are always welcome. Here, take this.” I opened the parasol and pressed it into his hand. “I have others.”
“A pity we couldn’t have got a photograph of Mr. Callender holding your parasol,” said Nefret.
“He sure as heck didn’t tell us anything,” Cyrus said grumpily.
“Ah, but we have inserted a wedge,” I replied. “Thanks in large measure to Nefret. Anyhow, I have other sources of information.”
Ramses broke a long silence. “Were those the Carnarvon arms on that boulder?”
“I assume so,” I replied.
“Rather arrogant, isn’t it?”
“It won’t go over well with the Egyptian government,” I agreed. “Seth—Anthony is unfortunately correct. Carnarvon is heading for trouble if he continues to behave as if the tomb is his personal property.”
“Davis always did,” Ramses said fairly.
“Times have changed, Ramses. Resentment of foreigners has only increased since the negotiations for independence began. This find is precisely the sort of thing that could focus that resentment.”
“May I quote you, Mrs. E.?”
“Certainly not,” I replied. I did not need to look to identify the speaker, who was behind me. “Go away, Kevin.”
“Now, Mrs. E., what harm can it do?”
“A great deal of harm, as you well know. Good Gad, Kevin, don’t you have any other sources except us?”
Emerson hadn’t really forgotten that Christmas was only a few weeks away. He had not been allowed to; David John had pinned a calendar to the wall of the playroom and was crossing off the days one by one. Charla kept presenting us with lists.
“A bo and arro,” I read, after receiving one such document. “Your spelling is as reprehensible as your request, Charla. You cannot possibly suppose I would permit you to own a weapon.”
“I will ask Grandpapa, then,” said Miss Charla, scowling blackly.
“He won’t let you have one either.”
However, the lists reminded me that I had shopping to do. One more duty among many others. Some might say that a happy Christmas was less important than averting the danger to Sethos or deciding how to keep Margaret quiet, but since I hadn’t figured out how to deal with either of those difficulties, I decided to concentrate on a more cheerful topic. My last visit to Margaret had been less than satisfactory. She was chafing at her imprisonment, as she called it, and she berated me for not providing her with information about the tomb.
When I announced my intention of running over to Luxor, Sethos was the first to offer to come with me. “Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“Presents for the children, of course,” said Sethos, widening his eyes à la Suzanne Malraux. “And you should have an escort, Amelia dear. Who knows what enemies may be waiting to find you alone?”
“You’d run at the first sign of trouble,” said Emerson.
“I don’t require an escort,” I said firmly. “But I will be happy to have company. What about you, Nefret?”
“I suppose I’d better. I haven’t anything for the twins, and I’d like to find gifts for Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Walter and David.”
So it was only the three of us. Sethos looked very dapper in flannel trousers and a brown tweed coat I recognized as coming from