Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl

by Victoria Alexander

  It was another three hours before they located a cave at the base of a cliff that she and Harry agreed best matched both the map and her grandmother’s drawing. Mr. Bishara’s map had proved surprisingly accurate. Her flagging spirits lifted. Not that she’d allow Harry to know she had ever been anything other than supremely confident. Unfortunately, the entrance was more than half buried in sand. Whether the cave itself was filled was the question.

  “You do realize what this means?” Harry dismounted then circled around the horses to help her down.

  “I’m afraid I do,” she said briskly.

  “I’m glad one of us is looking forward to it.” Harry untied a rolled-up piece of canvas from the saddle then unrolled it to reveal coarse leather gloves, metal tubes and a shovel head. He handed her the gloves and in less than a minute, he had assembled the various parts into a shovel. He passed it to her. “Do you know what to do with a shovel or do you need instruction on that too?”

  “Well, I don’t know, Harry. Am I supposed to start digging the sand from the entrance or should I simply bash you over the head and be done with it?” She smiled pleasantly.

  He chuckled and untied a second canvas roll. “Sarcasm, Sidney?”

  “Not really.” Of course she knew what to do with a shovel. It wasn’t as if she had a gardener to do such things at her house in London. She did however have a small garden that she faithfully tended. When she remembered. She dug into the sand. “I meant every word.”

  He laughed, assembled his shovel and joined her.

  She scooped out a shovelful of sand and the hole immediately filled back in. On her third try she finally made a small but noticeable dimple. It was not encouraging.

  “There is an awful lot of sand,” she said more to herself than to him.

  “Odd how you tend to find that in a desert.” He dug out another shovelful. “It was quite clever of you to purchase your riding trousers. I should think that would help protect against sand fleas. But then you know that.”

  “Of course.” Sand fleas? “Nasty little beasts.”

  “Just one of the more unpleasant aspects of the desert.” He dug in again. “Along with snakes—” he punctuated his words with every thrust of his shovel “—scorpions, lizards, rodents.” He glanced at her. “I’ve noticed you have never included the more unpleasant aspects of exploration in Egypt in your writing.”

  “Because I don’t particularly like fleas and snakes and lizards and rodents.” She brushed back an annoying strand of hair that insisted on getting in her face.

  “Yet it’s those factual details that improve a story.”

  “Or get in the way,” she said firmly and resumed digging with renewed determination.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” he murmured.

  For some time, they worked in silence. She did not consider herself fragile by any means but this was far harder than she had imagined. If Harry was a gentleman, he’d insist on doing this himself. Not that she’d allow him to do so. She was trying to prove a point after all. Although in many ways he was indeed doing it himself. Each scoop of sand he shoveled out was three times the size of hers. Apparently, occasionally spading a small garden in London did not truly prepare one for shoveling the sands of Egypt.

  “You do realize that there are few, if any, crocodiles still left in the Nile in Egypt?” he asked casually.

  “Well, there was one,” she said sharply. “Probably why he was so hungry.” And wasn’t that just the stupidest thing she’d ever said?

  He choked back a laugh. “That would explain it.”

  “Indeed it would,” she muttered. Admittedly it was amusing and, as she had already confessed about her widowed state, her misstatement scarcely mattered now.

  A few minutes later she straightened and rubbed her back. “Much more, do you think?”

  “I don’t know.” He considered the opening. They had indeed enlarged the entry but there was no indication how far into the cave the sand had drifted. With luck it was only a few feet. If this was the right cave it was fairly big according to Grandmother’s journal so once they broke through, it should be easy to clear away enough sand to enter. If this was the right cave. “But that’s it for now.” He planted his shovel in the sand and started toward the horses.

  “What do you mean that’s it?” She leaned her shovel against the rock and hurried after him.

  “I mean, after all that talk of hungry crocodiles, I want something to eat myself.” He untied one of the hanging saddlebags, pulled out an orange and tossed it to her. “We have oranges, figs, cheese, bread—”

  “And water?”

  He nodded. “And water.”

  They spread the cloth the cheese and bread was wrapped in on a rock then perched beside it. Sidney wasn’t certain she’d ever tasted anything quite so wonderful in her entire life. But then she’d never worked so hard in her entire life either.

  “Why did you first come to Egypt?” she asked between bites of bread and cheese.

  “It seemed the thing to do at the time.” He shrugged. “You know how these things happen. One day you’re trapped in a classroom and the next you’ve escaped and gone off to see the world.”

  “I see. Just an arbitrary sort of thing, then. Like throwing a dart at a map and going where it lands.”

  “I shall have to remember that should I ever decide to see the world again.” He chuckled. “But it wasn’t quite that random. Indeed, looking back on it, I’m surprised it wasn’t entirely anticipated.”

  “Oh?”

  “My father is a scholar of ancient civilizations. Egypt is his specialty. My mother died when I was very young so it was just the two of us. Other children grow up hearing fairy stories or tales of knights and dragons.” He smiled. “I heard the legends of Osiris and Isis, Horus and Set, Anubis and Ra.”

  “So naturally you wanted to see where it all began.”

  “Yes, that and it seemed the perfect place for three arrogant young men to find their fortune.” He gazed out at the desert as if he was looking back into the past.

  “But you said you didn’t make your fortune in Egypt.”

  “I didn’t.” He paused and his brow furrowed. “But I did find a respect for the past. For what man built and left behind for all of us. Not just those who can afford it.”

  “My, you are noble,” she teased but she quite liked that he was noble and good and decent. And decidedly, wonderfully wicked.

  “I do have my moments.” He grinned and took a long drink from the water bag. “We should get back to it. It’s already midafternoon.” He got to his feet and held out his hand to help her to hers. And then pulled her into his arms.

  Harry smiled down at her and her breath caught at the look in his eye. She did hope he would always look at her that way.

  “Goodness, Harry, what are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking about last night.” A wicked gleam sparked in his eyes and something inside her quivered. “And about tonight.”

  “Or, oh, I don’t know.” She reached up and nibbled his lower lip. “Sooner?”

  Surprise flashed across his face and he laughed. “Why, Miss Honeywell, I believe I have thoroughly corrupted you.”

  “As well as ruined me.”

  “You should know, it’s only because of the sand that you and I are not now, well... It’s the sand.”

  “Come now, Harry. A little sand can’t hurt.”

  “On the contrary, Sidney, a little sand can hurt. A lot. I have a rule about sand. Now.” He kissed her, a quick, totally possessive kiss that sent the loveliest shivers down her spine then released her and moved toward the cave. “Back to work.”

  “Oh yes, I’d much rather do that anyway,” she muttered but a voice of questionable sanity in the back of her head did speculate on exactly how unpleasant sand might be.

  Amazing how
a short break, a bit of food and a little flirtation made returning to her efforts much easier. Her spirits were certainly lighter. She stopped for a moment and let her gaze wander over the remarkable scenery of this ancient land. Even if this wasn’t the right cave and they never found the pectoral, this would be a day she would never forget. Whether she spent the rest of her life with Harry or not. It really could go either way. She knew what she wanted and thought she might know what he wanted as well, but there were no assurances at the moment. If there was one thing she did know without question about the man—he liked to win. And, even if she had never realized it before this journey, apparently so did she. But at what cost?

  “That’s it!” Excitement rang in Harry’s voice. “We’re through!”

  Her attention snapped back to the entrance. They had dug nearly four feet into the cave and the level of sand now tapered downward into the interior of the cavern.

  “I had every confidence in us.” She tried to tell herself there was no guarantee the pectoral would still be there nor was there any certainty this was indeed the right cave but it didn’t matter. This was a definite victory. “You know, Harry, in spite of our difficulties, I think we make a most impressive team.”

  “You can’t ride. Your digging is not unlike a small child on the seashore and you don’t seem to have any real sense of direction. Even so—” he flashed her a quick grin “—I agree. Now, it’s probably easier for just one of us to do this.”

  “Well, if you think it’s best.” She tried to sound sincere rather than delighted. “I would hate to get in your way.”

  Harry returned to shoveling with a vengeance and the work went quickly. Once enough of the packed sand was removed, the rest was easy. Well, it looked easy. Sidney fetched the candles and matches stored in the saddlebags as well as the water bag. In no time at all, the opening was wide enough to allow entry.

  “Ready?” Sidney lit the candles and handed one to him.

  “You realize if you take credit for this find, it will make the Queen of the Desert invincible.” He smiled. “Your critics would be silenced.”

  “Even you?”

  “Especially me.”

  “Regardless, a find like this would give you the acknowledgment you deserve.” And really, she didn’t need it anymore.

  “That is a dilemma. One I suggest we wait to discuss until after we’ve found something.” Harry held his candle out in front of him. “I’ll go in first.” Harry stepped into the cave, Sidney inches behind him. The floor was sand and leveled out after the first few feet. The cave was far larger than she expected, curved like the inside of a bowl, probably some twenty feet wide and perhaps twice that at its deepest point. There was no way to tell the height—the ceiling hidden in the shadows overhead. “According to your grandmother’s journal, the pieces they found were in a niche close to the ground covered by rocks. There are a lot of rocks here, Sidney.”

  The answer struck her without warning. “That’s what the clock was for, on the map. There was only one hand and it was pointing to ten.”

  “Very good.” He shot her an admiring smile. “If we stand with our back to the entrance—”

  “Then it’s right—” she aimed her arm in a direction slightly to her left “—there.”

  She wasn’t sure what she was expecting to see. Apparently in the years since her grandparents had been here, any number of rocks had fallen from the walls or the ceiling and the joint between the cave walls and the floor was piled with rocks, the largest no bigger than her head. She would guess the arrangement of the rocks was an act of nature but any grouping of stones could have been placed by human hands. It was impossible to say for certain where the niche in the rocks where the artifacts had originally been found might be located.

  “I was rather hoping the right spot would be obvious,” Sidney said with a disgruntled sigh.

  “Nothing in Egypt is ever obvious.” Harry considered the possibilities. “I’ll get the shovels.” He nodded and left the cave.

  With only her candle for light, the shadows grew closer. For a moment, Sidney allowed the past to wash over her. She could clearly see her grandparents finding the ancient treasure trove. Their excitement at realizing the pieces might have come from the tomb of a forgotten queen, left here eons ago by those who had raided her final resting place. And more, she could see the men who had hidden here those objects meant to assist the queen in the afterlife. Men determined to ignore the superstitions and traditions of their world in their quest for fortune. And she could see the queen herself, perhaps personally selecting the pectoral and other pieces she would wear for all eternity. Never knowing her rest would be disturbed, her possessions stolen and scattered. With only one piece traveling the centuries to at last reveal her name and the whereabouts of the place she called home.

  “What are you doing?” Harry came up behind her.

  “Nothing really. Thinking about the queen and how her name has been lost.” She shook her head. “The ancient Egyptians believed if one’s name was lost, so too was their path to immortality. They might as well have never existed.” The oddest lump settled in her throat. “I think it’s sad, that she’s been lost. I hope she is resting in peace.”

  “You do know she’s not here. This is not her tomb.”

  She huffed. “You have no soul, Harry Armstrong.”

  “You’ve said that before. At the moment, it doesn’t concern me. Here.” He handed her a shovel, then moved to the point they had agreed was the most likely spot indicated by the map. She trailed after him. “We can scoop the smaller rocks with the shovel but we’ll have to move the larger ones by hand.”

  “I was hoping we would,” she said under her breath.

  “Hand me your candle.” He studied the rock wall, found a ledge for the candles then started removing rocks.

  Sidney drew a deep breath and bent to the task at hand. Good Lord, she was weary. Still, in spite of the work they had already undertaken thus far today, and the grueling nature of what they were now engaged in, with every rock moved from the wall a distinct sense of excitement grew. If they were very, very lucky they would find the pectoral. And if their luck held, it would reveal not only the name of the queen but the location of Itjtawy.

  This was the end of her grandmother’s story and just the beginning of hers. She did hope that story would include Harry. Sidney was rather certain her heart would shatter if it didn’t but she would survive. She had her friends and she had her work—even if its direction in the future would be decidedly different. She wasn’t the same woman who had started this journey. That woman wanted to be Millicent Forester. The woman she was now understood Millicent was simply a part of her and being Sidney Honeywell was much better.

  “Sidney?” Caution sounded in Harry’s voice. “Do you see that?”

  “No, what?” Sidney set aside her shovel and grabbed a candle from the ledge.

  Harry dropped to his knees and she knelt beside him, bringing the candle closer to the wall. He brushed aside a handful of pebbles to reveal a cloth-wrapped bundle. Anywhere else in the world, the fabric would have molded and decayed but in the dry desert air it was still intact.

  Harry glanced at her. “What do you think?”

  “I think if you don’t open that right now, I really will bash you with the shovel.”

  He grinned and carefully unwrapped the packet. There, covering the palm of his hand, was the gold pectoral of a queen of Egypt. Rectangular in shape, falcons flanked each side of the piece and a scarab was positioned around the hole in the center where the medallion would sit. The relic was covered with intricately inlaid stones—lapis lazuli, turquoise and carnelian were among those Sidney recognized.

  Harry blew a long breath. “Well, this was certainly worth the effort.

  “Wait.” Sidney reached into her blouse, between her breasts, pulled out the medallion and grinned. “Now we can
fully appreciate it.”

  Harry stared in disbelief. “You brought that with you?”

  “Of course I brought it with me. I wanted to see if it did indeed fit. And I wanted the pieces reunited.”

  “A bit irresponsible don’t you think? You could have lost it.”

  “Yes, I suppose I could have but I didn’t. Besides, I would have noticed. Believe me, it was most secure and I was aware of it every minute.”

  His gaze shifted to the valley between her breasts. “You certainly do hide a lot in there.”

  “It’s remarkably convenient,” Sidney murmured. “Now, let’s see how this fits.”

  She lined up the notches on the medallion with the prongs in the empty space in the pectoral then tapped the disc firmly into place. She could have sworn it took on a sort of unearthly glow. Absurd, of course, it was simply a trick of the candlelight. Still...

  “Isn’t it amazing,” Sidney said softly. “She would have believed one’s name was connected to one’s soul, you know. If we accomplish nothing else, we might at least be able to give her back her name.”

  “Next you’re going to say you can almost hear the queen whispering her thanks, like a breeze skittering across the sands.”

  “Why, Harry, there may be hope for you yet.” She smiled.

  He shook his head. “I doubt it.”

  “And yes, I can indeed hear the whispers of the queen. Can’t you?”

  He cast her a wry look.

  Sidney took the pectoral from him and turned it over. “I’m not sure if I want this to lead to Itjtawy or not.”

  “You are mad.”

  “I simply like the idea of a city lost forever.”

  “Well, Egypt’s scholars will hopefully be able to decipher all of this. Until then...” He shrugged. “I never thought I’d return to Egypt but it was good to come. I’ve laid some ghosts to rest. To a certain extent anyway. But I would like to go home. For the immediate future at least. I’ve spent too many years away.”