by Pamela Kent
|; had put her in two minds about having an immediate sale.
j' She was greatly tempted to take her great-aunt's advice
| and see a little of Egypt before returning home to England,
I and that meant making a few plans. When the sale of her
F inheritance finally did take place she would be reimbursed
| for any expenditure she incurred at the present time....
s And, even if something went wrong and she was out of
| pocket, would it matter so very much so long as she could
| just manage to afford it?
! How many people had the opportunity to see such an historic land as Egypt in their lifetimes? It was not like the
Costa Brava, to which most of her friends had flocked at some time or other at no very great cost. And how many people with Egypt in their blood, as it were, since she came
from a line of archaeologists, would have thought twice about remaining for a few weeks longer than was originally intended once they werejthere, and all the glamour of Egypt was slowly making itselffelt ?
She had, an instinctive feeling that if she went home tamely without seeing much more than she had already done her great-aunt - and possibly, her great-uncle, too would haunt her.
In any case, she felt they would be sadly disappointed.
CHAPTER III
BUT if she thought that a polite note of apology on her part, and a present of a box of chocolates from the most exclusive confectioner in Cairo on the part of Julius Crighton, would bridge any former unpleasantness and open up the way to further friendly relations between them she was doomed to a certain amount of disappointment, for after spending three weeks at the House of the Seven Stars she had to admit to herself that Crighton Bey was making no effort to see her.
Or else he was no longer in Cairo, and had forgotten that she even existed.... Although she felt reasonably certain he would never forget that the little statuette known as the Eye of Love existed.
She had got as far as climbing to the attics, and had traced the trunk in which the statuette was claimed by her
great-aunt to be hidden; but as it was stoutly banded and
corded, as well as secured by a padlock to which she had
no key, she had not yet actually unearthed the statuette
itself.
She disliked taking Kalim into her confidence about it,
and for some reason she was not quite sure about she was
hesitant about taking Mr. Yusuf into her confidence. If her
aunt had trusted Mr. Yusuf as much as most people norm
ally trust their solicitor it would have been quite simple,
but the whole tone of her aunt's letter had indicated that
the matter was secret - a secret she was prepared to share
with her great-niece, but not with anyone else,
Not even - although she hadn't actually said so - Julius
Crighton?
After she had been at me House of the Seven Stars for nearly two weeks she had a visitor. A very sleek and glossy car turned in -at the drive gates one afternoon, and from it alighted an extremely glamorous female figure in a delectable white silk suit. Never in the whole course of her life before - and as she was only twenty-three she hadn't had a very long life span - had Romilly seen anyone who looked so faultlessly turned out, and was so shatteringly beautiful that even the most glamorous film-star would have been cast into the shade by her.
She stood looking up at the front of the house, a white silk sunshade held above her head, and her perfect heartshaped face looked as clear-cut as a cameo. She had an exquisite lightly tanned skin with a delicate rose colour on the slightly high cheekbones, and her hair was as black as Crighton Bey's and as shiny as satin where it escaped the restriction of a smart little hat and lay against her cheeks.
Watching from an upstairs window, Romilly at first could not believe that such an ultra-smart creature meant to call on her. And then the bell rang and Kalim came hurrying to find her and inform her that Mrs. Leah Mortimer was waiting to see her.
"Mrs. Mortimer?" Romilly sounded astonished. "Who is she? Is she someone I ought to know?" Kalim-looked almost reproachful, as if he found it difficult to comprehend such ignorance.
"She is very important lady," he informed his new mistress. "No lady more important round here. Shall I tell her you will see her immediately?"
"You can tell her I'll see her as soon as I've had time to run a comb through my hair and make myself respectable," Romilly answered without expecting him to be im
pressed by her determination to maintain her own dignity on such occasions, and refuse to be stampeded by the des
47 .
cent of any lady, however "important", or deemed to be important in the district who had not received an invitation and was completely unknown to her, upon her. She smiled at him a trifle quizzically as he attempted to make out what "running a comb'' through her hair meant when it was literally translated, and then asked him to show Mrs. Mortimer into the drawing-room.
When she descended to the drawing-room about five minutes later she found her visitor admiring her own reflection in a full-size wall-mirror that hung on the wall. She was certainly worth gazing at, even if it did indicate a certain over-preoccupation with the charms of her own appearance, and Romilly felt she ought to be excused the weakness, particularly when she turned and smiled at her with indescribable charm.
"Miss Styles?" she said, advancing on her. Her English was almost fluid, it was so perfect, but at the same time she had a slight accent that was fascinating. "Miss Romilly Styles! I don't expect I can make you understand how strange that seems to me! You see, your dear, late lamented aunt and I were the greatest of friends! Indeed, I counted her among my closest friends."
She laid a delicately-scented hand on Romilly's arm, a hand that was unusually small, with exquisite finger-nails, and ornamented by an enormous scarab ring which quite fascinated Romilly, who had never seen anything'like it before.
"Oh, yes?" she said, conscious of sounding a trifle flat
and unwelcoming, but too much impressed by her visitor
be capable of anything better.
Mrs. Mortimer continued to smile, aware, perhaps, that the display of her pretty teeth and the bright sparkle of her eyes was enough to confound anyone when they were first confronted by such sheer perfection. It would take
48
Romilly was certain it would take a great deal of
||time - to take such perfection for granted. | "Of course, she was a very old, old lady," she said of | the other Miss Styles. "And to pass on her name to one
t who looks so youthful and charmingly English is quite dei lightful! You are planning to stay for a while here at the
House of the Seven Stars ?" Romilly shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not." Belatedly she remembered to offer
her visitor a chair, but the other seemed to prefer to stand. "You see, I've a job to return to in England, and in any case I'm only here really to arrange for the sale of the place."
"Oh, I see." The other made a slight gesture. "Just like that! You mean, as it stands ?" "Well... more or less."
"Which seems a pity." But Romilly couldn't help thinking that Mrs. Leah Mortimer thought it was an excellent notion in actual fact, and she proved this a moment later by saying: "Well, of course, it might be difficult for you and take time if you first dispose of the contents and then put the house up for sale, for these matters have a habit of dragging on, as I very well know to my cost. But if someone can be found to buy the place as it stands -"
"Oh, I didn't quite mean that," Romilly assured her somewhat hastily. "I mean," she corrected herself, "I shall naturally take a little time to sort things out for myself and
� arrange with Mr. Yusuf to put them up for auction, but I feel I owe it to my aunt to take a certain amount of ; trouble over the disposal of her effects. And as there is so i much here, and much of it is obviously
valuable while some of the other stuff is just - well, not so valuable - I shall | certainly have to ask for a slightly longer leave of absnece I from home than I intended in order to get it all sorted out."
"Of course." But the other woman's radiant smile had
vanished, and she was staring at her thoughtfully. "But
won't that take a great deal of time?"
This time it was Romilly's turn to smile, and to look
more relaxed.
"Oh, as to that, my aunt expressed a particular wish
that I should stay here for a while," she explained, "and I
feel I need a holiday. I'm not likely to pay a second visit to
Egypt, so I ought to take advantage of this one, didn't I ?"
"Indeed, yes.... Of course!" The lustrous eyes took ia
every detail of her appearance while appearing to do noth
ing of the kind. "Egypt is so utterly'fascinating, and every
one who comes here must hope to pay a second visit. Why
is it you are so sure that you will not come here again? "
"For the simple reason that I couldn't afford it.'8
Romilly's blue eyes had a humorous look, a rueful look.
"Money's an essential commodity when you start visiting
far-away places."
"But you will have money when this house is sold!"
"Yes." Romilly was not quite sure she liked the other's harping on the sale of her house. "// I sell it, and if I don't decide to be quixotic and keep it!"
"But you wouldn't do that! What use would a house be to you in a country you could not afford to visit? " "Not much, I suppose," and Romilly's ruefulness increased.
Leah Mortimer started to prowl about the long, faded drawing-room, and she pounced on a vase that was quite obviously valuable.
"Now this," she declared, "will bring you in some money." "I believe it's Satsuma." "Yes. And this - and this!" She waved other objects in the air. "All these things will bring you in trifling sums,
50
but there are cases and cabinets in this house that are filled wiA all sorts of bric-a-brac; and unless you employ an expert to catalogue them for you and find out their presentday value you are liable to be badly 'done down', as they say, when you do eventually part with them. But if you sold everything as it stands to someone who is prepared to give you a very fair price then there would be no danger of your being unfairly treated. Indeed, quite the reverse could be the case."
"But who would be likely to make an offer such as that?" Romilly demanded. "Without knowing exactly what is inside the house?"
"Ah! ..." The other woman shrugged her elegant, silkclad shoulders. "But I did not suggest that someone who knew nothing about this house would make you an offer.... That would be quite unlikely, I agree."
"Very unlikely, I should think," Romilly emphasised quietly, and then remedied another omission and asked her guest whether she would like some coffee.
"Or tea, as it must be very nearly tea time."
"Thank you, but I do not drink tea - or at least, only very occasionally. And coffee I understand is bad for me."
"Oh, is it? Then what about a drink of some sort ... ?"
Leah Mortimer shook her head, while smiling charmingly at the same time. "No, thank you, Romilly - and you don't mind me call
ing you Romilly, do you? - I have an appointment with my dressmaker in another hour, and I cannot, I'm afraid, stay much longer. But first I must make it clear to you why I
came. / am prepared to make you an offer for this house...
a very, very generous offer!"
"Oh, yes?" Romilly said, and her eyes narrowed
thoughtfully as she surveyed her visitor afresh. "Why?" she
asked, and if she sounded a trifle too blunt she thought
die other could put it down to astonishment. Once more Mrs. Mortimer shrugged her shapely shoulders.
"Not, I must admit, because I am in love with the house itself, but because there are many things here which I covet. ... Yes, honestly, covet!" trying to look as if she was shocked by her own streak of covetousness. She waved her enchantingly pale hands to indicate the crammed cabinets and the shelves which lined the room. "So many things, some beautiful and others quite hideous, but for the sake of the beautiful ones I will write you a very large cheque if you will allow me to spare you the trouble of arranging an auction. And one other thing, you can have the cheque now..."
Romilly's blue eyes narrowed still more. "My need of money is not as great as all that," she said quietly. "Ah, but every young woman needs money! Certainly one as pretty as you... to buy many pretty things!"
"I find some of the things in this house quite attractive," Romilly assured her on a strangely obstinate note .., strange, because she had every intention of selling eventually, but not to this woman.
No, she told herself, not to this woman S
"Of course, of course!" Mrs. Mortimer looked as if she meant to humour her, but time was running out, and she found the English girl a trifle unreasonable. "There are rings and brooches and other pretty toys, some of them filched from tombs, and others acquired in a more legitimate manner, but not, surely, the sort of things to appeal to a young girl like you? An old woman like your aunt could hoard them, but you ... for you life must be different!"
"Not so very different, because I'm a bit of an archaeol
52
ogist myself ... or I would like to be," Romilly admitted.
"And a good many of the things in this house really do
make a quite strong appeal to me." She paused for a moment, and Aen put a question in the same, almost casual
tone. "The Eye of Love, for instance! I'd love to find it.... Wouldn't you?"
Leah Mortimer stared back at her blankly. "I'm afraid I do not quite understand. What is this Eye of Love...?"
"Oh, nothing.... Forget it." Romilly turned away from her, and moved in the direction of the mirror in which Mrs. Mortimer had been admiring her reflection when she first entered the room. She stared at her own slender, rather little-girl figure, and at the same time she saw her visitor standing absolutely still and staring after her - with the same blank, perplexed look on her face. "I'm sorry." She whirled round suddenly, smiling brilliantly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to give your offer some thought, and perhaps in a week or two I can give you my answer. Bat- I don't want to be rushed." :
"Of course not, of course not!" The other immediately thawed into complete understanding, and rushed- over to her and once more patted her arm in an extremely friendly and almost affectionate manner. "In your circumstances why should you be rushed? After all," the lovely lips curving upwards quite enticingly at the corners, and the dark eyes wearing a strangely basilisk smile, "you are the one who is holding the baby, are you not?"
Romilly frowned.
"Holding the-?"
"You are the one to whom the house has been left, and at the moment you are feeling the pride of ownership. But shortly - soon - all this will pall, and you will be happy to sell. Yes?"
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"Perhaps," Romilly answered, her smile much more
right.
"Then that is good! We will come to terms, and I shall
be most generous, and you and I will remain friends. That
will be better still!"
"But at the moment," Romilly pointed out to her po
litely, "we hardly know one another."
"True." Leah Mortimer's expression, however, did not alter. "However, I do assure you we will be good friends in time, and perhaps before you go home to England you will come and stay with me at my house in the desert the true desert, far to the south of here."
"I'm sure I should love that," Romilly answered, temporarily intrigued.
Leah nodded.
"You would find it exciting, especially if you do not know the desert. Such a wonderful sense of freedom, such a getting away from everything that is dull and ordinary. And for you, wi
th your feeling for archaeology, there would be more to excite and intrigue, for we have recently uncovered a very interesting tomb, and have made other discoveries in the area which you would find fascinating, I'm sure. Only keep in touch with me, and we will arrange matters."
She went off gaily, without giving Romilly a chance to inquire how and by what means she should keep in touch with her, since she did not provide her with an address, and when she was alone in the faded drawing-room heavy with the fragrance of the recent visitor she walked back to the mirror in which she had first caught Mrs. Mortimer earnestly studying her reflection and wondered whether it was only her reflection she had been studying.
The mirror hung on the wall in such a position that it commanded an excellent view of a set of cumbersome 54
Chinese lacquer cabinets, and if one had a particular inter
est in those cabinets - or their contents - to stand in front
of it and study the position of the locks might be a reward
ing exercise. Or it could be if one was thinking of acquir
ing a set of keys, or already had a set of keys.
And one was thinking of attempting to open the cabinets
in a poor light - in the dark, for instance!
But somehow Romilly could not see the elegant and
plainly very wealthy Mrs. Leah Mortimer copying Crigh
ton Bey's example, and rifling the cabinets.
Besides,, unless she was a very clever actress she hadn't
even heard of the Eye of Love.
Or had she ? Was she a very clever actress ?
It was a simple matter for Romilly to obtain Mrs, Morti
mer's address from the invaluable Kalim, but having been put in possession of it she hesitated to call on her for the excellent reason that she had ho intention of selling her the House of the Seven Stars more or less as it stood, and without this pretext she had no justification for returning her
can.
But she waited hopefully in anticipation of some further word from Crighton Bey - whose chocolates she had thoroughly enjoyed. And she was beginning to understand from his silence that he had no intention of contacting her any more when she received an invitation to a party that was to be given by Mrs. Mortimer at her house on the outskirts of Cairo. The card said "fancy dress optional", from which Romilly gathered that it was to be a fancy-dress