Beloved Enemy, The (House of Winslow Book #30)

by Gilbert, Morris

  Kefira listened eagerly as the professor explained his plan. His eyes sparkled as he said, “This is just a little tell. I expect it’s been overlooked, but when I was there before, I found one piece of pottery that shouldn’t have been there. I was just digging around without much aim, and I came across it. The pottery went all the way back maybe to 2000 B.C. It shouldn’t have been on top, but it could have survived from a previous civilization.”

  “And so we’re going to dig there?”

  Phineas nodded, and excitement made him restless. He slapped his hands together and then waved his arms around as he spoke. “What I want to find, Kefira, is evidence of the Hebrews in Egypt.”

  “You mean like Moses?”

  “Even further back than that. We know from the Old Testament that Abraham went from Canaan to stay in Egypt during a time of famine. I’d like to find some evidence that he was actually there.”

  Kefira was very interested in this. She knew the book of Genesis very well and listened as the professor explained his desire to find some trace of the patriarchs.

  “My brother’s not very interested in this sort of thing,” he said. “He wants me to find a tomb with gold and jewelry and valuable things. I’m afraid he’s more interested in that than in anything of historical significance.”

  Kefira stayed for over an hour listening to the professor, and then she left and went to her own cabin. It was a very small cabin, but it had a bunk and a porthole through which she could look out at the sea and a small chest in which she kept her clothes and personal things.

  She opened the chest, took out the Yiddish Bible that had belonged to her father, and began reading again the story of Genesis. She found the part about Abraham, and when she went over it, she thought, What a wonderful thing it would be if the professor could find evidence of Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt.

  ****

  “It’s going to be a great dig, Diana,” Phineas said. The two of them were in his cabin. She had come by to borrow a book, and the two had fallen into a long discussion about the possibilities. Diana, despite her frivolous life, had actually become somewhat of an expert on pottery, and Phineas said, “I’m glad you’re along, Diana. You know, you could become a leading authority on pottery if you’d give yourself to it.”

  Diana said, “I’m afraid that would call for more character than I have.”

  “I think you have more character than you think, dear.” Phineas was genuinely fond of Diana. He had helped raise her after the death of his sister-in-law and had been grieved to see the direction the young woman’s life had taken. They talked for a while and then Phineas remarked, “I’m very glad Kefira is with us, but I think you’ll have to be more careful, Diana.”

  “Careful? How? What do you mean?”

  “That remark you made at the captain’s table. It embarrassed her.”

  “She’s too easily embarrassed, then,” Diana laughed. “She’d better hope I never say anything worse.”

  “I wish you would be more careful.”

  “I’ll try. Well, good night, Uncle. I’m going to take a turn around the deck.” She kissed him on the cheek and left.

  The wind was warm, and the ship was forging through the dark waters. Overhead the skies were bright with stars, and Diana enjoyed her walk. She had made almost a complete round when she found Josh leaning on the rails, staring out at the ocean. “Hello, shipmate,” she said. Walking over, she stood beside him for a moment, then said, “Are you excited, Josh?”

  “Never been more excited in my life. It’s a miracle of God that I’m here. I wish I’d prepared myself more for it, though.”

  “No point grieving over what you haven’t done.”

  “I suppose that’s right.”

  “Anyway, there have been some great archeologists who had very little formal training. You always had a gift for the digs. Remember how we all wanted to start on that big mound down in Louisiana, but you got stubborn? You just bulldozed us into digging in a smaller one. Even Uncle Phineas was swept away with it.”

  “I remember. I don’t know why I felt that way.”

  “Well, anyway that had all the prize finds in it. Phineas says that kind of instinct is worth more than a college degree.”

  The two stood there reveling in the warm breeze and in the glorious display of stars overhead. The moon was dazzling too, and its reflection glowed in a silvery path that led to the horizon. “I guess I mentioned it before,” Diana said slowly, “but that was the best time I ever had in my younger days.”

  “It was a good time for me too.”

  Diana leaned against him, her shoulder touching his. “We’ll do big things together, Josh. I feel it.”

  Josh was intensely aware of the pressure of her arm against his. He knew that at one time he had felt a passion for this woman stronger than anything that had ever touched him, and as he stood there beside her, he also knew that he could be drawn to her again. There was something in her that attracted men, and he felt it. He was still, however, not over Dora. He had been scarred deeply by his relationship with her, and now, though Diana was no Dora Skinner, he still felt uneasy about the strength of his feelings for her. He made his excuses as soon as he could, then went at once to his room. He slept poorly that night, whether from excitement over what lay ahead or apprehension about his feelings for Diana he could not say.

  ****

  “Well, we land in Egypt tomorrow, Kefira,” Josh said. The two had gone up on deck after supper. The night was mild, and the ship was forging steadily through the dark waters.

  “I’m glad I didn’t get seasick,” Kefira said. She leaned against the rail and stared down at the white frothy waves as the ship plowed through the darkness. The moon was so bright she could see clearly in all directions. “Isn’t this a beautiful night?” she said.

  “Sure is.” Josh had noticed that Kefira had been very quiet at supper. She had left early, and now he sensed that she was unhappy. “Is there something wrong, Kefira?”

  “Oh no, not really.”

  “Don’t fool me, now. We know each other pretty well.”

  Kefira did feel somewhat depressed, and she could not account for it. She had been excited ever since she had known she was going to Egypt. She had gone back to visit Chaim and found that he was improving. She had mailed a letter for him the day they had left, but still she worried about him. She felt uncertain, and her future seemed rather dim. The others knew what they were doing, but all she could do was cook and do menial jobs. And she felt uncomfortable around Diana Welles.

  And beneath all this there was another trouble. She had been reading the New Testament and found herself caught up with the story of the Gospels. She had completed the book of John, and the stories of Jesus had so moved her that she had found herself almost weeping. At first she had tried simply to put the New Testament away, feeling that such emotions were wrong. She remembered what the professor had said, that Christ was her “beloved enemy,” and over and over again she read in the Scripture where Christ did love those who were in trouble, and those who weren’t, for that matter. He had so much love that it touched—and troubled—Kefira greatly.

  Now, as she stood beside Josh in the warm light of the moon overhead, she felt lonely and said finally, “I guess I miss my parents, and I’m worried about Chaim.” She looked up at him and said, “Sometimes I feel like I’ve lost my way, Josh, and that everywhere I turn is the wrong way.”

  The moonlight, Josh noticed, was kind to Kefira, illuminating the full, soft lines of her body, the strong and pleasant contours of her face. He had always felt she was attractive, and now staring down at her, the soft fragrance that came to him slid through the armor of his self-sufficiency. She was sad now, but he knew there was a fire in this young woman that made her lovely, and he felt the things a man feels when he looks upon beauty and knows it will never be for him. It concerned him that she was sad, and he suddenly reached out and touched her cheek, marveling at the smoothness of it. It was an innocent
gesture, but she was startled, he saw, and at once removed his hand. “Don’t shoot me, Kefira.” He smiled. “I’m harmless.”

  Kefira laughed then and said, “I won’t do that, Josh. You’re my best friend.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you feel that way. I’ll tell you what. Let’s stay up all night and just watch for land.”

  “We’ll be too tired to work if we do that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I just want to remember this time. It’s been so good.”

  They stood side by side and were silent as the ship sliced through the water. For a long time neither of them spoke, and finally he turned to her and said, “I’m glad I’m your best friend, Kefira.”

  Studying him for a moment, Kefira had a thought. “We can never be more than friends, Josh, you know that.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “We’re too different.”

  “I don’t think we’re all that different.”

  “Yes, we are. I’m a Jew and you’re a Christian.” She hesitated then and added, “And besides, you’re used to women like Diana.”

  Josh did not answer for a moment, for her words had affected him in a powerful way. He had been struggling with his feelings for Diana. On the one hand, he knew it was a purely physical attraction, and yet there seemed to be more to it than that. Now he said quietly, “I’ve given up on trying to read the future, but I know this. You’re a wonderful young woman, Kefira, and the man who gets you will get a prize.”

  Kefira’s cheeks grew warm, and as she looked into his gray eyes, she felt as pleased as she had ever felt in the presence of a man. She was shocked when he added, “You know, I was reading in the Old Testament this morning. I’m reading it through. I’m just finishing up the book of Proverbs. I was reading the last chapter. It describes a virtuous woman and almost the last verse says, ‘Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.’ That’s you, Kefira.”

  Kefira was shocked, for Josh quoted the exact verse that the professor had applied to her!

  Josh was struck by her silence, and he leaned forward and saw tears glistening in her dark eyes. “Don’t cry.”

  “I can’t help it!”

  Josh felt the strong magnetic pull of this young woman. He took her hand and squeezed it, and then said, “Well, we’ll always be the best of friends, won’t we?”

  Kefira’s throat was full and she could not tell why. She whispered huskily, “Good night, Josh,” then turned and pulled her hand away. She went at once to her cabin, and when she closed the door, she leaned back against it. She could not speak, so full was the emotion that raced through her. Finally she whispered the words that she had tried to contain. “I’m in love with Josh Winslow!”

  The words shocked her, and she dashed the tears from her eyes. “Nothing can ever come of it,” she said fiercely. A great sadness filled her, and as the ship rushed through the night, she knew that nothing she could say or do would ever change what she felt for the young man who had come into her life so abruptly.

  PART FOUR

  The Prize

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  At the Dig

  As the Empress pulled into the port of Alexandria, Josh felt a thrill of anticipation. His eyes took in the flat country, and although it was impossible to see inland very far, he knew that soon he would be standing on the same ground on which the pharaohs had trod. The docks, he saw, were crowded, swarming with native workers trundling loads to various ships.

  As the Empress pulled alongside the long stone quay, he heard Phineas say, “Well, we’re here, Josh. It always gives me a thrill to come back to this land.”

  Josh grinned and turned to face the professor. “I’ve got a strong feeling we’re going to find what we’re looking for.”

  Phineas’s round, cherubic face broke into a smile. “All archeologists think that, but the truth is there are more disappointments than victories in our profession, my boy. You work six months and get absolutely nothing—but then one day your shovel turns over something that you’ve been waiting for all your life and it makes it all worthwhile.”

  The two men stood there until the gangplank went down, and then Phineas said, “Well, we’ll have to find our man. I’ve never met him, but he comes well recommended.” His eyes swept the dock, and he nodded. “That could be him coming up the gangplank now. He looks like somebody important.”

  The two men made their way to the upper reaches of the gangplank, and a tall man with dark olive skin stepped on board. He was a handsome fellow with dark brown eyes and wore a turban and a white robe belted with a crimson sash. “Dr. Welles?”

  “Yes, I’m Welles.” The professor stepped forward and took the man’s hand. “You must be Amir Ben Kalil.”

  “Yes, indeed. I’m very happy to meet you, Professor. I was so excited when you chose me to join your expedition.”

  “Mutual, I’m sure. This is Joshua Winslow, my assistant.”

  Josh stepped forward and took the man’s hand. His grip was crushing, and Josh had to exert his strength to keep his bones from collapsing. “I’m glad to meet you, sir.”

  Amir smiled, his teeth white against his olive skin, and said, “I assume that you’re anxious to get started, so I have hired a boat to take us up the Nile to our dig site.”

  “Fine—fine! We can’t get started too soon. Come along, and I’ll introduce you to the other members of our group.”

  “I’ll go be sure that everything gets loaded, Professor,” Josh said.

  Amir turned and pointed. “You see that short, heavyset man with the blue turban? He’s in charge of the boat. He will load the goods for you if you will point them out to him.”

  Amir had spoken carelessly as if to an underling, and Josh, for an instant, was affronted. But then he shrugged, realizing that in reality he was an underling.

  Phineas and Amir started along the deck but stopped when the two women appeared. “Ah, here they are! May I present my niece, Diana Welles, and this is another of my assistants, Kefira Reis. Ladies, this is our new associate, Amir Ben Kalil.”

  Amir’s eyes took in the two women, and he bowed deeply. Stepping forward, he took Diana’s extended hand, kissed it, and then did the same for Kefira.

  “I am honored to know you, Miss Welles. You’re the professor’s niece?”

  “Yes,” Diana said, smiling. “And you’re the man who’s going to help us find the golden mask of one of the pharaohs.”

  Amir laughed. “I would hope so, but it may take a little time.”

  He turned then to Kefira, saying, “And you are an archeologist, Miss Reis?” He was studying her carefully, and something in his eyes changed.

  “Oh no,” Kefira said quickly. “I’m just a helper. I try to take care of the professor’s needs and do the cooking.”

  Amir said, “Sometimes the cook is the most valuable member of an expedition. I will look forward to our meals.”

  “Amir has gotten a boat,” Phineas said. “We will have to get everything loaded on it, and then we’ll sail up the Nile to the site. We’d better hurry, I think.”

  ****

  The craft that glided smoothly up the broad brown river had but a single triangular sail. It had no motor, but the wind drove it along at a rapid clip. The supplies had all been stored below, and the native crew of four adjusted the sail from time to time. At other times they gathered around the single mast, speaking in their own language.

  Amir had come to stand beside Kefira, who was holding on to the low rail. “This is the heart of Egypt, Miss Reis. The Nile Valley.”

  “It’s very unusual. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  They had been sailing now for some two hours, and Kefira commented, “This is such fertile land. Look at how green everything is.”

  “Yes, it is especially so at this season. At this point the Nile Valley is five miles wide. Look, you see those steep cliffs there and again on the other side there? They shelter the v
alley from the desert wind. Everywhere in the valley there’s fertile black silt, but when you reach those cliffs, nothing grows. It’s nothing but sand and rock, no vegetation, and sparse animal life. For the ancient people this desert was a region of great danger. They visited it only for the beautiful hard stones that could be quarried there and sometimes crossed over it on an adventurous trip to a foreign land.”

  “Are you Egyptian?”

  “No, I am Arab.” Amir hesitated, then stared at her. “I take it you are of Hebrew ancestry.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “By your name, of course, and also by your appearance. You have the look of a daughter of Abraham.”

  “I’m proud you should think so.”

  For some reason Kefira felt somewhat uneasy under the piercing gaze of the Arab. He was an exceptionally handsome man, with smooth, almost classic features. His skin was lighter than she had expected, and he was tall and lean but obviously a powerful man. His hands, she noticed, were strong looking, but he had the long fingers that one expected of a concert pianist or an artist. She was fascinated by him and yet at the same time was somewhat nervous in his presence. “Will we be going far up the river?”

  “Not really. We will disembark at a small village called Amarna. If we went farther, we would go to the ancient city of Thebes. And someday you will want to take a trip to the Valley of the Kings, which is where many of the ancient pharaohs were buried. But we should arrive by midafternoon.”

  He smiled, bowed slightly, and said, “I must go speak with Professor Welles. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

  “Thank you very much.” Kefira watched the tall man leave, then turned again to view the fertile fields of the Nile Valley flowing by on either side.

  ****

  “This is Lisimba, Miss Reis. He will be your assistant.” Amir frowned and said, “If he gives you any trouble, simply beat him. Or if you would prefer, I will do it for you.”