Curse of the Kings (19 page)

Yes, there was something decidedly mysterious about Tabitha.

Christmas was not far off. Sabina said we must celebrate Christmas Day at the rectory, and she would insist on my aunts joining us.

I fancied Dorcas and Alison were a little reproachful. They were so conventional. I think they believed I should have gone to them at Rainbow Cottage or they come to me at Giza House.

I swept all that away by pointing out the convenience of Sabina suggestion and what fun it would be to be back in the old drawing room where so many of our Christmases had been celebrated.

The days were passing swiftly. There was Christmas to think of and always, of course, the expedition. Tabitha and I decorated the house with holly and mistletoe.

t was something we never did before,said Tabitha.

The maids were delighted. Ellen told me that it was more like a house since I come home. That was a compliment indeed.

They liked me, those maids; they seemed to take a pleasure in addressing me as y lady.It invariably startled me, and sometimes I had to assure myself: Yes, it true. Youe not dreaming this time. This is the greatest dream of all come true.

It was at the beginning of December when the first uneasy situation occurred.

I had never quite understood Mustapha and Absalam. In fact they made me uncomfortable. I would be in a room and suddenly find them standing close behind meor they seemed to move about togetheraving been completely unaware of their approach. I often looked up suddenly to find their dark eyes fixed upon me. Sometimes I would think they were about to speak to me; but then they seemed to change their minds. I was never quite sure which one was which and I believe I often addressed them wrongly. Tabitha could easily tell the difference but then she had known them for a very long time.

It was afternoonhat hour when dusk was beginning to fall. I had gone to our bedroom and on my way saw that the door which led from the corridor into that room which I called the Sarcophagus Room was ajar. I thought perhaps Tybalt was there, so I looked in. Mustapha, or was it Absalam, was standing silhouetted against the window.

I went in and as I did so, the other Egyptian was standing behind me between me and the door.

I felt the goosepimples rise on my skin. I was unsure why.

I said: ustapha Absalam, is anything wrong?

There was a brief silence. The one by the window nodded to the other and said: bsalam, you say.

I turned and faced Absalam.

y lady,he said, e are your most humble slaves.

ou mustn say that, Absalam. We don have slaves here.

They bowed their heads.

Mustapha spoke then. e serve you well, my lady.

ut of course,I replied lightly.

I saw that the door was shut. I looked at that which led into our bedroom. It was half closed. But I knew Tybalt would not be there at this hour of the day.

e have tried to tell you many times.

lease tell me now then,I said.

t must not be,said Mustapha shaking his head gravely.

Absalam began to shake his.

hat?I asked.

tay here, my lady. You tell Sir Tybalt. You tell. He must not go.

I began to grasp their meaning. They were afraid to go back to Egypt, the scene of the tragedy which had overtaken their master.

afraid that impossible,I said. lans are going ahead. They couldn be altered now.

ust be,said Mustapha.

am sure Sir Tybalt would not agree with you.

t is death, there. There is a curse

Of course, I thought, they would be very superstitious.

I said: ave you spoken to Sir Tybalt?

They shook their heads in unison. o use. No use to speak to his great father. No use. So he die. The Curse comes to him and it will come to others.

t a legend,I said, othing more. All will be well. Sir Tybalt will make sure of that.

Absalam came to me and stood before me. The palms of his hands were together, his eyes raised. y lady, must speak. My lady is the new wife. A husband listens to his beloved.

t would be impossible,I said.

t is death death.

t is good of you to be so concerned,I said, ut there is nothing I can do.

They looked at me with great sorrowing eyes and shook their heads mournfully.

I slipped through to the bedroom. Naturally, I told myself again, they would be superstitious.

That night as we lay in bed I said to Tybalt: he Egyptians spoke to me today. They are very frightened.

rightened of what?

hat they call the Curse. They believe that if we go to Egypt there will be disaster.

f they feel that they must stay behind.

hey asked me to speak to you. They said a husband loves his beloved and would listen.

He laughed.

told them it was futile.

hey are very superstitious.

ometimes I a little frightened.

ou, Judith?

I clung to him.

nly because of you,I assured him. hat if what happened to your father should happen to you?

hy should it?

hat if there is something in this Curse?

y dear Judith you don believe that.

f anyone else was leading this expedition I would laugh the idea to scorn. But this is you.

He laughed in the darkness.

y dear Judith,he said.

And that was all.

I was longing for the days to pass. What dark ones they were before Christmas. There was a great deal of rain and the fir trees glistened and dripped; the soft-scented southwest wind blew through the trees and moaned outside the windows. Whenever I saw the Egyptians their eyes seemed to be fixed on me, half sorrowfully, half hopefully. I saw Nanny Tester but only in the presence of Tabitha for she kept mainly to her own apartments and only rarely emerged.

Theodosia and Evan came to stay at Keverall Court for Christmas, and Tybalt and I and Sabina and Oliver were invited for Christmas Eve. Hadrian was there too; he was going to stay until we left for Egypt.

It had long been a custom to sing carols in the Keverall Court ballroom on Christmas Eve and many of the people from the neighborhood joined the company. Oliver officiated as the Reverend James Osmond used to and it was a very impressive occasion for there was a torchlight procession from the church to Keverall.

After the singing Lady Bodrean chosen guests went to the hall where we had a supper consisting of the various pies which had been popular for centuriesquab, mutton, beef; and, of course, hot Cornish pasties. These were all eaten with mead and a beverage known as Keverall punch which was made in an enormous pewter bowlhe recipe, known only to the steward of Keverall, had been handed down through the last four hundred years. It was rather potent.

I was amused by Lady Bodrean attitude towards me. When she did not think herself observed she regarded me with a sort of suspicious wonder, but she was all charm when we stood face to face.

t is a pleasure to see you, Lady Travers,she said. I felt myself giggling inwardly as I graciously acknowledged her greeting.

After we had partaken of the pies and punch we went to the church for the midnight service and strolled home in the early hours of Christmas Day. It was all as we had done it many times before; and I felt it was good that all the friends of my childhood were gathered together at such a time.

Christmas Day at the rectory was pleasant too. It was amusing to see Sabina presiding at the table where once Alison had sat. There was the turkey with the chestnut stuffing and brandy butter which I remembered used to cause Dorcas and Alison such concern. Sabina showed no such anxiety. She chattered away making us all laugh as we teased her. The plum pudding was ceremoniously carried in with its flaming brandy jacket and followed by mince pies shining with their coating of castor sugar.

Theodosia and Evan with Hadrian were not with us, of course, they being at Keverall Court; so the conversation for once was not of the coming expedition; for this I was grateful because I was sure that Dorcas and Alison would not have enjoyed it.

Afterwards we played charades, miming scenes and childish guessing games at which I excelled and Tybalt did not. Dorcas and Alison looked on and applauded my success, which exasperated while it touched me.

In the early hours of the morning as Tabitha, Tybalt, and I walked the short distance from the rectory to Giza House, I found myself wondering whether there would always be the three of us together. I was fond of Tabitha, but there were times when the old saying seemed very apt: Two company; three a crowd. Was it because when Tabitha was with us Tybalt attitude towards me seemed to change? Sometimes he seemed almost formal as though he were afraid to betray to her that affection which more and more he was beginning to show when we were alone.

January was with us. There was a cold snap, and the hoar frost glistening on the shrubbery trees gave them a look of fairyland.

Tybalt at the breakfast table going through the mail, frowned and made an exclamation of disgust.

hese lawyers!he complained.

hat happened?

ir Ralph will is taking a long while to settle. It a clear example of procrastination. It seems as though it going to be months before everything is clear.

oes it matter so much?I asked.

ou know he has left this trust. We were relying on it. It will make a great deal of difference to the expedition. We shall be less restricted for funds with this additional income. Youl discover, Judith, how money is swallowed up in expeditions like this. We have to employ possibly a hundred workmen. Then of course there are all the other workers. They have to be paid; they have to have living quarters. That why one cannot begin such an undertaking until all these tiresome financial matters are taken care of. Wee almost always frustrated by a question of expense.

nd you can touch this money or the interest, or whatever it is, until the will is proved?

h, it will be all right. With such a sum made over to us we shall be able to anticipate. But there will be formalities. I daresay I shall have to go to London. I should have to in any case, but later.

o it is only a minor irritation.

He smiled at me. hat true, but minor irritations can mean delays.

He then began to talk to me in the way I loved and he told me that he believed his father had discovered the way into an unbroken tomb.

e was so excited. I remember his coming to the house. He had rented a house from one of the most influential men in Egypt who was interested in our operation and allowed us to have his palace, which was a great concession. It a very grand and beautiful residence with magnificent gardens and a band of servants to look after us. It called the Chephro Palace. We pay a nominal rent concession to independence; but the Pasha is really very interested in what we are doing and eager to help. We shall use this palace again.

ou were telling me of your father?

e came in from the hills. It was night. There was a moon and it was almost as light as day. It impossible, of course, to work in the heat of the afternoon and those moonlit nights were made full use of. He was riding a mule and as he came into the courtyard, I saw him from my window, and I guessed something had happened. He was a man who rarely showed his feelings, but he showed something then. He seemed exuberant. I thought I would wait until he had washed and changed and had had a light meal which Mustapha and Absalam always prepared for him. Then I would go down and wait for him to tell me. I knew I would be the one he would tell first. I said nothing to anyone for it might have been something he wished kept secret. I knew that a few days before we had been in despair. It was several months earlier that we had discovered the door in the rock; we had penetrated through a corridor only to be led to a tomb which had been rifled probably two thousand years earlier. It had seemed then as though we had come to the end of our quest and all the work and expense would lead to nothing. But my father had had this strange feeling. He would not give up. He was certain we had not discovered all. I was of the opinion that only some tremendous discovery could have made him excited on that day.

Tabitha had joined us.

am telling Judith about my father death,he said.

Tabitha nodded gravely; she sat down at the table and propping her elbows on the table leaned her chin on her hands. Her eyes were misty as Tybalt went on:

went down when I thought he would be refreshed and then I found him ill. I did not believe it was serious. He was a man of immense physical as well as mental vitality. He complained of pains and I saw that his limbs trembled. I suggested to Absalam and Mustapha, who were very upset, that we get him to bed. This we did. I thought: In the morning he will tell me. That night he died. Before he did I was sent for. As I knelt by his bed I could see that he was trying to tell me something. His lips moved. I was certain he was saying o on.That is why I am determined.

ut why did he die at precisely that moment?

here was talk of the Curse which was absurd. Why should he be cursed for doing what many had done before him? He had merely been to the site on which we were working. It was not as though he had violated one of the tombs. It was ridiculous.

ut he died.

he climate is hot; he may have eaten tainted food. That, I can assure you, has happened more than once.

ut to die so suddenly.

t was the greatest tragedy of my life. But I intend to carry out my father wishes.

I put out my hand and pressed his. I had forgotten Tabitha. Then I saw that there were tears in her beautiful eyes; and I thought peevishly I must admit, why are there always the three of us!

During the cold spell Nanny Tester caught a chill which turned to bronchitis, as in the case of Dorcas. I was quite useful nursing her, having had experience with Dorcas. The old woman would lie in bed watching me with her bright beady eyes; I think she liked to have me there which was fortunate, for she had what seemed to me an unreasoning dislike for Tabitha. It was really most unfair because Tabitha was considerate in the extreme, but sometimes she would become really restless when Tabitha was in her room.