The Panther & the Pyramid (Khamsin Warriors of the Wind) (25 page)

Jillian had found the newspaper burning on the coal grate of her husband's study, the vile headline screaming out the news as red flames licked the words, curling them into blackened ash. Her father, a perpetrator of such vile crimes? Nonsense.

"Jillian. Ah, good, I've been looking for you."

The deep, smoky voice caused her to whirl with a guilty start. She studied her husband, who entered the room.

"Graham, what's been going on? When I met Aunt Mary today for tea she told me Father was arrested for indecent exposure. Were you trying to hide it from me?" She pointed to the blackened newsprint.

"Yes. Please sit. We've much to discuss, Jillian."

Taking a seat in an overstuffed chair by the fire, she folded her hands. Graham paced the length of the fireplace like a caged jungle cat.

"I've talked with my brother and he agrees it's best to send you and his family to Yorkshire for your own safety. Until the scandal dies down. I'm heading for Egypt to find Khufu's lost treasure, to shore up the family finances. With the tracing you did from your father's map, I'm assured of finding it."

Dumbstruck, she stared at him. Discuss? He was giving orders. Something greater than scandal was at stake. Graham, heading to Egypt alone, banishing her to the cold, damp moors? The moment had come to play her trump card. She studied her husband, who was regarding her with that intense gaze of his.

"I'll need the tracing," he told her.

"You can't have it."

"What?"

Jillian tensed, seeing the dark anger flush his face. As he started to prowl toward her, she added, "It's in a place where you'll never find it."

Graham halted.

"So... so if..." She gulped a deep breath. "If you want to find the treasure, you'll have to take me with you to Egypt. I'm the only person who knows exactly where the key is buried."

"No," he said flatly. "You will tell me where the map is. I'm not taking you anywhere."

Disappointment surged through her. Of course he would not. He'd said no, therefore... No. She couldn't give in to him. This was much too important, more than a mere treasure. The wishing casket meant something to her husband. Her fists clenched. Jillian took a deep breath for courage. "No."

The duke's dark eyes narrowed. "No?"

"I'm not telling you a thing. Not until we arrive in Egypt. And then I'll give you the tracing."

She straightened her shoulders. So this was what it felt like to take a stand. It felt frightening but oddly exhilarating.

For a minute the hard anger on his face threatened her resolve. She wanted to capitulate. To say "yes," and be the same, ordinary, meek Jillian. But if she did, she'd lose more than the treasure offered. She'd lose everything.

"Take me with you and you'll have the map, Graham."

A muscle twitched in his jaw. "Jillian, there's something you should know. One reason I'm journeying to Egypt has to do with your father's arrest. He blames me, and has sworn revenge. I'm hoping to lead him away from my family and you, into Egypt. He has the map and... will know where to find me. For your own safety, you must remain here."

She went still, feeling suddenly sick. "What happened?"

"It has to do with... the unsavory circumstances surrounding his detainment. I was present when he was arrested."

She stared. "He was arrested on charges of indecent exposure. Why were you there?"

"Several other lords were as well. It was a raid in which we were present," Graham said tightly. "Your father was caught in an indelicate situation."

He studied her, a defiant glint in his eyes challenging her to question exactly what the circumstances entailed. Jillian closed her eyes, seeing a closed door, hearing a small, frightened scream from behind it.

"I don't want to know," she whispered.

Was that relief in his eyes? No matter. Jillian lifted her chin, meeting his hard stare. "I'm not afraid of my father anymore, Graham. I'm your wife. I'm going with you. If you want to find the treasure, you'll take me."

"No, Jillian. You will give me the map and we will end this discussion," he snapped.

Graham's dark eyes crackled with fury. He strode toward her, every muscle taut with tension. Barely a foot from her chair he halted, his powerful body leaning toward her. She felt the heat of his anger like a live coal. Jillian shrank back, remembering her father's temper. Instinct urged capitulation.

She squeezed her eyes shut, shivering violently. "Go ahead, Graham. Punish me for being insolent, but I will not draw the map. I will not," she whispered.

A razor-sharp silence hovered in the air. Then she heard the duke say in a very soft voice, "Jillian, look at me. Look at me. I would never punish you. Don't be afraid of me. Don't."

She dared to open her eyes. His hard anger had faded, leaving behind a weary look.

"You win, Jillian. You shall accompany me. But I warn you, you may end regretting this. We both might."

* * *

Egypt,
Ta-meri,
Graham informed her. Land of love. Their arrival in Cairo filled her with enormous relief. It had been a difficult crossing. Graham had run hot and cold. During the day he'd kept his distance, brooding as he paced the ship's deck. At night he'd made love to her with a ferocity she'd never seen him display. Afterwards he'd held her tightly, murmuring soft words in Arabic.

The tension gripping her husband had grown the closer they came to Egypt. Even after they settled into the elegant Shepheard's Hotel and a silent porter unpacked their trunks, Graham paced restlessly. He looked over his shoulder, as if her father were following them close behind.

Jillian took the copy of the papyrus map he'd traced and studied it. She pointed to the intricate symbols. "Where do we look first?"

He glanced over her shoulder at the map. "The key is outside the pyramid. The key you seek is external, in the position that points to Ra, the chambers will direct you. The pyramid's exterior western wall."

Jillian studied the map. "How so?"

"I studied Flinders Petrie's detailed report of all the Great Pyramid's measurements. All the pyramid's chambers are west of the vertical passage system. Vertical points to Ra, the Egyptian sun god. But first we need to extrapolate the clues from the pyramid's interior in the King's Chamber. Best to do it that way during the day, looking like regular tourists."

"Fascinating." Jillian beamed at him, but he did not lose the tension riding him.

It wasn't until they set out for a tour of the Great Pyramid that he relaxed. The short camel ride filled her with excitement and left her rollicking as if caught in a great wind. Brilliant sunshine stoked her body and a soft breeze blew. As they dismounted and walked to the pyramid, Jillian ground to a halt. Her mouth parted with astonished wonder. The structure dominated the tawny sands, standing in stark relief against the sharp blue sky.

A deep sense of heady excitement filled Jillian. The Great Pyramid was no longer the majestic temple others had described. It was here. She had fulfilled a dream harbored since childhood, when her father had returned from his trip to buy Arabian horses and told her about seeing Egypt's splendid sights.

Her hand shot out, gripping Graham's arm and staying his quick, determined stride.

"Solid. Lasting. Nothing can compare," she marveled.

Graham turned. Appreciation danced in his gaze, momentarily erasing the secretiveness there.

"The pyramid is like you. Intricate, filled with wonders and mysteries. Yet inspiring awe, for all who see it must agree upon its beauty," he murmured.

She felt touched by his poetry, yet disturbed. "Is that how you see me, Graham? The pyramid is splendid yet remote—cold stone. It doesn't invite warmth or closeness." Her chest tightened. "It's built as a tomb. Is that what I am, Graham?"

He touched her cheek. "You see it as an Englishwoman does, a monument built to house a dead king. See it as an ancient Egyptian would. Consider its purpose."

"To house the dead."

His expression sobered. "To house new life. Death was only a journey for ancient Egyptians. A journey to new life. This pyramid was fashioned to assist the pharaoh on his way to eternal joy in the afterlife."

Graham moved behind her, wrapping his arms about her waist. His warm breath tickled her ear as he murmured to her, "Look at it. That's what you are to me. A journey to new life."

Disappointment sharp as glass speared her. She had hoped for something deeper, more meaningful, more revealing. But his words, while clever, had not brought about any change. Her attempts to probe this man and discover his layers, to achieve the emotional intimacy she craved, all failed.

Perhaps what she wanted was too much to ask.

Jillian turned in his arms and smiled. "Shall we investigate?"

For a moment, the mask fell from his face and she glimpsed an aching loneliness. Then he returned her smile.

"Would you like to climb it?" he asked. "You should, seeing as it's your first time."

"Oh! May I?"

He escorted her to the structure, eyeing the sweep of her long saffron skirts. Jillian watched with breathless excitement as Graham hired two Egyptian guides. "I'm afraid you'll need help. Some blocks are five feet high," he told her.

"What about you?"

"I can manage on my own." He glanced at her. "Do you mind if I go on ahead? I haven't done this in some time, and I'm anxious to get to the top."

She smiled. "Go. I won't hold you back."

Graham flashed a smile, then took off with the powerful grace of a jungle cat. He hauled himself up each block with seamless agility. He climbed, khaki suit stretching over wide shoulders, black hair gleaming in the endless sun. Jillian murmured her thanks as the two Egyptians pulled her upwards on the higher stones. Determined to do as much possible on her own, she managed the smaller ones.

When she finally reached the top, she saw Graham standing like a pharaoh, scanning the horizon. Tourists flowed past like a stream of water. He seemed so aloof. Something in his stance and proud arrogant carriage reminded her of the ancient kings in this foreign land.

But when she drew closer, a shiver wracked her. Once more she had the eerie feeling her husband was not what he seemed. Witnessing him now, arms folded across his muscled chest, his expression set like grim stone, a flash of insight hit her:

He did not resemble a contented pharaoh surveying his kingdom. He looked more like an embittered invader, determined to conquer. It was as if the sands had scarred him.

What battles raged inside this man, battles he never wanted to share with her? Graham was a fortress built as lasting as this pyramid, locking her out. But the pyramid, like the man, could be invaded. One need only find alternate routes inside, just as explorers had with Khufu's tomb.

Graham shared himself when they made love. He seemed more emotionally vulnerable then. Jillian's feminine intuition told her she had found the way to pry open her husband.

He turned his head and noticed her. "There you are. How did you fare along the way?" he asked.

She stood, slipping an arm about his waist as they both drank in the austere magnificence of the ancient sands. But he seemed stiff as carved wood. Sensing he needed distance, Jillian released him and walked off to be by herself.

When they had descended and joined the line of chattering tourists entering the structure, she felt a distinct change. His aloofness slipped, replaced by thrumming anticipation. Graham did not gasp with awe at the long alley of steps or the oppressive weight of stone surrounding them; he ignored the guide's enthused, halting English explanation of the hieroglyphics etched on the walls. Impatience shadowed his face.

Mindful of the need to cloak their real intentions, Jillian latched onto his arm. When he would have rushed on ahead, she held him back. Caught by her weight tugging at him, he turned and saw her. A rueful smile trumped his impatient look.

Reaching the King's Chamber at last, they milled about with the others, feigning bored interest. Graham pulled her back as the last tourist left the chamber. They were alone.

The lighting in the chamber cast his angular profile into shadow. Excitement danced in his eyes. Her husband looked as enthralled as an ancient explorer first discovering the ruins.