Three Rivers (48 page)

Together they went forward and he pointed things out to her about the river. He called for a pair of very powerful binoculars and they saw the wild flowers on the bank and tiny birds that had been hiding from the sun and were now coming out. He had a map brought for them and he laid it out so that they could follow every kilometer of the trip.

Their cruise was the sort that lovers dream about all of their lives. They made love whenever and wherever they wanted. They slept, they spoke and they learned a great deal about each other. The more they learned, the happier they were. They visited tiny little villages, spoke to the people and rode out to almost unknown and certainly unseen pyramids.

They stopped only if they would not be involved with large communities. Wherever they went, it was a country of endless beauty and monumental surprises. They traveled in luxury and were welcomed everywhere with warmth and hospitality.

When Isabel went ashore with Alexis on their archaeological excursions or to the villages where she was sent to sit with the women, she wore long thin cotton dresses in order not to offend anyone. They were like loose smocks, with long, full sleeves. She usually wore her silver-and-amber necklaces and covered herself with fantastic, barbaric-looking, antique silver and cornelian jewelry, such as is worn by the women of the desert tribes of Arabia. They were all gifts that Alexis kept pulling out of nowhere and presenting to her.

She covered her long, chestnut-colored hair with floppy straw hats, or colored chiffon scarves. She wore open sandals and rolled up her sleeves when it was the proper thing to do. Alexis was proud of her sensitivity to the customs of his country.

News went fast up the Nile, and after a while the felucca was eagerly awaited in every village. They were made welcome everywhere by the country people, who were proud to present their great sights of antiquity. The people laid feasts of simple food for the couple, and after they had left, Alexis always took note of what the villages
needed the most, later arranging for such things to be sent.

After they left Malawi, they docked for two days to see the Northern Tombs, the Royal Tombs. The men of the village made a large feast for them and performed country dances, and there was much laughter. Isabel began to realize that these people knew Alexis well. He later explained that his family on his father’s side were great landowners in that part of the desert for hundreds and hundreds of years. Wherever they traveled, he would be well known.

The next mooring was at El Qusiya, where Alexis told Isabel to pack a few things, because they would sleep on shore for two or three days. The felucca docked and Isabel could see a place had been cleared for them along the bank. There were about a dozen village people standing about, and, to Isabel’s astonishment, there they were — Alexis’s six camels and their drivers, all waiting.

She looked at Alexis, who was laughing at her surprise; he was delighted with himself. She could hardly resist it and went up to Alexis and kissed him. Her enthusiasm for all that he did fired him as it always did. He looked around, and seeing everyone busy docking, he quickly slipped his hand under her dress as he stood just slightly behind her. He played with her and kissed her at the same time on her lips, saying to her, “I am having the most wonderful time of my life. I will thank you every day as long as I live with my love.”

He kissed her again, and as he did, he put three fingers into her and moved them around; she closed her eyes for a second and sighed with the pleasure that he induced. When he felt her come all over his fingers, he wanted her right there and then. She saw through his trousers that he was hard and just how much he did want her.

They forgot about everything happening around them for the moment and just vibrated their sexuality at each other. His fingers lingered and played with her insides, and he sighed heavily with passion for her. She wanted to go down on him right there and then, make love to him and take him in her mouth, but they both knew that their desire had to wait. He stepped back and took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hands. “A pity, darling. I would love to lick my fingers, but I think people might think that a bit strange!”

They both laughed and, arm in arm, walked over to the table where he had spread out their map to show her where they were. He explained, “Listen, darling, there is an old rattletrap of a car that is at your disposal. It belongs to one of the village elders, and he would be delighted for you to ride in it to the monastery and the necropolis at Mira. I will ride with the men on camels and meet you there, unless you want to go on Ishta. It is only a few miles to the monastery, but I think it would be more fun for you to go out by car accompanied by Doreya, and then from the monastery to ride through the desert with us to the Rocky Tombs.”

She went down and changed into a pair of long, wide, cotton trousers that looked like a divided skirt and a voluminous cotton shirt which hung over the trousers with huge loose sleeves, and over it she tied a soft sash of the same material. It was the color of putty, and her great silver-and-amber necklaces and silver earrings made her look as if she belonged there.

She was at a loss about what to do with her hair. Alexis watched her as she finished putting on her sandals. He told her he found her perfect as always and called for Doreya, who pinned Isabel’s hair up and wound a turban of white cotton over it, leaving one long end draped over her shoulder and down her front. On the side of the turban she pinned a great silver-and-amber broach and then showed Isabel how to drape the long end of the turban over the bottom half of her face and hook it onto the brooch. A sort of yashmak in case the sand started to get up her nose and in her mouth.

Alexis wore a white open shirt of finest batiste cotton and a pair of white cotton trousers. They were held in place by a brown alligator belt. Around his neck he tied a red-and-white cotton scarf, and she laughed at him and said, “You learned that from John Wayne, now, didn’t you?”

He laughed and said, “Darling, my ancestors were wearing scarves to keep the sand out of their mouths long before your people massacred all the Indians,” and smacked her on her bottom.

He went to the mirror and put on his old, battered, white Panama hat that had come long ago from Herbert Johnson in London. She looked at him and thought.
My God, he cuts a dashing figure, my husband does
, and
smiled at him. She also thought to herself how clever he was to have chosen that kind of outfit rather than to have done himself up as the Arab sheikh on his camel.

Doreya and Isabel rode to the monastery in the desert, jostled around in the old mongrel of a car, after they had seen the men ride off on the camels. Doreya did her best to make Isabel understand that Alexis was a very important man in the district of Asyut. There were literally thousands of people in the area who looked to him as a leader. Isabel was very proud of him and loved watching him ride with the men.

The belt of green close to the Nile was so fertile, but then suddenly it stopped and they rode through the desert to the necropolis of Myra. It was wonderful to see the monastery rise up out of nowhere in the sand, and long before entering it, one felt a serenity, a sense of purity, that was uplifting. Isabel felt its vastness and the excitement of being a guest in the history of mankind. The silence was all around them.

By the time they left the monastery, it was very late in the day, and Isabel mounted Ishta with little difficulty. Hosni rode on one side of her and Alexis on the other. Isabel was comfortable riding and pleased that she was not feeling the waves of sickness she had experienced a few times on other occasions when she had been on a camel. The desert was so clean and smooth with its patterns of rippling waves made by the wind. The endless changing color of it, with the shadows and the sun. Its emptiness enveloped her, and she was almost swallowed up by the atmosphere. No one spoke as they rode almost three hours at a slow pace to their camp.

When night was almost upon them they caught sight of three open fires and three great, sprawling, black Bedouin tents.

The camp was primitive and wonderful, but Isabel was very tired and hot, dusty and very thirsty. Doreya came forward and brushed some of the sand from her and then removed her turban.

Alexis came to her, and smiling broadly, he said, “You are wonderful. I am so proud of you and your enthusiasm for my country,” and as he spoke, he walked her into one of the tents, pulling the hairpins from her hair and arranging it as it fell to her shoulders.

The tent was very simple, with many cushions scattered
over the kilims covering the sand; lanterns were lit. From the entrance of the tent they could see many people outside: camel drivers with their camels sitting around the fire and being tended to, visitors from the villages close to the camp who brought fruits, cakes and sweets, flat bread and village goat cheese.

Isabel stayed in her tent while Alexis went to sit in the guest tent and have coffee with the men and talk. It was exciting and at the same time clever of him to let her taste desert life with him alone. Doreya brought brass troughs of water for her to wash in, a long, ruby-red, fine wool dress that was cut low in the front and back, and a shawl to match, with a deep, silk fringe, to protect her from the cool night air. On her neck she put the scarab necklace. She made up her face and lay among the cushions, resting and watching Alexis and the people across from her, a hundred yards away.

She drank hot, sweet tea and nibbled on some bread and cheese, and waited. In time Alexis came to her and told her she was looking divine. Doreya brought him fresh water to bathe in and a black, fine wool galabia trimmed in gold. The flaps to the tent had been dropped and Doreya, acting as his valet, helped him to undress, bathe and change. Isabel watched them. He was in a wonderful mood and very busy giving instructions to Doreya as she washed him.

When he was dressed he pulled Isabel up off the cushions, telling her he found her ravishing in the red. He covered her exposed front by draping the shawl around her and said it would be best to keep it that way until they were alone together.

Isabel took note that he did not touch her again once the tent flaps were opened. They went in to supper and sat down together. Only after they were seated did all the guests, all men, enter the tent and sit down. As Alexis introduced her to them each stood up, bowed and said something in Arabic to her and sat down again.

They ate delicious lamb and rice and bowls of hot moulihaya. Then some sweet cakes. After about an hour and a half, Doreya went to Isabel and whispered in her ear that Alexis wanted her to retire. She got up and no one, not even Alexis, paid any attention to her leaving. She understood and made her exit discreetly.

It was another hour and a half before Alexis went to
her. All he said as he undressed was, “You were a great success, darling. I am sure they will all go looking for red dresses for their favorite wives now. Did you enjoy the evening?”

“It was fantastic, Alexis, but I did feel I was intruding because I know that women are not ordinarily at dinners like that.”

“Well, you behaved perfectly and I adore you and I will not wait one more minute. I want you.” Alexis seemed so different that night in the desert. More wild, not brutal, but maybe more primitive and fierce in his passion for her.

She loved his wildness and reacted to it but tried to control her own passion because she was afraid people might hear her outside.

He slapped her gently but strong enough for her to know that it was a reprimand, saying, “Never hold back with me. Never! You let go as loud as you like and as much as you want. It is part of our whole love, your never holding back. I do not care who hears us, it is your very passion, and the life that constantly flows from you that enthralls me.”

Then he kept driving into her, until she lost control in a huge wave of orgasm. Her scream was followed shortly by his.

Never in her life had Isabel wanted sex more. She felt such an animal with Alexis. He always like to take her in the morning, but
this
morning, she climbed on
him
. Now it was her turn: She wanted to take him in the desert. She drove him mad with her cunt as he had driven her mad the night before until they lay in each other’s arms and decided, laughing, that they were disgusting. Two lovers of their age with such passion!

Finally they dressed and went out for breakfast very early in the morning. They spent a second night in the desert, broke camp on the third day and traveled a good distance up the desert in those three days. The
Mamounia
was docked and waiting to carry on up the Nile. An old, battered car took them from the camp through the desert and into the lovely green belt close to the Nile.

The moment they were on board the crew went to work pulling up sails. Orders were called, and the wind filled the sails almost at once. They looked at each other
with smiles, but said nothing. There was no need to articulate their happiness.

They were on their way when they went down and bathed together. Very tired, they climbed into bed and fell fast asleep.

It was the next morning, while Alexis was shaving and Isabel had gone up on deck, when Gamal went to his master. They spoke, and then Gamal handed him two cablegrams that had been brought to the boat by one of Alexis’s agents.

The first cablegram that Alexis read was from Alfred More, in Athens, informing Isabel of the circumstances concerning her sister Ava’s death by drowning. Alexis put down the cablegram and opened the other one; it was from the S.S.
Aphrodite
, and detailed Kate’s death. He put both cablegrams in the pocket of his robe and finished shaving.

Once in the bedroom, he lay down on the bed. He was thinking of Isabel and how bruised her heart would be when she heard the news that her mother and sister had died so quickly and so closely without ever resolving their relationship with her.

He knew how happy Isabel was with him. How ironic that these two tragedies should happen almost at the same time, on her happiest day, her wedding day. Alexis felt a deep sorrow for Isabel, and this last burden she must bear from her family.