Egyptian Honeymoon by Elizabeth Ashton Read Free Book Online

be off like a scalded cat.'
    She hung her head. 'I'm your wife.'
    'I won't let you forget it.'
    Was that a threat, an invitation, or what? They had reached the taxi and he handed her in without further comment.
    As they drove away she remarked, reverting to the former subject:
    'After all, all that buried treasure didn't do anyone any good.'
    'That's one way of looking at it, and some people must have made a fortune out of their ill-gotten gains, to say nothing of the free meals to rats and mice provided by the offerings of food and drink.'
    'Ugh!' She shivered at the picture his words evoked. 'Let's talk of something else.'
    'You're too sensitive, my love,' Steve remarked drily. They were sitting side by side, but he did not touch her. Noelle's earlier lightheartedness had evaporated. These monuments were tombs, and her thoughts had winged to Hugh. He had no great pyramid erected to his memory, only a simple slab in a country churchyard. According to the creed of the men who had built the Pyramids he was a lonely shade wandering in Amenti. Had she betrayed him by marrying Steve? Steve glanced at her still, remote face, and observed:
    'You're being morbid. The dead have no claims on the living.'
    She did not like the way he seemed able to read her thoughts; his were a complete enigma to her. She turned towards him with an apologetic smile.
    'I'm sorry to be such a wet, but I'm rather tired. It was lovely seeing all this, but a bit exhausting.'
    'Sightseeing always is,' he said prosaically. 'Especially in this heat. This afternoon you must lie down and rest.'
    She revived over lunch, and the Mena House Hotel was quite something with its Moorish arches and well tended gardens. Steve talked about the places they would be visiting and the great temples at what had been the capital of the Middle Kingdom, Thebes, that was now called Luxor. He seemed to be deliberately trying to be impersonal. Finally he told her:
    'Antiquity has always interested me, and I collect objets d'art. You've seen some of my collections at Cliveden?'
    She remembered the bronze monkey.
    'Yes. You're very patient when you're set upon acquiring something.'
    He shot her a meaning glance. 'I am. A valuable object is worth waiting for.'
    'Do you include me in that category?' she asked provocatively.
    He laughed genially. 'That's fishing. People aren't things.'
    Noelle obediently tried to rest during the afternoon. Steve conducted her to the bedroom and said he would call her when it was time to go to the boat. He would ask the chambermaid to pack for them. Then he left her, and she wondered where he was going. She felt restless and over-stimulated, but finally she dozed and dreamed. She was in a tunnel leading into the interior of a tomb and Steve was beside her. It was dark and cold and she was scared. 'Please,' she besought him, 'let's go back into the sunshine.'
    He laughed low and mockingly as he replied:
    'There's no going back, my love.'
    She awoke to find the chambermaid packing her cases as requested, and changed into a white dress with a white woollen wrap, since it might be cool on the water. The maid was a plump dark woman, not at all young, and was deft and efficient. She insisted upon running a bath for Noelle. Unused to being maided, Noelle was a little embarrassed, especially when the woman—she said her name was Miriam— exclaimed over her white skin and pale gold hair. She was packing Steve's suits, far more expertly than Noelle could have done, when Steve came in. He had discarded his shorts and headdress and was wearing white trousers and a blazer. It seemed he and Miriam were old acquaintances, and she looked at him with dark melting eyes, thinking of the large tip he would give her.
    He regarded Noelle's ensemble with approval, obviously preferring it to what she had worn on the previous evening. He looked so handsome and distinguished that Noelle felt her pulses stir. If he came to her tonight she would try to give him a warmer reception.