The Falcon at the Portal: An Amelia Peabody Mystery by Elizabeth Peters Read Free Book Online

was quite dry, but when the strains of the recessional burst out and David started down the aisle with his wife on his arm, the sight of their faces brought just a touch of moisture to my eyes. Lia carried a simple spray of ferns and white roses, and wore her grandmother's veil; the priceless old Brussels lace lay like snowflakes on her fair hair. They passed in a flutter of white and a sweet fragrance and David turned his head to smile directly at me.
They were followed by Ramses and Nefret, who were the only attendants. Nefret looked like the personification of spring, her white throat and coronet of golden-red hair rising out of the soft green fabric of her gown like a flower on a stem. I assumed it was she who had managed to keep Ramses from tugging at his cravat, mussing his hair, or smudging his linen; I had been too busy with other arrangements to watch him. With pardonable maternal pride, I concluded that he did both of us credit. In my opinion Ramses's appearance will never be as impressive as that of his father, but he carried his slender height well and his features were not unpleasing. Like David, he glanced at me as he passed. Ramses seldom smiled, but the solemnity of his countenance lightened a trifle as his eyes met mine.
    Those glances acknowledged that without my support and intervention the match might never have taken place. In the beginning Lia's parents had been strongly opposed. As I pointed out to them, their opposition was based solely on the unconscious and unjust prejudices of their caste. My arguments prevailed, as they usually do. Was that why I had felt such strange uneasiness in recent days—why I had actually held my breath in suspense when the fatal question was asked? Had I really expected someone would rise up and "show cause" why those two should not be wed? Ridiculous! There was no legal or moral impediment to the marriage, and the views of narrow-minded bigots carried no weight with me. Yet if they were not happy together, or if tragedy ensued, the ultimate responsibility would be mine.
Emerson, who is very sentimental, though he does not admit it, had turned his head away and was fumbling in his pocket. I was not surprised when he failed to locate his handkerchief. He never can locate his handkerchiefs. I slipped mine into his hand. Face still averted, he blew his nose loudly.
    "Thank goodness that's over," he declared.
    I started. "Why do you say that?"
"Oh, it was very pretty, no doubt, but all that praying became tedious. Why don't young people just go off and—er—set up housekeeping, as the ancient Egyptians did?"
Chalfont Castle, Evelyn's ancestral home, is a gloomy old pile of a place and the Great Hall is the oldest and gloomiest part of it. The fabric dates from the fourteenth century, but early Victorian enthusiasm for the Gothic had resulted in some unfortunate additions and restorations, including several hideous carved oak chandeliers. Rain clouds darkened the stained-glass windows but a fire blazed on the hearth, lamps and candles twinkled everywhere, and flowers and greenery brightened the hoary stone walls. The floor was covered with Oriental rugs. The long refectory table had been spread with food; melodious sounds issued from the gallery at the north end, where the musicians were stationed.
    Katherine Vandergelt joined me at the table and accepted a glass of champagne from the servant. "You do have the most unusual friends, Mrs. Emerson," she remarked with amiable irony. "Egyptians in native attire, servants mingling with their masters on equal social terms, and a former spiritualist medium who was only saved from prison by your kindly intervention."
    She was referring to herself, though she was guilty of a certain degree of humorous exaggeration. Financial need and the desire to provide for her fatherless children had driven her to take up that questionable profession, which she had been happy to abandon. Her marriage to our wealthy American friend Cyrus had resulted