in silence until suddenly the sound of the gramophone startled him - the sound of a pinched voice speaking English grinding out from the other room. The English records. She had found them. He trusted that they would content her, that they would give him this little time to rest.
But there came a great shattering crash. The mirror. She had broken it.
He rose and hurried towards her; she stood rocking back and forth on the carpet, the broken glass all over the dressing table, all over the floor around her, the gramophone droning on.
"Regina," he said." Bella Regina Cleopatra."
"Lord Rutherford," she cried." What has happened to me! What is this place?" A long string of words in a strange tongue she spoke rapidly, and then the words gave out altogether into hoarse hysterical cries breaking one after another, and finally forming one great roaring sob.
Zaki inspected the operation. He watched them sink the naked body of the Englishman deep into the thick, viscous green fluid. On occasion, he would embalm these bodies; he would carry the replication of the original process to the extreme. But that was no longer necessary. The English weren't so keen anymore to unwrapping them at their parties in London. It was only necessary to have them thoroughly soaked in bitumen, and then the wrappings could be applied.
He approached the vat; he studied the face of the Englishman floating below the surface. Good bones, that was true. That's what the tourists like - to see a real face beneath the linen. And this one would look very good indeed.
A soft knock on her door.
"I don't want to see anyone," Julie said. She sat on the couch
in the sitting room of her suite, beside Samir, who had been holding her as she cried.
She could not understand what had happened. There was no doubt Ramses had been in the museum, that he had been badly wounded, and that he had escaped. But the murder of the maid, she could not believe he would do such a thing.
"The theft of the mummy, this I understand," she had told Samir only moments before." He knew that woman; he knew who she was. He could not bear to see the body desecrated any longer, and so he sought to remove her."
"But none of the pieces fit together," Samir said." If he was taken prisoner, who then removed the mummy?" He paused as Rita answered the door.
Julie turned, caught a glimpse of a tall Arab standing there, in full flowing robes. She was about to turn away when she saw a flash of blue eyes.
It was Ramses. He pushed his way past Rita and shut the door. At once she rushed into his arms.
She did not know what her doubts had been, or her fears. She held him, burying her face in his neck. She felt his lips graze her forehead, and then his embrace tightened. He kissed her hard, yet tenderly, on the mouth.
She heard Samir's urgent whisper." Sire, you are in danger. They are searching for you everywhere."
But she couldn't release him. In the graceful robes, he looked more than ever otherworldly. The pure precious love she felt for him was sharpened to the point of pain.
"Do you know what's happened?" she whispered." A woman in the museum was murdered and they are accusing you of the crime."
"I know, my dearest," he said softly." The death is on my head. And worse horrors than that."
She stared at him, trying to accept his words. Then the tears rose once again, and she covered her face with her hands.
She sat on the bed, staring stupidly at him. Did she understand when he told her the dress was a very fine dress? She mimicked the words of the gramophone in perfect English." I should like a little sugar in my coffee. I should like a bit of lemon in my tea." Then she fell silent again.
She let him button the pearl buttons; she stared down in amazement as he tied the sash of the pink skirt. She gave an evil little laugh and lifted her leg against the heavy gores of the skirt.
"Pretty, pretty," she said. He had taught her that much hi English." Pretty dress."
She brushed past him suddenly and picked up a magazine from the dressing table and looked at the pictures of the women. Then in Latin, she asked again, What is this place?