she took the pins out of her hair, gazing absently in the mirror. For a moment, she noticed nothing amiss, and then suddenly she realized that a tall Arab in white robes was standing in the corner of the room, still as the shadows, merely watching her. Her Arab, Ramses.
She spun around, her hair tumbling down all at once over her shoulders. Her heart was about to burst.
She might have fainted again for the second time in her life, if he hadn't caught her. Then she saw the deep bloodstain on his robe and again she felt weak; blackness rising all around her.
Silently he embraced her, pressing her to himself." My Julie," he said, his voice heartbroken." How long have you been here?"
"Only a little while," he said." Let me be silent now; let me hold you."
"Where is she?"
He let her go, backing off." I don't know," he said in a defeated voice." I have lost her."
Julie watched him as he paced, turned and looked at her from a distance. She was keenly aware that she loved him, and would go on loving him no matter what had happened. But she could not say such a thing to him, not until she knew...
"Let me call Samir," she said." He's there, in the sitting room."
"I want to be alone with you for a moment," he said. And for the first time, he appeared just slightly afraid of her. It was a subtle thing, but she felt it.
"You must tell me what's happened."
He remained impassive, looking at her, the sheikh robes doing their damnedest to make him irresistible. And then suddenly his expression broke her heart; no use denying it.
In a tremulous voice, she said," You gave her more of it."
"You haven't seen her," he said quietly, his voice unhurried, his eyes full of undisguised sorrow." You have not heard the sound other voice! You have not heard her weeping. Don't judge me. She is as alive as I am! I brought her back. Let me judge myself."
She clasped her hands tightly, hurting the fingers of her right hand with the fingers of the other.
"What do you mean, you don't know where she is?"
"I mean she escaped from me. She attacked me; she tried to kill me. And she is mad. Lord Rutherford was right. Absolutely mad. She would have killed him if I hadn't stopped her. The elixir hasn't changed that. It merely healed her body."
He took a step towards her, and before she could stop herself she turned her back. She was going to cry again; oh, so many tears. And she didn't want to.
"Pray to your gods," she said, looking at him through the mirror." Ask them what to do. My God would only condemn you. But whatever happens with this creature, one thing is certain." She turned and looked him in the eye." You must never, never brew the elixir again. Whatever remains, consume it. Do it now in my presence. And men erase the formula from your mind."
No response. Slowly he removed the headdress, and ran his hand back through his hair. For some reason this only made him look all the more gallant and seductive. A biblical figure now with flowing hair and flowing robes. It maddened her slightly, and made the threat of tears all the more sharp.
"Do you realize what you're saying?"
"If it's too dangerous to consume it, then find someplace far out in the desert sands, and make a deep shaft into which to pour it! But get rid of it."
"Let me put a question to you."
"No." She turned her back again. She covered her ears. When she looked up she saw in the mirror that he was right at her shoulder. There was that awareness again of her own world destroyed, of a brilliant light having thrown all else into hopeless shadow.
Gently, he took her hands, and lowered them from her ears. He looked into her eyes through the mirror, his body warm and close to her.
"Julie, last night. If instead of taking the elixir with me to the museum, if instead of pouring it over Cleopatra's remains - if instead, I'd offered it to you, wouldn't you have taken it?"
She refused to answer. Roughly he grabbed her wrist and turned her around.
"Answer me! If I had never seen her lying there in that glass case ..."
"But you did."
She meant to hold firm, but he surprised her with his kiss, with the