of perfume, and she liked it. It made her smile bitterly to think it was like being a girl again.
Running through the palace gardens, her hair her cloak.
"I like your world, Lord Alex," she said as she watched the winking lights of Cairo under the paling evening sky. The stars seemed so lost above this dazzling splendour. Even the headlamps moving through the streets had a soothing beauty." Yes, I like your world. I like everything about it. I want to have money and power in it; and for you to be at my side."
She turned. He was staring at her as if she'd hurt him. She ignored the knock at the door.
"Dearest, those things don't always go hand in hand in my world," he said." Lands, a title, education - these I have, but money I do not."
"Don't worry," she said, so relieved it was only that." I shall acquire the wealth, my lord, that's nothing. Not when one is invulnerable. But there are some scores I must settle first. I must hurt someone who has hurt me. I must take from him ... what he took from me."
The knock sounded again. As if waking from a dream, he took his eyes off her and went to the door. A servant. His evening clothes had come.
"Your father's already left, sir. Your tickets will be at the box office under his name."
"Thank you, Walter."
There was barely time for him to dress. As he shut the door, he looked at her again, curiously, with that little touch of sadness.
"Not now," she said, quickly kissing him." And we may use these tickets, may we not?" She picked up off the dressing table the pair she'd stolen from the poor dead boy in the alleyway, the little papers which said" Admit One."
"But I want you to meet my father, I want you to meet all of them. I want them to meet you."
"Of course you do, and I shall, soon enough. But let us be alone somewhere lost in the crowd so that we can be together. We shall see them when it suits us. Please?"
He wanted to protest, but she was kissing him, stroking his hair again." Let me have a chance to see your lost love Julie Stratford from a distance."
"Oh, but none of that matters now," he said.
8
ANOTHER MODERN palace - the Opera House, swarming with bejeweled women in gowns the colours of the rainbow, and the men beside them, elegant in white and black. How curious it was, all colours belonging to the females. The males wore uniforms, it seemed, each perfectly identical with the other. She blurred her eyes, to see the reds and blues dancing independently of all detail.
She watched the great surge up the grand staircase. She felt admiring glances on her; the soft glaze of admiration like a light on her skin.
Lord Summerfield beamed at her with pride and affection. "You are the Queen here," he whispered, cheeks flushed again for an instant. He turned to one of the merchants peddling strange little instruments the purpose of which she couldn't guess.
"Opera glasses," he said as he handed them to her." And the program, yes, please."
"But what are they?" she asked.
He gave a startled little laugh." You did fall from heaven, didn't you?" His lips touched her neck and then her cheek." Put them to your eyes, adjust them until they come into focus. Yes, that's it. You see?"
She was shocked. She jumped back as the people on the upper gallery appeared to loom over her.
"What a curious tiling. What makes it happen?"
"Magnification," he said." Pieces of glass." How delighted
he seemed that she'd never heard of it. She wondered how Ramses had mastered all these little secrets; Ramses, whose" mysterious tomb" had been discovered only a month ago by "poor Lawrence," who was now dead. Ramses, who told" in the scrolls" of his love for Cleopatra. Was it really possible that Alex didn't know that the mummy and his nemesis Ramsey were the same?
But how could he grasp it? With only the inane story of the disreputable cousin to link the two? Had she believed when the old priest had led her into the cave?
Chimes sounded. "The opera's going to begin."
They moved up the stairs together. It seemed to her a brilliant light surrounded both of them, separated them from others, and others could see this light, and cast their glances