against my neck as he drapes it over me. Our eyes meet and hold. If all the monkeys in Punt should pass by at this moment, I would not spare them a glance. For I am looking at the most magical and marvelous sight the gods have ever invented. I am looking into the face of the man I love.
" Mistress! "
Tia ' s voice is at my ear like the buzz of an unwelcome insect. " Mistress, we must be returning to the group now. The priestess herself instructed us to be back for the races. "
I want to ignore her, but I cannot. I must do my duty. Reluctantly, I say to Kamenwati, " I am afraid I have to be going. I have had a wonderful time. Thank you. "
" Of course. There are rituals to be performed. But we will meet again. " He gives a little bow. " I will make sure of it. "
He escorts us back to where the elders of my temple are gathered. As we say goodbye, he leans over and whispers to me. " I will come to this same spot tomorrow. Until then, farewell, beautiful lady. "
A screech rent the air, and I was suddenly sitting bolt upright in bed. My cat was batting at my head with her paw, and when I glanced at the clock, I understood why she was impatient. It was almost nine-thirty, and her dinner was long overdue. So, I thought ruefully, was my phone call to Kent.
I got up and filled Cleo ' s bowl, giving her extra to atone for my neglect. Then I checked my messages. Ursula had called to see how I was feeling, and Kent had rung twice. I dialed his cell number right away.
" At last! " he said when he answered. " I was worried. Gram told me you had some kind of dizzy spell. What happened? "
" I just felt faint because I hadn ' t eaten. I ' m fine, " I replied. " I admit it was strange to go through Amisihathor ' s belongings. But then, I ' ve never had access to an ancient person ' s possessions before. I suppose archaeologists on digs are used to it. I wonder when I ' ll get to go on an excavation. "
" I might be able to pull a few strings, " Kent said airily. " But I have an even more exciting prospect for you. How about supper with the family tomorrow night? "
Was this the equivalent of taking me home to meet his mother already? I was probably getting ahead of myself, but the thought was a pleasant one. " I ' d love to, " I said. " Shall I wear my gown and tiara? "
" Certainly, if you don ' t mind the rest of us laughing at you. Seriously, no call to get done up like a dog ' s dinner. A simple frock will be fine. "
" Does that mean a basic black dress and no gloves? "
" I ' m happy to see that along with German and French, you are familiar with the Queen ' s English. We ' ll have you speaking properly in no time. Shall I fetch you around sevenish? "
I agreed that would be fine. When I hung up the phone a few minutes later, I went into the kitchen for my long-delayed meal. I wasn ' t the least bit light-headed now. In fact, I seemed to have extra energy after my nap.
What a curious dream that had been. It was more like watching a movie than experiencing the usual disjointed images. I knew that I would not be able to sleep until I had captured it on paper. Getting out my sketchpad, I began to bring the characters to life.
Chapter Ten
In spite of only four hours of sleep, I sailed through the next day. Katy looked at me suspiciously as I sang while typing up a report. " What have you been up to, young lady? I ' ve never seen you so cheerful this early in the morning. "
" Just full of the joy of life. It ' s a beautiful world, Katy. "
" Is it? I suppose so, as long as there ' s coffee in it. At least Briggs seems calm these days. "
Thankfully, he was. He had a paper due for a meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in New York, and the pressure of getting it done had made him quite irritable lately. He was a private man with a somewhat prickly personality, but in months of working together, we had developed a certain affinity.
He was a brilliant scholar, and I had been very lucky to get a job with him.
" Mistress! "
Tia ' s voice is at my ear like the buzz of an unwelcome insect. " Mistress, we must be returning to the group now. The priestess herself instructed us to be back for the races. "
I want to ignore her, but I cannot. I must do my duty. Reluctantly, I say to Kamenwati, " I am afraid I have to be going. I have had a wonderful time. Thank you. "
" Of course. There are rituals to be performed. But we will meet again. " He gives a little bow. " I will make sure of it. "
He escorts us back to where the elders of my temple are gathered. As we say goodbye, he leans over and whispers to me. " I will come to this same spot tomorrow. Until then, farewell, beautiful lady. "
A screech rent the air, and I was suddenly sitting bolt upright in bed. My cat was batting at my head with her paw, and when I glanced at the clock, I understood why she was impatient. It was almost nine-thirty, and her dinner was long overdue. So, I thought ruefully, was my phone call to Kent.
I got up and filled Cleo ' s bowl, giving her extra to atone for my neglect. Then I checked my messages. Ursula had called to see how I was feeling, and Kent had rung twice. I dialed his cell number right away.
" At last! " he said when he answered. " I was worried. Gram told me you had some kind of dizzy spell. What happened? "
" I just felt faint because I hadn ' t eaten. I ' m fine, " I replied. " I admit it was strange to go through Amisihathor ' s belongings. But then, I ' ve never had access to an ancient person ' s possessions before. I suppose archaeologists on digs are used to it. I wonder when I ' ll get to go on an excavation. "
" I might be able to pull a few strings, " Kent said airily. " But I have an even more exciting prospect for you. How about supper with the family tomorrow night? "
Was this the equivalent of taking me home to meet his mother already? I was probably getting ahead of myself, but the thought was a pleasant one. " I ' d love to, " I said. " Shall I wear my gown and tiara? "
" Certainly, if you don ' t mind the rest of us laughing at you. Seriously, no call to get done up like a dog ' s dinner. A simple frock will be fine. "
" Does that mean a basic black dress and no gloves? "
" I ' m happy to see that along with German and French, you are familiar with the Queen ' s English. We ' ll have you speaking properly in no time. Shall I fetch you around sevenish? "
I agreed that would be fine. When I hung up the phone a few minutes later, I went into the kitchen for my long-delayed meal. I wasn ' t the least bit light-headed now. In fact, I seemed to have extra energy after my nap.
What a curious dream that had been. It was more like watching a movie than experiencing the usual disjointed images. I knew that I would not be able to sleep until I had captured it on paper. Getting out my sketchpad, I began to bring the characters to life.
Chapter Ten
In spite of only four hours of sleep, I sailed through the next day. Katy looked at me suspiciously as I sang while typing up a report. " What have you been up to, young lady? I ' ve never seen you so cheerful this early in the morning. "
" Just full of the joy of life. It ' s a beautiful world, Katy. "
" Is it? I suppose so, as long as there ' s coffee in it. At least Briggs seems calm these days. "
Thankfully, he was. He had a paper due for a meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America in New York, and the pressure of getting it done had made him quite irritable lately. He was a private man with a somewhat prickly personality, but in months of working together, we had developed a certain affinity.
He was a brilliant scholar, and I had been very lucky to get a job with him.
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