Soul and Shadow (2 page)

"
Yes.
"
The beautiful paintings had certainly caught my attention.
"
It had that lovely mural of him and his wife sitting under a palm tree, watching monkeys dance.
"

"
Yes, indeed. Kamenwati and Amisihathor. I knew it was the same woman. Egyptian art is very stylized, of course, but she had a unique piece of jewelry that was so beautiful, the artists included it in their representations. A necklace of turquoise and carnelian, with pearls and enameled lotus blossoms.
"

"
The symbols of resurrection,
"
I said.

"
Quite right.
"
The old woman smiled.
"
You sign your paintings with one. The blue water lily.
"

"
You
'
ve seen my work?
"
I asked in surprise.

"
Of course. That was how I knew you were the one I needed to help me. We must unravel this mystery once and for all, so the spirits can go at last into the Beautiful West and find peace.
"

To my astonishment, she handed me a manila envelope.

"
I
'
ve made copies of various inscriptions and documents, as well as an outline. We can talk again after you
'
ve read them. I
'
m certain you
'
ll be intrigued. I
'
ve included my card, so you can call me anytime. Promise me that you
'
ll go over it, Lily. It really is vital.
"

She rose before I could collect myself enough for a reply.
"
When you come to visit, I
'
ll show you her necklace. Goodbye for now.
"

With incredible quickness for someone her age, she moved away into the crowd.

Chapter Two

I stood up, looking around anxiously. There was no sign of her, even after I had walked about searching. I had the idea that I ought to report her to someone. She was not fit to be out alone. What if she had given me something important?

I was about to go and notify security when I heard a voice say,
"
Excuse me.
"
I looked up, and then farther up. He was a very tall man. I knew what was coming as soon as I saw his eyes. They were the same odd, compelling shade of gray as the old woman
'
s. His accent was English too.

"
This is terribly awkward, but I believe you have something of my grandmother
'
s?
"

His tone was not accusing, but I turned red in embarrassment. The best defense is a good offense.
"
I
'
ve been looking for her,
"
I said.
"
She disappeared while we were talking. I
'
m glad to see that she
'
s not on her own.
"

He smiled slightly at the implied rebuke.
"
As you
'
ve discovered, she
'
s not easy to keep track of. Not when she has her own plans. She
'
s quite independent, is Gram.
"

"
I hope she
'
s all right now?
"
I inquired. I didn
'
t see her anywhere near.

"
She
'
s with my brother in the foyer, feeling very pleased with herself. She told us that she
'
d found a new assistant. I gather she gave you some of her research?
"

I waved the envelope.
"
If that
'
s what this is. She seems to think I can help her in some way. My name is Lily Evans. I work for a professor of Egyptology at the University. Your grandmother has heard of me.
"

It sounded pompous after I
'
d said it, but the young man didn
'
t appear to notice.
"
Ah, that explains it,
"
he murmured.
"
Well, Miss Evans, I hope that Gram wasn
'
t too intense for you. She lives and breathes ancient Egypt, and sometimes she gets a bit carried away.
"

I liked the fact that he didn
'
t say,
"
She
'
s mad as a hatter,
"
in his cultured British voice. I appreciated some family feeling.
"
She certainly knows her history,
"
I said.

He looked at me in bemusement.
"
Did she tell you who she was?
"
he asked.

"
Um, no. We never got that far. She was telling me about Amisihathor. She—has a theory about her. She must think I
'
m some kind of authority, but really, I
'
m not in a position...
"

"
It
'
s all right,
"
he assured me with a sudden smile.
"
There
'
s no need to feel responsible.
"

"
I
'
m only a research assistant. I haven
'
t gotten my Ph.D. yet. Why don
'
t you give these papers back to your grandmother, and tell her she can find someone more suitable to help her.
"

That charming smile again.
"
You
'
re a nice person, Lily Evans. Why don
'
t you come along and let me formally introduce you? We
'
ll get this straightened out.
"

Once again, I could have turned away. But I didn
'
t. I found myself
wanting
to be formally introduced—to him. The night had taken a definite turn for the surreal. I was walking past mummies, following a dark, handsome stranger, to return mysterious papers to a woman who believed in ancient spirits. Not that my life was normally dull, but it definitely was not full of such stuff as this.

"
What will your Ph.D. be in?
"
Mr. Handsome asked as we made our way through the crowd.

"
Ancient Egyptian studies. I specialize in art. I do drawings and paintings of life in ancient times.
"

"
Really?
"
He sounded genuinely interested.
"
I
'
d like to see them sometime. Here we are.
"

We had arrived at the foyer, and I saw his grandmother on the arm of a man who was older, plumper, and lighter in coloring than my escort. Still, it was obvious that they were related. He nodded at me politely, and the old woman smiled in greeting.
"
How nice, Lily. Are you coming back with us tonight?
"

"
No Gram,
"
the stranger said patiently.
"
She doesn
'
t even know who you are. You didn
'
t tell her.
"

"
No? I
'
m sorry, my dear. What must you think of me? I—
"

But at that moment, a man who looked remarkably like Luciano Pavarotti came bustling up to our little group.
"
Dame Ursula!
"
he cried in a booming voice.
"
You
'
re not leaving already?
"

"
I
'
m afraid so,
"
was the quiet reply.
"
I
'
m feeling rather tired, John. You understand.
"

"
Of course, of course. You and the boys must come and have dinner with us one night this week. Sandra will call and arrange it. All right?
"

"
Thank you. We
'
d be delighted. John, this is Lily Evans. She works at the University. Lily, John Costanza is the chief trustee of the museum board. His help has been invaluable in mounting this exhibition.
"

"
Pleased to meet you,
"
I stated, trying to control my amazement.

My outstretched hand was engulfed.
"
Miss Evans. I hope you enjoyed yourself? Did it meet your expectations?
"

"
Mr. Costanza,
"
I said honestly,
"
I never imagined anything as exciting as this.
"

He beamed at me.
"
Wonderful! We were very lucky to get a collection of this caliber. I can
'
t thank Dame Ursula enough. But I won
'
t keep you any longer. Goodnight to you all.
"

I turned my eyes from his retreating figure to my previously unknown companions.
"
You
'
re Dame Ursula Allingham,
"
I said.
"
The archaeologist who discovered Amisihathor and Kahotep
'
s tomb.
"

She smiled as if I was a particularly clever student.
"
That
'
s right. And these are my grandsons, Philip and Kent Ashton.
"

"
I
'
m Kent,
"
my dark stranger said.
"
Phil, would you take Gram out to the car while I say goodnight to Miss Evans?
"

"
Of course. Are you ready, Gram?
"

"
Indeed. I have done all that I wished. I
'
ll see you again, Lily.
"

"
It
'
s been an honor, Dame Ursula. Thank you.
"

"
Thank
you
, my dear.
"

And she was gone, leaving Kent and me alone again.

"
So,
"
he said,
"
you
'
ve heard of my grandmother?
"

I took it for a rhetorical question, but replied anyway.
"
I
'
m an Egyptologist, Mr. Ashton. Of course I
'
ve heard of her. The tomb of Amisihathor and Kahotep was an important discovery. And my mentor, Professor Briggs, was a student of hers at Oxford.
"

"
Yes. That
'
s probably why Gram approached you.
"

"
But why doesn
'
t she just ask him for help? He
'
s an expert,
"
I protested.

"
I
'
m afraid I don
'
t know. May I look in the envelope?
"

I tore it open. On the top was a page labeled
'
The Excavation.
'
It was followed by several more pieces of paper, neatly typed, and illustrated with photo reprints and black and white drawings. From merely glancing through it, I could see it was a treasure trove of information.

"
This is incredible,
"
I breathed.
"
Your grandmother should write a book. I don
'
t know what she thinks I could possibly add.
"

Kent didn
'
t seem to know either, but he was too tactful to say so.
"
She must sense a kindred spirit,
"
he said.

"
Or maybe she just enjoys my paintings. She
'
s seen some of my work.
"
I studied the end of the treatise Ursula had given me.
"
She
'
s invited me to come over and discuss it with her. Please, tell her that I
'
m very flattered, but explain that I
'
m just not qualified.
"

"
I think you may be selling yourself short,
"
Kent said unexpectedly.
"
Gram is a good judge of talent. But I understand that you don
'
t want to make a commitment. I
'
ll tell you what. You look over this information. She
'
ll be disappointed if you don
'
t, and it will be interesting for you. Then we can have dinner next week and discuss it. I
'
d love to see some of your work. It would make a wonderful birthday present for Gram.
"

It might have been a strange situation, but no artist passes up the chance for a sale. Especially to a Dame
'
s grandson. The fact that Kent was a very good-looking man may have influenced me too. But I didn
'
t throw all caution to the wind.
"
If I can have your number, I
'
ll check my schedule and let you know,
"
I replied.

"
Fair enough.
"
He scribbled on a scrap of paper from his pocket.
"
Here
'
s my mobile. If I don
'
t answer, just leave a message.
"
He pressed the information into my hand.
"
I hope I hear from you, Lily,
"
he said. Really, those were extraordinary eyes. I dragged my gaze away from them.

"
It was nice to meet you,
"
I said.
"
Goodnight.
"