Darcy could only agree. He gestured toward the activity in port. “Look.”
Richard grinned. “Ah, the arrival of a British warship seems to be at the perfect time. Trusted compatriots instead of suspicious characters.” From the corner of his eye, he also spotted Wickham and his two henchmen. “We are not alone.”
Richard’s hand gripped the knife hidden underneath his coat. “Upon my word, do you see who is approaching them?”
“Hassan!” Darcy grabbed his cousin’s arm. “Come, we need to talk to Yusuf!”
34
When Darcy and Richard returned to their lodgings, the entire party was gathered in the common room. Elizabeth stood with her arms crossed, her frustration restrained, while Mrs. Bell sat rigid with disapproval. Yusuf stood near the window, his usual calm replaced by visible tension.
“What happened?” Richard asked immediately.
Bennet looked up from his chair with the vague unconcern that Darcy recognized from his time in Hertfordshire.
“My father had a visitor this morning,” Elizabeth said, her voice clipped. “Dr. Hassan called.”
Darcy’s stomach dropped. “What did you discuss with him?”
Bennet seemed oblivious to the alarm spreading to the newcomers. “The good doctor was extremely interested in our quest, and I saw no reason to be secretive. After all, the goal is to locate the lost library, not to hoardthe glory for ourselves. Thus, I shared all four clues with him.”
“You did what?” Darcy’s voice was dangerously quiet.
“Caution, my dear young man, can easily become paranoia. Dr. Hassan was most gracious and offered his complete assistance. He even suggested several locations where?”
“Dr. Hassan went straight from here to George Wickham and the two brutes we saw with him when we arrived,” Richard stated bluntly. “That was minutes after we received reliable confirmation that your ‘scholar’ is a known thief.”
Bennet paled. “That cannot be. He has credentials…”
Elizabeth’s fists rested on her hips. “If Dr. Hassan and Mr. Wickham find the scrolls first, every manuscript will disappear into private vaults. We will never see them.”
“Given Wickham’s character, he would destroy anything he could not sell simply to ensure we gain nothing from this expedition.” Richard snarled.
Darcy’s heart pounded so loudly he feared the others could hear. “And if those men accompanying Wickham are French? Imagine the loss.”
Yusuf stepped forward. “I have studied the fourth clue since you departed this morning. I believe this must refer to the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, ancient burial chambers built during Roman times but incorporating Egyptian and Greek elements. They have three levels connected by a spiral staircase. The lower level is partially flooded. There are numerous side chambers where early Christian monks could have hidden manuscripts.”
“Dr. Hassan will be able to deduce that the clue leadsthere,” Bennet said apologetically. “It is where Alexandria’s greatest secrets would have been hidden when the city fell to successive conquerors.”
“How far?” Darcy asked Yusuf.
“Less than an hour’s walk.” The young man hesitated. “The site is largely abandoned. Few people visit since the populace believes it is cursed. As children, we ignored the adults and played there many times.”
“Then we go now.” Richard was already moving toward his room. Gathering what they deemed necessary, Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand in his. The ladies declared that they must be permitted to accompany them, and the two men reluctantly agreed, realizing they should be safer with their armed companions than they would be if they stayed at the inn unprotected. Bennet also refused to be left behind, as his knowledge of ancient languages would certainly be essential to their success.
Yusuf insisted that they stop by his home before entering the catacombs. When he rejoined them, he carried a considerable length of twine.
Within minutes, they were in the western portion of the city. Upon their arrival at Kom El Shoqafa, their guide spoke with an aged man who stood outside the entrance.
“Sir,” Yusuf said to Darcy. “Shaykh Rajul, the old man, informs me that no one has entered the catacombs in the last hour. However, he stepped away for a while and recently returned. The others may not have gotten here yet, but they may be ahead of us. There is only one way to know, and that is to enter.”
The catacombs were a vast underground necropolis dating to the second century. Descending the torch-lit passages, the load of years pressing down upon them.Layer upon layer of human remains, artistic treasures, and lost history extended deep into the earth beneath their feet. The artist led them confidently, his familiarity with the underground tunnels immediately apparent. His torch cast dancing shadows on walls decorated with a mixture of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman motifs. The catacombs expanded beyond their expectations with passages stretching before them like arteries of stone.
The group followed Yusuf deeper into the labyrinthine complex. For all Darcy knew, Wickham and his confederates had already reached the chamber they sought.
The first chamber was magnificent, decorated with carvings that seemed promising. Bennet painstakingly translated every inscription, only to realize that they were merely prayers for safe passage to the afterlife. The second chamber’s walls had been carved with what appeared to be detailed texts. Closer examination revealed they were accounting records for ancient grain shipments.
By the time they stood at yet another intersection where four passages converged, the weight of their failures pressed down upon them like the tons of stone above their heads. As he had done at every crossroads, Yusuf broke off a length of string, tied a knot at the end facing where they had just traveled, and then arranged it against the column on the left side of each area they searched.
