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“Inez—” He swallowed. His words came out a sharp plea. “I don’t have the time to properly watch over you. I can’t do my work while worrying about you. Look what happened to yourparents.What if something happened to you while I was occupied? I’d never forgive myself.” He shook his head and abruptly changed the subject. “Do you have everything you need?”
I thought about the secret supplies I had stashed away and nodded. He looked around and went for my canvas bag. My heart leapt in my chest as he took it in hand. If he were to look through it, he’d find some of my parents’ things. Items meant for surviving out in the desert.
“I’ll help you bring this down.”
“No need,” I said quickly. “Sallam already arranged for it.”
“Oh.” He dropped it back down to the floor, and then cleared his throat. “Do you have money?”
I was about to nod again but then caught myself. It would probably be useful to have some more. I didn’t know what I’d come across in my trek across Cairo to the docks. Tío Ricardo dug into his pocket and pulled out several Egyptian piastres. Wordlessly, he handed everything over.
“What time do you sail?” I asked.
“We leave tomorrow morning, but we’ll spend the night aboard theElephantinetonight. I want the crew gathered ahead of time to prevent delays in setting off at dawn.” He fiddled with the cuff of his shirtsleeve. “I’ve arranged for your chaperone to meet you downstairs in the lobby in ten minutes. She’s an older lady but happy to make the journey with you, and quite literally the only one available on such short notice. Evidently, she has friends in South America and will join them after dropping you off at home. I’ve also written to your aunt with your arrival details.”
“You’ve thought of everything.” I made one last attempt to persuade him. It would be so much easier to spy on him if he’d only let me come as well. “I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
“You will one day,” he said. “And maybe you’ll forgive me then.”
He inclined his head and walked out. I stared after him, unable to rid my mind of what he said—his sincerity surprised me. I worried my lip, considering.
But no matter how long I dwelled on his words and how he said them, I still couldn’t guess what he meant.
I was not an easy child to raise. Constantly hiding myself away when I didn’t want to be found, exploring when I ought to have stayed put. Initially, I acted out the most when Mamá and Papá were home. I thoughtthat if they saw how wild I was becoming, they might stay longer. But Papá loved the streak of independence, and he had always encouraged my varied interests. It was Mamá who could rein me in, constantly reminding me of her expectations. And there were a lot of them. And so I learned to behave, but once they left for Egypt… my rebellious tendencies flared.
I thanked God for it.
The walk down to the lobby allowed me plenty of time to think through every move and countermove of my hastily formed plan. Outwardly, I schooled my expression, hoping none of my inner turmoil made itself known. By the time I reached the main floor, my hands were slick with sweat.
What if I failed?
Shepheard’s brimmed with elegantly dressed guests, waiting to be let into the dining room. They stood in clusters, and the collective chatter echoed in the crammed lobby. The ladies wore elaborate evening gowns; the gentlemen, some of them smoking, wore smart jackets and polished shoes and expertly tied cravats. Egyptian men chatted idly, the tassels on their tarbooshes swinging from their animated conversation. There might have been one hundred to two hundred people socializing, blocking a straight path to the front doors.
In the crowd, standing a foot taller than nearly half the occupants, was Mr. Hayes, dressed more elegantly than I could have thought possible. His black evening wear contrasted with his tanned face, the clothing neat and pressed. Not a wrinkle in sight. He conversed with my uncle, frowning and gesturing wildly. A gasp climbed up my throat, but I hammered it down. Mr. Hayes was probably ratting me out this moment. I honestly wouldn’t put it past him. Tío Ricardo bore Mr. Hayes’s frustrations with a stony silence.
Then my uncle’s wandering gaze found mine from across the room.
Mr. Hayes half turned, following my uncle’s line of sight. He straightened at the sight of me, his blue gaze lingering on my face then slowly lowering to my neat traveling gown, the bags I clutched in one arm. The line of his jaw hardened, and he turned away, said something to my uncle, and strode toward the dining room.
For some unaccountable reason, my stomach lurched at the sight ofhis retreating back. I shrugged my shoulders, as if to shake off the strange feeling. Tío Ricardo strode toward me, eyeing my belongings. “You can give those to Sallam. He’ll add them with the rest of your things.”
I thought he’d be yelling at me. Furious. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I’ve said everything I need to,” he said.
My brow furrowed. “No, I meant about…” I let my voice trail off as I realized Mr. Hayes hadn’t told my uncle about our afternoon together.
My assumption had been entirely wrong. Astonishment swept through me. That strange feeling returned, a butterfly fluttering deep in my belly. I deliberately turned away from the direction of the dining room.
“About?”
“I can hold on to my things,” I said, answering his previous question. “It’s no bother.”
“Fine,” he said. “Come, I’ll introduce you to your traveling companion.”
He couldn’t wait to hand me over to someone else. He led me through the thinning crowd toward an older lady, who blinked in confusion. She wore an elegant striped silk dress with the customary bustle. I guessed her age to be anywhere in her mid-eighties. The corset accented a narrow waist, and from her wrist dangled a matching parasol. Her face looked friendly, if a little scattered, with a wide gaze and deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes from years spent laughing.
I liked her on the spot. It was a shame that I was going to have to deceive her.
