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‘Then it’s settled.’ He leaned in and kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Welcome to my family.’
Chapter 51
Emily watched Freya and Tarek head out to the garden. Although it was freezing outside, the sun was shining and the views down to the cove in the winter sunlight were very romantic. She was disappointed they couldn’t stay beyond today, but she understood they had to leave; they had an important exhibition to open in Cambridge.
She walked into the dining room to find Joss still eating breakfast. He smiled her way. She smiled shyly back. She caught Clarissa waving at her.
Emily walked over.
‘God, you were gone ages. What happened?’
‘She’s my cousin.’
‘Your cousin? From America?’
‘No, from Cambridge.’
‘Cambridge?’ Clarissa looked at her.
Emily grinned. ‘It’s a very long story.’ She caught Joss glancing her way and threw him a smile. She was looking forward to the evening meal he’d booked for them at a little restaurant in Southwold.
She turned to her best friend. ‘I saw you talking with Omar. Did you get your story, Clarissa?’
Clarissa frowned. ‘Not exactly.’
Emily assumed Clarissa was after Omar’s personal story. She thought of Alice and the conversation she’d been privy to a few moments earlier. Emily didn’t feel inclined to share with her best friend just what she’d heard about that night years earlier which Alice had spent here at the guest house with Omar. That was their affair, and certainly not something either of them would want to make its way into a national or international newspaper.
Emily remained tight-lipped. ‘Oh, that’s a shame. So there was no scoop, no article you could publish?’
‘Well yes and no. Omar is stepping down. He said he will continue his work as a professor at Alexandria University, and publish books and articles, but he won’t do interviews, press conferences or open exhibitions. He said it is time for the world to be introduced to a new and very talented Egyptologist.’ Clarissa shrugged. ‘And that was it! So much for getting my exclusive.’
Emily grinned.
Clarissa frowned. ‘Why are you looking so pleased? I just told you that I didn’t get a thing.’
‘Oh, but you did. You got your exclusive.’
Clarissa shook her head. ‘I don’t understand …’
‘He’s told you that he’s retiring from the limelight, and there’s a new kid on the block.’
‘Yeah – so?’
‘Well, that’s your story.’
‘But it’s not much of a story if I don’t know who—’ Clarissa stopped abruptly. She stared at Emily. ‘You know who he’s talking about, don’t you?’
Emily shifted her gaze to the young couple she’d spied through the conservatory window taking a romantic stroll, hand-in-hand, in the gardens.
Clarissa followed her gaze.
‘When they come in, I’ll ask Tarek if wouldn’t mind giving an interview before they leave.’
Freya glanced at her watch and looked at Tarek. ‘We should go.’
Gerald and Wendy had just joined them in the hall. Wendy gave Freya a hug.
Emily looked over at Clarissa, who winked at her before she rushed up the stairs with her notepad. Emily smiled. She knew what she was up to. Clarissa was returning to her room to write her article. Tarek had agreed to the interview. She’d got her inside scoop, her exclusive and that meant, to Emily’s relief, that Clarissa had quickly lost interest in her family affairs and had decided to return to Cambridge to cover the opening of the exhibition. She wasn’t the only one. They’d all decided to be there. Emily and Clarissa would travel to Cambridge tomorrow morning with her parents.
