Ghosts of Karnak by George Mann

Author:George Mann
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Titan

FIFTEEN

Finally, the temperature had dropped.

Ginny sat on the terrace in a light flower-print dress, sipping a cool glass of water and staring up at the stars. They were so vivid here, and so plentiful. It looked as if someone had taken a paintbrush and speckled the sky. The sight of them made her feel small and insignificant; not in a diminishing way—just that it reminded her of her place in the universe, the cosmic scale of things. Being here, too, surrounded by the wreckage of eons—it made her troubles seem distant. The last few nights, she’d slept better than she had in months. She was feeling ready now to make the journey home, to rekindle her relationship with Gabriel, and to face whatever challenges came her way.

Tomorrow, she would take the train to Cairo, where she would visit the museum and arrange the short trek out to see the pyramids the following day. Then, soon after, she would take a steamship home to New York. She’d booked a ticket aboard the Centurion, and had already sent a telegram ahead to Gabriel, telling him to expect her. The time had come. It felt right.

“Now, here is a lady who has properly acclimatized to a life in the desert.” She looked round to see Amaury standing by her table, smiling down at her. “A far cry from when we first met, just a short time ago.” He took her hand, and kissed it. “You look radiant, Mademoiselle.”

Ginny felt her cheeks flush. She was going to have to find a way to let him down gently. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Indeed. Have you enjoyed your time in Luxor?” He pulled out a chair to join her. They’d arranged to have dinner here together on the terrace, to celebrate her final night. She watched him take a cigarette from a small silver case and light it with a match. Smoke wreathed his head.

“It’s been eye-opening,” she said. “I’ll say that much.”

“Not what you expected, then?” he said.

“So much more. I mean I knew there’d be ruins—that’s why I came. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? Like the Egyptian empire never really went away. It permeates everything. You can see the threads of culture stretching right back, all the way to ancient times. I hadn’t expected that.”

“You’re an intelligent woman, Miss Gray. You see things as they really are, and not how the guidebooks would have you believe.” He leaned forward, placing his hand on top of hers. “I shall miss your delightful company very much.”

Ginny swallowed, carefully extracting her hand. “Listen, Jacques. I need to be straightforward with you about something. You’re a delightful man, you really are, and you’ve been such a sport, taking me under your wing, showing me the sights, trusting me with the trip to your dig. I’ll never forget it. Really I won’t. It’s just…”

“You have someone waiting for you back in New York,” he said.

Ginny breathed a short sigh of relief. “Yes. It’s complicated, but that’s about the size of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.