Mrs Bennet drew the little girl to her, saying, “Quiet, Margaret, we must not let Laurence find us.”

Margaret snatched up her doll, and Sophie was relieved to see that it was just a doll, wooden and lifeless, with pieces of coloured glass for its eyes.

Margaret tucked herself behind a suitable barrel with Mrs Bennet, and Sophie, putting her hand to her head, for she did feel rather faint, allowed Edward to escort her to her cabin.

***

Elizabeth and Darcy returned to the ship tired but in good spirits. Although their evening had started so turbulently, they had resolved their differences, and besides it had been good to get off the ship and new company was always stimulating.

They were greeted by the captain, and as Darcy stayed to talk to him, Elizabeth excused herself, for she was tired, and went below. But as she descended the stairs, she saw the door to their cabin was open. For a moment she had a pang of alarm and wondered if this was another untrustworthy crewmember trying to steal from them, but as she reached the threshold she saw what had happened. The two tiny portholes in the cabin had been left open, and although the sea was relatively calm, it must not have been that way all evening, for there must have been enough of a swell to cause seawater to come through. Elizabeth could not help crying out in despair. Their beds were ruined, as were several books and all their writing equipment. Then she saw her new parasol, which had been standing in the corner. It was soaked through and beyond repair.

“Oh, Lizzy,” said Mrs Bennet, hearing her cry and rushing in behind her. “Whatever has happened?”

“Someone inadvertently left the portholes open and water has come in, Mama,” Elizabeth replied, trying to sound lighthearted. “It appears that you were right to mistrust my enthusiasm for fresh air.”

“Oh dear, and your lovely new parasol is ruined.”

Elizabeth’s maid appeared with a mop and bucket and soon everyone was busy trying to repair the damage done to the cabin. As they worked, no one noticed Margaret slip away to her own cabin. The little girl crawled onto her bed, her cheeks flushed and her eyes heavy with fatigue.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Aahotep,” she whispered to the doll that travelled everywhere with her. “Papa bought the parasol as a present for Mama. She will be very sad now.”

She held the doll close to her ear as though she expected a reply, but none was forthcoming and eventually her eyes closed tight and she fell asleep.

***

Leaving Malta behind them, they set sail with the tide. It was a beautiful morning with a sea like glass, and Elizabeth left the portholes of her cabin wide open to finish drying everything and then went up on deck to give her daughters their daily lessons. Although Darcy had insisted on tutors and governesses for the children, who were all well qualified for their roles, Elizabeth still liked to give the girls some lessons herself. She had scrambled her way into an education as a girl, and she now enjoyed helping her little girls scramble their way into one as well, encouraging them to follow their enthusiasms and learn in a less formal fashion than with their governess.

As she joined them on deck, she saw Margaret carefully laying her doll out on the deck in a bright pool of sunshine. As the sun beat down on it, Elizabeth was surprised to see steam waft gently from the wooden toy.

“Goodness me, Meg,” she said, picking the doll up. “Poor Aahotep is quite damp. Did you drop her in your wash bowl this morning?”

“No, Mama,” said Margaret.

“Well, she has somehow become much the worse for wear,” said Elizabeth. “You will have to play with one of your other toys instead.”

“No!” said Margaret, taking the figurine from her mother in distress and clutching it tightly. The outburst disturbed Elizabeth although she could not quite say why.

“Very well, but you cannot play with Aahotep until she is dry.”

Margaret consulted the doll and then said, “Yes, Aahotep wants to go back in the sun.”

“I am very pleased to hear it,” said Elizabeth, smiling at her daughter’s drollery.

She watched Margaret put the doll back down in its previous sunny spot, viewing it with distaste. It really was an odd thing, and she could not understand why Margaret had such a liking for it. She picked it up. Most of the coloured glass was gone now and it was just a rather dirty wooden figure. But as Elizabeth examined it, she noticed a peculiar odour to it. She put it to her nose and sniffed. It smelled distinctly of seawater. How did the doll smell of seawater?

Uncomfortably, she placed it back down in the sun again. Then she gave her attention to Beth, who was asking her how long it would now take them to reach Egypt, and the queer little doll was forgotten.

Chapter 7




Elizabeth sat up, startled by the eerie wailing which had awakened her. It was a sound she had never heard before. The searing heat was confusing as well, despite the fact that dawn was only just beginning to creep across the horizon. The windows were wide open.

“It’s the muezzin,” came a sleepy voice beside her.

“The what?”

“The muezzin.” Darcy repeated. “Had you forgotten? We arrived in Egypt last night and the wailing is the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Potheroe said we would get used to it. He said after a couple of days we wouldn’t even notice it anymore.”

“Ah! I remember,” said Elizabeth.

She lay down in his arms and listened to the muezzin. Now that she was awake, the sound was not so disturbing. In fact there was something quite hypnotic about it.

They had arrived at the port of Alexandria late the night before. Even so late, the harbour had been teeming with people, and as Darcy and Captain Merriweather organised odd carriages called caleches to convey them to their rented house, Elizabeth and Sophie had watched with amazement as copper-skinned people swarmed up to them laden with strange fruits and little cups of tea, chattering in a language none of them could understand. Even Mrs Bennet had been stunned into silence, and Beth, William, and John had stood close to their mother, mouths open in astonishment. The three younger children had slept through it all.

Elizabeth lay quietly for a while, trying to reconcile herself to her exotic surroundings. But to her surprise, she found that now she was wide-awake. Gently she moved away from Darcy and, pulling on a wrapper, she moved across to the window.

The sun was taking more of a hold on the day, and she could see figures move about in the grey light, although they were still dim and shapeless. Up closer to the window, the noises of the day were more apparent. Donkeys began to bray as they were laden down with wares, and from the kitchen below someone laughed.

“You are awake now, my love?”

She turned to see Darcy behind her. He put an arm around her shoulders and they watched Alexandria come to life.

“It seems I am. Is it too early for breakfast?”

“I fear it is. However, since we are both awake…”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps we might use our time in a different way?”

Elizabeth smiled and agreed.

***

All the household rose early; excitement and the heat drove them from their beds, and although Elizabeth and Darcy were the first to arrive downstairs for breakfast, soon all their children appeared with Sophie and Edward.

“Good morning, Mama, good morning, Papa,” Beth greeted them, looking cool and fresh in a white linen gown decorated with damask rose ribbons. She took her place at the table, with William and John following behind her. Laurence and Jane sat together as always, and Margaret slipped into a seat next to Sophie. The look of disappointment on Edward’s face was not lost on either Elizabeth or Darcy, as he had to take a seat farther down the table.

“Where is Grandmama?” Elizabeth asked William, who was examining some round, flat bread rolls with interest.

“She bade us come to breakfast without her, Mama. She said the heat was too ferocious, and she could not leave her bed.”

Sophie looked up in concern. “Should I go to her, Elizabeth?” she enquired, but Elizabeth merely shook her head.

“No, sit down and eat your breakfast. I will go to her presently.”

“Make sure you eat well, children,” Darcy continued, determined that his mother-in-law would not monopolise the proceedings. “We have a busy day ahead of us.”

But he need not have been so concerned. The table, laden with exotic food, was of far greater interest to his children than their grandmother was. Fortunately, the servant who supplied them with great jugs of juice and hot coffee spoke a little English and some French, and he was in great demand explaining the names of the different fruits. Watermelons, figs, pomegranates, and apricots made up the unfamiliar meal, and the children were delighted.

After breakfast the children were dispatched to spend some time with their tutors, and the older members of the group discussed their plans. When organising the trip Darcy had decided that they should relax for a few days in Alexandria before undertaking the next stage of their journey to Cairo. The sea voyage had been exciting but arduous, and the journey to Cairo would take at least five days; it was important for the household to keep a reasonable equilibrium if they were to get the most from their travels.

“What are your plans this morning, Edward?” Darcy asked, finishing the last of the thick black tea they had been served in tiny cups.

“I thought I would visit the site of the ancient lighthouse to begin with…”