CHAPTER ONE

***

A/N: This is part of my "Appearances" series, set immediately after "The Choices We Make". The fic is a cross-over with the Amelia Peabody series, taking place in between The Hippopotamus Pool and Seeing a Large Cat, during the 1901 – 1902 archaeological season.

***

Tears slipped down her face as she rose swiftly through the atmosphere, her eyes still locked on her lover's form. She wished that she could be with him, and as she drifted up through the sky, she could not help but think that she had made the wrong choice.

But she was flying – flying! If she had decided to be with Bert, she would never had had this experience – floating weightlessly through the air, as light as a puff of air. When she had practised flying before, she had never flown so high... why was she still flying upward?

She was utterly surprised when her umbrella took her far above the skies, settling her gently atop a cloud.

'You ought to sit down,' Archibald, her umbrella, said. 'We have a long trip ahead of us.'

She took his advice, settling herself on the most comfortable seat she had ever known. At her feet, the buildings of London were nothing more than a tiny blip on the island of England – which itself looked almost miniscule.

'Where are we going?' Mary asked, her apprehension clear from the wavering tones of her voice.

'Egypt,' Archibald said, closing his eyes. 'Rest up; it's a long trip.'

Once more, she followed his advice. Stretching out on her comfortable cloud, she slept, as the only home she had ever known passed beneath her.

***

'Wake up, Mary!' Archibald squawked loudly. She jerked awake, sitting up straight, rubbing her eyes.

'Where am I?' she mumbled, still half-asleep and shocked by her abrupt awakening.

'We're almost in Egypt,' he said. 'Straighten yourself up, girl, you look a fright!'

She rummaged through her new carpetbag, extracting a handful of hairpins, her hat, a brush, and a mirror. Quickly and efficiently, she tidied herself up, to even Archibald's exacting standards. As she primped, Archibald instructed her.

'We will be arriving at Shepheard's Hotel,' he stated. 'Your employers will be Professor and Mrs. Radcliffe Emerson, and you will be governess to their ward, Nefret Forth. However, you first have to convince them of your worth – especially as they've never heard of you.'

'And what if I fail?' she cried out. 'What if they don't think I'm suitable?'

'It's your job to make sure they do,' Archibald gave his final word, then closed his mouth firmly as they began their descent.

She was able to land without much difficulty, though she did stumble a bit as she stepped onto the ground. But it was not only the abrupt descent but the heat that took her aback. She would certainly have to get more suitable clothes than the ones she was wearing.

But she could no longer dawdle – she had to speak to the Emersons, and hope that they would employ her.

As she mounted the terrace steps, she heard raised voices.

'Really, Amelia!' a man's deep voice thundered. 'I did not agree to go to this damned party tomorrow!'

'Language, Emerson, please!' The woman spoke firmly. 'You may not have said you were attending, my dear, but you never refused.'

'Hmpf,' said the man. They were in view now – the tall, dark-haired and handsome man, so like her Bert, sat sprawled in his chair. Beside him was a short woman with raven-black hair and a strong chin. There were two children at the table – one, a boy, had curly black locks and a bronzed complexion. The girl had golden-red hair and a tawny cast to her smooth skin.

These, Mary knew – though she did not know how – were the Emersons. Taking another deep breath, and clutching her umbrella tightly in hand, she approached them.

'Professor and Mrs. Emerson, I presume?' Her tone was brisk, professional – surprising even her.

'Who the devil are you?' Emerson asked.

Inwardly, she faltered, though she continued to put on a brave front. 'I'm Mary Poppins, Professor Emerson,' she said firmly. 'I understand you are searching for a governess for your daughter.'

Mrs. Emerson's eyes gleamed. 'And your qualifications?'

'I was the governess for the Bellamy family – Sir Richard, an MP, and Lady Marjorie, daughter of the Earl of Southwold – for a year,' Mary said.

'Why did you leave their employ?' Mrs. Emerson probed. 'And why are you in Egypt?'

Now was where she needed to lie. 'I've always wanted to see Egypt. The woman I came out with was taken ill and returned to England, but I fell in love with the place and could not bear leaving.'

Mrs. Emerson smiled. 'We won't be remaining in Cairo – we will be travelling to Luxor in a week and excavating at the Valley of the Kings. Would that be satisfactory?'

'Yes,' Mary said, smiling slightly. 'That would be quite satisfactory.'

'Can you start at once?'

Mary nodded.

'Good,' Mrs. Emerson said. 'After tea, you'll join us on our dahabeeyah, then? We sail in a week.'

'Thank you,' Mary said.

'Please take a seat,' Emerson said, and Mary obeyed.

'This is Professor Emerson,' Amelia said, 'the foremost Egyptologist of this or any other era. The Egyptians call him the Father of Curses. This is our son Ramses, and our daughter, Nefret. I am Amelia Peabody Emerson.'

Mary nodded politely, accepting a cup of tea.

'Are you interested in archaeology, Miss – er – Poppins?' Emerson asked her.

'I have always been intrigued by the subject, Professor Emerson,' she replied. 'I am eager to learn as much as I can.'

'And how are you as an artist?' Emerson asked.

'Really, Emerson, stop harassing the poor girl!' Mrs. Emerson interjected, though she turned a curious gaze to Mary.

'I'm a fair hand with a pencil,' Mary admitted.

'Good,' Emerson stated. 'We need an artist on the site.'

'Emerson!' Mrs. Emerson exclaimed. 'Miss Poppins is Nefret's tutor, not our artist.'

'She can still assist us,' Emerson said petulantly.

'I would be honoured,' Mary replied.

Mrs. Emerson smiled. 'Now that that's settled, shall we head back to the dahabeeyah?'

Helpful notes:

a href=".org/wiki/Shepheard's_Hotel"Shepheard's Hotel/a

a href=".com/dahabeeyah"Dahabeeyahs/a

a href=".org/wiki/Amelia_Peabody_series"The Amelia Peabody series/a

a href=".org/wiki/List_of_characters_in_the_Amelia_Peabody_series"Characters in the Amelia Peabody books/a.