Disclaimer: The characters of The Mummy are the property of Universal Studios. The characters of Lord Carnahan, Delphine Bertrand (loosely based on the character of Desdemona created by William Shakespeare), Mara, and Jemima Willoughby are my own inventions. The term "amour fou" is French for "insane love," and means a kind of obsessive passion. I like that it's by nature a juxtapositional term, so it works for this story.

AMOUR FOU

The Carnahan Manor: Cairo, 1924

"evelyn, you wicked thing!"

Delphine's voice nearly squealed with glee, and the smile beaming from her face was enough to brighten Evelyn's expression of forced happiness. Delphine wrapped her arms around her cousin and gave her a squeeze, but just as quickly, she was jumping back, her hands fluttering like excited birds.

"Ooh, let me see it! I want to see it!"

Before Evelyn had the chance to extend her hand, Delphine took it, staring at the simple, thin band of gold around her finger for a moment before frowning.

"Well, there isn't a diamond on it," she said, glancing up at Evelyn with a look that was almost suspicious. She quickly turned her disapproving eye to Evelyn's quiet fiance, lounging in a chair with a cigarette in his mouth.

"That's what she wanted," he said, his tone something between a grumble and a whine. Delphine's eyes went wide, and she turned and looked at her cousin in astonishment.

"Evelyn! You didn't want a diamond? You simply have to have a diamond. Everyone has one."

Evelyn might have looked embarrassed, and shifted her weight uneasily, pulling her hand out of Delphine's grasp. She folded her hands in front of her, carefully wrapping her right hand over her left and hiding the inconspicuous glint of jewelry from view. But Delphine wasn't worrying herself over the ring any longer. She bounded over to Beni's chair, standing over him with her hands on her hips.

"I suppose I can't fault you for giving her what she wants," she told him with a flirtacious, scolding smile. "And I just know you would have given her a diamond if she'd wanted, wouldn't you? The biggest, gaudiest diamond you could get your hands on."

Beni held back a snort, glancing up at Evelyn with an ugly smirk that she pretended to ignore.

"Oh, yes," he said pointedly. "The biggest she's ever seen."

Evelyn clenched her teeth, but Delphine didn't notice. She plopped herself in the seat right next to Beni's, leaning on the arm of the chair and gazing at him. He glanced at her in nervous puzzlement, but her infectious joy seemed to take the edge off of his general unpleasantness.

"I just love your accent," she told him. "Are you Russian?"

"Hungarian."

"Well, I love it just the same. I just love accents."

A greasy grin found its way into the corners of his mouth. "Well, you have a nice one, too. If it was up to me, all women would speak with French accents."

Delphine glanced down and giggled. "Oh, it's always so much worse when I come back! You know I speak French the whole time I am there. And then I come back here, and my mind is a mess. I pick English back up fine, but then I keep dreaming in French for weeks, and every morning I can't help but speak it for at least the first thirty minutes every day!" She looked at Evelyn and laughed, "Mara is always so confused!"

Evelyn gave her a smile that quickly faded to a revolted scowl as her fiance said, "Then you should wake up with me. I can speak French any time of the day."

Delphine gave him a playful smack on the arm and gave Evelyn a wink. "Now I see why you like him, Evelyn. He is so charming and funny!" She turned her attention back to Beni, giving Evelyn the opportunity to indulge in rolling her eyes. "She is so serious all the time! Well, as you know. Of course you know. She needs someone who will make her laugh."

Evelyn let out a loud sigh, avoiding the darkly amused expression Beni kept glancing at her with, and was about to suggest she help Delphine unpack and freshen up. But the front door swung open, and Jonathan stumbled in, a grin beaming from his pleasant face. He caught sight of his cousin and something quiet and joyful twinkled in his eyes. Delphine let out a little squeal when she saw him, and he held open his arms, catching her as she ran into his embrace.

"Jonathan!" she shouted. She kissed both of his cheeks and then his mouth. "Oh, mon cher, how I have missed you!"

He held her close for a moment and kissed the top of her dark, glossy head of loose curls. "I've missed you, love! This place is just plain dull without you."

Delphine breathed a happy sigh, gently stepping out of his arms. "That is so kind of you to say."

Jonathan looked at her seriously. "It's true. Father's an incorrigible grouch without you. You've simply got to stay this time, or we'll all suffer."

She wagged a finger at him. "Ah, ah, ah, cherie. One more semester. You know that."

Jonathan waved his hand dismissively. "Psh. What do you need it for?"

"An education," Evelyn said sternly, giving her brother a pointed look. Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"Education, smeducation. All of that bookish poppycock is fine and well for you, Evy, but Delphine's much too interesting for that. And besides, Paris doesn't appreciate her the way we do. We're in a desert and positively starving for someone as fascinating as Delphine!"

Delphine giggled. "Stop. You'll make me blush."

"And a fine blush you have, darling."

Delphine rolled her eyes, a smile on her face the whole time, and swatted his arm. "You're a fool, Jonathan, but I love you anyway." She let out a sigh and turned her attention to Evelyn, her violet-blue eyes brightening as if she was just then reminded that her cousin was even in the room. "But I am being so selfish! We are not here for me. We are here for Evelyn!"

She crossed the room to her cousin and took her warmly by the hand. "Oh, Evelyn, I knew this day would come! You will be the most beautiful bride. Now, when is the wedding?"

Evelyn shrugged stiffly. "Tonight."

"Tonight!" Delphine turned and stared at her with wide eyes and mouth agape. "You are getting married tonight?"

"Yes."

Delphine's hand tightened around Evelyn's.

"You can't get married tonight! You have seen each other!" she said, looking between her cousin and Beni disapprovingly. "It is bad luck to see each other before the ceremony on your wedding day. Don't you care at all about bad luck?"

Evelyn pressed her lips into a tight line, and glanced at Beni briefly before looking back at Delphine with a carefully veiled expression. "I think the cards have already played themselves out."

Delphine frowned, thinking this was a strange thing to say, but decided not to interrogate her further. It seemed she'd already embarrassed her cousin enough over the ring; it was probably best to keep her mouth shut on the matter of the wedding date. She quickly smiled, trying to look and feel as carefree and happy as she had a moment ago. She gave Evelyn's hand a squeeze and nodded in the direction of the staircase.

"Well, you must show me your dress! I'm dying to see it."

Evelyn forced a smile. "You've seen it. It was my mother's."

Delphine shook her head, starting to drag her towards the stairs. "I've only ever seen it in pictures! And I want to see it on you - "

Just then, the front door opened again, and Evelyn's father walked in. His face was set in its usual, stern expression, and he was in the middle of a conversation with the tall, dark man at his side, but he stopped immediately upon catching sight of his neice, and his face broke into a wide grin. He gave her a tight hug and stepped back to look at her, reaching his hand up to touch the side of her face. His eyes were soft with a nostalgic and vaguely melancholy expression, and he said quietly:

"My word, you're your mother all over again."

Delphine smiled, struggling to blink away the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks at his words. She kissed his cheek and told him how happy she was to see him again, and then her eyes strayed, just for a moment, to the man at his side, and her breath caught in her throat.

Delphine had lived a large portion of her eighteen years in Egypt, being raised by her uncle after the deaths of her parents when she was only ten years old. She spent most of the year in her native France attending finishing school, but the hot, unbearable summers usually trapped her indoors in Cairo, where she was relieved of her boredom only by high society parties and the occasional trip to the bar, when she could talk Jonathan into taking her. And even though Cairo was more or less her home, she found herself perpetually surrounded by people who looked and talked and acted like her; people who wore the latest fashions and discussed the latest gossip and thought she was exotic for having such dark hair and blue eyes. And in that little sheltered world, she'd never seen anyone like the man standing before her. Not ever.

She'd seen Egyptians, of course. But always the impoverished kind, robed in dirty camel hair and whispering together in rapid Arabic, glancing at her with disapproving and begrudging dark eyes. She stayed away from them, because in truth, they scared her, even though they were mostly harmless, just trying to go about their days in a country that was stolen out from under them. But this man, with his haunting eyes and grim, handsome features and mysterious facial tattoos didn't frighten her. She was deeply curious about him, and the mere glance of his eyes caused a stirring in her heart. She wasn't scared of him, even though she got the distinct impression that, perhaps, she should be.

Just barely, she heard Evelyn mention her wedding gown, and felt her hand close over hers. She followed her up the stairs numbly, glancing over her shoulder once more at the man before they made it up to the second floor and he was completely obstructed from view.

"Who was that?" she asked softly.

Evelyn gave her a curious look. "Ardeth Bay...he's that Arabic general. Surely you've heard something about him."

"No," Delphine said, "I haven't. But I would like to."

Evelyn looked surprised, but gave her a little shrug. "Oh, um...there isn't much to tell, I suppose. He's the chieftain of some sort of mysterious desert...well, cult, I suppose. They have some sacred site out in the desert - they claim it's Hamunaptra, but most scholars contend it doesn't exist - "

"Anyway," Delphine cut in before her cousin could get carried away in a rant about ancient Egypt. Evelyn gave her a thin smile.

"Yes, anyway. Father became acquainted with him through a rather sticky situation at one of Jonathan's dig sites. He was impressed by Ardeth's passion and discipline, and so he negotiated a compromise with him. He garaunteed the safety of Hamunaptra if Ardeth would organize a battalion to protect Cairo from rebels."

Delphine let out a sigh, and Evelyn opened the door to her room.

"He's very handsome," she said dreamily, her gaze far-off even within the walls of the room. She didn't see Evelyn frown thoughtfully.

"Is he?" she said quietly. "I suppose I never noticed."

Delphine balked, staring at her in something like shock. "You never noticed? How could you not notice?"

Evelyn cleared her throat nervously. "Well, I don't know...I suppose...I mean, he is sort of frightening. I've never seen him smile."

Her cousin just stared at her for another skeptical moment before at last shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I suppose he's not your type. He's nothing like Beni."

Evelyn let out a bitter laugh, and started to say, "Beni isn't exactly - " But she stopped herself and briskly crossed the room to her closet, finding the white silk gown that had belonged to her mother, and pulling it out for Delphine to see.

It was all Delphine could do not to grimace. Not because it wasn't a lovely gown, because it was. The silk was in surprisingly good condition, and there wasn't a stain to speak of. The color had yellowed a little, but not unpleasantly, and as far as she could tell, the dress was as fine that day as it was in 1890. But that was just it, and Delphine couldn't believe Evelyn couldn't see it. Those puffed, ruched, ridiculous sleeves! The corset! The layers upon layers of fabric! Had Evelyn really forgotten she was getting married in Egypt, and that it was actually 1924? Wedding gowns now were so airy and light and fluttery; she was going to be so uncomfortable in that suffocating old thing. Sentiments aside, the dress was a stifling prison, and Evelyn couldn't really mean to get married in it.

Could she?

"It's lovely," Delphine said at last, forcing her most genuine smile. "It's so quaint. And you know your father is going to cry when he sees you in it."

Evelyn gazed down at the dress for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes constantly blinking, as if she was fighting back tears. At last she took a deep breath and said:

"It's going to be bloody hot."

Delphine almost laughed, watching her cousin cautiously. "Evy, you don't have to wear it, you know."

Evelyn's eyes jumped up to hers, wrought with an unreadable emotion. "No, I want to wear it."

Delphine's gaze retreated in embarrassment. "Oh. Of course. I'm sorry."

"I know it's dreadful," she said gently. "Mother would have never let me wear it. She positively hated it."

"Did she?" Delphine said in surprise. "Her own wedding gown? That's a shame!"

Evelyn almost smiled to herself. "She said she nearly passed out during their first dance." Her smile faded, and a strange, serious look came over her features. She spoke now to the dress and no one else, "She said she could hardly think, she was so uncomfortable. The entire day went by in a blur...and then the next morning she woke up, and she was married."

Delphine watched her cousin curiously, wanting desperately to ask why she would want to experience her wedding like that, but asking such a question made her feel young and foolish. So she pretended to nod knowingly and said:

"Cold feet?"

Evelyn looked at her with a desperate kind of melancholy in her eyes, and failed to force a smile. "Something like that."

Delphine looked at her curiously for a moment, but quickly hid her puzzelment with an airy, reassuring grin. "Well, you have nothing to worry about. You're going to be a wonderful wife, and Uncle told me in his letter that Beni is a hero, no less! You must be so proud of him. He seems terribly clever."

Evelyn blinked, her expression not quite changing. An uncomfortable silence fell between them for much too long. Delphine was desperate for something to say, but she found herself in the unfamiliar position of having nothing. She thought of mentioning school and what she was studying, or some of the more interesting gossip, but at the moment, she couldn't recall a single thing to say. Evelyn looked so lost and dazed, she wondered for a moment if she wasn't feeling well.

"Help me get it on," Evelyn murmured, holding out the dress to Delpine. She took it, running her fingers over the hard ridges of boning in the bodice as Evelyn undressed.

"Are you - " Delphine glanced down in embarrassment.

"What is it?"

She stared steadily down at the dress and said awkwardly, "Are you nervous about...tonight?"

Evelyn fingers froze on the buttons of her blouse, and she swallowed hard. She forced a dismissive smile. "Why should I be?"

Delphine straightened in interest, and leaned a little closer to whisper anxiously, "Have you already done it?"

"No!"

"Oh...sorry."

Evelyn huffed a little sigh and put a hand on Delphine's arm. "You have nothing to be sorry about..."

Delphine shook her head. "No, I do. I didn't mean to make you feel...dishonorable. You just...I would think most people would be nervous..."

Evelyn nodded at the dress in her hands. "Hold it out for me."

And that was all she said. She stepped into the gown and Delphine attempted to lace up the back, but found herself utterly lost. After several trying minutes, she at last went down to the kitchen and found Mara, Lord Carnahan's loyal and virtually life-long servant, who had Evelyn strapped into the dress in less than a minute. She looked at her and smiled sadly, reaching a weathered hand up to touch her face.

"I remember lacing that dress for your mother," she said softly. Her dark eyes searched Evelyn's for a long time, and her expression hardened into a suspicious frown. "Are you alright?"

Evelyn glanced away and told her unconvincingly, "Yes."

Mara pulled her close, and Delphine strained her ears to hear what she whispered. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard the aging woman say, "Just close your eyes. Tonight, just close your eyes."

Evelyn nodded her head slowly, her eyes closed as if she was in prayer, and Delphine watched as if she was a fly on the wall, disconnected and unacknowledged (except maybe as an annoyance). She watched her cousin carefully, a thousand questions swirling in her mind that she tried to put to rest. Because Evelyn was older. Evelyn was smarter. And Evelyn wouldn't dare marry anyone unless she wanted to. Maybe she was nervous about the ceremony or her dress or about that night (despite what she said). But she certainly couldn't be concerned about the marriage. Evelyn was too smart and too stubborn.

She watched Evelyn suck in a deep breath, wincing a little under the constraints of the corset.

"Can you breathe?" Delphine asked her.

"Enough," Evelyn said.