Optimism

Philippa checked out of her hotel bright and early the next morning and wondered what her friends back home would think if they knew she was about to travel down the Nile—or perhaps up; she could never remember which way that silly river flowed—and embark on a treasure-seeking adventure to a mysterious lost city. Oh, they would be so green with envy they would just die. Rick met Philippa in the hotel lobby, looking neat and trim thanks to the much-needed shave and haircut he got yesterday, and Philippa felt a strange sense of pride as she approached him. Now this was the brother she had envisioned all along.

"I must say, Rick, you look mighty fine," said Philippa. "It's good to know I'm not related to some savage wild-man."

"Thanks a lot," said Rick. He still looked embarrassed and a little uneasy each time Philippa mentioned their relation to each other, but Philippa couldn't blame him. She was still getting used to the idea herself. "So, uh, have you got all your luggage ready?"

"Oh, yes," said Philippa. "My things are right here." She gestured at the pair of suitcases that had been hauled down to the lobby by a couple of hotel workers who didn't speak English. She and Rick stood there for a moment in awkward silence, unsure of what to say to each other, until Rick cleared his throat and gestured at her wrist, which contained the same number of bracelets as yesterday.

"You still upset over that thing Jonathan stole yesterday?" he asked.

"I suppose I'll find some way to get it back from him. We're going to be stuck on a boat together, after all."

"Nah, let me handle him. You're not the only one who's been robbed by Jonathan."

Philippa looked up into Rick's face, still a bit startled over how much his eyes resembled her own, and wondered if having an older brother would be a blessing or a curse. "Well in that case, let's hit the road," she said, slipping back into her usual playful good humor. "I suppose Jonathan thought that bracelet was fine payment for the drinks he bought me, but he won't be getting off that easy."

Her lively spirits soon died down as she got into a cab with Rick and sat beside him in the backseat, silent as the vehicle rumbled down the streets of Cairo in the direction of the port. She realized right then and there that her brother—and how strange it was to consider him her brother—was not a talkative man and that it would take a whole lot of work to get him to open up. After making sure that Rick had his hair properly trimmed yesterday, Philippa went her separate path and spent the remainder of her first day in Cairo alone, getting to know the vicinity that surrounded her hotel. After eating dinner and exploring some of the market stalls, she retired to her room and wrote letters to her friends back home, then had a drink at the hotel bar and read for a while before going to bed.

And now she would be stuck with Rick in close quarters for God only knew how long, but at least he seemed adventurous. Philippa knew her situation could have been worse. She could have been unlucky enough to have a complete bore for a brother, or a stiff prude, or even a complete simpleton. She may have known Rick for less than twenty-four hours, but it was long enough to see that he was none of these things, and judging from all the guns he had packed he was at least a little bit dangerous.

Philippa probably wouldn't be bored if she stuck to Rick, that much was certain. And she couldn't deny that the prospect of treasure was very alluring.

When the cab arrived at the port, Rick got out first and slung his heavy looking gun carrier across his back, as calmly as if he hauled weapons around every day of his life. And perhaps he did, for all Philippa knew. The moment she stepped out she heard a whistle in the distance, reminding her of the boat she had taken to Egypt, and a small twinge of guilt tugged at her when she remembered her mother, who was waiting back home. She and Rick were supposed to be on a different boat entirely, headed to America, not traipsing off to some hidden city in the desert, but surely Philippa's mother—and Rick's too, she supposed—would understand the importance of this trip if Philippa brought back a whole sackful of gold with her. Long-lost sons were a nice enough prize, but they were even better when they came with free gold.

The sun shone as hotly as yesterday, beating down upon her with its bright, unceasing glow, and Philippa quickly pulled her hat over her short brown hair, grateful once again that fashion called for bobs instead of long tresses. "Gee, it's a damn good thing I've suddenly got a big, strong brother to help me out," she said, gesturing at her two suitcases. "I would never be able to carry any of this myself."

Rick blinked, unsure of whether she was joking or not. "Well..."

"Only kidding, dear," she said, as if Rick was one of her chums back home instead of an almost-stranger. "I'll take one suitcase and you can handle the other, can't you?"

"Sure," said Rick, looking slightly less awkward.

As Philippa picked up the lighter of the two suitcases, she found that teasing Rick was one of the only ways she knew how to deal with him. He seemed so serious, and he was still such a stranger, and Philippa had learned from the dozens of parties she had attended that a joke was always the best way to break the ice. She hoped Rick would turn out to be the sort of man who came off as rather taciturn, but loosened up once he had a couple of drinks in him. And Philippa did intend on Rick drinking and enjoying himself while they were on that boat; the poor fellow clearly hadn't had any fun in a long time, if the previous state of his hair was anything to go by.

The port was crowded, full of rattling carts drawn by pack animals and dozens upon dozens of people chattering in Arabic. Philippa stuck close to Rick, grateful for his height so she wouldn't lose him in the crowd, and held tight to her suitcase in case some lowlife decided to snatch it. Cairo was not a glamorous place, that was for sure, and years of living in New York had taught her that shifty looking individuals were usually just as shifty as they looked.

Of course, that didn't stop her from getting her bracelet swiped by Jonathan, but it wasn't her fault he had been so friendly.

"Well, there they are," said Rick, nudging her lightly with his elbow.

Philippa looked straight ahead and discovered Jonathan standing not far from the barge, wearing an explorer's hat that looked like it belonged at a costume party. Standing beside him was a dark-haired woman who could only be his sister, and Philippa noticed that Evelyn Carnahan carried two sizable suitcases while Jonathan carried nothing at all. She wasn't terribly surprised.

"I still say I'll believe it when I see it," Evelyn was saying. "You saw the state of the man. I doubt he's got any family at all, let alone a sister who looks like something out of an American magazine, as you put it."

"Oh, Evy, just because I have a bit of a tendency to stretch the truth now and then doesn't mean I'm always full of poppycock," said Jonathan.

"Well you did lie to me about the puzzle box."

"My version makes a much better story than the truth, that's all."

"My point exactly, Jonathan."

Rick approached the pair of siblings, Philippa not far behind him. "Sorry to interrupt," said Rick, not sounding sorry at all.

Evelyn stared up at Rick, as taken aback by his appearance as Philippa had been after Rick's haircut and shave. "Oh. Hello." She noticed Philippa and frowned a bit. "And who is this?"

"Philippa Graham, Rick's half-sister," said Philippa, stepping forward. "I know I wasn't invited, but it's really a long story and we can save time if I tell it to you on the boat, won't we?"

"Philippa," Evelyn echoed, glancing at Rick in mild bewilderment. The name that always sounded hopelessly boyish to Philippa's own ears sounded soft and feminine when spoken with Evelyn's voice.

"Yeah, it is kind of a long story," Rick said with a shrug. "But there's no getting rid of family, as I'm sure you know."

Philippa noticed that Jonathan had backed away from the group, standing off to the side with his hat pulled down low to shield his face, as if he could avoid her notice. "Why, hello Jonathan!" Philippa said loudly, waving a hand with false enthusiasm. "How lovely it is to see you again after those drinks we shared yesterday, though I'm afraid I lost one of my bracelets after we parted ways. Perhaps you've seen it? It's made out of real jade."

"Can't say that I've seen it, love," Jonathan replied breezily, as if Philippa's words carried no importance at all. "You want to be careful in Cairo. Thieves in every corner, just waiting to steal the clothes right off your back."

Evelyn's expression turned to puzzlement, with a hint of concern. "How exactly did you two meet?"

"Oh, we only met briefly," said Jonathan. "Met her in a bar, you see. I even did my Good Samaritan duty by escorting her to her brother's home when she asked for directions. Nice girl, though I never expected I would actually see her again."

"Which is why you found it perfectly acceptable to steal from me, isn't it, darling?" said Philippa. "And you sounded quite enthusiastic about seeing me again, too. Never imagined you would have to return that silly old bracelet, did you?"

All eyes were fixed firmly upon Jonathan, who looked as if he would love to disappear into thin air. "You know, Jonathan, I'm pretty disappointed in you," said Rick. "Bad enough to steal from a guy, but then to steal from his sister too? Bad manners, if you ask me."

"Jonathan, I dearly hope you return whatever it was you took from this woman and apologize," Evelyn added.

"Yes, well, I would hand over the bloody thing if I actually had it," said Jonathan. "Devilishly hard to hold onto a piece of jewelry like that."

"Oh, you're full of baloney," said Philippa. "I know you've got it."

"I did have it, I'll admit."

"Where is it now?"

"Well, there are certain matters in this world that only a man would understand, Philippa my dear. When a man gets into a spot of trouble, you see, he has to take whatever opportunities he can find into order to get out of it, and well..."

"Let me guess," Rick broke in. "You sold off the bracelet to pay gambling debts."

Philippa expected Jonathan to deny it, but he broke into a guilty smile. "Yes, well, a couple of fellows have been hounding me for weeks. Won't this little trip make up for it, though? There are bound to be scores of bracelets out there in the sand, and made out of real solid gold, no doubt. You'd like a nice gold bracelet, wouldn't you, Philippa?"

"Sure I would," Philippa admitted.

"Smashing, then! All is forgiven, old girl?"

Perhaps it was the promise of riches out in the desert, or perhaps it was Jonathan's rather pathetic charm, but Philippa couldn't stay annoyed over the bracelet. It wasn't a priceless heirloom, after all, and soon she would replace it with something much more grand. "Of course all is forgiven, dear," she said, while Rick rolled his eyes nearby. "You're not such a bad egg deep down, as long as you don't pull any tricks like that again."

Evelyn, on the other hand, didn't look so forgiving and narrowed her eyes at Jonathan, every inch the proper, responsible sibling. "Well now I see how you spend your time when you're not sneaking around the museum, playing with the corpses. I ought to have begged the curator to give you a job in the library as well."

"Evy, you know I don't care much for reading, unless it's a pub menu," said Jonathan.

"Exactly. You would have been bored enough to fall asleep and stay out of trouble for at least five seconds."

Philippa decided that she liked Evelyn Carnahan. Her clothes may have been a tad too sensible for Philippa's tastes, and she may have come off as slightly condescending at first, but she was witty and unafraid to speak her mind, traits that Philippa always admired in other people. She also seemed to have lots of experience at managing her brother, an example that Philippa could definitely learn from since she was still brand-new to the sibling game. If only her prim and proper mother had been willing to acknowledge Rick years ago; perhaps he would have been a fantastic brother, the kind who doted upon his darling younger sister and—

Philippa took one look at Rick and held back a chuckle. She couldn't see him in that role, no matter what the circumstances.

Rick looked back at her, his blue eyes taking her in as if seeing her for the first time. "Right, we need another ticket," he said. "Jonathan, would you mind being useful and doing the honors?"

"No, he wouldn't mind at all," Evelyn spoke for him. "You wouldn't mind being useful for once, would you, Jonathan? I promise it won't hurt you."

Jonathan heaved a self-pitying sigh and adjusted his explorer's hat so that it no longer fell in his eyes. "Very well. One barge ticket, coming right up."

As Jonathan walked off to procure the requested ticket, Evelyn moved a bit closer to Rick. "She really is your sister, I hope?" she asked him, nodding her head towards Philippa. "Women acquainted with my brother tend to be... disreputable. Not that Philippa isn't a lovely girl, because she certainly is, but if you knew Jonathan as well as I do—"

"Hey, relax," Rick cut in. "I'm about eighty percent sure she's my sister, and if it turns out she's not, we can always feed her to the crocodiles."

"Now that sounds like a good time worth having," said Philippa. "But really, Evelyn darling, I promise you that Rick and I are related. You'll hear the whole story once we're on board."

"I do apologize," said Evelyn. She peered into Philippa's face, much the same way Jonathan had when Philippa met him yesterday. "You and Rick look somewhat alike, if you look closely."

"Well, we've got three days on that boat," said Rick. "Plenty of time to get to know each other, I guess."

Plenty of time, indeed. Philippa had grown rather tired of boats after her trip to Egypt, but she supposed she could survive an extra three days on the water. There would be treasure at the end of the voyage, after all, if they were lucky enough to find it, and Philippa was feeling mighty optimistic.