Three Months Later

"Are you sure we have everything?" Rose asked, as Ardeth shut the door to the room. "All our clothes and whatnot?"

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Ardeth led her down the hall to the stairs that would take them up to the dock. "We have everything," he promised, as he carried a rucksack on his shoulder. "Our things will be unloaded and Rick has promised to wait to claim them for us."

After nearly two and half months of living as newlyweds in the middle of desert, summer had arrived. After weeks of correspondence, and Evelyn's announcement that the guest room was ready, the couple booked their tickets for the long voyage to rainy London. Packing and making sure the camp was prepped and secure enough for their chieftain to leave for eight weeks, they made the trip to Cairo with a few of Ardeth's trusted men.

"I'm so excited!" Rose squealed, as they stepped out onto the boat deck. "I don't even care that the skies are grey and the smell of sewage fills the air."

"Let us hope that the rain falls after we arrive," Ardeth said, looking up at the sky. "The last we need is for you to fall ill on our trip."

It took some time for the ship to dock, before passengers made their way off, searching for loved ones or for their taxis to hotels and summer homes. Waiting for the majority of the passengers to leave, Ardeth finally led Rose down the gangway and onto the dock, much to her displeasure.

"Your safety is my concern," Ardeth said, as they headed over to customs and baggage.

Getting through customs and the inspection queue, Rose and Ardeth made their way over to baggage claim, and started the search for their American friend. They were quick to spot him, as he stood further away from the crowd of people.

"Glad to see you arrived in one piece," he said, as the couple stopped before him. "I hope I can say the same for your luggage. "

"It better all be there by the time we get through," Rose warned, as Rick chuckled.

"It will be," he promised, before holding his arms out. "Come here, kiddo."

Stepping forward, Rose allowed for herself to be pulled into a bear hug. "It's good to see you," she said, as Rick ruffled her hair.

He pulled back to look down at her, "It's real good to see you too, Rose," he said, grinning at her. "Marriage suits you."

"I wish I could say the same for you," she teased, squealing as he tweaked her nose.

"Not funny," he shook his head, before pulling Ardeth into a one-armed hug. "Good to see you, buddy," he said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You've survived the first six months of marriage and you haven't locked our dear Rose into a trunk."

Rose glared at him, while Ardeth chuckled at the teasing. "I have no desire to lock my wife in a trunk, Rick," he said. "To hide such a beauty from the world, is a terrible crime."

She blushed, while Rick groaned. "God, I'm stuck for eight weeks watching you two act all lovey-dovey?" he shook his head. "Add Evie's growing excitement to fawn over you two and I've finally found my excuse to drink in excess."

"You mean, you don't do that already?" Rose asked. "I thought living with Jonathan was a nightmare, as you wrote in your letters."

"It is," Rick grumbled. "Let's get your bags and get this show on the road. You know Evie's wearing a hole in the floorboards, waiting for our return.'

….

"This will be your room," Evelyn said, as she pushed open the heavy oak door. "In fact, the entire hall is yours for the next eight weeks! I figured you two would want some privacy during your stay…"

Rose gasped as she stepped into the newly furnished room, taking in the dark tones of maroon and brown, mixed with trinkets from all of Evelyn's travels. "It's lovely," she said, taking it all in. "I can't believe you did all of this for us!"

Setting the trunks down near the wall, Rick wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Thank god you like it," he said, as Ardeth looked around. "It cost us a fortune, putting all this together."

"It didn't," Evelyn said, shaking her head at him. "We wanted you to have a home away from home, you know? I figured… why not have a piece of it here with you? To remind you of the sunshine and heat, while we're expected to get a ridiculous amount of rain the next week or so."

"It's wonderful, "Rose said, pulling her into a hug. "And like I told Ardeth on the ship… I don't care if it rains nearly every day that we're here! I'm just so happy to be here and to see you all!"

Rick leaned in to Ardeth, "Give her a half an hour and she'll be out," he whispered. "I have a feeling she was… restless during your trip."

"You have no idea, my friend," Ardeth nodded, as his wife giggled along with Rose. "But first, she must eat something before taking her afternoon nap. She didn't eat much during the voyage."

The American nodded, "Ladies, how about some lunch?" he said, interrupting their conversation. "I'm sure all that food they served onboard wasn't as appetizing as the food we have downstairs."

Rose nodded, "I'm absolutely famished," she nodded, setting her hat down on the bed. "Could we have a moment or two to freshen up? I have to use the loo."

"Of course!" Evelyn nodded. "Through that doorway there, you'll find everything. Towels are in the cabinet, along with everything and anything you could need."

"We'll meet you downstairs," Rick said, as Evelyn stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind them.

Removing her shoes, Rose moved towards the first of their trunks and unlocked it. "I don't know about you," she said, digging around for fresh clothes. "But I'm simply starving."

Ardeth made his way around the ornate room, inspecting the windows that faced the garden. "So your appetite has returned, yes?" he asked, as Rose started for the bathroom.

"Thankfully," Rose sighed, setting the bundle of clothes onto the counter. "I could go for anything, to be honest. Even a big batch of fish and chips from the pub Rick and Jonathan usually go to.

"A pub?" Ardeth asked, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. "Do women of high society go to such places?"

Rose pulled the well worn skirt down, letting it pool at her feet, before stepping out. "As you may know," she said, tugging her knickers down. "I am a former society girl."

He chuckled, "And I didn't say anything about attending a pub myself," she said, grabbing the fresh pair off the counter. "Rick can simply pop down there, pick up a batch and bring it back."

"As long as you don't overindulge," he said, watching her remove the rest of her clothes. "Remember what happened the day before we set for Cairo."

She grimaced at the memory of upchucking her breakfast, after her morning walk down by the lake. Once word got to Ardeth, who arrived to their tent in a panic, he was set to cancel their trip. But after bursting into tears and begging, he gave in, making her promise to take it easy during the voyage and their stay.

"Luckily we are closer to a doctor, should you feel sick again," Ardeth continued, as she pulled the lightweight dress over her head.

"Or maybe it was just a bad batch of…whatever it was I ate, and I'm perfectly fine," Rose said, scooping up the clothes from the floor. "Really, darling. I'm fine."

He moved to stand behind her, helping remove the hairpins that held her tresses up. "Just let me worry over you," he said, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "My duties do not just stop when it comes to our people, Rose. You are the most important person in my life."

Rose leaned her head back to rest against his shoulder, smiling at him as they both looked into the mirror. "I love you," she said, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"And I love you," he said, lightly squeezing her. "Are you ready to head downstairs? We should move quickly before Evelyn returns and drags you down."

"If you are ready, I am," Rose said, turning around to face him. "What would you like to do after we eat? We could take a bus ride down to the museum or to the park…"

She giggled at the look on his face, "Or we could retire for a short nap," she shrugged, draping her arms over his shoulders. "Test the bed to see if we need to be quiet while doing our… spousal duties."

"Perhaps we can…compromise," he teased, as she stood on her toes to kiss him.

Sinking into his embrace, Rose relaxed into the kiss, nearly tempted to skip lunch all together to fulfill her hunger for something else.

"ARE YOU TWO COMING DOWN OR WHAT?" Rick shouted from down the hall.

Rose groaned as Ardeth pulled back, "I could kill him," she muttered, as he chuckled. "Really, I could. I'm pretty good with a dagger, you know."

"Only because I've taught you," he reminded her, as she stole another kiss. "We have plenty of time for kisses, Rose. You must eat first before we go any further."

She pouted, "After lunch you will have my full attention," he promised, setting the hairpins onto the counter top. "Before Rick finds himself in our bathroom."

"Oh fine," Rose sighed, turning around quickly to check her appearance. "I guess tis will do," she muttered, taking in the flat curls.

Taking him by the hand, Rose smiled. "I just realized," she said, as they walked through the room to the door that would take them out into the hallway. "This is your first experience having an English lunch. Does that frighten you?"

"The only thing that frightens me," Ardeth started, as he opened the door. "Is how…temperamental you get if you don't eat."

Rose gasped, while Ardeth managed a cheeky smile. "Along with bus rides, of course," he said, as she shook her head. "You asked, love."

"You are very lucky that we are heading down to lunch," Rose said, as they started down the hall to the stairs. "Otherwise, we would be having a long talk about your newfound ability to be sarcastic!"