Chapter 25

Time: 8:45 am

Date: 3rd July, 1934

Dear Diary,

What could I possibly say to describe the past two weeks of my life? How could I record it with mere ink and paper? I shall try, but not today, and not in this journal. That story deserves a book of its own.

Have been three days back in Hamunaptra. I packed on the first day, but needed subsequent days to recover from my trip to El-Amarna. Evy, the angel, has arranged transport to Cairo with Izzy, so I needn't ride on a camel again. He shall not be charging us a fee, since our delay in El-Amarna was largely due to his suggestion.

Have not seen Mr. Bay. Am quite undecided how I feel about that. He is most certainly a fascinating man, and has become a close companion, but how, in the reality of life outside the desert, even life at our stubborn little outpost, is that supposed to become anything more? Perhaps we are destined to be passing souls. He and I come from worlds completely apart. How would he feel of my Western Ways? How would I feel about his Eastern ones?

I think that the deeper, most secret part of me shall always cherish the gentle man that protected me in the wildest parts of Egypt.

The dirigible swayed gently in the morning desert breeze, and the heat of the day was already mounting ferociously. Jonathan and Rick passed Connie's bags up the side of the dirigible to Izzy, wincing in the glare of the sunlight off the sand.

There was a palpable mournfulness in the air, and Connie's heart felt heavy and listless, as if life were too awful for her to cope. It was strange. She wished nothing more than to be back within the redwood panelled walls of her townhouse back in England, where rolling green hills were a drive in the care away and rainfall was a regular occurrence. She couldn't, however, bear to leave the people about her, and she wished the urge to flee home and her imperative not to anger her Aunt Lila weren't so strong.

Evy clutched Connie's hand. "You sure you want to go?"

A part of Connie's soul wished nothing more than to stay until Ardeth returned. Common sense and cynicism convinced her otherwise. Her eyes did a quick scan of the desert around them, faintly wishing... but he was not there. She sighed, and nodded.

"Yes," she said. "Quite sure."

Behind her huddled the men in her best friend's life; her brave husband, her brilliant son and her jovial big brother. They all wore similar sad looks, though Rick seemed to look more sympathetic than anything. Clasping her hands together, she looked to them, wearing a weary smile.

"Time to go!" she said.

Alex scratched the side of his nose, mumbling down at the ground awkwardly. "Really wish you'd stay."

With a sigh, Connie stepped to him, ruffling his hair in her fingers. "Oh, Alex..." Such a rush of affection took her than she hugged the boy tightly. "Don't worry. You'll see me again."

"Good," he replied, squeezing her. "It'll get quiet around here without you."

Connie stepped back, brows lifting. "What, life around here, dull? I don't think so."

"I said quiet, not boring," quipped the boy.

She ruffled his hair again, affording the boy an affectionate chuckle. Next to Alex was Jonathan, who gave Connie a winning smile and gathered her up in a brotherly embrace.

"You take care, old Mum!" he said, patting her back rigourously. "Don't do anything back home I wouldn't do."

"What, like behave?" she smirked.

"Especially behaving!" he said cheekily, pointing at her.

Rick stood with his thumbs in his belt loops, watching the goodbyes stoically. When Connie stopped in front of him, he gave her a smile. "It's been good havin' you, Connie."

She wasn't really sure what to do. Rick seemed such a prickly and sardonic fellow, usually. He showed her an unaccustomed flicker of gentleness and she thought perhaps she had an inkling of what her best of friends saw in the man. She grinned, and extended her hand.

"Thank you, Mr. O'Connell."

"Pfft!" Rick wrapped a rough arm around her. "Call me 'Rick'."

She giggled and nodded. "All right. Rick."

"Time to go, ladies!" called Izzy from the dirigible.

Connie glanced at him then looked back to the group in front of her. "Well! That's my ride out of here!"

Evy and Connie climbed aboard, the men below calling out their goodbyes.

"Seeya!" cried Jon.

"Safe journey," said Rick with a nonchalant wave.

With the deft tugs of a few ropes, the dirigible rose up majestically, sailing off into the deep endless blue of the Egyptian sky, off towards Cairo and the way home to England.

Silence drifted over the group. Alex watched the dirigible until it became a tiny dot that swam in and out of his vision. Dropping his hand on his son's shoulder, Rick frowned.

"You all right?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. It's just a shame Connie had to go. I would have liked to have gotten to know her better. Rick lifted his brows curiously. "Well, she is my auntie," Alex explained.

A smile spread slowly across Rick's broad, tanned, handsome face and putting his arm around his boy's shoulders, he squeezed him affectionately. "Yeah. Yeah, she is."

The train seemed to huddle in its gathering steam and smoke like a grumbling volcano. Crates of live animals were handed to scruffy porters crouching on the step ladders leading onto the train. The smell of waste and the pungent tang of human odours filled their nostrils and the general cacophony of hundreds of people readying the train for its next journey almost deafened them. Ahead was a guard, and Connie clutched her ticket expectantly in her hands as they drew close.

"Good day, Madam," said the dark-skinned train guard in his trim, neat deep burgundy uniform, gold buttons on his chest gleaming. He spoke very carefully in accented English, and he bowed his head as he took Connie's ticket. He read it quickly and handed it back to her. "You are in the second carriage, berth four."

"Thank you," said Connie.

The guard bowed his head again and was soon distracted by another passenger. Connie turned away, taking Evy's hands and squeezing them.

"This is really it."

Evy nodded, eyes bright. "Indeed."

"Oh, Evy!" Connie moaned. "This is the hardest goodbye I've ever had to make!" She huffed, shaking her head. "I wish I didn't have to say it!"

"Then don't!" said Evy. "Stay!"

She sighed, looking down at their hands intertwined, heart sinking within her. "Poor Aunt Lila will be so worried about me, Evy. And I'm leaving my job behind, my place in society... everything." She bounced on the spot sadly. "And I do miss my home, and England..."

Evy's brows tilted up. "There'll be nothing here that you'll miss more?"

Connie gazed at her sister in spirit, hugging the hands in hers to her chest. "Perhaps. Oh dear!" She looked down at her hands again and frowned. "It would have been nice to have said goodbye to him one last time."

Evelyn smiled at that. "Well... maybe you'll see him again?"

"Maybe," said Connie with a slow smile.

The whistle of the train blasted through the clamour about them, and a heavily accented voice shouted, "ALL ABOARD!"

"Oh, that's me, I must go!"

Evelyn hugged Connie tightly, and followed her a little as Connie leapt upon the train, hugging her bag to her chest.

"I shall miss you!" called Connie. "I've had the most amazing adventure I think I shall ever have!"

Grinning back at her, Evelyn waved. A porter, just inside the door, shouted at Connie and the blonde woman nodded and waved at Evy before winding her way down the carriage. Evelyn followed her as she moved past the windows, and finally the familiar blonde head poked out of one of the windows.

"Buh-bye, Evy!" Connie cried. Standing there, in the train, her best friend now separated from her, Connie's heart twisted within her. Gazing at her friend, she noticed the darker woman glance down the end of the platform and do a double take. She gasped.

"Connie!"

Connie peered out of the carriage after what had stunned Evelyn so. Her heart, swimming mournfully inside of her, leapt with joy and clenched in her throat. She gripped the open window she practically hung out of, jaw dropping.

At the end of the platform stood a familiar figure, wrapped in black robes, a high turban on his head. He gazed at Connie, flexing his hands at his sides, seemingly unsure of what to do with himself. His expression was drawn, serious, and mournful. Evelyn covered the smile that battled to make its way to her face, and Connie glanced at her questioningly.

"That's the most miserable I've ever seen that man."

Connie gulped. "Really?"

"Really," nodded Evy with a grin.

"You're not lying?"

"No." Evy's response was almost drowned out by the shrill wail of the train's whistle.

She bounced on her feet, groaning. "Oh! Oh!" She looked to Ardeth. Her heart ached, her soul screamed that she was doing the wrong thing. "My aunt..."

"Can be telegraphed this very afternoon..." said Evy, sing-song.

Something in Connie snapped. She threw her purse at Evy, shrieking excitedly, and Evelyn squealed with delight.

"Hold onto that!" cried Connie.

She raced down the corridor of the train, crashing into passengers going the other way and ignoring their indignant cries of complaint. She pushed them aside, wrestling to the end of the carriage.

"Madam, no, madam!"

For some reason she couldn't get to the door. There was a terrible lurch, and she nearly fell over. The train had begun to move. There was a guard in her way, and he held her by the shoulders.

"Please, sit, please, madam!" said the guard.

"No!" cried Connie, and she grabbed the man and threw him aside with all the force she could muster. Had he been expecting it, she probably wouldn't have been able to move her, but the little guard was caught unawares and utterly shocked by the action of the plucky blonde, and toppled over into the hallway.

Connie grabbed the handle of the door, and wrenching it open, she leapt off the train. She didn't think that the train might begin to pick up speed at any moment. All she knew was that she could not leave Egypt for good.

She sailed through the air, her whole chest tight, fear making her feel as a wound spring. Her legs kicked and suddenly she made contact with the ground as she leapt the short distance between the carriage and the platform. Her momentum was more than her legs could handle, however, and she staggered forward in great steps until something collected her and she clutched onto it with her all. As she came to a stop, she felt something under her foot give way. She glanced down, and growled roughly.

"Bugger!" she cried, bending over, leaning against whoever had caught her. "Bugger, bugger, bugger! My boot! I broke the heel of my-"

"Be glad it was not your neck."

That voice pulled her attention away from her broken shoe, and she glanced up to see just who she was dangling off. A set of warm brown eyes met hers. "Buh-" She gulped, mouth moving helplessly for a full moment. She couldn't speak. All she could do was clutch his arms, which had found their way around her without her noticing (though she had just leapt from a moving train). She felt herself swaying a little, wrapped up in his gaze, heart soaring delightfully.

A thought, clear like a ringing bell, fell into the fore-front of her mind and she let out a terrible shriek. "My LUGGAGE!" she squealed. "Oh, my luggage! It's on the train! It's-"

Warm, gentle hands cradled her face, and lips pressed against hers. The slight tickle of a well-trimmed beard was about her mouth, and her mind drifted off delightfully as her heart took over. She tingled, from head to toe, and was sure that never in her life had a kiss been quite as wonderful or delicious as this one. She swooned, gripping the robes at his chest in her fingers, kissing him with as much passion as he showed to her, pushing herself up on her tip-toes. When she finally pulled away, his long, brown fingers stroked her jaw tenderly, a gentle smile on his face.

"We can send for your bags when they reach Alexandria," he murmured.

She blinked, her mouth dropping open to form an 'o' of astonishment. "Mr. Bay!" she cried. "You kissed me!"

He inclined his head in acknowledgement, his smile turning into the slightest of smirks. "I think you can call me Ardeth, now."

She made a noise between a laugh and a moan and sank into his arms again, hugging him tightly to her. His fingers sank into her hair, and after a moment, rushed footsteps approached them. Evelyn had run down the platform, weaving through the crowd, and she looked ruffled as she stopped in front of them.

"Connie! Are you all right?"

Glancing to the handsome man in her arms, then back to her best friend, she grinned. "I'm fine."

Evelyn sighed, running her hands through her hair, relief on her features. "Bloody hell. Can't get off a train without having a drama, can you?"

Connie ducked her head sheepishly, and Ardeth grinned. Stepping forward, Evy squeezed Connie's arm affectionately.

"I'll go tell Izzy the good news," she said.

As Evy disappeared back into the crowd, Connie leant against Ardeth, her eyes falling closed and the most unaccountable feeling of relief and joy washing through her. She didn't think about the consequences, or what life had in store for her, should she stay in Egypt. Only one thing floated through her mind.

Finally. Finally she was with him, and she was entirely and blissfully happy.