Part Four
"How have you been?" O'Connell asked, sitting at the seat Evelyn had indicated.
"Very well, and you?". Her tone was formal in the extreme and it seemed to put O'Connell immediately on his guard.
He shrugged, "Still alive".
"You can't complain then". She poured two shots from the brandy decanter on the sideboard and offered him a glass, "Drink?"
He shook his head, a little surprised, "No thanks".
She nodded, tipped back one drink and put the other glass down. There was only a small pause before she promptly turned back, picked it up and downed the contents of the second, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. O'Connell looked at her with an eyebrow raised in curiosity, but said nothing. Only thought, not for the first time, what an amazing woman she was. He'd never met anyone like her. And he wasn't about to give her up to some snotty nosed, old school boy. Not without at fight, at least.
"Why did you come here?" she asked, the drink having given her new found courage, "I take it you haven't developed a sudden interest in Egyptology".
"I came here to see you", O'Connell said without hesitation, wasting no time, "We should talk".
"Oh I think we said all we needed to say at Giza port", she replied sharply.
"Evelyn-".
"Don't you 'Evelyn' me", she said, getting as angry as her nature allowed, "I told you that if you went out there without me, not to expect to find me there when you came back".
He knew that. He remembered the words all too painfully well. He just hadn't realised that she really meant it. As he had sailed off down the Nile with those scientist guys who had offered him good money to show them to Hamunaptra, he had firmly believed that it was the fact that she wasn't allowed to come and do some more research that was bugging her, not the fact that he was, as she would put it, mollycoddling her. And even if he had realised, nothing on earth could make him take her. Going back a place you had almost died at could not be healthy for your state of mind. Jonathan had agreed as much when O'Connell had expressed his concerns to him, although he doubted the man had ever had admitted as much to his sister. She was stubborn and wilfully independent at times, and the thought that she needed looking after was not welcome to her.
If he was honest with himself, the very reason he had gone was exactly the same one which meant he wouldn't let her go. He'd nearly died there too. Part of him was afraid to go back and he couldn't live like that. He had to face his fears. But he hadn't been able to tell Evelyn that. He still couldn't bring himself to admit it now.
"I was trying to protect you, Evelyn!", he justified, letting out an exasperated sigh. They'd had this argument too many times.
As always she ignored his protests, determined to continue with her rant.
"I told you that you cannot treat me like...like a....like some kind of a....like you do! Badly!" she stuttered, lost for an analogy.
"I know what you said", he replied, looking straight at her, very hurt by her words and showing it through sarcastic anger, "But I didn't expect to come back to hear you're engaged and in a different country. I know you wanted to make a point, but that's a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?"
"It is none of your business", she said, almost sullenly.
"What? We have an argument, you run off with the next guy that shows an interest and you expect me not to care? Not to want some answers? An explanation? A card saying 'Hey, O'Connell. How was your trip? PS I'm marrying someone else!'"
She looked mightily offended, "I did not run off with 'the next guy'. He is in fact a very charming gentleman who I like very much and I would thank you to keep your nose out of it". She was pacing now, like an angry school teacher in front of a disobedient pupil.
"So that's it?" he asked, standing up, all his good intentions about keeping this calm flying out of the window with his temper. He was hurt, god damn it, and he was going to show it.
"Is that all you can say?" he challenged, "'Thanks for the good time, O'Connell, but I got a better offer'!"
She scowled, "Oh, don't be absurd. It was nothing like that!"
"Sure it wasn't", he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're simply saying that you never gave a damn about me".
"I did not say that", she said in a sing-song impatient tone.
"Well, that's how it feels!", he said, his voice raising even louder, more with frustration and hurt than anger now.
"If you cared about me at all then I don't see how you can go and get yourself engaged after I'd been gone for a month!"
She squared up to him, obviously not the slightest bit intimidated by his much larger stature. "I gave you a choice and you made your bed, now you sleep in it!"
His expression was one of disgust, "What, while you sleep in someone else's?"
She slapped him across the face. Hard.
He looked at her, surprised, and touched his cheek gingerly. It hurt. Stung like only the slap of a scorned woman could. Even the smallest of women could land a painful blow is she was pushed far enough. The throbbing in his cheek right now told him he'd pushed her way too far. But he knew he deserved it. He couldn't believe what he had just said. It was cheap and insulting and cruel. And it was hurtful. Shame washed through every part of him.
Evelyn gasped and put her hands to mouth, turning away. She hadn't struck another person in years. The last time, she and Jonathan had been children, and squabbling as siblings sometimes do. He had shoved her and she had lashed out. Jonathan had gained a stern talk from their father about how he should never strike any woman, but particularly not his small sister. Evelyn's mother had told her that hitting was a most unladylike thing to do. Evelyn who, despite her clumsiness and sometimes awkward gait, aspired to her mother's gracefulness and femininity, had heeded the words well. That O'Connell had managed to make her forget herself completely, with words she never thought to hear coming from his mouth, upset her more than she liked.
"I think you should leave", she said, her voice emotionally strung.
He lowered his head, "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I didn't mean-".
"Please, Rick", she turned round and her eyes were moistened with tears he realised that he'd never seen there before, "Please, for my sake. For my marriage. Just go".
He strode over to her, put his hands tightly on her arms, the way he had the first time they had kissed.
"Evelyn....", he shook his head sadly, "I can't just leave. I've come too far not to tell you that I love you".
There was a knock at the door, it burst open and a tall, dark haired, handsome man, dressed in an expensive suit entered without waiting for a reply.
"Evie!", he said holding out his arms, ignoring O'Connell and seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere of the room. He pushed the American aside and went straight to her, kissing her forehead, "Darling, how are you?" He tugged affectionately at the curls of her hair that were lying over her shoulder, "You are looking pretty today".
Evelyn looked awkward, almost guilty. But it certainly wasn't because of anything she'd done. So it must have been what she had been thinking. O'Connell like that.
"I thought you said you were coming to meet me for lunch", the gentleman continued, "I waited for an age and you didn't show up". His tone was so patronising that O'Connell wanted to just hit him. He didn't know how Evelyn could stand to be spoken to like that. But she just smiled pleasantly, her previous emotional display buried neatly away.
"I'm sorry but I had some work to do".
He looked at O'Connell, charming but suspicious, "I see".
"Oh, no", she quickly corrected, "Museum work. Showing Mr Carver around. Remember? The man who made the donation?"
"Of course", he said with a dismissive wave. He gave O'Connell the once over. He had the look of a man summing someone up for their merit as a threat. By the expression in his face, he didn't like what he saw in the American.
"I take it this isn't him".
"No. This is Mr O'Connell", she said as a way of introduction, "He's a friend of Jonathan and I. He just arrived in from Egypt today".
O'Connell nodded, "And you must be Mr Hart", he looked at Evelyn and she blushed, a pale rose colour tinting her lightly tanned cheeks.
Hart nodded, "I see she's told you about me".
O'Connell shook his head, "I'd been away for a while. The curator in Cairo told me the.... wonderful news when I got back". His smiled was blatantly false.
Hart mirrored his smile, "Must've been a bit of a shock, eh?"
"I'll say", he said dryly, looking to Evelyn who was avoiding his gaze. Evidently her and O'Connell's relationship was unknown to Hart, and she was desperately trying to keep it that way.
"Well, I know it was all very sudden", Hart continued, "But when I saw her, I just thought what a tragedy it was that one of the true treasures of Egypt was hidden away like that". He smiled at Evelyn and took her hand.
"So you thought you'd bring her back here and put her on display?" asked O'Connell with false geniality.
Evelyn glared at him.
Hart didn't seem to notice the implications of the sentence. He just smiled, "Something like that. Well, it's nice to meet you", he turned back to Evelyn, "Now, darling, since you blew off lunch with me, why don't I take you out for an early dinner?"
She shook her head, "Sorry, Nathan, but I couldn't possibly. I've just got so much to do. I mean, if we're to be ready for-".
He raised his eyes skyward, "Another silly little display?"
Evelyn looked adamant and a little annoyed. O'Connell could have cheered. For a moment there he thought this man had completely transformed her into the meek little girl she suddenly appeared to be. This sudden show of independence was very welcome indeed.
"There is nothing 'silly' about it", she insisted, "It's a very important display, thank you".
Hart smiled and brushed his hand across her cheek affectionately, "Of course it is. I'm sorry. I just don't see as much of you as I'd like".
"This is very important to me", she said, still a little annoyed.
"And you're extremely important to me", he countered, with a sickeningly sincere tone.
She smiled, the dazzling one that made her whole face light up, and O'Connell's insides flip. He swallowed hard, controlling emotions that he was only just remembering. Ones that only occurred when he was around her.
"Don't you work too hard now", Hart said, and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
O'Connell turned away.
"I'll see you tomorrow", Hart said, straightening his jacket. He nodded towards O'Connell, "It was nice to meet you. If you're here for a while, do feel free to come to the wedding. Any friend of Evelyn is welcome".
"Thanks, but I won't be around for that", said O'Connell, beginning to really hate the man. And wasn't just because he was marrying the woman he loved.
"Pity", he said, and left with a charming smile.
When he had gone, Evelyn turned to see O'Connell looking at her a mixture of disbelief and annoyance on his face.
"What?" she asked, defensively.
"How have you been?" O'Connell asked, sitting at the seat Evelyn had indicated.
"Very well, and you?". Her tone was formal in the extreme and it seemed to put O'Connell immediately on his guard.
He shrugged, "Still alive".
"You can't complain then". She poured two shots from the brandy decanter on the sideboard and offered him a glass, "Drink?"
He shook his head, a little surprised, "No thanks".
She nodded, tipped back one drink and put the other glass down. There was only a small pause before she promptly turned back, picked it up and downed the contents of the second, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. O'Connell looked at her with an eyebrow raised in curiosity, but said nothing. Only thought, not for the first time, what an amazing woman she was. He'd never met anyone like her. And he wasn't about to give her up to some snotty nosed, old school boy. Not without at fight, at least.
"Why did you come here?" she asked, the drink having given her new found courage, "I take it you haven't developed a sudden interest in Egyptology".
"I came here to see you", O'Connell said without hesitation, wasting no time, "We should talk".
"Oh I think we said all we needed to say at Giza port", she replied sharply.
"Evelyn-".
"Don't you 'Evelyn' me", she said, getting as angry as her nature allowed, "I told you that if you went out there without me, not to expect to find me there when you came back".
He knew that. He remembered the words all too painfully well. He just hadn't realised that she really meant it. As he had sailed off down the Nile with those scientist guys who had offered him good money to show them to Hamunaptra, he had firmly believed that it was the fact that she wasn't allowed to come and do some more research that was bugging her, not the fact that he was, as she would put it, mollycoddling her. And even if he had realised, nothing on earth could make him take her. Going back a place you had almost died at could not be healthy for your state of mind. Jonathan had agreed as much when O'Connell had expressed his concerns to him, although he doubted the man had ever had admitted as much to his sister. She was stubborn and wilfully independent at times, and the thought that she needed looking after was not welcome to her.
If he was honest with himself, the very reason he had gone was exactly the same one which meant he wouldn't let her go. He'd nearly died there too. Part of him was afraid to go back and he couldn't live like that. He had to face his fears. But he hadn't been able to tell Evelyn that. He still couldn't bring himself to admit it now.
"I was trying to protect you, Evelyn!", he justified, letting out an exasperated sigh. They'd had this argument too many times.
As always she ignored his protests, determined to continue with her rant.
"I told you that you cannot treat me like...like a....like some kind of a....like you do! Badly!" she stuttered, lost for an analogy.
"I know what you said", he replied, looking straight at her, very hurt by her words and showing it through sarcastic anger, "But I didn't expect to come back to hear you're engaged and in a different country. I know you wanted to make a point, but that's a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?"
"It is none of your business", she said, almost sullenly.
"What? We have an argument, you run off with the next guy that shows an interest and you expect me not to care? Not to want some answers? An explanation? A card saying 'Hey, O'Connell. How was your trip? PS I'm marrying someone else!'"
She looked mightily offended, "I did not run off with 'the next guy'. He is in fact a very charming gentleman who I like very much and I would thank you to keep your nose out of it". She was pacing now, like an angry school teacher in front of a disobedient pupil.
"So that's it?" he asked, standing up, all his good intentions about keeping this calm flying out of the window with his temper. He was hurt, god damn it, and he was going to show it.
"Is that all you can say?" he challenged, "'Thanks for the good time, O'Connell, but I got a better offer'!"
She scowled, "Oh, don't be absurd. It was nothing like that!"
"Sure it wasn't", he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're simply saying that you never gave a damn about me".
"I did not say that", she said in a sing-song impatient tone.
"Well, that's how it feels!", he said, his voice raising even louder, more with frustration and hurt than anger now.
"If you cared about me at all then I don't see how you can go and get yourself engaged after I'd been gone for a month!"
She squared up to him, obviously not the slightest bit intimidated by his much larger stature. "I gave you a choice and you made your bed, now you sleep in it!"
His expression was one of disgust, "What, while you sleep in someone else's?"
She slapped him across the face. Hard.
He looked at her, surprised, and touched his cheek gingerly. It hurt. Stung like only the slap of a scorned woman could. Even the smallest of women could land a painful blow is she was pushed far enough. The throbbing in his cheek right now told him he'd pushed her way too far. But he knew he deserved it. He couldn't believe what he had just said. It was cheap and insulting and cruel. And it was hurtful. Shame washed through every part of him.
Evelyn gasped and put her hands to mouth, turning away. She hadn't struck another person in years. The last time, she and Jonathan had been children, and squabbling as siblings sometimes do. He had shoved her and she had lashed out. Jonathan had gained a stern talk from their father about how he should never strike any woman, but particularly not his small sister. Evelyn's mother had told her that hitting was a most unladylike thing to do. Evelyn who, despite her clumsiness and sometimes awkward gait, aspired to her mother's gracefulness and femininity, had heeded the words well. That O'Connell had managed to make her forget herself completely, with words she never thought to hear coming from his mouth, upset her more than she liked.
"I think you should leave", she said, her voice emotionally strung.
He lowered his head, "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I didn't mean-".
"Please, Rick", she turned round and her eyes were moistened with tears he realised that he'd never seen there before, "Please, for my sake. For my marriage. Just go".
He strode over to her, put his hands tightly on her arms, the way he had the first time they had kissed.
"Evelyn....", he shook his head sadly, "I can't just leave. I've come too far not to tell you that I love you".
There was a knock at the door, it burst open and a tall, dark haired, handsome man, dressed in an expensive suit entered without waiting for a reply.
"Evie!", he said holding out his arms, ignoring O'Connell and seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere of the room. He pushed the American aside and went straight to her, kissing her forehead, "Darling, how are you?" He tugged affectionately at the curls of her hair that were lying over her shoulder, "You are looking pretty today".
Evelyn looked awkward, almost guilty. But it certainly wasn't because of anything she'd done. So it must have been what she had been thinking. O'Connell like that.
"I thought you said you were coming to meet me for lunch", the gentleman continued, "I waited for an age and you didn't show up". His tone was so patronising that O'Connell wanted to just hit him. He didn't know how Evelyn could stand to be spoken to like that. But she just smiled pleasantly, her previous emotional display buried neatly away.
"I'm sorry but I had some work to do".
He looked at O'Connell, charming but suspicious, "I see".
"Oh, no", she quickly corrected, "Museum work. Showing Mr Carver around. Remember? The man who made the donation?"
"Of course", he said with a dismissive wave. He gave O'Connell the once over. He had the look of a man summing someone up for their merit as a threat. By the expression in his face, he didn't like what he saw in the American.
"I take it this isn't him".
"No. This is Mr O'Connell", she said as a way of introduction, "He's a friend of Jonathan and I. He just arrived in from Egypt today".
O'Connell nodded, "And you must be Mr Hart", he looked at Evelyn and she blushed, a pale rose colour tinting her lightly tanned cheeks.
Hart nodded, "I see she's told you about me".
O'Connell shook his head, "I'd been away for a while. The curator in Cairo told me the.... wonderful news when I got back". His smiled was blatantly false.
Hart mirrored his smile, "Must've been a bit of a shock, eh?"
"I'll say", he said dryly, looking to Evelyn who was avoiding his gaze. Evidently her and O'Connell's relationship was unknown to Hart, and she was desperately trying to keep it that way.
"Well, I know it was all very sudden", Hart continued, "But when I saw her, I just thought what a tragedy it was that one of the true treasures of Egypt was hidden away like that". He smiled at Evelyn and took her hand.
"So you thought you'd bring her back here and put her on display?" asked O'Connell with false geniality.
Evelyn glared at him.
Hart didn't seem to notice the implications of the sentence. He just smiled, "Something like that. Well, it's nice to meet you", he turned back to Evelyn, "Now, darling, since you blew off lunch with me, why don't I take you out for an early dinner?"
She shook her head, "Sorry, Nathan, but I couldn't possibly. I've just got so much to do. I mean, if we're to be ready for-".
He raised his eyes skyward, "Another silly little display?"
Evelyn looked adamant and a little annoyed. O'Connell could have cheered. For a moment there he thought this man had completely transformed her into the meek little girl she suddenly appeared to be. This sudden show of independence was very welcome indeed.
"There is nothing 'silly' about it", she insisted, "It's a very important display, thank you".
Hart smiled and brushed his hand across her cheek affectionately, "Of course it is. I'm sorry. I just don't see as much of you as I'd like".
"This is very important to me", she said, still a little annoyed.
"And you're extremely important to me", he countered, with a sickeningly sincere tone.
She smiled, the dazzling one that made her whole face light up, and O'Connell's insides flip. He swallowed hard, controlling emotions that he was only just remembering. Ones that only occurred when he was around her.
"Don't you work too hard now", Hart said, and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
O'Connell turned away.
"I'll see you tomorrow", Hart said, straightening his jacket. He nodded towards O'Connell, "It was nice to meet you. If you're here for a while, do feel free to come to the wedding. Any friend of Evelyn is welcome".
"Thanks, but I won't be around for that", said O'Connell, beginning to really hate the man. And wasn't just because he was marrying the woman he loved.
"Pity", he said, and left with a charming smile.
When he had gone, Evelyn turned to see O'Connell looking at her a mixture of disbelief and annoyance on his face.
"What?" she asked, defensively.