Chapter 24 - Dinner
Tia looked at herself in the mirror. The gold satin gown fitted her like a second skin. It was sleeveless, with a low vee neckline and a low cut back. The satin hugged her body, then flared slightly from her hips to the floor, where it swirled around her feet, in matching gold satin pumps with three inch heels. "I haven't worn high heels in a long time," Tia muttered, taking a few steps. "My feet are going to be sore tonight."
Evie smiled briefly and stepped into her own shoes. Her dress was similar in style to Tia's but was a deep midnight blue in color. "We'll mostly be sitting down." Her glance caught Tia's in the mirror. Both women were uneasy. They had no idea why, after ignoring Tia's existence for two days, Sir Randolph would suddenly insist on her presence at dinner that evening.
A soft tap at the door heralded the presence of Jensen. "Ladies, are you ready?"
"Come in," answered Evie. She ran the hairbrush through her hair quickly as Jensen unlocked the door. He smiled and bowed slightly, stepping back into the hallway to allow the women to precede him.
At the door of the salon, the ladies paused to allow Jensen to open the door. "Mrs. O'Connell and Miss DeWitt, sir," Jensen said deferentially as he stepped back to allow the women to enter.
"Thank you, Jensen," Sir Randolph said. "Come in ladies." He bowed formally. "May I pour you a glass of wine?"
The dinner seemed interminable. Sir Randolph sat at the head of the table, every inch the genial host. Evie and Tia sat across from each other. Tia did her best to smile graciously and hold up her end of the conversation, but it was difficult knowing that the suave gentleman sitting to her right had ordered her death. Still, she did her best; joining a discussion of a play Robert had taken her to see in Cairo a few months ago. Evie had seen it in London the previous summer.
At last Sir Randolph rose and moved to the other side of the salon, which was furnished with a comfortable sofa and several deeply upholstered chairs. Evie and Tia followed. "May I offer you a brandy, Miss DeWitt?" Sir Randolph inquired. When she smiled and nodded assent, he turned to pour two glasses. "I assume you will wish one as well, Mrs. O'Connell." When his back was to them, Tia and Evie exchanged a quick look. The evening was nearly ended, thank heavens. One drink, and they could gracefully excuse themselves. Sir Randolph turned and extended one glass to Tia, then offered the other to Evie before pouring a third glass for himself.
"Now, Mrs. O'Connell," he said, seating himself in one of the chairs. "Have you seen many of Shakespeare's works? There is an excellent troupe here in Cairo, which has done several of the bard's plays. I went to see them do Much Ado About Nothing a few weeks ago. Very amusing. Of course, I do prefer his tragedies, but the comedies are still well worth seeing."
"My husband and I went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream shortly before coming to Egypt," Evie answered smoothly. "I enjoyed it very much. The actress who played Titania was superb."
Tia listened absently to the discussion about Shakespeare plays. She considered speaking up – she'd seen the production of Much Ado About Nothing after all - but it seemed too much effort. Her stomach was full of excellent cuisine and fine wine, and the chair she was sitting in seemed to enfold her. She was tired. She sipped the last of her brandy, which burned comfortably down her throat and into her stomach, and regarded the lovely Waterford glass. The cut crystal seemed to blur for a moment, and she blinked hard. There, that was better. Dreamily, she ran her hand over the arm of the chair, enjoying the feel of the expensive fabric under her fingertips. A faint buzzing seemed to sound in her ears, and she shook her head slightly. The buzzing became louder. Puzzled, she looked up. The room seemed to tilt slightly, and the edges of her vision seemed to fill with a light gray mist. Alarm bells seemed to ring deep in Tia's brain, but she was having a hard time focusing on them. Her eyes met Sir Randolph's – hers wide and fearful, his cold and calculating. The brandy, she thought fuzzily. He'd put something in the brandy. Panic lent her energy and she rose shakily to her feet, the heavy crystal glass landing with a muffled thud onto the thick carpet. Evie set aside her own glass and rose with a startled exclamation. Tia tried to speak, but the gray mist closed in, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Evie dropped to her knees at Tia's side, lightly slapping her face. "Tia, Tia?" Evie said urgently.
"She is breathing, is she not?"
At Sir Randolph's calm tone, Evie looked up. He rose, setting aside his own brandy and reached for a bell pull, giving it a quick tug. He looks – satisfied, thought Evie with horror. "You did this, you drugged her," she whispered incredulously.
"I think it time you returned to your room, Mrs. O'Connell," Sir Randolph said, ignoring her question. The door opened and several men came in. "Put the girl in the car," he ordered sharply.
Evie shot to her feet. "What are you doing? Where are you taking her?" One of the men took her arm and pulled her toward the door. "No!" Yanking her arm out of his grip, she lashed out with her fist, catching the man in the mouth. Snatching a heavy cut glass ashtray from a table she hurled it at him, catching him in the cheekbone. Already off balance, the man stumbled and went down. Evie whirled around, scanning the room for something else she could use as a weapon. Another man grabbed her, twisting her arm behind her back and forcing her against a wall. Evie turned her head to see another man lifting a limp Tia into his arms. Evie screamed with rage and stomped her three-inch heel into her captor's instep. He instantly released her with a cry of pain. Stumbling to the table, she made a grab for one of the steak knives still lying on the china plates, but a third man yanked her back. Her hand brushed another object and she clutched it reflexively as the man spun her around and hit her hard across the face. He caught her as she stumbled back against the table, and swung her up over his shoulder. Momentarily stunned, she made no resistance as he strode down the hall and dumped her unceremoniously on her bed. By the time she'd struggled to her feet, he was back out the door, the lock clicking into place behind him.
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