He refrained from making a promise he was more than likely to break, if the situation required it, putting his arms around her waist. Immediately his body stirred to life, remembering all too well the shape of her curves, the taste of her kisses. ‘We must not get too far ahead of ourselves. The turquoise is still key, the final piece of the puzzle.’
‘Soon, though. In a matter of days, they will have mined the first samples.’ Tahira must have sensed his sudden stillness. ‘Or so I have heard,’ she said, looking away, over his shoulder. ‘There is much talk of it in Nessarah. The miners are being paid extra to make haste.’
He had heard such rumours, though he had not heard anything about samples. Was her brother involved in the mine in some capacity? That would certainly explain how she came to be here that first night. He hesitated, torn between curiosity and a reluctance to set her on edge again with questions, and she forestalled him with a change of subject.
‘I too have news, though mine is dismal. My brother has found a candidate for my hand. If the negotiations go well, my betrothal could be announced within seven or ten days.’
His heart sank. ‘So soon?’
There were tears misting her eyes, but she was biting her lip, determined not to let them fall. ‘I want—I so very much want to know—to be with you, when you successfully complete your quest, but there is a chance that might not be possible.’
Every instinct urged him to pull her close, to hold her tight, to tell her that he would find a way to prevent that happening, but that would be pointless and meaningless. And wrong. Instead, he kissed her forehead, forced himself to let her go. ‘We might be closer to a resolution than you think. Last night I worked on after you left, and I made a potentially exciting discovery. Come and see what I’ve found.’
* * *
Tahira did not need Christopher’s assistance to ascend to the gap between the main outcrops of rock, but she liked the feel of her fingers twined with his, the way their legs brushed through their clothing, the way he looked down every few moments, as if he was afraid she had disappeared.
Juwan had made her announcement this afternoon, seeking out the sisters in the Courtyard of the Healers. ‘Negotiations are at an advanced stage,’ her sister-in-law had declared with a triumphant little smile. ‘My husband is very pleased with progress. A man of substance, family and influence. You are most fortunate, Tahira.’
Tahira could not bring herself to speak. It was Ishraq who asked the questions, Tahira shutting her ears to the answers, as if ignorance would make a mere mirage of her suitor. But later, as Ishraq enviously recited his many reputed virtues, it was impossible not to hear. A paragon, an Adonis, worshipped by his people, a man any woman would be immensely proud to call husband, Ishraq had said. The irrefutable facts relating to the stranger who would own her were lodged in Tahira’s mind, ready to surface as soon as she returned to the palace and lay alone in her bed, but for now, she refused to grant them entry. Not while she had so little precious time left here with Christopher.
She held tightly on to his hand as they passed the sites of their previous excavations, up to the gap between the two outcrops, where he picked up a lantern and lit it, holding it high. ‘What have you found?’ Tahira asked, frowning when they came to a halt. ‘It is far too small to be any sort of dwelling.’
‘Come further in and see,’ he replied, leading the way, lowering the lamp in order to guide her steps.
‘What is it? I can tell from your voice that it is—Christopher, don’t keep me in suspense, it’s cruel.’
He laughed. ‘Only a moment longer.’ He came to a halt at his small excavation and handed her the lantern. ‘Go on, take a closer look and tell me what you think.’
She stooped down to examine the ground he had so painstakingly cleared. ‘This is where you found the gold bangle, isn’t it?’ She took her time, her fingers tracing delicately over the area he had exposed, before she stood up, stepped back, paced around, frowning. ‘There is nothing. No evidence of foundations, and I presume you haven’t found any other artefacts?’
‘As a matter of fact I have, but I’d rather wait to show you it. Look more closely.’
‘What for? Is it another entrance to the mine?’ Tahira peered down at the dirt and rocks, shaking her head. ‘What am I missing?’
And then she saw it, the tiny gap at the base of the rock which his digging had exposed. Dropping to her knees, she examined it more closely, running her hands over the rock’s striations, then standing up, running her hands up further. ‘I thought it was a fissure, but it’s not, is it?’
Christopher shook his head.
‘It has been very cleverly done,’ Tahira said, her face almost pressed up against the rock. ‘An opening has been blocked up with stone and adobe to blend in with the natural rock. Time has done its work most effectively to cover it up, but I am sure of it. This has been sealed very carefully indeed. Someone has been most determined that whatever is behind here should not be discovered. Could it be our thief’s treasure trove?’
He waited, clearly enjoying watching her thought process reflected in her face. ‘But, no,’ she said now, shaking her head, ‘that would not make sense. If our thief did exist, he would have wished to recover his loot at some point. This would take a great deal of effort to break through. That, and the effort put into concealing its existence means that it was never intended to be opened up.’
‘Exactly,’ Christopher said, primly.
She burst out laughing. ‘It is not fair, you have the advantage of me. What have you found?’ She set the lantern down, gave his arm a shake. ‘Please, I am desperate to know.’
He handed her something, wrapped in a piece of cotton. ‘This was buried at the concealed entrance.’
Tahira dropped to the ground to open it, crossing her legs and setting the bundle between them. Slowly, she unwound the protective wrapping—one of Christopher’s cloaks had been sacrificed. The effigy was carved from stone, and almost perfectly preserved. She held it reverently as she traced the cat’s feet, tail, ears. The paint was flaking in places, but the rings on the tail and legs clear enough. ‘It’s a sand cat,’ she said, smiling, flattening her hand over the head of the statuette, running it down the back as if she were stroking the real animal. ‘A perfectly beautiful sand cat. And very, very old.’
Christopher nodded. ‘What do you think is its purpose?’
‘Purpose?’ But almost before the word was out, she understood. ‘It’s a guardian, isn’t it? This pose, sitting sentinel, I have seen drawings of such things. They usually guard—by the stars! A tomb?’
‘Of a wealthy and important person too I reckon. Though I fear it has been raided, for that is the only explanation of our finds.’
‘But the entrance has been concealed so perfectly.’
‘It was most likely raided not long after the burial, before the tomb was properly sealed. A common occurrence in Egypt, I’m afraid.’
‘Who could be buried here?’ Tahira wrapped the sentinel sand cat back up carefully, and got to her feet. ‘I’ve never come across anything like this in Nessarah. It begs the question, why? Do you think it’s possible for us to take down these stones?’
Christopher
