Mr Ahmed.’
She pulled herself together but it was an effort. The sheikh was no longer looking at her. Leo knew that without looking at him. She was as conscious of him as if her whole body had somehow been tuned to resonate to his personal vibration.
No one had ever done that to her before. No one; let alone a regal stranger whose eyes she could not read. It shocked her.
She swallowed and said as steadily as she could manage, ‘No, of course not. It was nothing.’
Mrs Silverstein peered up at her. ‘Are you sure? You look awful pale.’
The security man did not offer any view on Leo’s pallor or otherwise. She had the distinct impression that this was not the first time he had carried a message to an unknown lady. But that the messages were normally more amusing and the ladies more sophisticated; and about a hundred times more glamorous.
‘Can I offer you assistance of any kind, madam?’
Leo moistened her lips. But she pulled herself together and said more collectedly, ‘No, thank you. It was nothing. I don’t need any assistance.’ She remembered her manners. ‘Please thank His Excellency for his concern. But there was no need.’
She turned away. But Mrs Silverstein was not going to pass up the chance of a new experience so easily. Not when royalty was involved. She tapped the security man on the arm.
‘Which Excellency is that?’
The security man was so taken aback that he answered her.
‘Sheikh Amer el-Barbary.’
Mrs Silverstein was enchanted. ‘Sheikh,’ she echoed dreamily.
Just a few steps away the dark glasses turned in their direction again. Leo felt herself flush. She did not look at him but she could feel his sardonic regard as if someone had turned a jet of cold water on her.
She shivered. How does he do that? she thought, aware of the beginnings of indignation.
Uncharacteristically her chin came up. Leo was a peacemaker, not a fighter. But this time was different. She glared across the lobby straight at him, as if she knew she was meeting his eyes.
Was it her imagination, or did the robed figure still for a moment? Leo had the feeling that suddenly she had his full attention. And that he was not best pleased
Help, she thought. He’s coming over. The hairs on the back of her neck rose.
And then rescue came from an unexpected quarter.
‘Darling!’ called a voice.
Leo jumped and looked wildly round. The lobby seethed with noisy groups talking in numerous languages. They were no competition for her mother. Years of ladies’ luncheons had given Deborah Groom a vocal pitch that could cut steel.
‘Darling,’ she called again. ‘Over here.’
A heavily ringed hand waved imperiously. Leo located it and counted to ten. She had tried to persuade her mother not to come to Cairo in the busiest week of the agency’s year. Deborah, predictably, had taken no notice.
Now Leo pulled herself together and said briskly to the hovering security man, ‘Thank you but I am quite all right. Please—’ she allowed herself just a touch of irony which she was sure the man would miss ‘—reassure His Excellency.’ Then, more gently to Mrs Silverstein, ‘Give me ten minutes. I have to clear up a couple of things. Then, if you still want to go, I’ll take you to the pyramids at Giza.’
‘You go right ahead,’ said Mrs Silverstein, still entranced by her brush with royalty. ‘I’ll go sit in the café and have a cappuccino. Come and find me when you’re done.’
Leo gave her a grateful smile. Then she tucked her clipboard under her arm and swarmed professionally through the crowd.
‘Hello, Mother,’ she said, bending her tall head. Leo received the scented breath on the cheek which Deborah favoured with a kiss and straightened thankfully. ‘Having a good time?’
Deborah Groom was known for going straight to the point. ‘It would be better if I saw something of my only daughter.’
Leo kept her smile in place with an effort. ‘I warned you I’d have to work.’
‘Not all the time.’
‘There’s a lot on.’ If she sounded absent it was because in the distance she could see Andy Francis trying to herd a group towards their waiting bus. He was not having much success but then he should not have been doing it alone. Roy Ormerod, the head of Adventures in Time, was scheduled to be with the party too.
Deborah frowned. ‘Does your chief know who you are?’
Leo gave a crack of laughter. ‘You mean does he know that I’m the boss’s daughter? Of course not. That would defeat the whole object. I’m called Leo Roberts here.’
Deborah snorted. ‘I just don’t understand your father sometimes.’
That was nothing new. She had walked out on Gordon Groom fourteen years ago, saying exactly that and leaving him to care for the ten-year-old Leo.
‘He thinks it’s a good idea for me to learn to stand on my own feet like he did,’ she said patiently. ‘Look, Mother—’
‘You mean he thinks if he turns you out in the world to cope on your own you’ll turn into a boy,’ Deborah snapped.
Leo’s eyes flashed. But there was enough truth in the accusation to make her curb her instinct to retort in kind. She and her mother both knew that Gordon had always wanted a son. Training Leo to succeed him in the business was just second best. He did not even try to disguise that any more.
Deborah bit her lip. ‘Oh, I’m sorry darling, I promised myself I wouldn’t start that again,’ she said remorsefully. ‘But when I see you looking like death and running yourself ragged like this, I just can’t help myself.’
‘Forget it,’ said Leo.
She cast a surreptitious look at her clipboard. Where was Roy? He should have paid the bus driver for the Japanese party. If he didn’t turn up she would have to deal with it. And what about the Harris family? She had forgotten all about them and the museum tour was leaving.
Her mother sighed. ‘I suppose there’s no hope of seeing you at all today?’
Leo’s conscience smote her. ‘Not a chance unless—’
Mary Harris panted up to her.
‘Oh, Leo, I’m so sorry. Timothy got locked in the bathroom. I didn’t know what to do. The room attendant got him out. Have we missed the tour?’
Leo reassured them and plugged them rapidly onto the departing group. She came back to Deborah, mentally reviewing her schedule.
‘Look, Mother, there’s one more group I’ve got to see on its way. And then I’m supposed to take someone to the pyramids. But it will be hot and she’s quite elderly. I doubt if
