Part 57 (1/2)

”What? Oh. Yes, I think so. There were others involved, only too many of them, but most were Vincey's dupes or hired thugs. He was the mainspring. Now that he is gone, I believe we have nothing more to fear.”

”Did you kill him, O Father of Curses?” Abdullah asked eagerly.

”Yes,” said Emerson.

”It is good,” said Abdullah.

Not until we reached the Nefert.i.ti did Emerson lower Anubis to the ground and take me from the arms of Daoud, whose turn it was. ”Rest and eat, my friends,” he said. ”We will come to you later.”

Anubis preceded us up the gangplank As I watched him trot briskly along, quite ready, as it appeared, to abandon his dead master without the slightest show of regret or remorse, I could almost share Abdullah's superst.i.tious fear of the creature. ”Vincey had trained him to respond to a whistle,” I said softly. ”That is how he was able to abduct you And tonight- ”

”Tonight he responded as I had trained him,” Emerson said. ”I did not set out to kill Vincey, though I was prepared to do so if there was no other choice. He had begun to annoy me. I would rather have taken him alive, however, and I expected he would follow the cat when it followed me.”

”Trained him?” I exclaimed. ”How?”

”Chicken,” said Emerson. Stopping in front of my door, he extended one hand and turned the k.n.o.b. ”And, of course, the effect of my charismatic personality.”

The steward had lit the lamps. As the door opened I let out a cry, for facing me was a pair of dim but dreadful forms, their garments in tatters, their red-rimmed eyes staring wildly, their haggard faces gray with dust.

It was our reflection in the tall pier gla.s.s. Emerson nudged the cat aside, kicked the door shut, deposited me on the bed, and collapsed beside me with a heartfelt groan. ”Are we getting old, Peabody? I feel somewhat fatigued.”

”Oh, no, my dear,” I replied absently. ”Anyone would be weary after such a day.”

Emerson sat up. ”Your protestations do not convince me. Let me put it to the test.” And, seizing me in a firm grip, he crushed me to him and brought his mouth down on mine

He went on kissing me for quite a long time, adding other demonstrations that almost distracted me from the astonis.h.i.+ng realization that had burst explosively into my dazed brain. Finally I succeeded in freeing my lips long enough to gasp, ”Emerson! Do you realize that I am- ”

”My wife?” Emerson removed himself a short distance. ”I certainly hope so, Peabody, because if you are not, what I am about to do is possibly illegal, certainly immoral, and probably not becoming an English gentleman. d.a.m.n these d.a.m.ned b.u.t.tonholes, they are always too- ”

The blouse was ruined in any case.

Sometime later (quite some time later, in fact) I murmured, ”When was it that you remembered, Emerson?”

His arm encircled me and my head rested on his breast, and I felt that Heaven could hold no greater bliss. (Though I would only admit to such an unorthodox opinion in the pages of this private journal.) We were in perfect amity and would always remain so, for how could discord mar such understanding?

”It was a memorable moment,” Emerson replied. ”Seeing you come tearing along, waving that absurd little pistol, without the slightest regard for your own safety . . . And then you spoke the words that broke the spell: 'Another s.h.i.+rt ruined!'”

”Oh, Emerson, how unromantic! I would have thought-” I flung his arm away and sat up. He reached for me; I scrambled back on hands and knees. ”Curse you, Emerson!” I exclaimed pa.s.sionately. ”That was days and days and days ago! Do you mean you kept me dangling in limbo, suffering agonies of doubt, fearing the worst, for days and days and days and- ”

”Now, Peabody, calm yourself.” Emerson pulled himself to a sitting position and leaned back against the pillows. ”It was not so simple as that. Come here and I will explain.”

”No explanation can possibly suffice,” I cried. ”You are the most- ”

”Come here, Peabody,” said Emerson.

I went.

After an interval Emerson began his explanation. ”That moment of revelation literally staggered me, it was as stunning as an electric shock, and as brief. For the next few days fragments of forgotten memories kept coming back, but it required several days to put all the pieces together and fix them in place. To say I was in a state of confusion is to understate the case. You will admit, I believe, that the situation was somewhat complex.”

”Well . . .”