She wished to tell herself she’d forgotten the thing was there, but that would be a lie.
On the sailing from Marseille, she’d almost convinced herself to cast it into the water. Somethinghad held her back, though she’d held the scarab in her hand as she stood at the rail, facing the open sea. It was almost as if it would not permit itself to be cast away.
Or that it wants to return here, to the place from whence it hailed.
If she replaced the thing exactly where she’d found it, would some reparation be achieved? It would not bring back her father, but might the weight upon her shoulders be lifted, even a little?
“Lord Seton, as we are to arrive at your desert home tomorrow, might you tell us more about the site?” Clodagh’s question cut across Onora’s thoughts.
“A grand idea! We’re all ears, Seton.” The Colonel, most cheekily, sent a wink in her aunt’s direction.
Despite the lively chatter of a few moments ago, as Seton began, their party quietened, their attention falling entirely upon their host.
“I imagine you’re all familiar with how the city was founded—by Pharaoh Akhenaten, as an alternative to the old capital ofThebes, and to honor the sun god Aten, to whom he proclaimed all worship should be directed, the old gods being set aside. No doubt you also know that, upon the Pharaoh’s death, his monuments were dismantled or hidden, and his heretical monotheism reviled, bringing a return to the traditional worship of the pantheon.”
Seton’s gaze roamed from one face to the next. “The first partial map of the site was produced by French scholars in Bonaparte’s employ, a full century ago, but our own Flinders Petrie has been making excavations more recently, uncovering the Great Palace and a well-preserved painted pavement.”
“But your site is a fair bit north of where Petrie is digging, away from where the main city is thought to lie. A wee bit strange, eh Seton?” Dr. MacGregor leaned forward upon his knees.
“That circumstance was a gift from the gods, we might say.” Seton’s lips twitched in a smile. “I was funding a project to record paintings andhieroglyphs in nearby cliff tombs when a sandstorm blew in. We were obliged to shelter there for the duration but, when the wind ceased, we were rewarded with something unseen for three thousand years or more. The contours of the desert had altered, revealing the uppermost section of a monumental gateway.”
Onora kept her eyes lowered as Seton relayed the details. She was familiar with the story, having been there at the time of the discovery; had watched, enthralled, as her father supervised the excavation. Seton had brought in labor from surrounding villages, paying triple the usual rate so that they might work tirelessly to uncover the full extent of the site.
Seton made no mention of her father’s name—neither regarding his contribution, nor his death. In all likelihood, the others knew already exactly who she was, and how the betrothal between her and the Marquess had come about. It was the sort of story people discussed in hushed whispers.
There would be a degree of pity, and a larger portion of…she was unsure how one described it…not envy, but a feeling of her having cheated ill-fortune, being blessed with quite the opposite. The loss of a father, and the gaining of a much-desirable husband.
“But this temple, as it turned out to be”—Reverend Griffiths interjected—“Odd, wouldn’t you say, since there was a far bigger temple already in the main portion of the city.”
“Odd indeed,” Seton continued. “Until one learns of how the place came to be built. It was not entirely by chance that I found myself in that part of Egypt, for my time in Syria brought me an understanding of one of the old gods of the Canaanites—or goddess, I should say, whose worship was gradually integrated into the Egyptian system.”
Where it had been quiet before, an almost eerie stillness now descended on the group.
“The temple we unearthed was ostensibly founded for the worship of Aten, but records came into my possession that the high priestesswho presided there was none other than a servant of that revered Levantine goddess, Qadesh.”
Onora looked up, surprised, for it was the first she’d heard of such a thing.
“And this most unusual high priestess, how did she come to arrive there?” It was Herr Müller who spoke.
“According to a papyrus I purchased from a seller in Luxor, she had long been a concubine of the Pharaoh, working her way into his favor, until he permitted her the honor. The temple he built at her request, exclusively for the use of the women of that part of the city.”
“How touching!” Aunt Clodagh sighed.
“One might think so, but for the order he gave upon discovering the illicit rituals she was performing under guise of her role.” Seton’s face was grim. “He commanded her execution, and that of the lesser priestesses who resided in the temple with her.”
Onora’s head swam.
The sarcophagi within the temple’s sanctuary! And that statue, clutching twin serpents!
All this time had passed, but she hadn’t forgotten. Everything about that night was seared in her memory. None of it had made sense before but, now she’d heard Seton’s story, she felt the truth of it.
A rush of questions pressed upon her which she could not bring herself to ask.
“Perhaps the Pharaoh would have had the temple itself dismantled, had he lived, but his own death soon followed. Some might say he was struck down by Qadesh herself, in retribution for the slaying of her worshippers. In any case, it appears enough acolytes remained that they secretly interred the bodies of the six faithful, whom we found deep in the sanctuary. As for the temple, this part of the desert is susceptible to sandstorms. In the wake of Akhenaten’s demise, the sands reclaimed the city that, some would say, never should have been.”
“Such a tale!” Clodagh gasped. “And how knowledgeable you are, Lord Seton, not to mention well-travelled.”
Seton inclined his head in recognition of the compliment. “I’ve been blessed with adequate means and some influence, allowing me to fund projects I believe laudable, and offering expertise where I can. My greatest wish is to uncover treasures long buried, reviving what was once great and making it known to all the world.”
