Max guided Eden and Mrs. Carlisle through the crowd on the platform, their progress slowed by the mass of travelers and the unrelenting press of local children. Eden had swapped her dark traveling suit for a lighter linen ensemble this morning, but she still looked hot, a red curl sticking to her forehead beneath her jaunty hat.
Max exchanged a few quick words with the conductor, then turned to Eden.
“Best get aboard,” he said, “before it fills up with officers.”
She nodded, and he offered her his hand. For a heartbeat, her gloved fingers rested in his before she drew herself up and ascended the steps. Mrs. Carlisle followed, her skirt catching on the iron rail, and Max unsnagged it before joining them inside. The compartment was small but surprisingly elegant, its seats upholstered in deep green velvet. Eden slid into the window seat, Mrs. Carlisle opposite, and Max settled beside her, enjoying the press of her against his side.
Outside, the platform teemed with last-minute arrivals. Max watched as a British colonel hustled his family into the next carriage.
Eden leaned toward the glass, pressing her palm lightly against its cool surface. “It’s flat,” she said at last, her tone unreadable. “I thought it would be all sand and desert.”
“It is, farther out,” Max replied. “But the Delta’s like this for miles—irrigation canals, date palms, sugarcane. Good land, if you can keep the water coming.”
Eden watched a donkey cart rattle past, its driver singing to himself in a language he didn’t know. “I wonder if they’re happier here than in England.”
He smiled. “Doubt it. Misery doesn’t know any geographic boundaries.”
Mrs. Carlisle coughed into her hand, then busied herself with a tattered romance novel, eyes darting to the window at every unfamiliar noise.
The brass band struck up again, and the whistle blew. The train lurched forward, and the city began to slide past—first the jumble of warehouses and palm-shaded villas, then the wide sweep of green fields, the distant ribbon of canal.
Eden stared out the window, her face reflected alongside the moving landscape. “How long until Cairo?” she asked, her voice subdued for some reason. He thought she was probably overwhelmed by it all, by the knowledge that she was finally here.
“Only four hours,” Max said. “If we’re lucky, and there are no problems.”
She nodded, her focus never wavering from the view. “I’d like to see the pyramids from the train, if that’s possible.”
“On a clear day,” Max said. “But sometimes the air’s so thick with dust that you can’t see your own hand.”
Eden smiled, turning toward him at last. “Then we’ll hope for a clear day.”
The train gathered speed, the wheels thrumming beneath their feet. As Alexandria blurred into the shimmering horizon, Max allowed himself a rare moment of peace. Whatever awaited them in Cairo—the heat, the danger, the uncertainty—felt almostmanageable, so long as he could keep the train moving forward and the distance behind them growing ever greater.
He settled back in the seat, one eye on Eden, the other on the vanishing line of track, hoping that things went smoothly.
Chapter Eleven
Cairo lay sprawled before them, a throbbing mass of stone and humanity. Eden hesitated after they disembarked the train, her composure faltering at the dizzying spectacle. Max loved watching her reaction as she saw the bustling city for the first time. He regretted that they hadn’t been able to see the pyramids from the train on the way in, but he promised himself he’d take her at the first opportunity. He wanted her to get the entire experience she’d been dreaming of all these years.
They plunged into the chaos, trailed by the overwhelmed Mrs. Carlisle, engulfed by the clamor of voices and the incessant motion of life. Max noted how Eden’s fingers twitched, as if she wanted to touch every vibrant surface. He caught himself marveling at her transformation, the solemn scholar turned into a creature of impulse and delight, lost in a new world. He couldn’t help remembering that she’d reacted the same way when first introduced to lovemaking.
Everywhere they went, Cairo unfolded in reckless colors and sounds. Camels jostled alongside wagons, the air thick with a confusion of spices and sweat. Max did his best to shepherd Eden through the relentless current, but he was very aware of how long she’d been waiting for this. He wanted to get her safely to their hotel, but he also didn’t want to rush her.
“Max,” she exclaimed, pausing to absorb the sight of a towering mosque. “The architecture here is astonishing, unlikeanything I’ve ever seen. Did you know this city predates even Alexander the Great’s conquests?”
