He paused before a decorative detail depicting two donkeys bearing loads. “Didn’t the Ancient Egyptians have camels? They are known to be the ships of the desert, are they not?”
“Not then, no, they preferred donkeys. And wooden barges on the Nile to move grain and stone blocks. They used the Nile like we do our roads, sailing in papyrus boats.” She smiled at him, and for once, he could see her relax into herself. When she glanced up toward the blue-painted ceiling above them, he caught a glimpse of the dewy magnolia skin of her throat, which looked petal soft. “And every day, high above the river, the sun god Ra was believed to sail across the sky in his solar boat.”
“I don’t blame them for forgoing camels. They look like fractious beasts, and very uncomfortable.”
She laughed, making him grin at how infectious it was. “I hope to ride one.”
“You do?” He wondered at that and tried to imagine it but failed. This starchy young lady on a camel? “I can’t quite see it,” he said, his lips twitching.
She shrugged, looking annoyed. “I don’t see why. Is it because I’m a woman?”
“I can assure you it isn’t,” he hastened to say, enjoying the fire in her eyes. “I believe camels would be deliberately bad-mannered with both sexes.”
Her eyes danced. “Women do travel to exotic climes. Do you know that Egyptian women had equal rights with men?”
“They did?” He wanted to prolong the discussion, enjoying her animation. This conversation brought Lady Helen out of where she’d been hiding. And for that, he was both intrigued and grateful.
“Yes. Men and women were treated as equals in the eyes of the law. Unlike today,” she said with an exasperated shrug, “women could own, earn, buy, sell, and inherit property. They could live unprotected by male guardians and, if widowed or divorced, could raise their own children. They could bring cases before, and be punished by, the law courts.”
“Were they not expected to marry?”
“Yes, and the wife was the mistress of the house, responsible for domestic matters. She raised the children while their husband provided for them.”
“Not so different to today, then,” he said, teasing her.
“Marriage today is very different, Lord Peyton,” she said crisply. “A wife has no rights and loses any claim to property.”
“Not all men are tyrants, Lady Helen. Some allow their wives a good deal of freedom. You surely must agree.”
“My father certainly, who is a cut above most men. But while these laws remain, women will never be free.”
“Only your father, Lady Helen? Surely, you have met decent men since you entered society?”
“I don’t believe we were discussing my circumstances.” Her lashes hid her expression, and the Helen who spoke to him as a confident equal and challenged him was gone.
He wanted to better understand her but had been too forthright. He moved on to view a Greek vase then discovered naked men cavorting in imaginative ways around its circumference. Lady Helen flicked a disinterested glance at the detailed, suggestive poses and stepped away. He almost smiled, suspecting she’d examined it quite closely when it first arrived. But fearing he might offend her, he turned his attention to a base-relief of Egyptian hieroglyphs. “I viewed the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. The English army recovered it from the French during the Egyptian campaign in 1801.”
“A very important find,” she said at his elbow, “as it’s hoped to hold the key to deciphering hieroglyphic language.”
“Indeed.” He turned to observe her bright, intelligent eyes and wished he didn’t have to return to the matter at hand. “I have yet to speak with your housekeeper. Is Mrs. Chance away for the afternoon?”
“Yes, she is visiting her brother.”
“He lives in London?”
“He travels a good deal for his work. She always has the afternoon off when he’s in the city.”
“What can you tell me about Mr. Thorburn?”
“My father likes him. He has worked as Papa’s secretary for a few years.”
“I need to see him. He doesn’t have quarters in the house?”
“No. Neither does he work on Mondays.”
Jason had avoided approaching Kinsey’s desk and rifling through his papers, but he spied the earl’s handsome magnifying glass perched on a brass and polished wooden stand. He reached into his pocket. “Shall we examine the letter fragment?”
She drew in a breath. “Oh yes, let’s.”
