“Lady Helen has the right of it,” Nabil said.“And you will be very welcome at Monsieur LaSalle’sriad.Very large.Very elegant.Even if it doesn’t have a roof.”
“What’s this?”Stella asked in alarm.“No roof?”
“No roof over the courtyard, Mother,” Helen explained.“But the courtyard probably has a tile floor, where the water is captured in a drain for use in the garden.”
Stella glanced at her husband, who shrugged.“She has the right of it,” Harry said.“I am most excited about the prospect of finding a new hibiscus plant.”
“Oh, Monsieur LaSalle wrote about it at the end of the letter,” she said, returning her attention to the missive she still held.“I didn’t recognize the word at first.”She used a forefinger to follow the written words before reciting, “The flower you seek is in the garden of theriad.There are many plants, mostly with red blooms.Should you require to uproot one for your needs, please do plant a piece of it in its place.Or you may decide there is a more desirable specimen on your travels.They are quite common.Do enjoy the tea.Regards, Jacques LaSalle.”
“Enjoy the tea?”Helen repeated.“That seems like an odd way of ending a letter.”
Nabil cleared his throat.“I do not mean to eavesdrop,” he said from the back of the felucca.“Monsieur LaSalle is referring to hibiscus tea.A favorite among the Egyptian people.It was the tea of the pharaohs.”
Stella gasped.“I do believe I’ve had hibiscus tea in London,” she said.“Red, is it not?”
“Indeed,” Nabil replied.“Good for digestion.I have some in our stores on board.I will serve it after dinner if you would like.”
“That would be most welcome,” Stella said.She turned her gaze on her husband.“I do wonder with whom we will be sharing theriad,” she murmured.
“Well, if they’re English, at least we’ll be able to converse should they be of a mind to do so,” Harry commented.
“Oh, I’m quite sure they will,” Helen said, her gaze on her younger brother.She bussed him on the forehead, which sent him into a fit of giggles.The two resumed the clapping game she had been attempting to teach him ever since they left Alexandria.
Her father furrowed a brow before he turned to Stella.“Is there something you need to tell me?”he asked in a hoarse whisper.
Stella shook her head.“I’m quite sure I don’t know who she is talking about,” she whispered.“I was hopingyoumight know.”
He shrugged before his face displayed a curious expression.
“What is it?”
Hesitating, as if he couldn’t trust his conclusion, Harry chuckled softly.“Do you recall meeting the Earl and Countess of Bellingham at the Morganfield ball?He is Devonville’s heir?”he clarified.When she didn’t appear to remember, he added, “A few months before you gave birth to my spare heir?”
Stella considered the query for a moment before her eyes widened.“Barbara,” she whispered.“She was the Earl of Greenley’s daughter…sisternow, of course,” she corrected.“She was about to leave for the Mediterranean with her sons and nephews.For their Grand Tour,” she added with excitement.
Harry chuckled softly, his attention going back to his daughter and young son.“Remind me to tell you the rest of what I know tonight,” he whispered, his manner suddenly secretive.
Scoffing softly, Stella seemed about to put voice to a complaint, but Nabil spoke before she had a chance.
“If you would be so good as to direct your attention to the south, you will see something of interest in the distance.”
Even Bradley turned his head to see what their guide indicated when the felucca suddenly veered toward the southeastern bank of the Nile.
“The pyramids at Giza!”Helen exclaimed, standing and hoisting her brother onto her hip so she could move closer to the starboard side of the sailing vessel.
“You know of them?”Nabil asked in surprise.
“Of course.Ever since we decided to take this trip, I have read everything I could about Egypt,” she replied, never taking her eyes from the three triangles barely visible on the horizon.
Harry and Stella exchanged curious glances before they turned their attention to the pyramids.“How far away are those?”he asked.
“Twenty miles as a bird flies,” Nabil replied.“By the Nile...”He shrugged.“Five-and-twenty?”
“So...we only have one more day on the river?”Helen asked with excitement.
“Indeed.We will camp near here,” Nabil announced, apparently a cue for his young assistant to see to taking down the sail.“And tomorrow, we shall arrive in Cairo.”The felucca coasted toward the shore, where an ancient dock bobbed in the water.Within a few minutes, the Tennisons were on the shore and making their way to higher ground for a longer look at the pyramids.
Helen’s attention wasn’t on the ancient monuments, though, but rather back on the river.
If everything worked the way she hoped, two months of careful planning was about to be rewarded.Knowing her father would wish to camp along the river rather than make the trek to Cairo directly, she had suggested a modified schedule for their family to follow in the hopes their arrival in Cairo would coincide with the arrival of the Bellinghams.
Although she didn’t know the exact schedule of when the Bellinghams and their son and nephews would arrive in Egypt, she had an approximate itinerary thanks to Cherise, Marchioness of Devonville.
The grandmother of Tom Forster was more than happy to share what she knew when she hosted them for tea a few days before their departure from England.
Including where they were to stay.
She gave her brother a kiss on his forehead, grinning as she contemplated seeing Tom again.
