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I pushed the unwelcome thought away. It had no place in this room.

Blanche opened the door wider, her warm eyes lingering on my face, a smile blossoming. She liked what she saw. With a coquettish smirk, she motioned for me to follow her inside. Anticipation pulsed in my blood, made my head spin. Lavender swirled in her wake, the scent intoxicating, but it made me think of another, something sweeter.

I shut the door behind me, my gaze latching on to Blanche. She stood by the narrow bed, her hip cocked, and she untied the knot of her nightgown, revealing the swell of her breasts. Below, the mood was riotous and consuming. Conversation loud and obnoxious, the music deafening. None of it came through the door. The bedroom was ripe with tension, and quiet with anticipation.

Blanche walked toward me, her robe parted, revealing long legs. She reached up, her small hand curving around the back of my neck. Her chin lifted; she stood close enough I could see every single one of her sooty eyelashes. Slowly, Blanche pulled my face down, her lips inches from my mouth, her blue eyes pinning mine.

The potent hit of desire never came, even as I waited for it. I ought to be drowning in this woman, but instead… Frustration curled tight around my edges as I firmly clasped her hands and set them away from my face. “No need to go any further, Mademoiselle.”

She paused, delicate brows pulling together. I stepped away from her and approached the bed, feeling like I could breathe again. I dropped the last of my money onto the bed, and then turned to face her. Deliberately, I swept her robe back over her shoulders, covering every inch of skin, and said, “I need something else from you.”

PART THREEJEWEL OF THE NILE

CAPÍTULO DIECIOCHO

The water lapped gently against theElephantine,and I leaned over the railing, staring into the deep green of the Nile. Whit reached forward and clasped a warm hand around my arm, gently pulling me back. I shot him a questioning look. His shoulders were drawn tight, and there were deep hollows under his eyes.

“I’m not in the mood to save you if you fall in.”

I raised my brows at the curt tone. “Are you hungry or just tired? Or perhaps drunk?”

His bemused expression made me laugh. “I am not drunk. If I were, you would know. I am, however, hungry and tired and hot and, generally, annoyed.”

“You are not having a good morning,” I observed.

He gave me a flat look.

I narrowed my gaze. “What were you doing last night?”

“That,” he said softly, “isnoneof your business.”

“Inez,” Tío Ricardo called out. “Don’t miss it.”

I turned away from Whit in time to see Philae come into view, backlit against the morning light, soft and far reaching. Stately palms rose up from the water, the leaves softly swaying in the gentle breeze gliding over the river. Tall and imposing colonnades made of golden-hued stones towered over theElephantine,an immense gate that welcomed travelers into another world, another life. Piled rocks framed either side, ancient and formidable, solid in strength, and set against a backdrop of bruised purple hills. Surrounding the island were other smaller ones, rocky and formidable guardsto the jewel of the Nile. The temple pylons grew taller as we made our slow approach. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life.

Isadora and her father stood on my other side, and they were animatedly talking as they examined Philae from a security standpoint. “There are too many places for boats to come and dock,” Mr. Fincastle said.

“Perhaps we can ask some of the crew to stand guard,” Isadora suggested.

I turned to face them. “Guard against what, exactly?”

“Why, unwanted visitors, of course,” Mr. Fincastle said.

“I figured that much on my own.” I gritted my teeth. “Who is my uncle expecting?”

“Nosy tourists,” he said. “It’s merely a precaution.”

Then with a cold smile he strode away. Isadora remained behind, her delicate features awash in the golden light of the early morning. “He can be quite infuriating, I know. But he means well. He takes his job very seriously.”

“I wish I knew why my uncle hired him,” I admitted.

Isadora threw a swift glance over her shoulder and then her gaze swung around to meet mine. Her eyes were very blue, the same color as her father’s. “I believe he was hired because of what happened to your parents.”

Well, well. Her father’s leash on her wasn’t as tight as I’d thought. “I thought as much, butwhy?”

“Because their deaths caused quite a stir in Cairo society.”

I inched closer. “What do you mean?”