Page 40

Luxury in Luxor

L ater that night during dinner in the hotel

Having bathed and dressed for dinner, Barbara and Will headed down to the hotel’s dining room to discover the rest of the family and the Tennisons already seated at a rectangular table.

Their animated conversation and the glasses set before them suggested they had been enjoying drinks before dinner.

Although he was not at their table, Mahmood sat with one of his crew at an adjacent table.

The men all stood and waited until Barbara was seated before they sat down. “Forgive us for not waiting, but we have been plotting,” Harry said, his comment directed to Will.

“For tomorrow or beyond?”

“Tomorrow. It seems we would all like to see the Colossi of Memnon,” Harry replied.

“What are these Colossi of Memnon?” Barbara asked.

“They are giant statues. Two of them, and they are not far from here,” David replied. “It is said that due to a crack in one of them, it sings in the mornings.”

“Tell them the story you told me,” Randy said, directing his request to Diana. “The one about the Romans.”

Suddenly on the spot, Diana’s cheeks bloomed with color.

“Uh, all right,” she agreed. “The Romans—we’re talking over fifteen-hundred years ago—used to take elaborate holidays to Egypt.

The wealthy ones would sail down to Alexandria, where they could see the lighthouse.

After that, they would visit the pyramids at Giza, then board a boat, and cruise up the Nile. ”

“Two of the Seven Wonders of the World,” Randy interjected.

“Exactly. And they must have had some sort of guide book or learned from someone what they should see whilst in Egypt, because they obviously saw the Colossi of Memnon. Those statues are absolutely covered in Latin graffiti. Even the Emperor Hadrian saw them,” she claimed.

“Oh, do go on,” Barbara encouraged.

“Well, imagine you’re a wealthy Roman citizen,” Diana continued. “You sail across the Mediterranean for an exotic Egyptian adventure, seek out all the sights, attend some amazing Egyptian festivals, and drink copious amounts of beer.”

“Oh, I don’t think I would drink the beer,” Stella murmured, much to her husband’s amusement.

“So of course you’re going to see those two huge statues. Listen to them singing in the morning,” Diana mused. “Believing them to be statues of Memnon.”

“Memnon as in the hero from the Trojan War?” Tom asked in disbelief. “The king of Aethiopia? The one who was slain by Achilles?”

“Yes,” Diana affirmed.

Tom frowned. “Are they not of him?” he asked in confusion.

She shook her head. “They are of the pharaoh Amenhotep the Third,” she stated. “The Romans thought they were of Memnon because he shared one of his names with a name found inside the Tomb of Ramesses the Fifth and Sixth, so they thought the tomb was his as well.”

Randy leaned forward. “Think of the timing. We’re talking about a thousand-year difference between their deaths and when the Romans would have visited these statues,” he said with excitement.

“The Egyptians must have known the Romans had it all wrong,” David claimed, his brows furrowing as he sorted the timeframe.

“Yes!” Diana agreed enthusiastically, nodding her head for emphasis.

“So... why didn’t the Egyptians correct the Romans?”

Chuckling softly, Diana dipped her head. “Would you? You had all these rich Romans—including emperors—giving you their gold coins. Why correct their mistaken assumptions?”

“So history wouldn’t get it wrong?” David replied rhetorically, obviously annoyed. After a moment, he scoffed. “The Egyptians were probably laughing behind their backs,” he guessed.

“No doubt,” she agreed.

“How far away are these statues?” Barbara asked.

They all turned to Mahmood, who had been listening intently to their conversation

“Only two miles from here, my lady, but first we must cross the river. We shall hire a felucca—a sailing vessel—to make the crossing. I shall inquire as to carriages we might take on the other side. What time would you like to go?”

“If we wake up early, we can be back before the heat is too high,” Harry suggested.

“Breakfast at seven o’clock. Leave at eight?” Will countered.

When their party agreed, he turned to the guide. “We’ll need to pay you extra, for I have reason to believe this wasn’t part of your original itinerary for us.”

“You may pay me after I know the costs,” Mahmood replied. “We will have time to visit the Temple of Luxor in the afternoon—it’s very close. Have you decided if you wish to continue up the river for another fortnight, or if you wish to return to Cairo?”

Will and Harry exchanged quick glances before turning to their families. “We’ll discuss it over dinner and give you an answer on the morrow,” Will replied, earning a nod of approval from Harry.

T wo hours later

With their bellies full and the ladies having departed for the hotel’s parlor for hibiscus tea, the men leaned back. “Do we continue up the Nile or head back to Cairo?” Will asked.

“If we continue, what would we see?” Tom asked.

David was quick to respond. “There are temples at Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Philae—that’s about a hundred and twenty miles from here.”

“It would seem a shame to turn around now,” Randy argued. “I would understand if you would all wish to go back, but I happen to be on my wedding trip with my wife,” he said.

“We are well aware,” his brother deadpanned.

Randy directed a grimace at Tom. “Father always said ‘happy wife, happy life’, and I am in agreement. Diana and I will continue even if you decide to go back. We can make arrangements to meet you in Rome in a couple of months,” he explained.

“Everly, what say you?” Will asked.

Harry chuckled softly. “I admit I have been very surprised at how well my countess has faired on this trip. Not a peep of complaint. And Helen and Bradley seem entertained by the adventure?—”

“They do indeed,” Will said, chuckling. “Too bad he probably won’t remember it.” His quick glance in Tom’s direction had him catching his nephew’s brief grimace.

“I told my man of business I would send word should I be gone longer than six months?—”

“Only six months?” Will repeated in surprise.

“I realize now I should have guessed my ladies would enjoy this more than I expected,” Harry admitted. “Who knew they wouldn’t mind sleeping under mosquito netting and eating strange foods and seeing shriveled up mummies?” he added rhetorically.

“We really haven’t seen any of those,” David complained.

“We are not bringing any of those back with us,” Will stated, his attention on his son.

David scoffed. “I was only teasing,” he claimed. “Besides, I would rather not suffer a mummy’s curse,” he added.

“Nor would any of us,” Randy agreed.

“So... do we go on or go back?”

“Go on,” the rest said in unison.

Will chuckled softly. “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

They finished their drinks and headed to the parlor to join the women. Given the plan for an early departure in the morning, they were soon off to bed.

Not necessarily to sleep, though.

Randy’s announcement they were to continue up the Nile to Philae was met with a shriek of delight from Diana. She showed her appreciation by riding him to a rather satisfying release. His last thought before he dozed off was ‘happy wife, happy life.’