Ramses joined David and Latif in the ultimate compartment. Two students were playing backgammon on a game board balanced on their knees. An elderly woman stared straight ahead, her arms wrapped around a basket on her lap. Ramses scrutinized them. The boys had flawless skin and brown eyes, and the woman was so diminutive that her shoes dangled above the floor. He sat down across from David, who had a grip on Latif’s wrist.

“He wants to wave goodbye and tell them of his triumph,” David explained with a grin. “We don’t want any of the men to jump aboard at the last moment and come looking for him, or seek revenge for incapacitating their colleague. You must be alert at all times, my boy. ‘Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.’ In your case, the crown is worth a small fortune.” He saw that the three passengers were gaping at him. “Contrary to what you may think, the lad is not a direct descendent of King Henry IV of England. His fortune awaits the demise of his pudgy and unsightly patron, Lord Higginsnort, who made millions of pounds importing kumquats from India.”

Ramses rolled his eyes but remained silent as the train began to pull away from the station.

*  *  *

Nefret awakened me with a kiss on my forehead. “It is time for tea, dear. The Professor is stomping around the salon, frantic to return to the site and the serdab. What an exhilarating discovery! How could all of the previous Egyptologists have failed to discover it?”

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Emerson has no peers in the field. He availed himself of his perspicacity, as always. We should go downstairs before he takes out his frustration on the furniture. He has a very bad habit of plopping down on innocent chairs, and then berating me for their frailty.” Eschewing a change of clothes in light of my spouse’s state of mind, I hastily tidied my hair and washed my face before joining him.

Emerson made no effort to temper his frustration. “I am in no mood to twiddle my thumbs while you nap on the top deck, Peabody. Nefret, did you rid us of the fräulein? There are too many stray people as it is.” He raised his voice. “Fatima, we are ready for tea!”

Fatima was holding a tray as she stopped in the doorway. “There is no need to shout at me. I know that it is time for tea. I have always known when it is time for tea. If you believe that I am unreliable, you are free to prepare it yourself.”

I refrained from returning to the top deck to bask in solitude. “This looks delicious, Fatima. Please put the tray within reach of the Professor so that he can gobble down the cakes and sandwiches and return to the site.” After I had poured tea for Nefret and Emerson, I served myself and sat down.