Chapter Forty-Five

London, May 1973

Eve was astonished when Brograve broke the news that Ana Mansour was not an employee of Cairo University. She tried to remember their conversations. Had she ever claimed directly that she worked for them? If she didn’t, then who did she work for?

“I don’t think she expected me to give her the artifacts,” she told Brograve. “She just wanted information, to set the record straight.”

“But which record would she be setting straight if she doesn’t have an official capacity? It doesn’t make sense.”

Eve was baffled. Why had Ana tape-recorded her story? Why was she so keen to find the gold container?

“The tape recording was a ruse,” Brograve said, “and she wanted the gold container because it sounds valuable. The Egyptians used solid gold, not gold plate. Remember how heavy that container was.”

Eve couldn’t believe it. Ana was kind. She brought her lotus flowers. They’d become friends.

“When we get back to London I’m going to telephone her hotel,” Brograve said, “and give her a piece of my mind.”

Eve kept quiet. She still hadn’t told him that she and Ana had been chatting. Should she say so now? He would think she had been gullible—he often told her she was too trusting—but she couldn’t bring herself to believe Ana had deliberately deceived her. She decided that when they got back to London, she would ring first and hear her side of the story. She and Ana had become friends, and you should always give friends the benefit of the doubt.

The note with her hotel number was in the drawer of the telephone table. As soon as they got home, while Brograve was taking their cases to the bedroom, she slipped it into her skirt pocket. She hoped it was a simple misunderstanding. Maybe Ana worked at a different university, or at the Cairo Museum. All the same, she wondered what kind of “scandal” might have led to her dismissal.

As soon as Brograve left for his walk the next day, she telephoned Ana’s hotel.

“How was your trip?” Ana asked straightaway. “Did you find any Tutankhamun relics at Highclere?”

“There’s something I need to ask you first,” Eve began. “Brograve’s been told that you no longer work at Cairo University and that you were sacked from your job. Has someone made a terrible mistake?”

There was a pause and when she spoke, Ana sounded indignant. “Did your husband write to them? Was he checking up on me?”

“Not at all,” Eve assured her. “He asked his friend at the British Council about the proper protocols for returning antiquities. He wanted to do things by the book.” Ana didn’t say anything. “You understand, he’s cross now because he feels you lied to him.”

“I didn’t lie, but . . . it’s embarrassing.” Ana sounded very hesitant. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you this. . . . The truth is that I was sacked for having an affair with a colleague. He was married, I was married, and when it came out, I was the one who got sacked.”

“That’s not fair!” Eve exclaimed. “Everyone has affairs nowadays. It’s hardly a sacking offense.”

“It’s the way things work in Egypt, I’m afraid.” Ana spoke matter-of-factly. “But I was sad because I loved my university job, so I came up with a plan. I thought if I could track down some of the missing Tutankhamun artifacts and return them to my homeland, I might be reinstated. The colonialist powers who are hanging on to our ancient heritage is a political hot potato in Egypt. And after talking to you, I sensed you would agree. So that’s what I’ve been pinning my hopes on.”

“But your children!” Eve was surprised. “Surely being with them is more important than getting your job back?”

Eve heard the flare of a match and the gasp as smoke was inhaled. It made her wish she hadn’t given up smoking. When was that? Eons ago. She had never smoked much, just the odd puff at parties, but she still got the urge sometimes.

“I told you, my husband won’t let me see them. Until I get my job back, I can’t afford to pay for legal advice, so I’m trapped.”

“I wish I could help.” Eve wanted to take back the words as soon as she said them. Brograve would never let her help, not now that he knew Ana had misled them. “You’re a sucker for a hard-luck story,” he had said to her on more than one occasion, and she supposed it was true.

“Did you find anything at Highclere, Lady Beauchamp?” Ana demanded.

“We did,” Eve said. “Three items from your list. But my husband and brother have decided to give them to the British Museum.”

There was a long silence punctuated by cigarette smoke being exhaled, then Ana asked: “Was the gold unguent container among them?”

Eve shook her head. “No, I’ve got no idea where that is.”

“Are you sure?” Ana asked. “Did you look everywhere? Surely if you found some artifacts, it means there could be more?”

“I’m afraid if anything else turns up, my brother will also give it to the British Museum. He’s asking one of their experts to come and look through the items that remain there. I’m sorry not to be more helpful.” Eve felt bad for dashing Ana’s hopes so thoroughly.

“Do you think it’s fair they remain in Britain?” Ana asked, sounding angry. “How would you feel if Egypt had stolen the Sutton Hoo burial treasures and was refusing to return them? Or what if we had invaded your country and made off with your Crown Jewels?”

“I do see your point,” Eve said, feeling uncomfortable, “but it’s out of my hands now. Wrong decisions were made in the past, but this is now, and if I could do anything about it, I would.”

“I believe you would.” Ana sighed.

“What will you do next?” Eve asked.

“I honestly don’t know.” She sounded defeated. “I had staked everything on this plan and now I’ve run out of ideas.”

In the days that followed, Eve’s thoughts often returned to Ana Mansour. How could she bear to be separated from her children? Wasn’t being with them more important than getting her job back? If it had been her, Eve wouldn’t have waited for the law to run its course. She would have snatched them from their grandmother at the first opportunity and run away with them as fast and as far as she could.