“One day you shall have to tell me how you came to this, my friend.” Geb signaled for Kosey, his servant.
The extremely tall Egyptian wore a white turban and loose black pants and a similar blouse. He carried a tray with two glasses of dark amber cognac. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, sir. Will that please you?” Kosey spoke English in an Eastern way, which made the language warmer and less harsh to the ear. It gained looks from some of the other guests, but Nicholas liked the formal, old-fashioned speech.
“Very good,” said Geb.
Nick observed the gaping of the other guests. “Why have you invited these snobs to Aaru, Geb?”
“Flitmore has some items I wish to obtain and Humphry has proved to be a good source of information about certain parliamentary discussions.”
“I trust you would never use such information against my beloved country.” A knot formed in Nick’s gut.
“No, but I might try to sway other members of your government. I like to know what is happening in my adopted country, Nicholas. That is all. As a foreigner, I have no say. This gives me some needed control.” Geb grinned.
Nick held back a scolding that would do no good.
“Do not look at me so ill. I merely use information to my advantage just as everyone else does. I will share bits with them or buy back pieces of Egyptian art. It will harm no one.”
Kosey moved to the door where he waited for word from the cook that dinner was ready to be served.
Lord and Lady Flitmore gaped at Kosey. Perhaps it was his height as he towered over everyone in the room. It might have been his odd clothes. Whatever it was, their shocked regard needled at Nicholas.
Faith stepped between him and the couple. “Lady Flitmore, it’s nice to see you again. I heard your daughter Mary would be here tonight, but I’ve not seen her. I hope nothing is wrong. I know how she can get into mischief.”
Lord Flitmore coughed uncomfortably. “Mary had some trouble with her gown and is coming in a later carriage. She will be here any moment.”
As if on cue, a footman announced the arrival of Lady Mary Yates.
A slim woman with red hair and flawless skin sauntered into the room. Pretty in the classical way, her long, thin nose appeared in a perpetual state of being turned up at everyone and everything. Hands folded lightly in front of her, she walked directly to where Faith stood with Mary’s parents. In a voice without modulation, Mary said, “Mother, Father, I’m sorry to be late. I hope no one was waiting on me.”
The lack of any emotion in Mary’s voice made it difficult to tell if she was sincere or just saying what was expected of her. “Thank you for sending the carriage back for me.”
Lord Flitmore pulled his shoulders back and beamed at his daughter. “Dinner has only just been announced, my dear girl. Please say hello to His Grace, the Duke of Breckenridge.”
Mary made a pretty curtsy and plastered a wan smile on her rosy lips. “How do you do, Your Grace?”
Bowing, Nick couldn’t help but notice the look of disdain that flitted across Faith’s face. “A pleasure, Lady Mary. I’m pleased you could come tonight. Do you know Lady Faith Landon?”
Another curtsy and a smile that likened to a wolf, and Mary said, “Lady Faith and I went to the Wormbattle School together. We have been acquainted for many years. How are you, Faith?”
Faith raised a brow. “Very well, Mary. You are looking fine. Your parents tell me you’ve had some issue with your gown this evening.”
Mary’s gown was dark blue and threaded with gold. It pushed all her assets up to the breaking point of the material at her breast and flowed down, showing off her perfect figure. She blushed. “Just a small issue that my maid and a needle and thread resolved easily enough.”
The ladies leered at each other.
Clearing his throat, Lord Flitmore said, “Mary, let me introduce you to our host.”
“Of course,” Mary agreed, and with a nod to Nick, all three Yateses left the circle.
Faith watched after Mary but had schooled her features to a pleasant expression that no one could have noted anything amiss from. Nick had many questions, but none of them were any of his business.
“Shall we go in to dinner?” As they were officially engaged, Nick offered Faith his arm and they preceded the others into the dining room.
The long table had rounded corners and was draped in white linen. Fine china leafed with gold, and highly polished crystal and silver, made the setting gleam under three fully lit chandeliers hanging overhead, and with four standing candelabras placed in all corners of the room. The high-backed, dark wood chairs were cushioned with a pale blue damask. It was decidedly English, and extremely elegant, to appeal to Geb’s guests.
At the head of the table, Geb welcomed everyone formally to his home before launching into a story of being on a sinking ship, and the diners were riveted despite the fact that most of them would not invite an Egyptian man of no known rank into their own homes. Faith smiled warmly at Geb, and Nick wondered if she were different. Would his friends, regardless of their origins, be welcomed to her table?
He shook off the notion. He would not be going through with marrying Faith Landon, no matter how much he desired her or how kind she pretended to be. She had betrayed him with her spying, and he wouldn’t have it.
Another exception to the apparent prejudice against Geb were Rhys and Poppy Draper. The earl and his bride genuinely liked Geb and had become fast friends with him after being stranded at his house in a storm.
“Did you swim to shore from that distance, Mr. Arafa?” Poppy’s blue eyes were wide and her dark hair and lashes made the color all the more demonstrable.
Geb’s cheeks pinked and he laughed. “I’m afraid nothing so heroic, my lady. I was hauled out of the ocean by a small fishing vessel. My lungs were full of water and I caught a terrible ague and spent three weeks in a Portuguese hospital.”
They all laughed with Geb.
Rhys Draper took a long pull on his wine. “I would be willing to bet you were the most interesting thing those fishermen plucked from the Atlantic that day. And you were damned lucky. Not only could you have drowned, but if this had happened a year later, you might have been caught up in Napoleon’s invasion.”
“Indeed, luck was with me that day and many others.” More sober, Geb gave Nick a knowing look.
Nick noted his friend’s careful use of luck rather than invoke the name of the Prophet in a room full of Christians. Knowing how religious Geb was, Nick knew what he was thinking. They had experienced many adventures together, and luck, Allah, or God had seen them through some things that at the time, seemed impossible.
The footmen served the soup.
Nick noted that many of the guests poked at the fine broth, vegetables, and bits of tender beef, but didn’t eat. The Yates family were among those who would not eat from the table of an Egyptian but would be happy to attend, since Geb was a good resource for many business dealings. Not to mention the depth of Geb’s pocketbook.
Faith, Poppy, and Rhys ate with gusto. Perhaps more than was natural, and Nick decided they had also noticed the rudeness of the other guests.
Besides the Yateses, Sir Duncan Humphrey, his wife and two sons, Montgomery and Malcolm, were in attendance as well as William Wharton and his wife. All were well respected among the ton and had obviously not come for the food or company. They didn’t speak other than the occasional thank you.
On Nick’s right, Faith sipped the last of her soup and turned to Mary. “You didn’t like the soup?”
“I’m