Ghosts of Karnak Read Online Free Page B

fallen to the floor, and bent to pick it up.
    “Ah, the Luxor Temple,” said Amaury, with a wry smile. “You’re here to see the sights, I see?”
    “I suppose I am,” said Ginny. She beckoned to the empty chair at her table. “Look, I don’t mean to seem forward or anything, but if you’d like to join me? It’s the very least I can do.”
    “Not at all,” said Amaury. “What sort of man would I be if I didn’t assist a lady in distress. All the same, I would be most happy to join you for a while.”
    “You’re waiting for someone?” said Ginny, as he pulled up a chair. He seemed to sink into it, crossing his legs and leaning back in a surprisingly casual fashion.
    “My companion, yes,” he said, “but he’s English, and so he’s always late.”
    Ginny laughed. “I thought the English were supposed to be punctual?”
    “At home, perhaps,” said Amaury, “but here, in Egypt, not so much. He’s too worried about ‘keeping up appearances’, seeing to his ablutions, pressing his suit. And then he comes out to visit the dig and finds himself covered in sand and dirt regardless.” He chuckled, indicating the marks on his sleeves. “Me, I have learned not to care.”
    “You’re an archaeologist, then?” said Ginny.
    “I think that is a grand word for what I am,” said Amaury. “A treasure hunter, perhaps, if you were being kind. A grave robber if you were not.” He smiled.
    Ginny leaned forward, intrigued now. “Have you found anything out here?”
    Amaury raised an eyebrow. “You’ve not come all this way to steal my secrets, have you?”
    Ginny fixed him with a withering look. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why I’m here. Searching for something I’m unlikely to find, I suppose.”
    “Ah, then you understand the plight of a treasure hunter all too well,” said Amaury. “And yes, I’ve found something.” He looked up as the waiter came rushing over, bearing a tray of fresh drinks.
    Ginny reached for one of the bottles as soon as he’d placed them on the table. “Well, aren’t you going to tell me?” she said, in a conspiratorial whisper. “You can’t leave a girl hanging like that.”
    Amaury laughed. “I can do better than that. Why don’t you come and visit the dig tomorrow, see it for yourself? I promise you’ll be impressed.”
    Ginny frowned. “But the temple,” she said.
    Amaury waved a hand. “It’s been there for thousands of years, and it’ll be there for thousands more,” he said, pouring himself a drink. “How many other offers have you had to see the undisturbed tomb of an ancient queen?”
    Ginny took a sip of her drink. She was starting to feel normal again, despite the cloying heat, although she thought she might retreat to her room for a nap once Amaury’s friend arrived.
    She met his gaze. Could she trust him? The idea certainly sounded exciting—just the sort of adventure she’d been looking for. And he was right—how many other opportunities would she have to see something so spectacular? “Very well,” she said. “I’m intrigued. Let’s say I go along with your little plan. What then?”
    “Then you meet me and Landsworth in the hotel foyer an hour before dawn, and I’ll take you on a guided tour.”
    She pretended to consider this for a moment, despite having already made up her mind. What was the point in coming all this way if she wasn’t going to take the opportunities it presented her with? And besides, how much trouble could she get up to on an archaeological dig? “All right. I’m in. How could I pass up the chance to meet royalty?”
    “Excellent,” said Amaury, holding his glass aloft. Ginny clinked hers against it. “Ah, and here comes Landsworth, too.” He nodded his head to indicate a newcomer to the bar, over her left shoulder.
    She turned to see a man in a smart gray suit wending his way through the tables toward them. He looked as out of place as she felt; dressed in the wrong clothes, clearly struggling