Page 30 of Sands of Sirocco
“Do we?”Lucy placed the hatbox back into her wardrobe, then shut the doors.“I’m not so sure.I can hardly expect to keep up with my friends, even though William has been so generous and paid for everything we’ve done.”
Had it been only the week earlier, Ginger would have brushed Lucy’s concerns to the side.But she’d need to return to society if she was to ask questions regarding her father’s associates.And though their worries stemmed from different motivations, she felt the sting of being unprepared to fit into the world they’d once occupied.
She glanced at the closed wardrobe doors.“Lucy, what advances did Stephen make toward you?”Had she made a mistake by not disclosing everything about Stephen and her father to her family?Her mother had known some of it, but Lucy knew nothing of what Stephen really was.
Lucy’s face grew cross once again.“Those letters were meant for me and me alone.And they’re all I have.”
Had her sister been in love with Stephen?
A nauseated feeling made her throat clench.Stephen was nearly ten years Lucy’s senior.How could Ginger have been so unaware?The fierce tug of sisterly protection gripped Ginger.“Stephen is not the sort of man for you.Please trust me on this.I haven’t always shared as much as I should have, perhaps, but he would have only brought you harm.Be glad those letters are all you have.”
“I’ll thank you not to lecture me on what sort of man is good for me.Not after you had that scandalous affair with Noah Benson.Everyone else may not know the truth, but I do.And then you ignore poor cousin William and won’t even consider his attentions.”Lucy’s words were defensive and biting.
Ginger lifted her chin sharply.“If cousin William suits you, then you’re free to encourage him yourself.You’re right, I made a fool out of myself for love once.I have no interest in being the object of William’s desires.”How could she convince Lucy to trust her about Stephen?And William?
“You think it hasn’t crossed my mind?”Lucy tugged her gloves off, then crossed the room to lay them on her vanity.“But I’m not the one who has caught his eye, am I?Speaking of which, he was inquiring if you could join us for dinner at Shepheard’s.”
Ginger regretted her own words.Lucy was only seventeen, after all.She wouldn’t be eighteen for another two months.And while other women married at such a young age, Lucy had never had the chance to experience life as a young woman outside of the war.Encouraging her to marry William was hypocritical, especially when she’d learned the hard way what accepting the wrong marriage proposal could do.“I would be happy to.But I’ll need a dress.”Ginger offered a rueful smile.“Which is why I came in.”
“You should have just waited to ask.”Lucy sat at her vanity and unpinned her hair.
The hostility between them discouraged Ginger.She couldn’t seem to find any way to relate to Lucy.The gap in their ages had always made it difficult.Henry had been the sibling she’d been closest to while Lucy was the baby watching them from a distance.
Ginger sighed.She didn’t regret discovering the letters.She’d need to think of the best way to handle what she’d learned.But Lucy didn’t need another reason to resent her.Ginger came up behind her.“May I?”She lifted a pin.
Lucy paused, hand in midair, then nodded.Ginger leaned down, searching for the remaining pins.“I don’t have the same level of skill that Bahiti does, but I’m happy to help with your hair if you’d like.Not having a maid the last three years forced me to learn to do my hair.”
Lucy smirked.“Yes, you’re the domestic one now.”
“Hardly.”Ginger reached for the silver-handled brush on the vanity.“I can boil a kettle of water for tea.Open a tin.That’s about it.I’d make a sorry housewife without a cook.”She drew the brush through her sister’s thick, dark hair.
“At least you can be a nurse.I have nothing to recommend me.”Lucy rested her hands on her lap.“I’m not even as pretty as you are.”
Ginger hugged Lucy from behind, settling her chin on Lucy’s shoulder.Their eyes met in the mirror’s reflection.“We’re two sides of the same coin.”Ginger searched their reflections.“Whitman women.Daughters of the Earl of Braddock.That’s not nothing.You were raised in a way that gives you a great deal to recommend you.And you’re much more beautiful than I.”
The corners of Lucy’s mouth tipped in a smile and she heaved a relenting sigh.“All right.I’ll lend you a dress.You don’t have to fib.”
Ginger laughed, her heart warming.
They both dressed and readied themselves for dinner.When they’d finished, Ginger glanced in the mirror.Last spring, Lucy had refused to rid herself of a single outfit.Though it had frustrated Ginger, she was glad Lucy had been so stubborn.They’d never have the money for a dress like this now.
Down the stairs, William and her mother waited for them.A suave smile spread on William’s lips as he saw Ginger with Lucy.“Cousin Virginia.I’m so happy Lucy could convince you to join us.”
Ginger adjusted the tops of her long gloves.Lucy’s fashion-forward sensibilities had a downside—Ginger had never been such a risk-taker with fashion.She felt quite bare, especially given how vastly different the elegant gown was from her uniform.“I’m happy to join you.”The smile on her mother’s face brightened.
Not her too.
How could she explain to her family that there was no hope of anything developing between her and William?
William had arranged for a driver.As Ginger climbed into the car, it occurred to her that William must have his own source of independent wealth.She knew nothing about his family or occupation.Perhaps a letter to her aunt or grandmother in England would be in order.
They started through the streets of Cairo and William turned from the front seat to look back at her.“It’s been such an adventure here.”He held on to his hat.“We went to the most remarkable souk today.It’s a pity you couldn’t join us.Your mother and Lucy had to teach me to haggle, which I enjoyed immensely.I can’t say I knew the true value of anything, but I bought a replica of a sarcophagus I plan to take back to England.It’s enormous.”
Ginger laughed lightly.“A replica of a sarcophagus?What on earth are you planning to do with that?”She could picture the horrified expressions on the faces of the servants at Penmore.Where would he put it?The foyer?
“I’m not sure yet.”William winked.“But I may tell my friends that it’s real and contains a mummy.That would be a riot, wouldn’t it?”
The scent of petrol filled Ginger’s nose.As they approached the main road, the sights and sounds of Cairo gave her a strangely settled feeling, like home.Street peddlers and beggars moved in the shadows.Aromas of animals, dust, and cooking were strong.Carts and carriages passed by on the street, drawn by both camels and horses, and street dogs darted between them, nosing for scraps in the trash that lay along the sides of the roads.Yet all of it was wonderfully familiar.
