“It’s the muezzin,” came a sleepy voice beside her.
“The what?”
“The muezzin.” Darcy repeated. “Had you forgotten? We arrived in Egypt last night and the wailing is the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Potheroe said we would get used to it. He said after a couple of days we wouldn’t even notice it anymore.”
“Ah! I remember,” said Elizabeth.
She lay down in his arms and listened to the muezzin. Now that she was awake, the sound was not so disturbing. In fact there was something quite hypnotic about it.
They had arrived at the port of Alexandria late the night before. Even so late, the harbour had been teeming with people, and as Darcy and Captain Merriweather organised odd carriages called caleches to convey them to their rented house, Elizabeth and Sophie had watched with amazement as copper-skinned people swarmed up to them laden with strange fruits and little cups of tea, chattering in a language none of them could understand. Even Mrs Bennet had been stunned into silence, and Beth, William, and John had stood close to their mother, mouths open in astonishment. The three younger children had slept through it all.
Elizabeth lay quietly for a while, trying to reconcile herself to her exotic surroundings. But to her surprise, she found that now she was wide-awake. Gently she moved away from Darcy and, pulling on a wrapper, she moved across to the window.
The sun was taking more of a hold on the day, and she could see figures move about in the grey light, although they were still dim and shapeless. Up closer to the window, the noises of the day were more apparent. Donkeys began to bray as they were laden down with wares, and from the kitchen below someone laughed.
“You are awake now, my love?”
She turned to see Darcy behind her. He put an arm around her shoulders and they watched Alexandria come to life.
“It seems I am. Is it too early for breakfast?”
“I fear it is. However, since we are both awake…”
“Yes?”
“Perhaps we might use our time in a different way?”
Elizabeth smiled and agreed.
***
All the household rose early; excitement and the heat drove them from their beds, and although Elizabeth and Darcy were the first to arrive downstairs for breakfast, soon all their children appeared with Sophie and Edward.
“Good morning, Mama, good morning, Papa,” Beth greeted them, looking cool and fresh in a white linen gown decorated with damask rose ribbons. She took her place at the table, with William and John following behind her. Laurence and Jane sat together as always, and Margaret slipped into a seat next to Sophie. The look of disappointment on Edward’s face was not lost on either Elizabeth or Darcy, as he had to take a seat farther down the table.
“Where is Grandmama?” Elizabeth asked William, who was examining some round, flat bread rolls with interest.
“She bade us come to breakfast without her, Mama. She said the heat was too ferocious, and she could not leave her bed.”
Sophie looked up in concern. “Should I go to her, Elizabeth?” she enquired, but Elizabeth merely shook her head.
“No, sit down and eat your breakfast. I will go to her presently.”
“Make sure you eat well, children,” Darcy continued, determined that his mother-in-law would not monopolise the proceedings. “We have a busy day ahead of us.”
But he need not have been so concerned. The table, laden with exotic food, was of far greater interest to his children than their grandmother was. Fortunately, the servant who supplied them with great jugs of juice and hot coffee spoke a little English and some French, and he was in great demand explaining the names of the different fruits. Watermelons, figs, pomegranates, and apricots made up the unfamiliar meal, and the children were delighted.
After breakfast the children were dispatched to spend some time with their tutors, and the older members of the group discussed their plans. When organising the trip Darcy had decided that they should relax for a few days in Alexandria before undertaking the next stage of their journey to Cairo. The sea voyage had been exciting but arduous, and the journey to Cairo would take at least five days; it was important for the household to keep a reasonable equilibrium if they were to get the most from their travels.
“What are your plans this morning, Edward?” Darcy asked, finishing the last of the thick black tea they had been served in tiny cups.
“I thought I would visit the site of the ancient lighthouse to begin with…”
“I thought the lighthouse was no longer there?” said Darcy.
“You are right, but I want to imagine it as it was. And then I want to visit the acropolis and see its monument to Diocletian and the Serapeum and the catacombs—” He paused, seeing the look of amusement in Darcy’s eyes. “Forgive me. As you can see I have much to occupy myself with today. I want to see as much as possible before we meet up with Sir Matthew in Cairo. I do not want him to think that I have been wasting my time!”
“Will you postpone at least one of those visits until this afternoon when the children will be with us? You know so much more than the rest of us, and I know they will be delighted.”
“Of course,” said Edward good-naturedly. “In that case I shall make a visit to the bazaar by the port instead this morning. It is renowned for its variety, and perhaps I can pick up some interesting items to show Sir Matthew.”
“I am looking forward to visiting the bazaar myself,” said Elizabeth. “Might we join you?”
“I would be enchanted. And perhaps Miss Lucas could be persuaded to accompany us as well.”
“It sounds very pleasant, but perhaps we should see if Mr Inkworthy would care to join us also…?” said Sophie.
Elizabeth admired Sophie’s efforts to protect her reputation by making it clear that she did not have a favourite, and she was amused by the deflated look in Edward’s eye, which quickly disappeared when Darcy said, “Mr Inkworthy left very early this morning before you arrived to breakfast with us. It seems he needs some new watercolours or pastels, and he could not spare a moment without them.”
“Then let us all meet in half an hour and set out together.”
Once they were alone, Darcy said to Elizabeth, “It seems that Sophie has not made up her mind between the two men. Sometimes I think she favours one, and sometimes another. And sometimes, like today, I think she favours neither.”
“She is certainly anxious to make it seem that way, though more in an effort to protect herself than anything else, I think,” said Elizabeth.
“Do you know if she has any strong feelings for either of them?”
“At the moment, she enjoys their company in different ways. Their attentions have lifted her out of her melancholy and she likes Edward’s enthusiasms and chivalry, while she appreciates Paul’s quieter kindnesses. But as to anything serious, no, I do not think so, at least not yet, although I must confess that I do not fully know her thoughts. She confides in me a little, but of her deepest feelings I know nothing. I suspect she does not understand them herself.”
Darcy nodded thoughtfully.
“It will perhaps be as well if she enjoys an agreeable flirtation with both of them and then forgets them when the trip is over,” Elizabeth continued. “But life is seldom convenient, and I am watching her progress with interest.”
***
By nine o’clock they were all sitting in a caleche and driving slowly through the crowded streets. The white walls of the buildings, designed to keep the heat at bay, were blinding in the sun. Every few minutes they came upon a market square with tiny stalls set up wherever there was a space. People shouted in shrill tones, advertising their wares, and all four travellers were entranced by the flowing white robes and rolled-up headdresses worn by the men. Donkeys brayed on every corner and each time they stopped, small boys appeared as if from nowhere entreating them to buy sticky brown dates and succulent figs.