Flora's War by Pamela Rushby Page A

from – well, from a hole in the ground.’
    ‘Very appropriate on an excavation site,’ said Gwen.
    It wasn’t a very good joke, but we laughed. The flowers were filling the dining room with a deep, velvety scent.
    ‘Are you ever going to finish with those flowers and come dance again?’ Lieutenant Hardy asked from the doorway.
    We abandoned the flowers and went back to the terrace and danced for hours. Lydia whirled around the terrace in the arms of an officer called Matthew Grier. They seemed to be enjoying each other’s company immensely. I’d seen her with him several times before. I must ask her about him, I thought.
    Frank spent most of the night talking with the other archaeologists and we didn’t get to dance together. I was surprised how put out I felt about that. It only made me dance harder with other young men – and to swirl past Frank every chance I got.
    Late in the evening I noticed that Gwen and one of the officers danced off into the shadows at the end of the terrace and stayed there for a rather long time. Hmmm, I thought.
    Much later, after everyone had gone, Gwen and I were in my room.
    ‘And just what was going on with the debonair William?’ I demanded.
    ‘We-e-e-e-ll,’ Gwen looked at me, eyes sparkling.
    ‘Gwen! You didn’t! Did you? Did you actually kiss him?’
    Gwen nodded.
    ‘You did ? Really? So what was it like? Was it wonderful? Tell me!’
    ‘What was it like?’ Gwen pretended to think about it. ‘Well, to tell you the truth, it was just sort of prickly. William has a moustache, you see.’
    ‘Prickly? Is that all?’ I was horribly disappointed. Gwen and I had often discussed what a first kiss would be like. Stars and thrills and violins had featured heavily. ‘It wasn’t wonderful?’
    ‘It was pleasant enough,’ admitted Gwen. ‘But wonderful? No. Not really.’
    ‘Maybe you really have to like someone a lot before it’s wonderful?’ I suggested. I thought about that. Who did I like a lot – enough to kiss them, that is? No one with a prickly moustache! Suddenly I realised whose face I was picturing. The face of someone I liked a lot. Frank. Now that , I thought, would be really interesting – to be kissed by Frank. But, I realised sadly, though I’d laughed with Frank, and teased Frank, and even danced closely in his arms, he’d never, ever tried to kiss me. He hadn’t even danced with me once tonight. And on my birthday, too! He probably just didn’t think of me in that way. I’d thought he did, after the Christmas party, but clearly I’d been wrong. Oh well. Someone else would come along, I told myself.
    Gwen was still talking, and I turned my full attention back to her. My full attention, except for an odd little ache around my heart.
    ‘I do have to admit, I was less than impressed,’ said Gwen. ‘I guess I just wanted to see what it was like, and he was offering. Maybe I won’t bother again, not until I really, really like someone, anyway. Then I’ll see if it’s different.’
    We sat at my window on my lovely comfortable cushioned divan, looking out at the sky, and talked the party over. Who’d said what, which nurse had danced with which officer, which officer had flirted with which nurse, and the stars circled behind the towers and minarets.
    Everything in our world was wonderful.

Chapter 9

    I kept an eye on the small door in the wall. Every week or so when I felt I was unobserved, I went to the secret, sliding panel and entered the room behind it. Sometimes the bundles on the shelves were unchanged; sometimes, they were different. I would unroll a parcel or two, and they always contained small, beautiful artefacts. Nothing of great value, but valuable enough to turn a good profit. Someone was moving them in and out.
    I never saw anyone near the exterior door. I never saw anyone in the house who shouldn’t have been there. I didn’t know what to do. Corruption and bribery were common in Egypt. I didn’t want Fa accused if I reported