Excerpt of Mirage by Monica Burns

(unedited)

Chapter 1

London, 1880

"Good Heavens, you're a woman."

Alexandra Talbot bit back the tart reply threatening to spring from her mouth. The man might resemble a toad, but at least he wasn't blind. He'd realized right away that she was a woman. She tightened her jaw before she forced a smile to her lips.

"Could you please tell Lord Merrick I'm here? He's expecting me."

"But he's expecting Alex Talbot."

"I'm Alex Talbot."

"Well, I…there must be some mistake. Lord Merrick is definitely not expecting a female."

"I'm sorry, Mr.— What did you say your name was?"

"Stevens, miss."

She nodded. "Mr. Stevens, his Lordship agreed to see me, and unless English manners have gone the way of so many other ancient civilizations, I'm certain he'll honor our appointment."

The clerk rose from his wooden chair, wearing an affronted look. "I must protest, Miss Talbot. This is highly unusual."

"I've no doubt it is, but I'd be grateful if you would inform Lord Merrick that I'm here."

The short, apple-shaped man scurried away to an office door down one of the British Museum's austere hallways. As he disappeared from view, Alex heaved a sigh of frustration. She was far better at debating Egyptology issues than she was at charming men into doing what she wanted.

Perhaps she should have brought Jane with her. Men seemed to fall all over themselves when it came to helping her friend. She frowned. No. She'd made the right decision in coming here alone. Peeling off her black gloves, she shoved them into the beaded bag Jane had insisted she buy. Men weren't the only ones susceptible to Jane's charm. Her friend had persuaded her to purchase more feminine trappings than she could ever want or need. She'd protested the selection of every article of clothing before they left New York, but she'd lost each argument.

Restless, Alex paced the floor, and the train of her green satin gown was a soft whisper on the marble tiles. Her hand brushed against the swag of material hugging her hips. She'd managed to keep the fripperies and ruffles on her gowns to a minimum, but the bustle at the back of her dress was a fashion trend she could have done without.

Brushing a stray lock of hair off her cheek, she frowned. She would much rather be wearing her work clothes. They were far more comfortable. Of course, if she'd tried to stroll into the British Museum wearing trousers, she never would have gotten this far.

All of this would have been so much easier if she were a man, and a British one at that. Her American accent and forthright manner were enough to earn her plenty of arched eyebrows. She could only imagine what people would think if they were to see her in her work clothes bent over a selection of dusty books and papyri.

Work. The thought of it made her long for home. New York seemed so far away. Even more so since she'd discovered the Rosetta Stone had been taken off display for preservation and study. She grimaced. In fact, the discovery had almost convinced her all the plans she'd made would disintegrate like an ancient papyrus. Then, as if her father's spirit had been in the hotel room looking out for her, Lord Merrick's letter had fallen out of the stack of papers she'd brought with her to London.

As the Dean of Ancient Civilizations at New York University, her father had been a longtime correspondent with the Museum's Egyptology Director, Lord Merrick. It had been a simple matter to use her nickname instead of her full name and request an appointment.

Still, her deception might prove to be a terrible miscalculation if the museum clerk had his way. If she could just see the Stone, it would allow her to verify the translations she and Father had worked so hard on. Then she'd be able to honor his last wish and achieve her own dream.

Footsteps echoed in the hall, and she looked up to see Mr. Stevens headed toward her. Retrieving her portfolio from the chair beside the man's desk, she studied his expression with a sinking heart. The man's smug look made it clear her gambit hadn't paid off.

"I'm sorry, Miss Talbot, but his Lordship has had a sudden change of plans and is unable to see you at this time."

"I see, and when might Lord Merrick have another appointment available?"

"I'm afraid his schedule is quite full at the moment, and I don't see how I can possibly squeeze you in before the end of next month."

Alex struggled to keep from glaring at the man as he resumed his seat and went back to work. The rough edge of the portfolio bit into her palms as she considered bashing the pompous clerk over the head with the leather case. Obviously, he believed ignoring her was the easiest way to be rid of her. She stood there for a moment, trying to decide what to do. To come so far, only to be turned away. No, she couldn't accept failure. Not now.

With a swish of her gown's short train, she swept around the desk and strode determinedly down the hall to the door she'd seen the clerk enter. She was more than halfway to her destination before the man realized where she was headed and raced after her.

Ignoring his outraged command to stop, she knocked sharply on the glass pane that bore the gold-lettered title, Director of Egyptology. At the brusque invitation to enter, she sailed through the door with her underskirts rustling a soft imitation of her annoyance.

The office was crammed with a large assortment of artifacts, and the musty smell was similar to her father's office at the university. It comforted her. All her life she'd spent happy hours in rooms similar to this. It reminded her of a time and life she could never experience again.

"What the devil?" The portly man seated at the desk came to his feet quickly. Pasting a polite smile on her face, she moved forward with her hand outstretched.

"Lord Merrick? I'm so glad you agreed to see me. I felt certain Mr. Stevens had misunderstood you." She tried to make her smile as warm as possible. As much as she hated playing the charming coquette, she needed to convince this man to give her access to the Rosetta Stone.

One hand swiping though his bushy white hair, Lord Merrick peered at her over his spectacles. Wide sideburns lined his heavy jowls, and his unforgiving expression would have done a stern reverend justice. Behind her, Stevens burst into the room muttering his apologies. Lord Merrick waved the man away and came around the desk to clasp her hand. A touch of anger lit his limpid blue gaze, but he politely brushed her fingers with a kiss.

"Well, young lady, I think you know full well I was expecting a different Alex Talbot."

She lifted her chin and met his gaze with a forthright look. "What I know is that you were extremely interested in my father's theories about Per-Ramesses."

"So why didn't Professor Talbot come himself?"

"My father died unexpectedly last fall from influenza." Alex swallowed the grief rising in her throat.

Lord Merrick's cold expression dissolved into sympathy as he guided her to a chair facing his desk. "You have my sympathies, Miss Talbot. Your father was one of the world's foremost Egyptologists. Our correspondences were highly valued by me."

"And that's why I've come to you, Lord Merrick. My father's last wish was for me to complete his life's work." The bustle forced her to perch on the edge of the seat, and she silently cursed the uncomfortable fashion she wore.

Skepticism arched the man's snowy eyebrows as he returned to his chair and shook his head. "My dear, I understand your desire to grant your father's last wish, but please believe me when I tell you that even if you have all your father's notes, without his knowledge…well, it's impossible."

Alex leaned forward, her hands tightening on her portfolio. She mustn't fail now. She had his attention. She needed to guard her words carefully. "My lord, I began working with my father at the age of fifteen, and I worked at his side until his death. I studied his notes, questioned him relentlessly. I'm confident I know as much as he did about Per-Ramesses."

"And you want access to the Rosetta Stone, is that it?"

"Yes, my lord. I need to ensure the translations my father and I made are accurate. It's critical to finding the location of Per-Ramesses."

"Finding it?" Lord Merrick exclaimed. "Young lady, what the devil makes you think you can find Per-Ramesses when England's chief Egyptologists haven't done so?"

"Because those gentlemen didn't have what I do—my father's notes and my father's knowledge. It had been his intention to come, but his death prevented it. I'm here now, and I intend to honor his memory by proving his theories and mine correct."

Sitting stiff and straight in the leather wing-backed chair, she recognized the look of disbelief on Lord Merrick's face. Jane had worn a similar expression when Alex had laid out her plans. The difference was her friend hadn't hesitated to call her insane. Lord Merrick just didn't know how to do so politely. His face bore the same benign condescension she'd seen far too often on the faces of most university faculty in New York. They believed her inferior simply because of her sex.

There had been the exceptions. Men who had found her intelligence a refreshing change, but they'd been few and far between. And it was doubtful even those forward- thinking men would have agreed to a wife working at their side. Only her father and Uncle Jeffrey had truly encouraged her pursuit of archeology. Every other man was suspect as to his real intentions where she was concerned.

Merrick leaned forward, his hands clasped and resting on his desk. "Miss Talbot, the desert is difficult enough for an Englishman, and it's definitely not a place for a woman. I cannot sanction this in any way."

"Forgive me, my lord, but I'm simply asking you to give me access to the Stone so I can corroborate our translations."

"I'm sorry, my dear, but in all good conscience, I can't do that."

Hands clenched, she kept her voice even with difficulty. "And if I were a man?"

"Naturally, things would be different."

"Naturally," she mimicked in a bitter tone.

"Why don't you let her look at the Stone, Merrick?"

Alex twisted around in her seat to stare at the man sitting in the corner of the room. She'd been so preoccupied with her desire to persuade Lord Merrick to her way of thinking, she'd failed to realize there was someone else present. As he rose to his feet, she drew in a quick breath at the sheer height of the man. He was easily more than six feet tall. She was far from short, but if she were standing, he would tower over her by several inches. It wasn't like her to pay too much attention to the men she met, but this man was impossible to ignore. Well-built, his lean figure sported a dark blue coat, which fell open to reveal a dove gray waistcoat and matching trousers. As he moved forward, the grace and regal bearing of his step reflected a primeval power. This was a man accustomed to prevailing in whatever matter he undertook. Her heart skipped a beat.

Silky waves of dark brown hair caressed the collar of his coat in a length that was almost barbaric. On any other man, the style would have looked ridiculous, but on him it was devastating. It suited the rich brown of his sun-kissed skin. A wave of heat washed over her. Dear Lord, no man she'd ever met had affected her like this. Deep brown eyes studied her closely, and she suppressed a tremor of excitement as she met his probing gaze. Dark eyebrows arched over incredible eyes, and the merest hint of a smile touched his full, sensual lips.

He reminded her of a sleek leopard, content to watch its prey before pouncing at just the right moment. The sudden image of him dressed as a pharaoh holding the collar of such a large cat caused her palms to grow damp. Where on earth had that come from? Appalled, she jerked her gaze away and turned back to Lord Merrick, who frowned at the other man.

"The devil take it, Blakeney. You can't be serious."

"Why not? What harm will it do?" The stranger shrugged as Lord Merrick stared at him in appalled horror.

"But she's…she's…"

Merrick was as blind as that little toad Stevens. The man was making his decision solely based upon her sex, and not her capabilities, which she'd outlined so clearly. All her life, her father had treated her with the respect of first a student and then a colleague. He'd accepted her as fully capable of acquiring the same knowledge as himself. No doubt, the possibility of a woman finding the lost city of Per-Ramesses without male assistance was incomprehensible to this man.

Her stomach tightened with concealed anger. If she didn't get out of here quickly, she'd forget what little presence of mind she had and confirm the notion that women were temperamental, hysterical and unfit for working in an academic setting. Determined to remain charming to the end, she rose to her feet and forced herself to smile.

"Gentlemen." She gave both men a sharp nod of dismissal. "I'm sorry you're not interested in my work or my father's. I had hoped to convince you otherwise. However, I can assure you, I'll find Per- Ramesses—with or without the Museum's help."

Wheeling about on her heel, Alex rushed blindly to the door lest they see the tears of frustration threatening to spill down her cheeks. She grasped the brass doorknob and turned it. Large, sun-drenched fingers touched her light-deprived skin and stopped her. Fiery warmth streaked up her arm until it spread its way through every inch of her body. Startled by her reaction, she yanked her hand away and lifted her gaze up to meet his. When he smiled, her heart slammed against the wall of her chest. Lord, the man's smile was as potent as his touch.

"Miss Talbot is it?"

"I'm sorry, sir, you have me at a disadvantage."

"Forgive me." He offered her a small bow. "Viscount Blakeney at your service. I'm liaison to the Museum's Foreign Office of Antiquities."

"Another of the Museum's minions?" She could have bitten her tongue off at the sarcasm in her voice.

His eyes narrowed and his features resembled an ancient stone statue. The look he pinned on her sent a shiver down her spine. Even Ramesses could not have intimidated or excited her more. The fanciful thought made her frown. She wasn't here to find a modern-day pharaoh, especially one condescending to help her.

Once more, she reached out to open the door, but his firm grip on her wrist stopped her again. The touch made her mouth go dry as his fingers sent a shock of sensation up her arm. Again her heart skipped a beat, and a spark of awareness flashed in the depths of his brown eyes.

She inhaled a sharp breath as his thumb caressed her pulse with gentle pressure. The touch made every nerve in her body scream at the way his presence was assaulting her senses. As he leaned toward her, the whiff of a tantalizing spice spiraled between them. The scent was familiar, but it was difficult to think with him so close.

"Do not discount me, Miss Talbot. If you wish to see the Stone, I'm willing to escort you to its present location." The stern note in his voice helped her regain her faculties.

"And do not discount me, my lord. I do not suffer fools gladly, nor do I look fondly on those who think me a fool." This time she kept her tone even, yet firm. She could be polite, but she had no intention of letting this man, or any other for that matter, manipulate her.

A brilliant smile curved his mouth, and she wanted to bask in the warmth of it. Heavens, but the man was mesmerizing. She needed to control this urge to simper like an addle- brained simpleton in his presence.

"I seriously doubt you're a fool, Miss Talbot. Although it remains to be seen if you are foolish." Releasing her from his grip, he opened the door and swept his hand toward the corridor. "Shall we?"

"Right now?"

"I thought you wanted to see the Stone?" There was more than a hint of amusement in his voice. For the first time, she heard the melodious accent beneath the proper English. The sound was so familiar and yet so foreign.

"Well yes, but I'll need at least an hour or more to study the markings."

"Then you'll have it."

Behind them, Lord Merrick came to life. "I say, Blakeney. It's just not done. She's likely to wreak havoc in the workroom. The scholars will be quite distracted by her presence."

The anger bubbling just beneath her calm surface exploded as she turned to face the protesting director. "x one aay aza mn name zapa oyhh eanno."

"I say! Did she just speak Coptic?" Merrick sputtered.

A glimmer of respect and assessment sparkled in the dark brown eyes studying her face. "She did, and with impeccable clarity."

Alex flushed at the amusement she saw tugging at his mouth. It was obvious Lord Merrick didn't understand the language, but Lord Blakeney's knowledge was clearly far superior to the older man's. Oh God. The man would never take her to the Stone now. Whatever had possessed her to speak in such an unladylike manner? The director really was a pompous jackass, unfit for the duties of his office, but she should have realized one, if not both men, might be fluent in the language of the pharaohs. When was she going to learn to think before acting?

"Well, what the devil did she say?"

She held her breath as Lord Blakeney arched a regal eyebrow at her in only the way a British male could. Well, there was nothing for it now. She lifted her chin up in a stubborn gesture, ready to translate her words.

"The young lady thinks you perform your duties like the hardiest of mules."

Alex started with surprise. He'd not given her away. Why had he translated her insult in such a positive light? Her surprise evolved into suspicion. What did he want?

"Harrumph. Does she now." Merrick eyed her with skepticism. "Well, Blakeney, if you're compelled to show her the Stone, do so, but if the scholars protest, it's on your head."

With a slight nod, Lord Blakeney grasped her arm and ushered her out into the corridor, closing the door behind them. As they walked in silence, Alex finally recognized the tantalizing smell of cedarwood mixed with another spice she couldn't identify. It cultivated her earlier image of him in Pharaoh's garb, his legs sleek and powerful beneath a short loincloth. She could even visualize her fingers gliding over the hard sinews of his golden arms and chest. Would his bared body be as muscular as his clothing hinted?

The decadent thoughts horrified her. Heavens, she'd been around Jane too long. Her widowed friend's constant consideration of men's physical attributes had finally rubbed off on her. Quickly she thrust the images aside. But it was difficult to do so given the way her body reacted to his.

Several corridors later, she knew she'd never be able to find her way back to the exit without her escort. A slight shiver skated down her spine. She knew nothing about the man accompanying her. But her body did. Her skin had not stopped tingling since the first time he'd touched her. She tried to suppress the sensations. For all she knew he could be the worst kind of rake—the kind her friends had warned her about before she left New York.

A moment later, Lord Blakeney ushered her into a well-lit room. Worktables lined the walls, where several men were immersed in their study of various documents and books. In the center of the room, on a waist-high pedestal, stood the object she'd come to see.

Her fingers tightened on the portfolio she carried and she sucked in her breath as she drew near the Stone. Reverently, she stretched out her hand then stopped. Was it being treated with a solution her fingers might disturb? She turned back toward him.

"May I?"

"By all means." A small smile curved his mouth. Feet planted slightly apart, he folded his arms across his chest. For a moment she forgot the misshapen basalt slab as she pictured him in the hot Egyptian climate, his rippling chest muscles glistening with oil her hands applied. The heady image stole her breath away, and she saw his eyes darken with a dangerous invitation.

Gathering her wits, Alex sucked in a ragged breath and turned her attention back to the Stone. Her hand caressed the cool surface of the ancient rock, the carved indentions rough beneath the pads of her fingers. Her throat tightened. This would have meant so much to her father. Touching the Stone would have been the culmination of his lifelong dream. Now it was her dream. Her chance to prove that a woman was just as capable as a man when it came to finding an ancient city.

She peered closely at the artifact's surface, noting several hieroglyphs identical to ones in the notes she carried. Without thinking, she quickly opened the portfolio in her arms and sifted through the papers. It took a moment, but she finally extracted the page she sought. She examined it for a moment then looked closer at the Stone. The glyphs on her page were slightly different from the black basalt slab's markings.

Pulling her pencil out, she sketched a mark from the Stone onto her paper. The difference in the mark was small, but significant. She inhaled a sharp breath of excitement. Her father had been right. Per-Ramesses was at Khatana-Qantir, and she was going to find it. She scribbled another correction onto her paper as her gaze shifted between the Stone and her work.

There, another glyph that didn't match. She pulled another sheet of paper from the folder and scanned the symbols. The significance made all the difference in the translation. She smiled. Her persistence had paid off. With these final corrections, Per-Ramesses and his beloved Nourbese would soon see the light of day after more than three thousand years.

She pulled one page after another from her portfolio, intent on verifying the work she'd brought with her. Eventually, half her portfolio lay spread out at her feet as she continued to confirm and correct her notes. Time held no meaning as she studied the markings. The light changed as she worked, and she frowned as shadows hovered over the black basalt, making it difficult to read the markings. Throwing her head back, she looked up at the skylight. She'd been so absorbed in her work she'd not even noticed the sun was setting. With a quick glance at the workstations that circled the room, she saw most of the scholars had left. She didn't even see Viscount Blakeney.

She rolled her head around to stretch her neck muscles before stooping to pick up several stacks of paper she'd placed on the floor. The sudden frisson rippling over her skin made her suck in a quick breath. She swallowed hard as a golden-skinned hand picked up some papers and offered them to her.

As she looked up into Lord Blakeney's dark brown eyes, the warmth of his gaze heated her body to a fevered pitch. It was like being taken from the coolness of a cave out into the heat of a desert sun. The sudden awareness of him spiraled a cord of tension through her. Disturbed by the wild sensation, she accepted the papers with a quick nod of her head. Standing upright, she quickly jostled her portfolio closed as she tried to ignore his presence. Impossible.

"Please forgive me, my lord. I didn't mean to inconvenience you by working so late. I've imposed on your kindness."

"There's nothing to forgive. It's obvious you have a passion for your work."

She glanced back at the Rosetta Stone. "Yes, it's been my life for a very long time."

"And did you find what you were looking for?"

Excited, she smiled as she bobbed her head. "Yes, and I know I'll be successful now. I only wish…"

"You wish your father were here to share the triumph." His firm lips curved in an understanding smile.

"Yes, both he and my uncle would have been elated, and it would have been difficult not to be carried away by their euphoria."

"Your uncle?"

The memory of their recent deaths made her throat constrict. In less than a year, she'd lost the two most important men in her life. She controlled her sorrow and nodded. "Uncle Jeffrey is the one who first tempted my father with the idea of finding Per-Ramesses."

"Was your uncle an Egyptologist as well?"

"Oh, no, Uncle Jeffrey was a member of the spiritualist movement."

Skepticism arched the man's eyebrows at her statement, and Alex cringed as she realized her mistake. Everyone had believed her uncle a madman, but he'd provided too many clues about Per-Ramesses for her or her father to discount him as such. The man's arbitrary dismissal of her uncle disappointed her for some strange reason.

"Come, I'll see you home. Where are you staying?"

"At the Clarendon, but your escort is unnecessary. I'll have a hackney take me to the hotel."

A stern expression hardened his rugged features as he grasped her elbow and ushered her out of the workroom. "I think not. London after dusk is no place for a lady unescorted. I cannot leave you to such a fate."

Swallowing hard, she protested. "I appreciate your kindness, my lord, but I'm quite accustomed to taking care of myself. The streets of London are hardly any more treacherous than those of New York."

"Perhaps, but I'll escort you safely to your destination nonetheless."

The set of his jaw indicated she would not sway him in the matter. With a quiet sigh, she acquiesced to his stubborn insistence. The gloomy corridors of early afternoon were now almost dark. Had she really been working for so long? It seemed like just a few moments ago that she'd first touched the basalt's cool surface. The last of the sun's light barely lit their way as they entered a large exhibition hall filled with Egyptian artifacts.

Above their heads, a balcony encircled the room with more exhibits, while the various sarcophagi they passed threw eerie shadows across their path. Glancing upward, she frowned. Had something actually moved on the balcony? She scoffed at the notion, but a shiver scraped its way down her back. It was impossible to shake the disturbing sensation of being watched.

She glanced up at her escort. Lord Blakeney appeared quite unconcerned as he guided her across the large room. With a slight shrug, she discounted the inner warning. As usual, her imagination was out of control. Yet, despite her best intentions, the sensation refused to go away.

By the time they reached the middle of the room, the hair on the back of her neck had spiked with apprehension. Something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Ahead of them, two giant statues of Anubis provided an arch over the doorway leading into another gallery. Guardians of the tomb, the jackal-headed figures presented an ominous picture as they approached the entryway.

Foreboding tensed her muscles as she shot a quick glance at her companion. There wasn't a hint of concern or wariness on the man's face. Lord, she was acting like a muddleheaded goose. As they drew close to the statues, she looked up with awe at the massive monuments.

They were magnificent. Would she find similar treasures at Per- Ramesses? Out of the corner of her eye, a shadow flitted along the wall of the balcony encircling the room. Just as quickly the vague form disappeared. She frowned. She was almost as bad as Uncle Jeffrey—seeing things that weren't even there. A scraping sound made her stop abruptly. Lord Blakeney paused as well and eyed her with curiosity.

"Is something wrong, Miss Talbot?"

"I'm not sure." She shook her head. "I thought I heard something."

Arching an eyebrow, he glanced over his shoulder to search the dark recesses of the room's corners. The scraping noise came again, this time louder and she looked up to see a large stone plummeting toward her. Inhaling a breath of terror, she froze. In the next moment, a strong arm snapped around her waist and jerked her to safety. The sandstone shattered on the floor behind her. Buried in the warmth of Lord Blakeney's embrace, Alex shuddered.

Alive. She was still alive.

She'd been too terrified to move. In the distance, shouts sounded through the hall. Trembling, she struggled to remain calm as the voices grew in strength.

Pushing her away from him, Lord Blakeney's hand brushed over her brow and cheek as he studied her with a look of concern. "Are you hurt?"

Unable to speak, she shook her head. He glanced back at the disintegrated sandstone on the marble floor before looking upward. She followed the direction of his gaze and saw the hole in the balcony. It must have been a loose stone, just waiting to fall. A man slid to a halt just outside the Egyptian room.

"My lord, are you and the young lady all right?"

"Yes, Martin, we've escaped injury. Miss Talbot, however, is quite shaken from her narrow escape. Get several of the men to help you clean up this mess, and tomorrow I want the balcony and wall inspected for other loose stones."

His strong arm still wrapped around her in a protective gesture, he guided her around the pieces of broken sandstone. As they passed beneath the somber statues of Anubis, she shivered. Had she really seen a shadow up on the balcony or had her intuition been trying to warn her of impending disaster?

More importantly, had Uncle Jeffrey been right? Was there really a curse on those who searched for Per-Ramesses and Nourbese's tomb?

Read additional chapters at Monica Burns Website.