Free Birds of the Nile by N E. David Page A

halfway through dessert that he was able to bring the discussion back to what he considered was its rightful starting point.
    “But what about Egypt? How are you finding it?”
    By now Lee Yong should have been overwhelmed by the relentless questioning, but far from it. In fact, she seemed to revel in it.
    “I like it very much,” she responded. “Very much indeed.” Then, in an aside meant only for him, as if she were divulging some secret. “You will discover, Mr Blake, that I have a passion for all things Egyptian.”
    This casual yet deliberate statement puzzled him. Was she trying to appease him after her performance that morning? Or was there more to it than that? There was something mischievous about her, but before he could get her to elaborate, their têtê à têtê was interrupted.
    A hubbub was pervading the dining room. All at once there was a general downing of napkins, a pushing back of chairs and people were standing up and getting ready to leave. This overall movement provoked Keith to enquire as to the cause and very shortly the report came back.
    “Apparently we’ve reached the lock at Esna.”
    Not wishing to miss whatever spectacle this entailed, they all broke off from their meal and went up on deck.
    A dramatic sight awaited them as they emerged into the night air. It was already dark, the sun having set an hour or so before, and the sky was inky black with just a few stars twinkling here andthere. In front of them, a massive pair of lock gates rose up out of the water, and to the left a concrete dam spanning the width of the river penned back the upper reaches of the Nile.
    They were not by any means alone. Ahead and astern of them a dozen or more cruise ships were vying for position in the queue to pass through the lock, their deck and cabin lights shining out through the gloom, and the sound of calling voices echoed across the water.
    Close behind Blake, the laboured puff of Mrs Biltmore’s breathing preceded her onto the deck as she slowly hoisted herself up the set of steep steps, towing Ira in her wake. Further down toward the bow, Janet and Keith had already joined David and Joan and all four were relaxing against the ship’s rail as they watched the show.
    Blake retreated to the shadow of an overhanging sunshade and waited for events to play out. He found himself speculating as to what Lee Yong might make of it all – the boats, the lights, the hustle and bustle of the quayside. No doubt there were similar scenes in her own country, and if such things were commonplace to her he imagined she might chide her companions for their casual waste of time. If not, then perhaps this was part of the international culture she seemed so keen to experience. He searched amongst the crowd at the front of the sun-deck and round the swimming pool in the hopes of finding her but failed. He couldn’t recall seeing her come up on deck with the others – perhaps she’d gone straight to her cabin rather than risk the cool night air.
    Eventually he caught sight of her, leaning on the rail at the stern of the ship, her slight form unmistakable even in the darkness. His first thought was to join her – but then he held back. He had no idea what he might say and besides, someone else was already standing in the shadows next to her. From his bulky outline Blake recognised the Egyptian tour guide. He’d been right about the chill of the evening for as he watched, theyoung man removed his jacket and draped it round the Malaysian’s shoulders. Surely they were not still debating the whys and wherefores of tombs and temples? Had they not had enough of that earlier in the day? It hardly seemed the time to be talking shop.
    But whatever they were discussing, the heat had gone out of their argument. Their demeanour was much more relaxed and they must have reached some form of agreement. To Blake that meant only one thing – Lee Yong had emerged victorious. She was not the kind who would easily give up, even when