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stone base, put down the lamp, and produced a hammer and chisel from the bag. He sat there working away intently in the lamplight, hammering at one of the slabs of rock, and when he was finally done, he wiped sweat from his face and smiled. “OK. You can see now.”
    He held up the lamp and they joined him.
    All along the base of Zoser’s pyramid there were inscriptions in the layers of stepped rock, and on their first day at Sakkara they had marveled at them; hundreds and hundreds of names and initials carved over the centuries by countless visitors. Even though illegal, it was a custom that no authority had been able to prevent. Some of the inscriptions even dated as far back as Roman times.
    And among them, Jack Halder had chiseled: RS, HW, JH. 1939.
    â€œJack,” Rachel laughed. “You’re not only drunk, you’re crazy. Papa will be horrified if he finds out you’ve defaced a treasured monument.”
    â€œMaybe, but now we’re immortal.” Jack smiled. “Just like our princess. Years from now, people will come here and perhaps, just perhaps, they’ll wonder who we were. We’re part of the mystery of the pyramids.”
    Rachel touched his arm fondly. “You know something? I’m glad you chiseled our initials. We’ve had such a special time here, it somehow seems appropriate. Don’t you think so, Harry?”
    â€œAt least there’ll be something to remember us by, long after we’re dead.” Weaver raised his beer. “I’d like to propose a toast. To us. And to Sakkara.”
    â€œTo us. And to Sakkara.”
    They chorused the toast and laughed, then talked for a while, as they watched the lights burning all over Cairo in the dark distance, until finally Rachel stood and dusted down her trousers. “And now, I’d really better get to bed. I’m so looking forward to the party tomorrow night. You’d better both promise me a dance.” She kissed them each on the cheek, with genuine tenderness. “Goodnight, Jack. Goodnight, Harry. Sleep well, my loves.”
    â€œDon’t you want us to guide you back with the lamp?”
    â€œNo, stay and finish your beer. I’ll be fine in the moonlight.” She walked towards the tents, and for a long time Weaver watched her go in the dim silver light as she faded like a ghost, until he looked across and saw that Halder was watching her too, almost in a trance.
    â€œAre you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    â€œI don’t know, Jack. Tell me.”
    â€œThat she’s the prettiest, most wonderful woman either of us has ever met.”
    â€œYou’ve read my mind, as always.”
    â€œLet’s be honest here, Harry. The truth of it is, we’re both infatuated with Rachel. So why don’t we cut out all that manly garbage of not showing our feelings and both say how we feel? It’s something we’ve avoided talking about.”
    â€œYou want me to be truthful about how I feel?”
    â€œVery. Cards on the table. Promise I’ll do the same.”
    Weaver looked away, towards darkened Cairo. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about her, especially knowing that these were the last days I’d spend in her company. And not a day’s gone by since I’ve met her that I haven’t thought about her, wanted to be with her. Even just to see her face. To hear her voice. She’s the first real woman I’ve ever fallen in love with.”
    Halder was solemn. ‘That bad, eh?”
    â€œI guess so. And it won’t seem to go away.”
    â€œBut you never told her even vaguely how you felt, did you?”
    â€œYou know I didn’t. And that’s the crazy thing about it. Something’s always held me back. Fear of being rejected, maybe, or of losing her friendship if she didn’t feel the same way and my admission complicated things.” Weaver shrugged. “Or maybe it was something else.