Just at that moment, like a guilty boy close to being found out, Carter felt a sudden icy cold course through his veins. He recalled the tiny statuette of the boy king’s head that he and Carnarvon had hidden in Tomb Four during those heady days of initial discovery. ‘God, if they ever find that, there’ll be hell to pay. No going back and no mistake. Breasted’s right, damn his eyes. Got to cure this issue now and get back to work. The place is in dire risk of damage with every tour Lacau organises. Besides, even if they are intransigent and retain everything for Egypt, I still have that head!’
Carter slept much better that night.
The following day, as he alighted from his taxi to go up the steps to the courthouse, he felt recharged and at the same time relieved. In his own mind he had found the solution to what could have been a potentially disastrous future problem and, as his solicitor greeted him, he once again felt positive about the forthcoming proceedings. Maxwell had news to reinforce his feelings.
“Great news! Sir John has turned up. Quite out of the blue! It’s marvellous. Just marvellous!”
Carter’s eyes lit up. “No mistrial?”
“No mistrial,” Maxwell confirmed. “Now that Sir John is here, they can have no legal grounds. And as added insurance, he has countersigned your renunciation. The endorsement will surely turn their heads to reinstatement.”
“Capital,” remarked Carter smugly. “That should seal it, then.”
“Well, we’ve not yet got them exactly where we want them, but a good deal closer, I’d say. I will ensure we retain dignity in our abdication. After Rosetti’s tainted litany at the outset of this contest, I am determined that we should not leave this place without setting the record straight.”
There was more than a note of professional competitiveness in Maxwell’s voice. Carter felt some foreboding in it. Nevertheless, the two marched together into the courtroom with straight backs and took their places at the table in front of the bench. They did not know it, nor did they sense it, but they were not alone.
An excerpt from Tutankhamun Uncovered, by Michael J. Marfleet.
Copyright 2009-2010 Michael J. Marfleet. All rights reserved.
Published by Apex Publishing Ltd.
