Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Eve’s life seemed to have become a weird parody of itself. From the mundane day-to-day, which had verged on bleak, now she was riding so high, she hardly dared to look down. The new responsibility of the exhibition, attending the charity ball, the Paris trip in all its wonderful detail, and the incredible sexual relationship building between her and the billionaire renowned archaeologist, Lucien Knight, all added up to an unprecedented life change that left Eve’s head spinning. All that and the bizarre connection she had experienced with some of the artefacts. Ishtar’s crown and the Venus dagger had both brought about alternate mental states. How and why was a mystery she was still processing.
She hadn’t seen Lucien for a few days. He was, of course, extraordinarily busy, Eve knew that. Obviously, he had more important things to do than spend time with her, but over the week that had elapsed since their return from Paris, she had not seen him even once. After the incredibly intense weekend they’d spent together, it was a wrench.
She was trying not to be unnerved.
Lucien burned so dazzlingly bright in her otherwise dull life; it had blinded her.
He’s turned your head, she said to herself. It was just the sort of thing her grandmother would say, Eve realized, and her conscience stung. It had been a good long while since Eve had visited her gran, and she thought touching base with normality could be just what she needed. The Saturday afternoon that, ordinarily, would have seen her chained to the museum gift shop, in her new role opened out before her, free and clear.
Granny Joan lived in an Edwardian villa a short hop from Camden station and a long way from where you might expect to find an octogenarian. Still as happy to mill about with the crowds surrounding the market as she was to sip at a gin and tonic in the garden of the pub by the lock, Gran was an elegant addition to the tie-dyed masses and didn’t mind a bit that she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Today, Eve trailed behind her as she watered the many plants in her conservatory. Eve’s job; to wipe dust from leaves as and when instructed.
“That one’s a bit tall for me,” Gran said, wafting a hand at the upper leaves of a rubber plant. “They’re so much happier if they can suck up the light.” She gave Eve a little pat on her forearm and moved on to water the next pot along.
“Looks pretty happy to me already,” Eve said and gave it a polish. “In fact, I’d say there’s not a pissed off plant in here.”
The entire space was jam-packed with frothing ferns, long spiky leaved yucca types and abundantly flowering orchids, their tentacle-like roots escaping from pots to trail in staccato loops to table-tops. Eve didn’t know much about plants, but she knew a happy indoor garden when she saw one.
Granny Joan smiled around herself happily, “Yes, I do seem to have a bit of a knack. It’s all about getting the location right with plants, isn’t it, so the sun can find them in the right way? Knowing what they want, that’s the thing, what they like. Either you’ve got it or you haven’t.” She picked up one of Eve’s hands and examined the fingers.
“Nothing green there,” she said. “Never mind.” Gran grinned, her cheeks rounding into marshmallow-soft balls. She chucked Eve under her chin.
It was a standing joke. Eve didn’t own a single plant, and Gran always ribbed her about it. Eve didn’t get what the fuss was about. “So, how’ve you been?” she asked, changing the subject.
Gran strode to the other side of the room and picked wilting flowers from an orchid. “W.I. had their winter whist drive last week, which was a bit of a giggle, and I brought home one of Betty’s apple cakes.” She pulled an expression of longing at the thought of it. “But blah blah blah, I want to hear about you. Your mum tells me you’ve got a wonderful new job at the museum.”
“Yeah.”
Being asked to talk about it brought an uncomfortable fluttering to Eve’s chest. Gran had always had an inconvenient ability to see right through her. She steeled herself for cross examination.
“There’s a particular benefactor funding an exhibit on rituals to the gods. A lot of middle eastern content, so right up my alley. Almost like it was made for me, really.” Eve turned her eyes away from her grandmother and ran them around the room. He’s very enthusiastic. I’ve already accompanied him to Paris and a ball at the Dorchester to help secure exhibits.”
You’re babbling. Stop babbling.
Eve flicked her eyes to Gran. She was watching her from beneath arched eyebrows.
“Oh, yes? Pay rise?”
“No. Not yet. its early days. I’m still proving myself.”
“Well, don’t let them take advantage of you. I bet this promise of a better job has got you working twice as hard already. Don’t be suckered by the patriarchy.”
“Oh no,” Eve allowed herself a little smile, “Lucien would never take advantage.” She bit her lip, thinking about their exploits in Paris.
Gran rolled her eyes. “Lucien, is it? Bit of a looker? Well, you can’t really help it. Us Karimi women have always had a soft spot for the men. You take after me.”
Eve choked out a laugh. “Granny! I don’t know what you mean.”
“Okey dokey. Whatever you say.” She made for the door, back into the house, silky kaftan swishing out behind her. “Tea? And maybe a bit of that apple cake.”
She cut quite a pace through the house to the kitchen and Eve dragged along in her wake, not entirely sure if she wanted to catch up.
How does she do that?
Eve dawdled through the living room, running the duster over already polished furniture, and avoiding her grandmother’s inquisitive gaze. She picked up framed photos as she passed to give them a buff and lingered on one of Gran in her heyday.
She looked like a movie star. Perfectly pin curled hair and precise make-up, complemented by a dress that showed off her wasp-thin waist with a full circle skirt and fitted bodice that scooped elegantly at her neck to reveal most of her shoulders and a heavy eight-pointed star pendant. Eve stared at it. That star looked awfully familiar.
She kept hold of the photo as she walked and found herself still holding it when she got to the kitchen.
“What have you got there?” Gran plucked it from Eve’s hand. “Ah, wasn’t I something?”
Eve now realized why the Star of Ishtar had seemed so familiar. “That necklace, Gran.” Eve didn’t know quite what she wanted to say about it.
Gran chuckled. “It is quite ostentatious, I suppose. Solid gold, I think it was. Heavy too. Don’t like it?” She wrinkled her nose.
“It’s not that. It’s just that design. I’ve seen it before.”
“Well, it’s been sitting on the side for the last decade at least.” Gran stood the picture on the kitchen counter with a sniff.
“No, other than that. I’ve seen it recently somewhere else.”
Gran leaned back against the counter, looking Eve over. The kettle rattled about on its base behind her, struggling to the boil and hissing steam into the air. It clicked off, and Gran’s expression settled into the wistful recall of a memory.
She turned to make the tea. “My Grandma Aliyah gave that to me. She was a bit of a character. Never took any nonsense. She was absolutely determined that I should have it and not my sister, and kept going on about how I had to pass it down. Quite specific about it. First born women. It must stick with the women.” She waved both hands up close to her head as if doing an impersonation. She still clutched the teaspoon.
“I always thought it was something to do with her culture. Roots in the middle east. Women didn’t get the best deal over there. Even now. I expect she wanted to keep some kind of wealth with her fellow females.” Gran punched the air with a smile. “Women’s rights, and all that. Of course, I haven’t passed it on, what with me being still alive and everything, but I suppose you could have it.” She stopped to think for a moment. “Yes, you should. I’m not going to wear it again, am I? A bit flashy for me these days.” She gave the picture a fond stroke. “Perhaps you could wear it to your next fancy do. Wow, that professor with it.” She gave Eve a wink. “Bring the tea.”
She marched from the kitchen and made for the bureau in the dining room without a backward glance, then proceeded to pretty much empty it out onto the table.
Paper folds of photos with actual negatives tucked in the front heaped with piles of birthday cards held together with rubber bands. Eve peeked inside a broad flat box to find a big, padded anniversary card of a kind that you never really saw anymore, greying glitter glued to a silken heart beneath the words ‘ To my darling’ . Eve tipped it sideways so that her Gran could see. She smiled at it faintly. “My Walter.”
Tatty brown envelopes stuffed to tearing added to the pile, then a little drawing that Eve had done of an angel one Christmas with stick-on foil wings.
“Aw look,” Eve said and scooped it up while Gran continued to search.
“Here we are. Ever such a posh box. I wondered if it might have been her mother’s.” Gran passed it over.
The box was octagonal with a slightly domed lid, every surface entirely covered with a design made from minutely detailed marquetry depicting the sun.
“She was a force to be reckoned with, Grandma Aliyah. My cousin, Frank, was always a bit scared of her, but I thought she was marvelous, right up ‘til the end. I can remember sitting with her in her garden. Mostly at home out in the sunshine. Quite radiant and elegant, she was. Used to hold court out there.” She took in a long breath to huff out a sigh and patted Eve on the arm again. “A child’s memory, though, isn't it? You only remember the sunny days. They’re the ones that stick.” She gave Eve a little nod. “Those and the stormy ones.”
The lid pulled from the top of the box in its entirety to reveal, first, a black-and-white photograph. A wedding portrait of a man, dapper in Victorian military uniform, and a woman in white with thick dark curling hair that was adorned with flowers. The woman glowered down the lens with intense dark eyes.
Gran indicated Eve should turn the photo over. “Archibald brought her back from Iran as his wife after a tour. Fancied himself as a bit of an explorer by all accounts, and they did have all sorts of interesting things in their house. Where they are now, I’ve no idea.
“I think she was a bit of a romantic. I wrote down what she said when she gave that to me because it struck me as being so funny at the time.”
Loopy script across the back of the photo read:
Follow your own light, child, and pass it only to the hands of your first-born daughter and bid her do the same. Keep hold of your power, for it is greater than you know.
Gran pulled a long face and shrugged. “She told me to treasure it and keep it close to my heart, so my Walter had it made into a pendant for me.”
She lifted the star from the box and let it dangle from its chain, then held it up to her neck to peer into a mirror. “It is a bit chunky, but I always liked wearing it. Made me feel special somehow.” Sunlight twinkled in its diamond cut facets and her face lifted at the sight of it. A rosy glow spread beneath her skin.
“Diane was my first, and you were hers, so it’s all like Grandma Aliyah wanted in the end. You should take it. Take it and wear it with my love. Well, Grandma Aliyah’s love.” She lay it back in the box and as it left her fingers, Eve thought she saw the twinkle fade from her eyes.