“No.” He couldn’t see any reason not to tell her. “It’s in one of those wooden scroll holders the Indians use to ferry documents.”

“Ah-I see.” She studied him a moment more. “Arnia’s carrying it.”

He stared at her. “It can’t be that obvious.”

She lifted one shoulder. “That’s who I’d leave it with-she’s from a warrior tribe and quite dangerous, I imagine, yet to the cultists she’ll be all but invisible. They’ll never think of her.”

He grunted, partly mollified. “Watson mentioned you’d decided to return home by the overland route-that you hoped to see the pyramids and other sights along the way.”

She shrugged again. “It seemed sensible to see more of the world while I can, and as I was already in Bombay…”

“Be that as it may, now that the cult have sighted you, and clearly would be happy to do you harm, it would be wiser, for safety’s sake, to combine our parties, at least until we reach Alexandria.” He paused, then went on, “I don’t believe Ferrar knew of our endeavor before we left Bombay, but he must have learned soon after, and has moved quickly to get cultists ahead of us-I believe they were waiting, watching the docks. They were already here.”

“Which means they might be ahead of us, potentially all the way home?”

He nodded. “If I were Ferrar, in the position he’s now in, that’s what I’d do, and he has men to spare. Which, of course, is the principal aim of my mission-reducing his forces.”

She nodded, her gaze abstracted. When she ventured nothing more, he prompted, “So, do you agree that it’s best to go onward together? To combine our parties in the interests of safety?”

Hers, especially.

To his relief, she smiled. “Yes, of course. I see no reason why we shouldn’t proceed together. I have my maid with me, and in the circumstances, my parents would approve.”

“Excellent.” He felt like a weight was slipping from his shoulders, yet he’d just taken on all responsibility for her safety. For her life. With the cultists at large, that wasn’t putting it too highly.