you.”
“You take it then.”
“I just might. Ah look, there she is, the woman you plan to marry.”
“One word, Warren…”
“Oh lighten up,” Warren said.
Carrington sparkled in a dress of silver lace over black velvet, embroidered with hundreds of crystals. She wore her hair pulled up from the sides with silver and jeweled combs, the rest flowing down her back. She looked so beautiful that she took Beckett’s breath away.
He went to her side and offered her his arm. As she took it and smiled up at him, Molly came up behind them and took Warren’s arm.
“What do you say, Warren. Care to escort a lady to dinner?”
“My pleasure, Molly. I’m a lucky man.”
They joined the others at the beautifully set table, with its carved silver service and cobalt blue china and several elaborate floral arrangements. As usual, music played in the background, never loud enough to be distracting, just loud enough to be noticed.
As the first course was set before them, Molly asked if the temperatures was changing.
“It is getting colder, Mrs. Brown,” Bruce Ismay replied. “And it will get even colder still if we sail past icebergs.”
“Icebergs?” Madeleine Astor asked, looking a little scared. Her husband placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sure there is nothing to worry about, my dear. Not on a ship like this.”
“Indeed not,” replied Ismay. “Nothing at all to worry about except which fur coat to wear at night on deck.”
The occupants of the table all laughed.
“So, JJ,” Molly said to Mr. Astor, ‘did you sneak a mummy on board after all?”
“And risk a curse?” Astor said. “Good heavens, no.”
“Well if it wasn’t you, then who brought one on?”
Astor looked shocked. “ Is there one on board?
“So it would seem.”
Carrington and Beckett exchanged a glance and a smile.
At the end of the table, William Stead spoke. “I was afraid of this.”
“Really Mr. Stead?” Carrington asked. “Why?”
All eyes were on Stead. “I saw a mummy in London. She was called the Princess of Amen-Ra.”
“Oh!” Carrington exclaimed. “I saw her mummy board in the museum.”
“A man there told me her story. If I may share it with you?”
“Please do,” said JJ Astor.
Stead cleared his throat and began to tell the story.
******
Some time in the 1890s, there were four wealthy Englishmen who had set off to visit the recent excavations in Luxor. They were approached by a man offering to sell them an elaborate case containing the remains of the Princess of Amen-Ra. There were all interested, so they played a card game. The winner took the mummy to his hotel. Later he was seen walking back to the excavation, but he never returned.
His friends also met terrible fates. One of them suffered a gunshot wound to the arm which required amputation. Another became severely ill, was unable to work and ended up penniless and on the streets, the fourth came home to find his fortune was gone.
The coffin was shipped with the belongings of the man who had won its remains and another man in London purchased it.
The man who purchased it the second time also fell into disaster. His home burned to the ground and he lost several members of his family in tragic situations.
Still, the man knew its worth, so he donated it to the British Museum.
The men who handled the coffin also suffered mysterious bad luck.
The Princess’s curse continued to wreak havoc after she was installed in the museum. Workmen reported hearing sobbing from inside the coffin, and that sometimes other objects in the room would fly around as if being hurled through the air. Some of the night watchmen fell ill.
It was carried down to the basement and one of the men who carried it died suddenly of
“You take it then.”
“I just might. Ah look, there she is, the woman you plan to marry.”
“One word, Warren…”
“Oh lighten up,” Warren said.
Carrington sparkled in a dress of silver lace over black velvet, embroidered with hundreds of crystals. She wore her hair pulled up from the sides with silver and jeweled combs, the rest flowing down her back. She looked so beautiful that she took Beckett’s breath away.
He went to her side and offered her his arm. As she took it and smiled up at him, Molly came up behind them and took Warren’s arm.
“What do you say, Warren. Care to escort a lady to dinner?”
“My pleasure, Molly. I’m a lucky man.”
They joined the others at the beautifully set table, with its carved silver service and cobalt blue china and several elaborate floral arrangements. As usual, music played in the background, never loud enough to be distracting, just loud enough to be noticed.
As the first course was set before them, Molly asked if the temperatures was changing.
“It is getting colder, Mrs. Brown,” Bruce Ismay replied. “And it will get even colder still if we sail past icebergs.”
“Icebergs?” Madeleine Astor asked, looking a little scared. Her husband placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sure there is nothing to worry about, my dear. Not on a ship like this.”
“Indeed not,” replied Ismay. “Nothing at all to worry about except which fur coat to wear at night on deck.”
The occupants of the table all laughed.
“So, JJ,” Molly said to Mr. Astor, ‘did you sneak a mummy on board after all?”
“And risk a curse?” Astor said. “Good heavens, no.”
“Well if it wasn’t you, then who brought one on?”
Astor looked shocked. “ Is there one on board?
“So it would seem.”
Carrington and Beckett exchanged a glance and a smile.
At the end of the table, William Stead spoke. “I was afraid of this.”
“Really Mr. Stead?” Carrington asked. “Why?”
All eyes were on Stead. “I saw a mummy in London. She was called the Princess of Amen-Ra.”
“Oh!” Carrington exclaimed. “I saw her mummy board in the museum.”
“A man there told me her story. If I may share it with you?”
“Please do,” said JJ Astor.
Stead cleared his throat and began to tell the story.
******
Some time in the 1890s, there were four wealthy Englishmen who had set off to visit the recent excavations in Luxor. They were approached by a man offering to sell them an elaborate case containing the remains of the Princess of Amen-Ra. There were all interested, so they played a card game. The winner took the mummy to his hotel. Later he was seen walking back to the excavation, but he never returned.
His friends also met terrible fates. One of them suffered a gunshot wound to the arm which required amputation. Another became severely ill, was unable to work and ended up penniless and on the streets, the fourth came home to find his fortune was gone.
The coffin was shipped with the belongings of the man who had won its remains and another man in London purchased it.
The man who purchased it the second time also fell into disaster. His home burned to the ground and he lost several members of his family in tragic situations.
Still, the man knew its worth, so he donated it to the British Museum.
The men who handled the coffin also suffered mysterious bad luck.
The Princess’s curse continued to wreak havoc after she was installed in the museum. Workmen reported hearing sobbing from inside the coffin, and that sometimes other objects in the room would fly around as if being hurled through the air. Some of the night watchmen fell ill.
It was carried down to the basement and one of the men who carried it died suddenly of
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